Last Thursday we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa, a venerated icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary found in the Polish town after which it was named. We thought it would be a perfect time to replay a previous episode that honored Our Lady of Częstochowa and the devotion to our Blessed Mother.
We hope you enjoy this week’s replay episode, and find a moment this week to pray for the intercession of the Blessed Mother this week. Mary, Our Lady of Częstochowa, pray for us!
The Faces of Mary begins this week with two stories of devotion to our Blessed Mother. The first comes from Dr. Neil Stahurski, a pastoral musician in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Neil holds a Doctorate in Organ from the Eastman School of Music, as well as a Master’s Degree in Music from Duquesne University. He has served as a member of the Executive Board of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and has served as a panelist/lecturer for the Pittsburgh Chapter of NPM, and has also performed in recital at the 2001 NPM National Convention in Washington, D.C. He is the director of the Karuzela Chorus, a choir that sings in Polish for liturgies and cultural events in the Pittsburgh area. He holds a special interest in the Organ Literature of Poland, and has presented lecture recitals on Polish organ literature.
Neil shares his connection to Our Lady of Częstochowa, a venerated icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary originating in Poland.
Our second and last interview for today’s episode comes from Debbie Brown. Debbie is a cantor, bell choir member, resurrection choir member, and a member of the Marian Singers at Saint Mary of Sorrows in Fairfax, Virginia. Clearly, Debbie is the type of devoted pastoral musician we all wish we had in our program!
Debbie wrote into the program because she went on a pilgrimage to Knock, Ireland, and Međugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her devotion to the Blessed Mother is clear, and I’m honored to share her story with you today.
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