The cult of Mary and piety connected with Marian images are phenomena lived by Catholics all over the world. The figure of Mary today, as in previous centuries, attracts and accumulates various meanings fulfilling personal and collective needs of people. In the case of Poland, national and private stories surrounding the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa describe Mary as Queen and as Mother. Our Lady of Częstochowa as a “master symbol” shapes rituals, behaviors, and (to a huge extent) myths connected with contemporary Polish popular Catholicism. As pointed out in many places in this book, the power of this cultural icon has been especially revealed in breakthrough, liminal situations when the society and individuals search for symbolic dimensions in their lives.

As I was preparing an English version of this book to be published, the Polish state and society experienced a politically shaking event. On Saturday morning, 10 April 2010, a plane with 96 top Polish officials – including the President of the Polish Republic Lech Kaczyński and his wife – crashed near the Smoleńsk Airport in Russia killing all on board. This tragic crash was immediately perceived in Poland in very symbolic terms. On the level of “spontaneous historiosophy,” it was interpreted in the context of the popular vision of “dramatic Polish history.” Knowing the symbolic dimension of Our Lady, I was not surprised when the image-figure of Our Lady of Częstochowa began to play a role in national mourning.