Families and friends welcomed back home pilgrims returning from their pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Black Madonna of Czestochowa, central Poland.

As every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over Poland made the journey on foot, for some it took over two weeks to reach the Jasna Gora Shrine, Poland's most popular pilgrimage destination.

Pilgrims celebrated the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, at Jasna Gora and then returned home where they have been welcome by families and friends.

“We always await the pilgrims to welcome them back home,” says a local parishioner Kalisz, central Poland. “For many, many years now we have been doing this. I remember when I was a kid, my mom took me here. We would drop flowers on the pilgrims from windows and balconies. I remember this well, it's a very moving memory.”

The pilgrimage group from Kalisz walked on foot to Our Lady of Czestochowa annually for 372 years now. The journey took six days to reach the Shrine walking from St. Joseph Sanctuary in Kalisz. (jn)