By Fr. Paweł Rytel-Andrianik, Artur Hanula
An exceptional pilgrimage on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the canonization of St. Stanislaus Kostka concluded on September 15. It took the form of a relay. A total of 160 people participated. The first leg, from Vienna to Linz, began on July 3. Right at the very beginning, Leo XIV blessed the initiative and the participants.
The Pope close to the pilgrims
“I am very glad that the Holy Father initiated our pilgrimage,” pointed out Bishop Szymon Stułkowski, “and that we were able to conclude it with a meeting with Him as well.” During the general audience, the Bishop of Płock presented the Pope with an account of the pilgrimage, speaking about prayer for Leo XIV, for the Church, “for many matters that the Pope lives with today.”
The Bishop of Płock is also grateful to the Pope for the words addressed to the Poles during the audience, in which he encouraged prayer for young people so that, following the example of St. Stanislaus Kostka and Aloysius Gonzaga, they would not be afraid to make courageous life decisions.
Leo XIV specifically greeted “the pilgrims and seminarians of the Diocese of Płock with their bishop, who walked the path of St. Stanislaus Kostka from Vienna through Dillingen to Rome.” “I did not expect the Holy Father to summarize it like that,” said Bishop Stułkowski. “There was also an opportunity afterward to take a picture with our group. This will also be a beautiful keepsake that we will take with us.”
Joyful gratitude
Summarizing the pilgrimage in an interview with Vatican News, Bishop Stułkowski pointed to the joy that the event was successfully organized. He is grateful “first of all to those who prepared it.” He thanks all the participants who took on the challenge despite the hardships of the journey.
Friendship with St. Stanislaus Kostka
“I have the impression that I am discovering such a friendship with St. Stanislaus Kostka,” emphasized Bishop Szymon Stułkowski. “I have known him for a long time, but through this pilgrimage all the gloss that was on his figure has fallen away, and he is showing himself to me as an incredible warrior. A warrior for God’s cause, a warrior for his life, a warrior for his vocation, consistently following what the Good Lord suggests.”
Plans
Bishop Szymon Stułkowski mentioned plans for next year, when pilgrims will set out once again in the footsteps of St. Stanislaus Kostka to Rome. “I do not know yet when we will set off, perhaps it will also be the beginning of July, so as to finish in September,” he reported. He added that the route might be slightly adjusted. Already now, via Vatican Radio – Vatican News, Bishop Stułkowski encouraged everyone to take part in next year’s edition of the pilgrimage.
The bishop hopes that pilgrims will also set out on the trail individually, following in the footsteps of the young Polish saint. “I discovered during my week-long pilgrimage from Trento to Ferrara that this is probably the only path in the world to the tomb of a saint that the saint himself walked,” the bishop concluded.
