• June 10, 2013
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Pilgrimage for the beatification of priest Józef Obrembski

© The act of blessing the statue of priest Obrembski / Photo: Teresa Worobiej

On 7th June the pilgrimage from Turgiele (Turgeliai) set off to Maišiagala, a town in which the saintly priest Obrembski lived as servant of God. The singing pilgrimages prayed earnestly for his prompt beatification.

Yet, it was not the only event of a programme, as the statue commemorating priest Obrembski was consecrated and the Holy Mass led by priest prelate Wojciech Gorlicki was said for his intention as well.

The pilgrims arrived to Turgiele early in the morning. Before having set off, they gathered to attend the service in the local church. A portrait of priest Obrembski, painted by Robert Bluj, a well-known artist in the Vilnius Region, was put next to the altar and consecrated during the Mass.

Approximately 200 enthusiasts took part in the pilgrimage, most of whom were young people from the schools of the Vilnius Region. The vast majority of them attended those from Maišiagala, Turgiele, alongside Nemenčinė, Egliszki, Rzesza (Riešė), Marijampolė and Wesołówka.

Nonetheless, the most spectacular among them was the church choir from Podbrzezie (Paberžės), which kept on playing and singing not only the religious songs throughout the entire way.

The first stage of the pilgrimage led from Turgiele to Rudomino (Rudaminos). Priest Ireneusz Piekorz from the Vilnius church of saint John Bosco took over the leadership of the pilgrimage.

The pilgrims received a warm-hearted reception in Rudomino, where they were offered a delicious dinner – cold borsch and milk with potatoes – a dream meal during such a scorch, as it was at that day. They were also provided with accommodation for the night in the Ferdynand Ruszczyc Secondary School in Rudomino. In spite of the fact that they were constantly accompanied by the prayers, they did not lack in some entertainment, since the sisters of Our Lady of the Angels taught young people how to… dance!

Afterwards, the pilgrims reached The Gate of Dawn (Ostra Brama), where they attended another Holy Mass, led by priest Ireneusz, with the special intention of beatification of priest Obrembski. Later on, they got on buses and arrived to Krawczuny, where they paid homage to the soldiers of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa), who had been killed in the times of the World War II.

Then, the pilgrimages made for Suderwy (Sudervė) through Zujuny (Zujūnų). – It is literally impossible for us to put into words this uplifting atmosphere that accompanied us during the pilgrimage, how friendly we were welcomed by the inhabitants of the local towns and villages along our route. They offered us meals, handed flowers, asked us to pray together by a local roadside shrine. They blessed us, wished us a good trip and fruitful prayers – remarked Alfreda Jankowska, the headmaster of the Józef Obrembski School in Maišiagala, along with other pilgrims.

As for food and drinks, they were galore, as the housekeepers competed fiercely with one another to please the godly travellers.

As the pilgrims approached Maišiagala, they put the consecrated portrait of the prelate Olbrembski in front of them. They were welcomed by the faithful gathered in front of the local church, as well as by the parish priest, Józef Aszkiełowicz and priest Tadeusz Jasiński. The latter preached a sermon in Lithuanian and blessed the statue, masterminded by a sculptor artist, Stefan Dous. Priest Gorlicki celebrated the Mass in both languages. Among the numerous participants of this event were the representatives of the council of the Vilnius Region alongside the Polish deputies of the Lithuanian Seimas. The Polish delegation from Wysokie Mazowieckie, the family town of priest Olbrembski, including his nephew alongside his wife, attended the commemorative celebration as well.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to list all the guests, just as it is impossible to enumerate all the services of priest Olbrembski to his country and his faithful. He never hesitated to give religion classes at nights, both for adults and children, as well as to visit the sick at nights, marry the young couples and baptism their children. Hence, it does not come as a surprise, why he was referred as the “uncrowned” cardinal of the Vilnius Region and as “Moses” of his times, who managed to guide his people across the “Red Sea” of the communism era. He became a living legend.

Plenty of lives of his faithful were saved by him, as he hid them in his small cottage, which he used to refer jokingly as: a tiny palace. This “palace” seats now the museum in honour of his memory and has been beautifully renovated by the company “Chanita”. Almost every single detail has been preserved, exactly as it used to be in the times of priest Obrembski.

Hail to his memory and may God admit him to the circle of the saints as soon as possible!

An addition to the pilgrimage for the beatification

We are delighted to describe the pilgrimage from Turgiele to Maišiagala for the beatification of priest prelate Józef Obrembski as being successful and fruitful one. We are also pleased that it was participated by so many young people attending various schools of the Vilnius Region and that the pilgrims received such a warm-hearted reception along their route. It is impossible for us to mention all the towns and villages, where they were welcomed in such a way. Among others, it was the case in Marijampolė, whose inhabitants still cherish warm memories of the pilgrimages. They even organised a celebration party, which definitely had not been expected by the pilgrims themselves. Most certainly they prayed quietly with all their hearts to God for the hospitable inhabitants, as nothing else is nowhere near as valuable as a good deed done “in silence”.

Source: http://kurierwilenski.lt/2013/06/10/pielgrzymka-o-beatyfikacje-sp-jozefa-obrembskiego/

Tłumaczenie by Joanna Mirek w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Joanna Mirek within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu. 

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