BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Polish Culture Catholic religion in Poland

Having recently been to a trip to Poland ( One month ) i was struck by the icons of the Catholic religion there. After a trip there ( i'm a Polish American ) i came to a conclusion that the three most important religious figures there are , Mary, the Pope, and Jesus who i think comes in a distance third. Does the adoration of Mary and the Pope go a little overboard? Their Catholisism seems so different than American Catholisism! I could never feel comfortable with their brand.

To us Westerners the Polish catholicims seems a little bit exaggerated, because Poland is with Ireland, Italy and the Phillepines one of the most catholic countries.
I see no harm in it, and even see the charm of the Maria devotion. Only in some extreme cases like the Anti-semetic radio Maryia, and some fundementalist and extreme nationalist forms I dislike it.
The Pope is a Pole and that's why he is adored like a saint. I think the same would be if an American would be the pope or a Duchman. For Poland he was in their recent history, and a symbol of hope and light in ther dark days of the cold war.
Polish catholicism is more traditional than the catholicism of most Duch, German or American catholics, because the faith is nearly the state faith.
A huge majority is Catholic and many people practise their faith, while in the west there are few churchgoers.
I was caught by the devotion of Poles of all ages in the churches of Krakow. I did not seet that elsewhere.
Poland is more religious than other European states.

...Polish catholicims seems a little bit exaggerated, because Poland is with Ireland, Italy and the Phillepines one of the most catholic countries.

I read in Polityka newspaper the same about american faith. The article quated some studies, that atheist is the most unwilling neighbour to statistical american...

I see the puritinical Protestant (white Anglo-Saxon Protestant) faith of tens of millions of Americans as
a counterpart of the traditional Catholicism in traditional Catholic countries with a Catholic majority.
In America Catholics form a minority.

Polish Catholicism seems to secular West-Europeans
like Duch, Northern-Germans and Danes as traditional due to the old customs and habits, the processions and
the status of clergymen. Overhere (The Netherlands) Catholicism seems split between an orthodox minority of Conservative bishops and followers and a huge movement of progressive Catholics (who even had women speakers in their churches).

I am not an expert in religious affairs, but see in general a shift between people with a religious life and secular-non-believers. This struggle is going on everywhere in the Western world.

Czestochova is a unique place of Polish religiousity. Poles do feel in parts that their religion and patriotism are intertwined.

But, the typical Catholic Church in Poland is just the same as everywhere else in the world. The Polish pope is also the pope of catholics all around the world. He was visiting more places than any other pope before him! So, what I like about catholicism that it does not bound people to one specific church in one specific town but you can go and visit a catholic everywhere around the world and it is pretty much the same. Yes, there is some regional accents added here and there but this is nothing out of the norm.

Hey Guys.... Lily here!

My husband and I came back from Poland in late Oct, 2004 after eight weeks. We were on pilgrimage, just the two of us, a rent a car, and staying at pilgrime sites and hotels along the way.

For Masongeneral I might mention:
Our observations showed us, that many people come to Poland seeking the Blessed Virgin......and find Jesus, .......and many come seeking Jesus and find His Blessed Mother who God Almighty chose to bring Jesus into the world.

We were told, right after Polish Pope was elected, the biggest number of tourists for quite some time, came from Italy.......the Italians wanted to see where he was born, schooled, came from, the history of the Polish Pope. And rightly so, .... probably our greatest Pope ever.....and quite an honor for the Polish people.

My husband and I were truly blessed to witness first hand, the spirituality and love of the Catholic faith by the Polish people - all ages.

Rather shallow now that we are back home in USA.

Means, we`ve got to roll up our sleeves and get busy.

God Bless

lily

mason,

where have you been specifically in Poland? The Mary cult is especially cultivated in the places which are famous because of Mary's miraculous pictures like Czestochova or Piekary but I do not believe that Poles cultivate Mary more than the God and Jesus.

Hey Jaga....

Lily here.............the above are truly Holy and Blessed places but your forgetting Gryzwakd, going into Olszstyn (about 25 miles away).....this is the only place the Blessed Mother has appeared in Poland to children.

Don`t miss it next time you go - well worth the trip and the pilgrim living quarters there are exceptionally nice....restaurant is excellent and the little town is right there within walking distance..............a great place!
lily

Hey Jaga....

Lily here.............the above are truly Holy and Blessed places but your forgetting Gryzwakd, going into Olszstyn (about 25 miles away).....this is the only place the Blessed Mother has appeared in Poland to children.

Don`t miss it next time you go - well worth the trip and the pilgrim living quarters there are exceptionally nice....restaurant is excellent and the little town is right there within walking distance..............a great place!
lily

Gryzwald....sorry about typing error
lily