Fr Jarosław Zań greeting John Paul II |
The Pauline Order of priests and brothers works to spread devotion to the Mother of God (under the title of the Black Madonna) and to her special prayer, the Rosary. Throughout the centuries, many Marian shrines with copies of the icon of Our Lady of Jasna Gora were built in Europe (Jasna Gora being the Mother church with the original icon), and in 1951 a shrine was built and established by the Polish-American community in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Fr Augustyn Lazur OSPPE was serving in Doylestown when he felt the need to come to Australia. Initially he worked at the cathedral in Canberra when he arrived in 1981. After two years he was given charge of the Old Berrima Catholic church dedicated to St Francis Xavier. This church was built in 1851 by convicts. Before Fr Augustyn's arrival it had not been used for a decade. On May 13, 1984, this church was solemnly established as a Shrine of the Black Madonna in Australia. A solemn procession with a copy of the icon of Our Lady took place. The Ordinary of the diocese of Wollongong, Bishop William Murray, was the main celebrant at the Mass with a congregation which was truly multicultural.
Fr Lazur soon realised that the little Berrima church was too small to accommodate the many pilgrims who would in time flock to venerate Our Lady in this sacred spot. He set out to obtain enough funds to establish a permanent Shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy. A property near Berrima turned out to be just right. It was quite large, 59 acres, and had the advantage of being fairly secluded which would make it ideal as a spot where people could come and pray, and spend some quiet time with their families, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday living. The property owner lowered the fairly hefty price tag, Fr Augustyn obtained the bank loan he needed, and the property was purchased.
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Over time the property was embellished and made more welcoming. More and more visitors turned up at the Shrine. The Pauline order slowly expanded over the years and, in the 1990's, it was decided that better accommodation was needed to house the monks living at Penrose Park. Up till then the religious community of monks was living in "tin sheds".
The foundations of the new monastery were laid in September, 1990. It was built in two stages. Despite the various obstacles which surfaced, the monastery was completed and, in April 1991, the Pauline community moved into these more "humane" premises.
Soon a large church was planned, which would accommodate the many pilgrims who frequented Penrose Park. Eventually the plans were drawn up and construction began. The donations of the pilgrims, as well as their volunteer work, was so generous for the sake of the honour of God and Our Blessed Mother, that the church on completion was debt-free. On May 24, 1997, it was solemnly consecrated before a crowd of 8000 pilgrims.
This great event was soon followed by another the official coronation of the icon (a faithful copy) of Our Lady of Czestochowa. It occurred on August 26, 2001; thousands of pilgrims attended the ceremony, concelebrated by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Francesco Canalini, and the Bishop of Wollongong, Bishop Peter Ingham.
www.paulinefathers.org/
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