Fr. Paweł Rytel-Andrianik
A place of prayer for pilgrims
“The place where we find ourselves is not a random place, but one prayed over by pilgrims,” said the Bishop of Włocławek, Krzysztof Wętkowski, in his homily during the Holy Mass and the blessing of the statue of Mary in Konotopie. He pointed out that “this monumental statue of Mary stands near the chapel where Our Lady of Sorrows has been venerated for decades.” Pilgrims from the surrounding area journey to this very place.
“We lift our eyes to Mary”
Speaking about the message of the statue of Our Lady of Mercy, Bishop Wętkowski referred to the homily of Leo XIV from the Sagrada Família Basilica in Barcelona. The Pope said then: “As we admire the tower of Jesus Christ, we raise our eyes to Him – to the One who alone reveals to us the truth about God and the truth about ourselves.”
“Here, in Konotopie, we lift our eyes upward, we lift our eyes to Mary, who guides us toward God. Yes, Our Lady of Mercy is to remind us of God. Mary in this image welcomes us all, bending down over us and opening her arms to invite us to raise our gaze upward, to God and to heaven.” In this context, he added that “many people today have their eyes directed solely toward the earth and are entirely self-absorbed.”
A diocese connected with the cult of Divine Mercy
Referring to the title of the statue, “Our Lady of Mercy,” Bishop Wętkowski pointed out that in the same Diocese of Włocławek, in Świnice Warckie, St. Faustina Kowalska – the Apostle of Divine Mercy – was born. It was also there that she was baptized and received her First Holy Communion.
Votive offering of gratitude
As Vatican News reports, during the blessing of the statue of Our Lady of Mercy in Konotopie, Bishop Wętkowski noted that “this monument constitutes a personal votive offering of gratitude from the Founder. Gratitude is therefore due to the Founders, on whose initiative the statue of Our Lady of Mercy was created, as well as to the designers, architects, and builders.”
The statue of Mary is over 55 meters tall and is taller than, among others, the famous statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro. At a height of over 15 meters, there is a viewing platform. The initiators and founders of the construction of the statue of Mary are Grażyna and Roman Karkosik. The monument was created as their votive offering of gratitude.
