Ludźmierz, Poland: Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ludźmierz
About Our Lady of Ludzmierz:
The story dates back at least to the year 1400 when, according to local tradition, a Hungarian Merchant lost his way as he was traveling through the area and ended up lost in a nearby swamp. Suddenly, a lady appeared and led him out of the swamp.
He understood this lady to be the Blessed Virgin Mary, and knelt down to give her thanks. When he did so, a miraculous spring burst out of the ground. He then promised to have a statue commissioned that would depict the Blessed Virgin Mary as he had seen her, and bring it to the church nearby. In 1776, it was taken to its current location.
The Shrine is open daily for Mass and has outdoor stations of the cross along a path.
An interesting note: On August 15, 1963 the statue was being Coronated by Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, when the statue started to fall and the sceptre that the statue was holding was caught by the Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla. Many interpreted this as a sign that he would later become Pope. and of course he did, taking the name Pope John Paul II.
On June 7, 1997, Pope John Paul II visited Ludźmierz , and said the rosary in the sanctuary’s Rosary Garden.
