The Votive Gift of the Polish Community (in Polish, “Wotum Polonii”) is an expression of thanks for the fact that we Polish people have been able to pray in our own language for the past 150 years, receive the holy sacraments, develop our friendship with God and nurture our Polish customs in a foreign land.

As part of the celebration of our 150^th anniversary as a parish, we wish to reach beyond the confines of our parish community, with an important initiative that will engage the entire community of Polish people in the United States.

There are places on this earth where the Church has enormous needs, especially in the Third World. Among those places is Uganda, in central Africa. We are members of the same Church, and we cannot be indifferent to the needs of our brothers and sisters.

The campaign which we have created aims at also enlivening the spirit of the Gospel in ourselves, since we as Catholics, are called to share the gifts which we receive as a result of God’s will.

In his missionary encyclical, St. John Paul II calls on us to undertake apostleship and to proclaim the Good News to all the ends of the earth, something which we are obliged to by virtue of our Holy Baptism. Encouraged by this call, we yearn to offer this votive gift, and we invite all people of goodwill to join us.

A copy of the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa has been blessed in the Jasna Góra Shrine in Częstochowa, Poland, for the celebration of our parish anniversary.

This image of Our Lady is now traveling to Polish parishes on the East Coast of the United States. The visits of the image will give all an opportunity to meet with Mary, Our Mother present in the Icon from Częstochowa, and to present their petitions, entrust their families, as well as to thank her for the gifts received.

THE ROUTE OF THE COPY OF THE ICON OF OUR LADY OF CZĘSTOCHOWA

After the visits to parishes in the U.S. the image of Our Lady, marked with the prayers of thousands of people, will finally rest in Uganda, where a “Divine Mercy Babies Village” is being built. The village will house and feed 200 orphans who are under the care of Fr. John Bashobora.

This charismatic priest served in our parish of St. Stanislaus BM in Manhattan numerous times. It was here that we met with the Good Samaritan Society, whose volunteers have already accomplished many beautiful works. Among those works, is the construction of an orphanage and Samaritan center in Tanzania.

In addition to helping build the baby’s village in Uganda, the charity has now also undertaken the construction of the Chapel of Divine Mercy and Our Lady of Częstochowa, where the image that has traveled the United States, will be placed. There the orphaned children will then become entrusted to the care of the Black Madonna. The chapel will also serve local residents, in order to allow them to pray in their native language and to receive sacraments.

Donations for the construction of the orphanage can be made here on our website.

Funds will also be collected during the parish visits of the image of Our Lady in the U.S.

We thank you for even the most modest of gifts that you can offer from your heart.