Several thousand members of the men’s Christian group, Warriors of Mary, congregated nationally in the central Polish city of Bydgoszcz over the weekend where they walked in a procession from the Old Town to Saint Vincent de Paul Basilica.
“To be a Warrior of Mary is to fight your own weakness, your own sin, to fight for your family,” one of the Warriors told Polskie Radio.
“Mary surely changed my heart, which enabled me to serve God and people, to love others more, and to look upon people and the world with love and humility,” he added.
“We are called by Mary to serve others and to give an example to other men that it is possible to live with God,” said another participant who explained that “relations with our spouses and other people have improved because we look at people differently.”
The Warriors stress that “it is about fighting our own weaknesses instead of other people.”
Following the rosary procession, the participants attended a Holy Mass, rosary, and adoration in the Saint Vincent de Paul Basilica in Bydgoszcz.
Warriors of Mary is a Catholic men’s community with more than 6,000 members in Poland and across 12 other European countries. It was established during open meetings held cyclically in Ląd, central Poland, to help form “men into good husbands and fathers.”
In order to become a Warrior of Mary, a new member must go through these formation meetings organized by the community, both nationwide and regional, and after prior verification, proceed to the solemn entrustment of the so-called Sword Matching, which takes place once a year.
