A pilgrimage of an Icon, a replica of the Icon of Our
Lady of Czestochowa is currently underway. The purpose of the pilgrimage which commenced
on June 14th in Vladivostok, is for the protection of life and it is
taking place under the title "From Ocean to Ocean"
The Icon is attracting great crowds in the Far East with
huge numbers queuing to see it and to kiss the Icon. The pilgrimage
includes meetings, lectures, conferences and pro-life rallies at the locations
visited by the Icon
The route of the current phase of the Icon's tour which is around 18 thousand km., will take it
through 23 countries: beginning in Russia and ending Portugal
where it will be at the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima at Christmas. The route includes, The Ukraine,
Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary,
Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Germany,
Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal.
The pilgrimage will most likely continue through next year,
arriving in the United States in the spring, and may go even further. Great interest has also been expressed in this
activity in South America, Africa and Australia.
The replica of the Czestochowa Icon of Our Lady, dedicated
to the defense of life, was touched to the
original in the Monastery of Jasna Gora in Poland on January28 and solemnly
blessed by Archbishop Stanislaw Nowak, Metropolitan of Czestochowa.
The initiators of the pilgrimage are lay defenders of life
from different countries under the patronage of Human Life International. They
realize that without God's help a victory in the battle against a growing
global attack on the civilization of life is not possible.
