Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
June 27
Saint of the day:
Saint Ladislaus
Our Lady of Czestochowa
(https://soundcloud.com/user-84758912-221844386/ep-34-st-ladislaus)
Our Lady of Czestochowa
Our Lady of Czestochowa, or the Black Madonna of Poland, is a very famous painting of the Blessed Virgin holding the Child Jesus. Under this title, Mary is the Patron and Protector of Poland. Since the face of Mary is very dark, she is referred to as the Black Madonna. This darkening of the image comes from centuries of being hidden and the many years of soot and smoke from candles illuminating the icon. The picture follows the traditional form of an icon. Mary gestures toward Jesus, directing the attention away from her and pointing to Jesus as the source of salvation. The child Jesus extends his right hand in blessing to the viewer of the painting and holds a book of the gospels in his left hand. As in many icons Jesus looks like a small man, reminding us that Jesus, while still a child, is fully mature in his Divine nature.
The painting of the Madonna has a long history. Legend has it that it was painted by Saint Luke on a piece of a cedar tabletop built by Saint Joseph. Some even say it is part of the table used at the Last Supper. Saint Helen found this painting when she went to Jerusalem in search of the true cross. She gave the painting to her son, Constantine. When the city of Constantinople was invaded by the Saracens, the people prayed to Mary and the city was saved. This began the great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary attached to this painting.
The history of the painting is more accurately documented in 1382, when Prince Ladislaus was owner of the painting. In that year, when the Tartars were invading the Prince’s palace, an arrow hit the painting, lodging in the throat of Mary. Prince Ladislaus decided to take the icon to Opala, the town where he was born, in order to keep the picture safe. On the journey there, he stopped and spent the night at Czestochowa. The next day, as they began to continue the journey, the horses pulling the wagon with the painting of Our Lady refused to move. Prince Ladislaus took this as a sign that the painting was to remain in Czestochowa. The icon was placed in the care of the Order of the Hermits of Saint Paul at their monastery called the Mount of Light, or in Polish, Jasna Gora. The icon of the Black Madonna, Our Lady of Czestochowa, is there to this day.
The icon was again in danger and damaged in 1430 when the Hussites invaded the monastery. Twice the painting was struck with a sword, and before it could be hit the third time, the looter fell to the ground and died. Despite trying to repair the painting, the sword cuts and the arrow wound are still visible in the painting today.
In 1655 Swedes invaded Poland. The people prayed to Mary, and Poland was again saved from the invaders through the intercession of Mary. Our Lady of Czestochowa was thus crowned as the Queen of Poland, and this icon became the symbol of national unity.
There is even a modern legend from the time Russia invaded Poland in 1920. The Russian army was ready to attack when an image of Mary was seen in the clouds. At this vision, the troops withdrew and Poland was again saved. The Church honors Mary, the Mother of God, in various ways. Mary can intercede for us, as is evidenced by the many healings and miracles that have been attributed to prayers to Our Lady of Czestochowa over the years.
http://saintsresource.com/our-lady-czestochowa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Madonna_of_Cz%C4%99stochowa
Art:
Prayer:
Tradition:
Our Lady of Czestochowa
Visit:
Jasna Gora in Czestochowa, Poland
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Recipe:
Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels
Cinnamon Sugar Prestzel
Precel (aka pretzel) is a popular comfort Polish street food!
Ingredients
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1 1/2 cups warm water
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1 packet active yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
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3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , more as needed
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1 1/2 teaspoons salt
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2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
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1/3 cup baking soda (for boiling water)
Cinnamon sugar:
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1/4 cup melted butter
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1/2 cup granulated sugar
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1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Directions
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
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In a small bowl, add warm water and yeast. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes. Add salt and sugar and stir.
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In a large bowl, add flour and then pour yeast mixture over top. Knead with bread hook in your mixer or by hand for about 5 minutes.
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Separate dough into 12 sections. Roll dough into ropes about 15-20 inches long and 1 inch thick. Then form rope into a circle and twist the top ends together. Then bring the twisted ends down the center of the circle and pinch together with the bottom to form the pretzels.
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In a large pan, bring about 8 cups water + 1/3 cup baking soda to a boil. Once water is boiling, place a piece of dough into the water for about 30 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon and place onto baking sheet. Repeat until all pretzels have been boiled.
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Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven to a cooling rack.
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Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Then dip the pretzels into the melted butter and then into the sugar mixture. These pretzels are best served the same day. If you don't plan to serve them right away, wait to roll them in butter and sugar.
Notes
If you aren't making these for a party, you can easily half this recipe. Pretzel bites: Instead of shaping into pretzels, simply cut the dough ropes into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces. You should end up with 60-70 dough pieces. Boil about 8 pieces at a time in the baking soda water for 30 seconds, then transfer to a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pretzels are golden brown. Then dip each piece in melted butter and sugar mixture.Freezer instructions: These pretzels do not freeze as well once the cinnamon sugar coat is on. If you plan to freeze them, freeze the pretzels before dipping in the butter and cinnamon and sugar mixture.
