Members of Catholic Action from across Poland gathered at Jasna Góra to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the association’s revival, with two days of prayer, talks, and liturgy.
The pilgrimage opened with a jubilee session featuring a keynote by Professor Jan Żaryn on the role of the laity in Church and society, and a talk by Elżbieta Olejnik on the history and heritage of Catholic Action. Former presidents Halina Szydełko and Urszula Furtak shared memories of the movement’s growth, while current president Andrzej Kamiński thanked members for their commitment.
Delegates from the International Forum of Catholic Action (FIAC) in Romania (Codruta Fernea – president of AC Romania) and Malta (Marija Cachia – president of AC Malta), along with representatives of Civitas Christiana and the Catholic Association of Youth, sent congratulations and praised the movement’s long-standing cooperation.
That evening, Bishop Marek Mendyk celebrated Mass in the Chapel of Our Lady of Częstochowa, followed by the Jasna Góra Appeal, during which pilgrims entrusted Catholic Action to the Mother of God.
On the second day, pilgrims gathered at the Archcathedral of the Holy Family, welcomed by Archbishop Wacław Depo. Relics of St. John Paul II were handed over for a mission in Peru and a parish in Myszków, before pilgrims processed to Jasna Góra praying the rosary.
The main Eucharist at Jasna Góra was led by Bishop Piotr Jarecki, the movement’s first National Ecclesiastical Assistant, who reflected on its history and the tasks ahead for lay Catholics. A blessing from Pope Leo XIV was read to the gathered pilgrims. Halina Szydełko and Rev. Prof. Tadeusz Borutka were honored for their long-standing service to the association.
The celebrations closed with a Way of the Cross on the ramparts of Jasna Góra and the laying of flowers at the monument of St. John Paul II, patron of Catholic Action in Poland.
Organizers described the jubilee as a time of prayer and gratitude and a call to continue the movement’s apostolate.
