99. The 99th pilgrimage of our congregation to Our Lady in Bardo, which took place on November 21—the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—was and remains a deeply moving experience for each of us. At the feet of the Guardian of Faith, we always give thanks for the courage of heart and living hope of our predecessors, who entrusted the fate of our Congregation to Mary. Much has changed in recent years: the world, the Church, our homes, and our ministries. However, one thing has remained unchanged – our entrustment to the Mother of God and the certainty that she guides us through every stage of history. We thank her and entrust ourselves to her. The Superior General, M. M. Sybilla Kołtan, took part in our pilgrimage to Bardo and expressed her joy that “we are faithful to our tradition.” "I encourage you, dear Sisters, to give thanks in a special way today. Let us pause and think about how much good has been done in our lives, even amid the difficulties we have encountered here. Let us try to see the good in ourselves and in our sisters." Mother Sybilla emphasized that we can discover hope when we are able to be grateful for what we have. And in order to truly celebrate it, we must first take a step of gratitude. “Let this day be a thanksgiving for our communities, for our sisters, and for our own lives,” she said. The Eucharist was presided over by Fr. Piotr Gołuch, vice-rector of the Świdnica Seminary, and the homily was given by Fr. Bartosz Trojanowski, former chaplain of the provincial house in Wrocław. “Your congregation has experienced a difficult moment in history—the threat of dissolution,” said the preacher. "It can also be described as a purification of the temple: a series of trials, threats, and even near destruction. But it was then that the truth, which your constitutions remind us of, was revealed even more strongly: ‘Our apostolate will only be fruitful if we are deeply united with Christ. He is the source of our spiritual life and the strength of our devotion to our neighbors.’" At the end of his homily, he encouraged: “Today we give thanks for the preservation of your congregation, but at the same time we entrust it anew to Mary, that she may always be your Guardian of the Faith, that each sister may listen to Jesus with bated breath, that Jesus may purify what needs to be purified, and teach you daily in the temple of your hearts.” As every year, the Sisters from the Jutrzenka house in Bardo welcomed us with the cordiality that has always been a hallmark of this place. Our conversations at the table prepared with love—full of sisterly closeness and brotherly warmth—became a beautiful complement to the Eucharistic table where Christ had previously fed us. We are now on the threshold of our 100th jubilee pilgrimage to Bardo, and this awareness gives us particular joy, but also a sense of obligation.
Sister Małgorzata Cur, SMI
Siostry Maryi Niepokalanej