Posted August 22, 2013

A copy of the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa will be displayed in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul next month.

A welcoming ceremony will be held Saturday, Sept. 21 at 5 p.m. (prior to the 5:15 p.m. Mass) and the icon will be displayed until 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, following conclusion of the 6:30 p.m. Mass.

The original icon, also known as the “the Black Madonna,” is reputed to have been “written” on the table top from the home of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Nazareth by St. Luke the Evangelist. Devotion to Mary in the icon has been credited with numerous miracles and healings.

The copy of the icon has been blessed at the monastery of Jasna Gora in Poland, where the original is kept, and entrusted to the defense of life and family.

The traveling icon has visited Russia and 24 countries in Europe, spanning 40,000 miles, before making a stop in the Philadelphia Archdiocese on its global pilgrimage.

Visitors who wish to view the icon at the cathedral are invited to ask Mary for her protection of life and family as well as personal petitions.

The cathedral is located at 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Visit the cathedral’s website for more information.