Polish pilgrimage to the Church of St. Michael in Pindstrup
05.09.2020
Despite the difficulties stemming from the pandemic, representatives of the Polish diaspora living in Jutland along with many Danish friends met on their annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Michael in Ringsø near Pindstrup.
This year's pilgrimage took place on Saturday, 5 September 2020 gathering the Polish diaspora living in Denmark as well as the local community of Pindstrup. It was not only an opportunity for religious celebrations, but a joyous Polish-Danish get toghether. Father Herbert Krawczyk and Mr. Jarosław Galuba, representative of the Polish Embassy in Copenhagen unveiled the sculpture of St. Michael, the work of a local artist. Ambassador Henryka Mościcka-Dendys, who concludes her diplomatic mission to the Kingdom of Denmark, sent a letter to those gathered in Pindstrup. She expressed gratitude to the whole Polish diaspora for five years of fruitful cooperation and wished all the best to the community of Friends of Pindstrup.
St. Michael Church was built by Poles, who arrived in the area of Pindstrup in the 1920s, and found employment in a local peat mill. The owner of the land where the Poles worked, Mr. La Cour, funded construction materials, and the employees themselves collected over DKK 7,000 from contributions to build the chapel. In 1930, the temple was consecrated. Since then, Pindstrup has been a place of Polish peregrinations. The tradition of Polish pilgrimages to the church of St. Michael did not survive World War II. Father Herbert Krawczyk, a long-time pastor of the Catholic parish in Aarhus, restored it almost 20 years ago.
