Piesza pielgrzymka polonijna z Chicago do Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Częstochowskiej w Merrillville jako przykład polskiej inicjatywy duszpasterskiej realizowanej w kraju emigracji

The article takes up the issue of a Polish community walking pilgrimage from Chicago to the Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Merrillville. It is an example of the transfer of a Polish pastoral ministry initiative to a country of emigration. Such a phenomenon is observed among various groups of migrants in the United States and concerns, among others, Catholic migrants from Europe. The pilgrimage discussed in the article refers directly to the well-known tradition in Poland of going on a pilgrimage on foot to Jasna Góra in Częstochowa. The article in individual sections presents the theology of pilgrimage, the history of the creation of the Marian shrine in Merrillville, the origins of walking pilgrimage to this site, the course of the annual walking pilgrimage, and the current pastoral challenges of this pastoral ministry initiative. Apart from its purely religious significance, the Polish community pilgrimage, which is a manifestation of piety, also contributes to the maintenance of the national and cultural identity of Polish emigrants in the United States.