The Chapel of Perpetual Adoration is next to the Basilica. It was designed by Witold Cęckiewicz and has the shape of a rotunda with large glass panels containing stained glass with a floral decoration. The altar in the shape of a bonfire containing the monstrance is in the centre of the Chapel. The sanctuary lamp hangs over the altar and contains the flame of Mercy lit by Pope John Paul II in 2003 as a symbol of the message of Divine mercy disseminated from here all over the world. Cardinal Franciszek Macharski consecrated the Chapel on the Feast of Mercy in 2004 and started a 24-hour Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. A year later, the Pope’s wish to have Perpetual Adoration in the Shrine of Łagiewniki was fulfilled. In a letter he wrote for the Feast of Mercy, just two days before his death, giving it a testamentary quality, he said, “I am glad that Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will start this Sunday. Nothing can match the Lord’s Eucharistic presence as a manifestation of the work of mercy He conducted on the Cross and in His Resurrection. So let His presence be a source of strength and hope for all the pilgrims.” Ever since, the Chapel of Perpetual Adoration at Łagiewniki has been open day and night, and pilgrims have been praying here before the Blessed Sacrament for God’s mercy on themselves, the Holy Church, our Country, and the whole world.
Sr. M. Elżbieta Siepak ISMM
Translated by Orest Pawlak
