Jerusalem and Poland

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I will be visiting Jerusalem this year on a Pilgrimage and would love to do one on Poland (JP II, Maximiliano Kolbe, Divine Mercy…), have any of you been to these places? I would love to read about your experiences. Really looking forward to Jerusalem.
 
Warmly recommended. It can make all the difference to your understanding of the the places you’re visiting. Jerome Murphy-O’Connor was an Irish Dominican who spent most of his working life in Jerusalem.

 
Thank you. I’m really looking forward to it, especially as we are going with a priest.
 
I’ve been to Poland. In Warsaw I saw All Saints’ Church with the statue of Pope JPII, the Warsaw Ghetto memorial and museum (also you can see part of the Ghetto wall which is left standing), and the grave of Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko (A giant Rosary) at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, the basement of which is also full of interesting murals of the Crusades and St. Francis and such, painted by young children. There is a 9/11 memorial at the St. Stanislaus Kostka church, part of the Twin Tower beams made into a cross.

Pope JPII’s hometown with the church where he worshipped as a child is also very nice. He lived literally across the street from the church. Be sure to have some of his favorite dessert when you visit that town, it’s a sort of cream cake. The Divine Mercy shrine is very big and not centrally located, so plan on spending at least a half day there if you want to see it properly. In Krakow’s historic area are some nice churches that have adoration every day so be sure to stop in. Also the market at Krakow is a great place to shop for souvenirs, the prices are very reasonable, and you can hear the trumpeter at certain times from the tower of the historic church, also tour the beautiful church.

Unfortunately I was not able to get out to the St. Maximilian Kolbe shrine as we were only in Poland for a couple of days, so that’s on my list for a future trip. You have to take a train from Warsaw to get there. I did get to see the cell where he died at Auschwitz. You are not allowed to go into the cell, just look in. I reached through the bars when guard was not looking and touched a holy card of St. Maximilian to the wall.

I also understand that if you want to go to Mass in Poland on your own and it’s not an arranged Mass for a tour group, then you should arrive early because the Masses are so full you cannot get a seat otherwise.
 
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Thanks, you did get to see a lot of things. I want to go with an organised group to Poland so they can take me to see everything.
 
All the Catholic tour groups will go to Warsaw, Krakow, Pope JPII’s town, Auschwitz (where St. Maximilian died) and the Divine Mercy shrine. They don’t all go to the Kolbe shrine or to Blessed Jerzy’s grave, so check on that before you book.
You can get to Blessed Jerzy’s gravesite at St. Stanislaus Kostka church easily by taxi or subway if you’re in Warsaw. I went on my own as my tour did not cover that. When I got there I found a different tour having Mass in the church basement so they let me join them for the Mass.
 
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I have not been to Poland but I have traveled independently to, and stayed in Jerusalem.
Recommendations:
Read up on everything you can lay your hands on before you go.
I would second the Jerome Murphy O`Connor book above, though it also covers much of the rest of the country as well and it therefore is perhaps a little “thin” on the Old City of Jerusalem.
I would unhesitatingly recommend the Sebag- Montefiore book “Jerusalem:The Biography” It gives the incredible story of the city from its founding to the modern day and is written by an English Jew who is a scion of a notable Jewish family and who consequentially was able to access much information and evidence that others might not have been able to reach.
https://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Bi...sprefix=sebag,stripbooks-intl-ship,289&sr=1-2
Reputable tour guides locally are good, but you are very much at the mercy of their timetable, which is unlikely to be ideally suited to you. Get a local guide for Bethlehem (if you do not have one already) as it should smooth any problems arising from entering and being in the West Bank. They are easily obtained in Jerusalem and “know the ropes” in The Church of the Nativity. Ask your priest to say Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (this must be pre arrainged) The Church of the Holy Sepulchre does not have much in the way of signage and you must familiarise yourself thoroughly before you go if you enter without a guide. There is no guarantee that you can enter the tomb of Our Lord due to crowding and tour guide schedules but you would have a lifetime of regret if you did not manage to enter and pray briefly (likewise climbing the stairway to Golgotha and touching the stone) therefore, if you can, revisit in any free time to achieve this once in a lifetime moment. This website has some good information re the church.

www.israel-in-photos.com

Church of the Holy Sepulchre - Full Visitors Guide with Photos

According to traditions, the Church Of The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem contains two of the holiest sites in Christianity.
www.israel-in-photos.com www.israel-in-photos.com

Carry a hat and something to wrap around bare legs (if female) as a modesty code is enforced by all three main religions (and their branches) Carry a small water bottle and wear comfortable shoes. The Old City of Jerusalem is almost entirely pedestrianised.

A visit by a believer to this city is a very intense experience. He or she will experience a melange of the mundane and incredibly religious and I guarantee that you will leave changed, for good or ill.
 
Thanks for all the pointers, this is definitely on my bucket list. Hopefully, next year.
 
Holy Land/ Jerusalem is one place where if you’ve never been before, I would say it’s best to go with a reputable Catholic pilgrimage tour company. The crush of tourists at every holy site is pretty overwhelming. It is also safer in numbers for things like getting through the checkpoint needed to go from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. And you will probably have better access to some churches and sites if the group pre-arranges this.

Once you have seen all the stuff on the standard Holy Land tour, you can always go back another time and just hang around Jerusalem, there’s a lot to see and do in the city.
 
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