---
title: Personal pilgrimage retraces the final journey of a murdered priest
url: https://www.faithfulnews.com/en/personal-pilgrimage-retraces-the-final-journey-of-a-murdered-priest
published: 2026-10-20T20:48:44+00:00
language: en
section: World Church
source: https://www.niedziela.pl/artykul/128665/Modlitwa-ktora-poprzedzila-smierc
organizations: Church of the Polish Martyr Brothers, Sanctuary of the New Martyrs
publisher: FaithfulNews
---

# Personal pilgrimage retraces the final journey of a murdered priest

An individual undertook a personal pilgrimage on the eve of the anniversary of the abduction and martyrdom of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko. The journey followed the priest's final path from Bydgoszcz through Górsk to Włocławek. The traveler proceeded in the reverse direction, starting from the Włocławek dam on the Vistula River, moving to the cross at the abduction site near Górsk, and ending at the Church of the Polish Martyr Brothers in Bydgoszcz, which is currently designated as the Sanctuary of the New Martyrs.

The pilgrimage route included the location where the priest celebrated his final Mass and led the Rosary prayer. These final meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary are described as his spiritual testament. The reflections addressed human dignity, freedom, justice, the fight for truth against lies, the atheization of the nation, the virtue of courage, and the opposition to evil through good. The author noted that these themes remain relevant despite the end of the communist regime. The final words of the prayer called for freedom from fear, intimidation, and the desire for revenge and violence.

A bulletproof glass with a cross is installed at the barrier near the descent from the Włocławek dam. This memorial marks the spot where the priest's body was recovered from the water. A monumental cross also stands on the bank of the Vistula River, next to the dam. The text includes a prayer to Mary, Mother of the Polish land, asking for support for those suffering physical pain, anxiety, and humiliation. It also requests maternal care for those striving to renew the land in the spirit of the Gospel and for those fighting for truth, justice, love, peace, and freedom.

The article cites a prayer addressed to the Lady of Jasna Góra by Pope John Paul II on June 23, 1982. The prayer thanked the Mother for those who remain faithful to their conscience and who overcome evil with good. The text argues that only those rich in good can overcome evil and that renewing good is essential for preserving the dignity of a child of God. It states that human dignity surpasses all worldly wisdom and that true freedom is the first characteristic of humanity, given by God as a dimension of human greatness.

The author emphasizes that Christians cannot be slaves and that the obligation to defend freedom exists where it is unjustly restricted. Freedom is described as both a gift from God and a lifelong task. The text asserts that justice flows from truth and love, and that where love and good are absent, hatred and violence take their place. It claims that justice is impossible in countries where rule is based on violence and enslavement rather than the service of love. The source states that the source of justice is God, and that injustice is done to the nation when it is officially atheized and Christian values are destroyed in the minds of children and youth.