(After: "Lichen`, Sanktuarium Maryjne", by rev. Eugeniusz Makulski, MIC,
Copyright Wydawnictwo Ksie`z|y Mariano`w 1993, ISBN 83-85040-65-X 590/K/076,
published by Wydawnictwo Ksie`z|y Mariano`w, Warszawa 1995) When: 20th October 1813 Where: the battlefield near Leipzig, Germany Whom: soldier Tomasz Kl`ossowski, living near Lichen` Message: Wounded Tomasz Kl`ossowski was praying lying on the battlefield,
asking for the grace of dying in Poland, and not on foreign soil.
He saw Mother of God in a golden coat, with visible symbols of painful
death of Jesus Christ (the cross etc.), holding White Eagle in her hands.
She promised him health and return home. And she ordered him to find her
picture.
Look at me carefully - she should have said - I must look on that
picture as you see me. You shall place this picture in a public place
in your village. My nation shall pray in front of it and will get
obtain much blessing from my hands in the most difficult times .
(For an image look
here )
In the spring of 1814 Tomasz really returned home and since then was looking
for the picture of Virgin Maria as was ordered to. Finally, on September the
9th, 1836 he found the image in a lost wooden chapel in a field 9 kilometers
from Cze`stochowa. The owner of the field allowed him to take this picture
with
him, both of them being satisfied. Tomasz placed the picture in a chapel in
his house and prayed much. In 1844, after a repeated request of Virgin Mary he
placed finally the picture in a wooden chapel on a high pine tree in the near
Graa`bin`ski Wood.
(After: "Lichen`, Sanktuarium Maryjne", by rev. Eugeniusz Makulski, MIC,
Copyright Wydawnictwo Ksie`z|y Mariano`w 1993, ISBN 83-85040-65-X 590/K/076,
published by Wydawnictwo Ksie`z|y Mariano`w, Warszawa 1995) When: 1850-52 Where: Lichen, Poland Whom: shepherd Mikol`aj Sikatka Message: In the Gra`blin`ski Wood, the shepherd Mikol`aj Sikatka, born in
Gra`blin
in 1787, earned his money by
taking care of cows of villagers and of land-owners. He was married,
had two sons. He was in no way an extraordinary man, but he was considered an
honest, right man. While looking after the cows he used to pray rosary
in front of the Virgin Mary picture in the chapel Tomasz Kl`ossowski made.
He was probably the only man to care about it.
In August 1850 Mikol`aj started talking people that a strange woman appeared
to
him near the chapel in the wood.
Sworn in, he witnessed that to the priest Florian Kosin`ski, his
parish-priest,
who wrote in an official writing to consistor-general in Kalisz on September
5th, 1852 about it:
"For several years in the parish of Lichen`, a picture of Mother of God
is there in the wood near village of Gra`blin, placed there on a pine tree by
one of parish-men, who is dead now. In that wood, near the
picture, a
shepherd from the above-mentioned village, for two years, was to see an
unknown person, as if from the other world, who ,by mediation of that
shepherd,
tried to encourage the people here to real penance, to change the current in
many aspects bad way of life, ordering to collect money for three Holy Messes
from the whole parish in order to turn back the threatening punishment and
illnesses for their crimes. That person warned to move the above
mentioned
picture from that forgotten place to a secure place ... These orders were
repeated several times. The shepherd repeated the same to the chief of the
county in Gostawice and to the war commander in Konin."
(For an image look
here )
(For more details on history and on messages - in Polish only - look
here )
In fact, the war commander imprisoned the shepherd Mikol`aj. During an
apparition on August 15th, 1850, Virgin Mary rejuvenated the old man to
confirm her message that an epidemy were threatening if the people did not
retreat from their sins. Many people would die and dead bodies would be lying
in the street. She promised, however, that whoever prayed in front of her
picture, would be rescued. People did not believe, and Mikol`aj was
imprisoned,
his hair was cut and his face cut through with a knife to remove the obvious
signs of a wonder confirming the validity of the message. Mikol`aj was
declared
to be insane and official announcements were made in the district declaring
that the apparitions are a lie. In this way, many people got informed, that
there were any
apparitions at all. Approval: Never attempted due to "political" nature of the
message.
Mary demanded stopping heavy drinking, and this was counter to the policy
of Russians occupying Poland in that time. This was also the reason for
imprisoning of the visionary.
But the message got an indirect confirmation.
The imprisonment didn't help: the epidemy of cholera started in August 1852
in Europe, also in Poland. The people
recalled the message and ran to the picture of Mary in the wood, and were
healed. Under these circumstances, the
government released
Mikol`aj immediately. People started building a brick chapel in the wood.
The bishop of Kalisz announced on September 22nd, 1852 that the
Wonder-bringing Picture of Mother of God would be moved
from the Gra`blin`ski Wood
to the (wooden) church of
Lichen` a week later. More than 80,000 people came on that occasion.
And the epidemy was immediately stopped. Shaken by this event, the parish
started immediately building a brick church.
On October 18th, 1858 bishop Marszewski of Kalisz consecrated the new church
in Lichen` and personally moved the picture from the old church to the new
one.
The shepherd Mikol`aj died on April 23rd, 1857. He was buried on Lichen`
cemetery. As forty years later his grave has been opened, the body of the
visionary appeared to be untouched.
On August 15th, 1967, in the presence of more than 150,000 believers, the Our
Lady of lichen` Picture received crowns of the Pope Paul VI. Crowning
celebration was headed by the Primate of Poland, Stefan Cardinal Wyszyn`ski,
who thanked on that occasion the Our Lady of Lichen` for
miraculous healing of his tuberculosis.
Until the present day, the place is visited by more than million people a
year, not only from Poland. Heavy drinkers are particularly helped by Our Lady
of Lichen`.
Thousands of entries in the books of the sanctuary witness God's grace in
Lichen`.
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