On Sunday, November 9, a solemn Eucharist of thanksgiving was celebrated in the Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bardo, Lower Silesia, for the 125 years of presence and ministry of the Redemptorist Missionaries in this historic pilgrimage town.
The celebration, held in the Shrine of Our Lady, Guardian of the Faith, was presided over by Bishop Marek Mendyk of Świdnica. In his homily, the prelate recalled that the day that coincided with the 293rd anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, emphasizing the Redemptorists’ charism: to proclaim the Gospel to the poor and abandoned.
Bishop Mendyk thanked the Redemptorists for their faithfulness and pastoral dedication to Bardo, encouraging them to continue serving the Holy Spirit with courage and docility.
The celebration was attended by local authorities, nuns from various orders, parishioners, and pilgrims. At the conclusion of the Mass, several representatives expressed their gratitude for the Redemptorists’ collaboration and commitment in developing the sanctuary and parish life.
125 years of faith and service
The Redemptorist presence in Bardo dates back to 1900, when, at the invitation of Cardinal Georg Kopp, then bishop of Wroclaw, the first Redemptorists from the Austrian Province arrived to serve pilgrims and animate the spiritual life of the sanctuary.
In the following years, the mission passed to the German Province (from 1921), and then, after the Second World War, to the Polish Redemptorists, who enthusiastically continued the work of their predecessors.
Among the most significant figures in the history of the sanctuary are Father Franciszek Ksawery Franz and Father Józef Schweter: the former initiated the construction of the Rosary chapels, while the latter published an important historical work on Bardo and its sanctuary in 1922.
After 1945, Father Ludwik Frąś, CSsR, played a key role in renewing Marian devotion in Bardo and in the revival of Polish pilgrimages. It was he who encouraged the region’s new inhabitants to consider Bardo their sanctuary, “the Częstochowa of Silesia.”
Today the Redemptorists of the Bardo monastery engage in the parish and sanctuary ministry, in popular missions, in spiritual exercises and in welcoming pilgrims.
Fr. Sylwester Cabała, CSsR
(abbreviated text, source: www.redemptor.pl)
