Our Lady of Beautiful Love
Patroness of the diocese

For six centuries after the baptism of Poland, since 1466, the ancient parish church in Bydgoszcz has been renowned for its reverence of the Holy Mary. Despite a thorough investigation ordered by the Primate of the Millenium, the chronicles reveal little of the history of this wonderful painting, so beloved by the inhabitants of Bydgoszcz. However, the visitation files of kuyavian-pomeranian bishops tell us, that the painting has been faithfully worshipped throughout all the vicissitudes of the ancient city of Bydgoszcz. This historical examination of the cult of Our Lady in Bydgoszcz made it possible for the said Primate, who 'bet everything on Mary', to receive permission from the Holy See to decorate the temples of Our Lady of Bydgoszcz, Our Lady of the Rose, called by him Our Lady of Beautiful Love, with a golden crown. He proceeded with the coronation on May 29th in the millenary year of christianity in Poland and explained his motives as follows: 'From beneath the Heart of the Beloved Mother, the Father's Love comes into the world by human paths. Through Mary, by means of the Spirit of Love, the Father gave his beloved Son to the world'.

God has cherished the world. Our Lady becomes the Mother of the most beautiful Love. The Father placed his Love, his Son, under Mary's heart and she gave to us this beloved Son of God as the sign of the Love that he has for us all. Beautiful Love means Love as great as the one the Father has for his Son and the Son, through his Father, to all God's children. When talking about the hardships that Bydgoszcz has gone through, he saw the radiance of Our Lady of Beautiful Love: 'It is a good thing, that Love has been encrowned in this temple, to rule over this city, so that our hearts may be changed and purified in the never ending quest to overcome oneself, for God, for the well-being of those who surround you, your children, husbands, wives, neighbours, subordinates and superiors at work, so that love reigns everywhere.”

These words of Our Lady's servant, the late Cardinal Primate, have great value for the Poles. The great Pole, Pope John Paul II, cherished them also, as he quoted Cardinal Wyszynski's words in nearly every one of his homilies during his second pilgrimage to Poland. So let the last words of the sermon delivered on the day of the coronation be a testament for the inhabitants of Bydgoszcz

'And I hope that the city of Bydgoszcz will create here its Heart of hearts, will share the heart, strenghten the heart and that here it will draw even greater love'.

This testament is still very congruent with Polish reality of today, in the Holy Year of Redemption, in which pope John Paul II presented the role of Our Lady as follows:

'In this new period of its history, the Church adores the Holy Fruit of Redemption as never before and, as if in an immaculate picture, joyfully observes that which it desires and longs to be in the overwhelming presence of Our Lady, recognizes, reveres and invokes the first of the redeemed and the first who was so greatly involved in the work of Redemption. Therefore, the whole Church will have to concentrate its love, like Our Lady, on Jesus Christ and to testify with its teachings and life, that there is nothing we can do without Him, as He is our only salvation”