“The sacramental family is the salt of the earth”. This was the motto of the peregrination of the statue of Our Lady of Loretto in the Diocese of Warsaw-Praga, announced by its Ordinary Archbishop Henryk Hoser SAC in his Pastoral Letter for the new year 2013 (on the Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God). This year was named the Year of Faith in the Catholic Church.
A copy of the miraculous statue from Polish Loretto near Wyszków haunted all the deaneries and parishes of the diocese from 6 January to 24 November 2013.
In the history of the Loretto sanctuary, this is the first peregrination of the statue of Our Lady of Loretto. The parish which Mary visited first was the parish of St. James the Apostle in Jadowo. The final point of the visitation was the Cathedral Parish of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian the Martyr in Warsaw.
Each of the participants of this event was invited to make an individual act of entrustment to Our Lady.
ACT OF ENTRUSTMENT TO THE MOTHER OF LORETTO
I …, stand before your face, in the presence of all the Angels and Saints, Martyrs and Patrons of Poland, to entrust myself to your Immaculate Heart.
Immaculate Mother of Jesus and my Mother Mary, Queen of Poland! Taking the example of Blessed John Paul II, I say today: I am all yours. To Your Immaculate Heart I entrust my whole self, all that I am; my mind, heart, will, body, senses, emotions, memory, wounds, weaknesses, my past from the moment of my conception, my present and future, including my bodily death, my every step, deed, word and thought, and all that I possess.
To Thee I commit all my works, prayers, sufferings and health. You, My Dear Mother, protect me from evil. Grant me the graces I need for transformation and healing. Guide me on the paths of life and use me to build up the Kingdom of your Son, Jesus Christ – the only Saviour of the world from whom comes all goodness, truth and life. Amen.
Under your protection…