St Antoni and the Black Madonna

Saint Antoni and the mystery of this picture

Being from a Roman Catholic family, religion is central to life. St Antoni and particularly this picture of St Antoni have special meaning in the Krawczyk house. It used to hang on the wall at mums parents flat in Poland.

I'm not sure how old it is probably 1920's?

Mum said just before the start of the Second World War the shiny background colour turned from gold to black.

When the war finished it returned to the gold colour you see now.

I know my mum was a very strong believer in the Church right until the day she died and I have no reason to doubt her?

It was in fact her father who told her this story. This was before the glass was cracked so you can say well its the change in humidity or something else scientific and logical and why should you think otherwise?

My mum never doubted her belief.

She always insisted if you pray every week, God will allow you one last mass before you die and so help you to heaven.

When she was admitted to hospital with Cancer, I never thought she would leave us so soon? Naively it didn't even cross my mind she would not get better?

I called the local Polish priest asked if he would visit her and give Holy Communion in hospital, it would help to comfort her.

He arrived on the Tuesday and she was gone by the Sunday but her wish came true she received her last rights before God took her. Mum's Bible and picture cards of Our Lady (photo above) were laid out in her hospital room, she prayed until the end. (This has been the most upsetting Blog I've had to write but we were a very close family).

The Black Madonna has a special place in my families hearts.

We used to visit Częstochowa in southern Poland, where an Icon of the Black Madonna is revealed in a special Mass.

Most Polish families will have a picture of this in their homes.

A few weeks later whilst sorting through my parents house, a neighbour whom I had not seen for years stopped and spoke to me. She reminded me of the times she used to talk to mum and dad, which was nice of her but one thing she said will always stay with me.

If all this religion is just one big joke and there really is nothing on the other side of our lives once we die, then it doesn't matter, it got us this far.

The Church helped all those soldiers through War, through life after the War and held their hand at the end.

The Church is not perfect and in recent years I see myself as a kind of Hippie Catholic. I don't have hard and fast views about how people should or should not behave but there is something. In my own experiences I have seen things I can not explain.

So if its a big joke fine I don't care it got me this far.

I just hope that gold background doesn't turn black anytime soon for my daughter's sake as much as anyone's.

History of the Black Madonna - Click here