THE MOST IMPORTANT MOUNTAIN IS JASNA GÓRA
EDITORS
Father Marian Waligóra became a new prior of Jasna Góra. He is a successor of Fr. Łukasz Buzun who held this function from 16 April 2014 and 3 months later – on 5 July 2014 he was appointed an auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Kalisz by pope Francis.
Fr. Marian Waligóra is 48 years old – he was born on 2 October 1966, in Jędrzejów, the diocese of Kielce. After graduating from Forestry Technical School in Zagnańsk, in 1987 he joined the Pauline Order. On 18 June 1994, after graduating from the Higher Seminary in Kraków on Skałka, he received priestly ordination and started his pastoral ministry – first for a year being in Hungary, and later till now, at Jasna Góra, among the others, holding the ministry as a deputy of the custodian of Jasna Góra. He is still emotionally related with Hungary through his ministry to pilgrims from this country, not forgetting about historic – Hungarian roots of the Pauline Order, as well as Jasna Góra. He speaks Hungarian very well. This year Fr. Marian Waligóra celebrates the 20th anniversary of his priestly ordination. For the last 3 months, from 17 April he held the function of the sub-prior of Jasna Góra.
His hobby is mountaneering and photography. In 2010 in the Regional Centre of Culture in Częstochowa there was a photography exhibition of Fr. Marian Waligóra entitled: ‘CHAMONIX. I raise my eye towards mountains…’. At that time Fr. Marian Waligóra said about his photography: ‘Effort of gaining mountainous peaks and an excellent reward for achieving them in the form of ‘unearthly’ views – have always been and still are my inspiration on the way of continuous developing and enlivening my faith. ‘I raise my eyes towards mountains’ as verses of Psalm 121.1 sound, because I know that from Heaven, from Lord I will receive help’.
The newly elected Father Prior said to the readers of ‘Niedziela’: ‘We know that Jasna Góra is a light on the Polish land, that it is for us, believers, the most important mountain of all, a peak, where through Mary we experience the closeness to God. Now, during the novena preparing us for the feast of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Jasna Góra, many pilgrims are coming here from parishes of Częstochowa and the archdiocese of Częstochowa and from our whole Homeland. Reflections of novena this year are being preached by Fr. Stanisław Przepierski – a Dominican who undertakes the topic of motherly relationship of Mary with Christ and the Polish nation. We are waiting for every pilgrim with joy and open heart, in order to thank together for the particular presence of Our Lady in the history of the Church and our Nation. We are going to say the prayer ‘Under Your Defence’ to ask for Her intercession in the difficult modern times and ask Her to make Poles faithful to God and His commandments. Listening to the teaching of the most important pilgrim of Jasna Góra – St. John Paul II, we are going to ask for families which would be full of love, stronger and united through the common celebrating Sunday’,
(AA)
"Niedziela" 33/2014