Preparations have begun for the Pilgrimage of the Relics of Saint Gerard Majella, titled “Gerard, Come,” organized by the Warsaw Province of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer to mark the 300th anniversary of the saint’s birth. A website dedicated to the pilgrimage and to the figure of Saint Gerard has also been launched: gerard.redemptor.pl .
A truly exceptional reliquary of Saint Gerard will be brought to Poland. The first-degree relic—a fragment of the saint’s bone—is placed at heart level, inside the saint’s reclining figure, which rests in a large urn measuring 87 cm wide, 186 cm long, and 94 cm high.
“The initiative to organize the pilgrimage of the relics of Saint Gerard in Poland was born in Pagani, Italy, during a visit to the Shrine of Materdomini last summer, as part of the month of renewal. Then, with a group of students from our seminary, we participated in several stages of mission program of St Gerard led by our Italian Redemptorist brothers,” explains Fr. Stanisław Paprocki CSsR, one of the pilgrimage’s creators and coordinators.
“We want, thanks to Saint Gerard, to revive the faith of parish communities, strengthen families, and build the unity of the Church,” adds the second initiator and coordinator, Fr. Wacław Zyskowski, CSsR. “The pilgrimage fits perfectly into the tradition of the Catholic Church in Poland. We hope that, thanks to it, we will be able not only to raise awareness of Saint Gerard among the faithful, but also to promote Redemptorist vocations: religious, priestly, and missionary.”
The pilgrimage will begin on October 25, 2026, in Materdomini, Italy, where, during a solemn Mass, the Italian Redemptorists will hand over the statue-reliquary to their Polish brothers. This is an unprecedented event in the history of the Congregation, as the relics of Saint Gerard, in this form, have never left Italy. To witness this extraordinary moment, two bus pilgrimages will depart from Poland.
The first place in Poland to which the relics will be brought is the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Częstochowa (Jasna Góra) on October 28, 2026. From there, the reliquary will subsequently travel to communities and parishes where Redemptorist fathers and brothers serve throughout Poland, continuing its journey until February of the following year. The pilgrimage schedule and map are available on the website gerard.redemptor.pl and on the social media of the Redemptorists of the Warsaw Province.
Martyna Karlińska,
Coordinating Group of the Pilgrimage of the Relics of St. Gerard, Krakow
