London university students pilgrimage to Slovakia

Skalnate Pleso in the High Tatras

This summer, 14 university students from London, accompanied by Sr Mary Kenefick SMG, chaplain to the UCL Catholic Society, went on a post-exam pilgrimage to central and eastern Slovakia, visiting many different Catholic shrines and other places of interest.

Our first port of call was an environmental resort, Aquacity, where we experienced the rejuvenating force of the health-giving geothermal waters while unwinding in the water park and wellness centre against the backdrop of the awe-inspiring High Tatras mountain range. I think all of us needed the revitalising spa treatments and massages offered after the trials and tribulations of the academic year just gone. It was also a fantastic beginning to the heavily packed pilgrimage ahead of us.

The programme consisted of both pilgrimage sites and places of sightseeing. We started with Marianská hora (Marian Hill) where Pope St John Paul II visited twenty years ago, where we were shown around by Sr Dávida. This Roman Catholic shrine is the oldest pilgrimage site in Slovakia and the strong devotion of pilgrims to Our Lady can still be seen today. For the entire three hours we visited both the Basilica and the resident nuns' convent, two elderly gentlemen who were already there when we arrived kept their deep contemplation and prayer, despite the sounds of fifteen pairs of feet entering and exiting the shrine multiple times. We later sang Marian hymns on the hill overlooking the nearby town of Levoča (and watched Sr Mary recreate the famous opening to "The Sound of Music"!).

Next, we explored the town of Levoča, where we visited St James's Church, which is the second-largest church in Slovakia and has the largest wooden late-Gothic altar in the world. Afterwards, we went to impressive ruins of Spiš Castle. It was here that we felt the awesome and mighty power of God as, while we were buying our tickets to enter the castle, we were submitted to one of the heaviest thunderstorms we had ever seen or heard. Nevertheless, undeterred, while some of the group hid from the torrential rain in the castle's cafe, others, including myself, took this opportunity to go up into the castle and feel the presence of God from the top of the ruins. We may have nearly been struck by lightning and we may have been temporarily deafened for a few seconds by the thunder but it was definitely an experience. From there we went to the exceptionally well-preserved ecclesiastical town of Spišská Kapitula, where we explored various symbols, such as the Eye of God which follows you around wherever you go to remind you that He is always watching over you.

The following day was one where, I felt, the group appreciated the beauty of God's creation as we traversed up one of the mountains in the High Tatras. At the top of the second highest peak in the High Tatras mountain range, Lomnický štít, we were privileged to catch a sight of the Slovakia-Poland border. It was a spectacular view and one which some of us might not have the opportunity to see again.

The next day was one spent around Greek Catholic shrines. This was the first time many of the students had come into contact with an Eastern Catholic liturgical rite and so was an eye-opening experience. Though united in communion with the Pope, the Eastern Catholic rites are in some ways different to the Roman Catholic rite; for example, a different calendar and liturgy is used, and Eastern Catholic priests can be married. The first shrine we visited was in the small village of Litmanová where Mother Mary appeared to two young girls, Ivetka and Katka, between 1990 and 1995. The fascinating part about the shrine is the similarities it holds to the shrine at Lourdes. Br Michal, who gave us a guided tour, explained to us how, in one apparition, Mary blessed the nearby spring so that all the water that flowed from the mountain would be holy water with powers of healing. Our Lady requested that the rosary be prayed and also for a special medal to be made featuring her heart and a white lily (as a sign of her purity). Pope Francis plans to cross the border from Poland to Slovakia to visit Litmanová during World Youth Day in Krakow next year.

We then spent the rest of the morning riding a traditional wooden raft down the Dunajec river which marks the border between Poland and Slovakia, so one minute we were waving to Polish people and the next we were waving to Slovakians. The raft activities contrasted with the solemnity of the rest of the pilgrimage. It was refreshing to have a break in amongst all the shrine visits as afterwards we explored the fabulous Basilica and town square in Bardejov. Inside the Basilica, we found there to be many altars, nearly one on each pillar and one in the central aisle. It was fascinating to find out why there were so many; during a period of religious unrest in Slovakia, priests were not allowed to concelebrate so the solution of many altars in one basilica was found.

Then, we visited the oldest wooden Roman Catholic church in Slovakia in the village of Hervartov. It was a sight to behold; we marvelled at the craftsmanship of the wood taking into account the church's brilliance, intricacy and age. Afterwards, we went to the last shrine of the pilgrimage in L'utina, the site where St Nicholas appeared to a poor family collecting mushrooms. A fabulous Greek Catholic Basilica was recently built in L'utina. There, as well as at all the other shrines, we were given such warm welcomes. The seminarians seemed genuinely happy that we had come to visit and even made an effort to tell us about the shrines in remarkably good English. Again I would just like to thank the organisers as well as Sr Mary for giving up her time to contribute to what was an unforgettable and moving pilgrimage.

As St Alphonsus de Liguori writes: 'In the first place, silence is a great means of acquiring the spirit of prayer, and of disposing the soul to converse continually with God' and I honestly believe that everyone who came with us to Slovakia was able to find peace and silence to open their hearts to the Lord after the stresses of the year just gone.

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