CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The Basilica of St. Stanislaus in Chicopee hosted a festival Saturday in honor of Our Lady of Częstochowa to celebrate Polish heritage.
This festival began at 12 p.m. and runs until 11 p.m. Saturday. Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate with traditional Polish American food, music, dancing, and an outdoor Mass and candle-light procession with the icon of Our Lady.
This is the 2nd annual festival at this parish and 22News spoke with Father Brad Milunski, who says the goal was to bring together the Polish-American community in Chicopee and western Massachusetts to honor Polish heritage & culture.
“The shrine in Częstochowa in Poland has great meaning for the Polish people and has grown through the centuries,” said Father Brad. He told 22News, “We wanted to find a way to bring people together here at the Parish and open this up to the wider community and not just for Polish heritage but for people to come and have a good time.”
Father Brad told 22News that he plans on having this festival every year on the Saturday close to August 26, which is always day of the feast of Czestochowa.
