Without Lifting A Finger

The  Black Madonna of Częstochowa  ( Polish :  Czarna Madonna  or  Matka Boska Częstochowska ,  Latin :  Imago thaumaturga Beatae Virginis Mariae Immaculatae Conceptae, in Claro Monte  ), also known as  Our Lady of Częstochowa , is a revered  icon  of the  Virgin Mary  housed at the  Jasna Góra Monastery  in  Częstochowa ,  Poland . Several Pontiffs have recognised the venerated icon, beginning with  Pope Clement XI  who issued a  Canonical Coronation  to the image on 8 September 1717 via the Vatican Chapter. * History Lucan tradition The icon of  Our Lady  of Częstochowa has been intimately associated with Poland for the past 600 years. Its history prior to its arrival in Poland is shrouded in numerous legends which trace the icon's origin to  St. Luke  who painted it on a cedar table top from the house of the  Holy Family . [4] [5]  The same le...

   

Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe   OFM Conv.  ( Polish :  Maksymilian Maria Kolbe   [maksɨˌmʲilʲjan ˌmarʲja ˈkɔlbɛ] ; 8 January 1894 – 14 August 1941) was a  Polish   Conventual Franciscan   friar  who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the German death camp of  Auschwitz , located in German-occupied Poland during  World War II . He was active in promoting the veneration of the  Immaculate   Virgin Mary , founding and supervising the monastery of  Niepokalanów  near  Warsaw , operating an  amateur radio  station (SP3RN), and founding or running several other organizations and publications. Kolbe was  canonized  on 10 October 1982 by  Pope John Paul II , and declared a  Martyr of charity . He is the  patron saint  of amateur radio operators, drug addicts,  political prisoners , families, journalists, prisoners, and the  pro-life movement . [2]  John P...