Bishop Edward Malesic and Father Dan Schlegel, secretary and vicar for clergy and religious, are journeying with about 60 faithful from the Diocese of Cleveland on a pilgrimage to Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. The trip was organized by the Catholic Community Foundation. Highlights of day 6 are featured in the photo gallery above and in the story below.
The sixth day of the pilgrimage was a sobering experience for the pilgrims as they traveled to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, the largest of the German Nazi concentration and death camps where more than a million men, women and children were killed during World War II. Deacon Conrad said the visit was impactful for the group and Father Schlegel said it was a hard place to visit, but is an important reminder that we must never take our freedom for granted.
One of the places they saw at the camp was the cell where St. Maximilian Kolbe died. He volunteered his life in exchange for another prisoner. A candle was placed in the cell by Pope St. John Paul II.
While at the camp, the pilgrims saw the killing wall where many prisoners were shot by German soldiers, a crematory oven, barbed wire fences erected to keep the prisoners inside the camp, the camp gate and the train tracks that brought prisoners to the camp. They also saw a structure that provided shelter for the camp guards during inclement weather as they conducted daily roll calls and prisoner counts and other reminders of the horrors that occurred in the camp throughout the war.
Bishop Malesic and the group donned headsets providing them with an explanation of the sites in the camp.
After lunch, the pilgrims visited the oldest Benedictine Monastery in Poland and the St. John Paul II “Have no Fear” Center before returning to their hotel.
While at the John Paul II Center, the group attended Mass and prayed for the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II. Bishop Malesic spent some time in prayer and reflection before a display featuring the cassock the late pope was wearing when he was shot on May 13, 1981 during an assassination attempt.
The pilgrims also saw the salt chapel that honored the late pope’s work in the mine when he was a young man.
There was time afterward for the group to explore the city on their own before a group dinner at a local restaurant.
(Photos and information provided by Father Dan Schlegel and Deacon Dennis Conrad.)