Our parish pilgrimage to Poland was marked by a joyful and peaceful atmosphere. Over the course of three days, 46 pilgrims from the Bethany parish participated. We visited the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Krakow, the pilgrimage site in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, and Wadowice, the birthplace of Saint John Paul II. Our time together was filled with prayer, Holy Mass, conversations, and ordinary human closeness, which is a natural part of any pilgrimage.

A powerful moment for many was the communal recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the quiet time spent in the sanctuary, where each person could bring their own petitions and expressions of gratitude to heart. The pilgrimage was led by Pastor Andrej Baláž, who offered several brief reflections along the way, and there was also room for singing and shared fellowship. Many appreciated that, in addition to visiting well-known sites, there was time for peaceful conversations and new friendships.

A cheerful memory was created by an incident during one of the bus departures, when everyone thought we were all accounted for, only to discover that one pilgrim was calmly sitting a few meters away with locals, trying to order coffee in both Slovak and Polish at the same time. The entire bus laughed about it for a long time, and the person in question earned the nickname of our foreign envoy. We thank everyone who participated in the pilgrimage, and we believe that these shared experiences will remain with us for a long time.