YOUNGSTOWN — The second annual Feast Day of Our Lady of Czestochowa was celebrated Aug. 25 at St. Columba Cathedral with a special Mass, followed by a Polish-themed breakfast in the cathedral hall.

Attendees included former members of St. Casimir Church and St. Stanislaus Kostka Church — which both were closed in a diocesan reconfiguration plan — Polish Youngstown and community members.

Our Lady of Czestochowa, or the Black Madonna, is the protector of Polish people around the world. Her icon holds a prominent place in Polish American homes and her feast day is Aug. 26.

Ivan Vinicezni explained why it is valuable to have this yearly celebration.

“These people lost their churches. This is one time during the year that they can celebrate something that is so important to them,” he said.

Mass was celebrated by the Rev. Monsignor Robert J. Siffrin, rector of St. Columba; the Rev. Joseph Rudjak, retired pastor of Holy Apostles Church who grew up at St. Casimir; and other Slavic priests.

During the Mass, a prayer was read in Polish prior to the Gospel and former choir members from St. Casimir and St. Stanislaus Church, along with Rudjak, sang Czarna Madonna in Polish during the meditation. In English, the song title translates to Black Madonna.

Sofie Vinicezni is of Polish descent and a former member of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, where she and Ivan were married nearly 50 years ago.

“It is important to have this Mass to continue this Polish tradition. St. Stanislaus was like a family,” she said.

At the hall, it was like a family reunion and the sense of community was evident as numerous people stopped at the table of Ginger Leone Kubala and her husband, Steve Kubala, for a visit.

“My husband went to church there for 75 years and I attended for 55 years until it closed,” Ginger Kubala said.

Steve Kubala added, “My mom was Polish and my dad was Slovak. Our Lady of Czestochowa was an important feast day.”

Rudjak, who is of Polish descent, and studies ethnic history, gave a talk at the hall.

He explained the historical significance of the Black Madonna and also gave two examples of miracles that are credited to her that saved the Polish people from invaders.

Angela Messenger and her daughter, Abigail, manned the registration table. She has a direct relationship to Our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland.

“I visited Poland about 20 years ago. I visited the Shrine of Jasna Gora and Our Lady of Czestochowa. It is only open at certain times. I was there at the end of July. I saw many people who had walked there as part of a pilgrimage. It was really powerful to see the real image,” Messenger said.

In 2010, former Youngstown bishop George V. Murry, along with Polish Youngstown, started an effort to renovate the baptistery underneath the bell tower at St. Columba Cathedral as a shrine to Our Lady of Czestochowa. The parishioners of St. Stanislaus donated their mosaic icons to the shrine, which is open for viewing and prayer when the cathedral is open.

“It recognizes the diversity of the Mahoning Valley and the beauty of our traditions and our heritage,” Rudjak said.