A Marian sanctuary in northeastern Poland – dubbed the “Polish Lourdes” – could soon draw global attention, as Pope Leo XIV has been invited to visit the site where the Virgin Mary appeared approximately 160 times. Source: OSV News.
As the Marian month of May unfolds, the village of Gietrzwald – in Poland’s picturesque northeastern Warmian-Masurian lake region – is preparing for major celebrations in 2027 marking the 150th anniversary of the apparitions.
Polish bishops, along with President Karol Nawrocki, who visited the Vatican in September 2025, have extended an invitation to the Pope, raising the possibility that the quiet sanctuary could become the focus of international pilgrimage and renewed Marian devotion.
The events that took place in Gietrzwald in 1877 remain unique in the life of the Church. Over the course of about two months, two young girls reported around 160 apparitions of the Virgin Mary– sometimes occurring twice a day – making it one of the most prolonged and concentrated series of Marian apparitions ever recorded.
It is also the only apparition site in Poland officially recognised by the Vatican.
Unlike better known sites such as Lourdes or Fatima, the apparitions in Gietrzwald were marked not only by their frequency but by extended dialogue.
According to historical accounts, the visionaries engaged in multiweek conversations with Mary, addressing both theological questions – including the Immaculate Conception – and the practical concerns of daily life.
“That’s a unique aspect,” filmmaker Jan Sobierajski said. “We don’t find that in the history of Lourdes, Fatima or La Salette.”
At the same time, the message itself echoed the familiar core of Marian apparitions: a call to prayer, particularly the Rosary, and to conversion.
Sr Anna Wojciechowska, provincial superior of the Daughters of Charity in Poland, emphasised that continuity. The “invitation from our Mother” was clear: “Pray the Rosary every day,” she said. “And the assurance given by Mary: ‘Do not be afraid, for I will always be with you.’”
Despite the scale and intensity of these events, Gietrzwald has remained relatively little known outside Poland. That may now be changing as the anniversary approaches and the sanctuary draws new attention.
“Mary chooses places forgotten by the world: provinces, villages and small towns,” Mr Sobierajski said. “This is a spiritual principle we can see in Scripture.”
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‘Polish Lourdes,’ where Mary appeared to 2 girls 160 times, could soon draw global attention (By Katarzyna Szalajko, OSV News)
