After Christmas Eve supper, Poles will flock to the Midnight Mass to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In Poland, there are also exceptional services—deep underground or high in the mountains. There, too, people sing in praise of the Savior.
101 meters underground…
At a depth of 101 meters underground, in accordance with mining tradition, an underground Midnight Mass was held on Christmas Eve morning at the Wieliczka Salt Mine. More than 800 people took part, including miners with their families and local residents.
The solemn Mass was presided over by Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Kraków Robert Chrząszcz. The liturgy was concelebrated by Fr. Wojciech Olszowski, chaplain of the Wieliczka miners. Musical accompaniment was provided by the Representative Brass Band of the Wieliczka Salt Mine, which this year is celebrating its 195th anniversary. In his homily, Bishop Chrząszcz stated that the Midnight Mass deep underground is among the most symbolic Eucharistic celebrations of the day anywhere in the world.
“Christmas in a place where humans extract light from darkness, salt from the heart of rock. Here, where miners’ prayers have resounded for centuries. This place in Wieliczka is exceptional also because it continues to make history. It lives, matures, continues to develop, and constantly brings forth something new,” the clergyman emphasized.
The bishop also referred to the baptism of two children that took place in the Chapel of St. Kinga during this year’s St. Barbara’s Day celebrations. “Can one imagine a stronger symbol? From the depths of the earth flows life; from underground faith grows. Here, in salt chapels, the Church pulses,” he said.
The underground Midnight Mass is one of the most important traditions of the Wieliczka mine. Historical sources indicate that Masses began to be celebrated regularly underground at the end of the 17th century. It is generally accepted that the first Mass was celebrated by Fr. Marcin Kurowski in the Chapel of St. Anthony in 1698, after receiving the approval of King Augustus II the Strong and the appropriate permission from Rome. The Midnight Masses survived the partitions of Poland and were banned only during the communist era, later returning permanently to the calendar.
As mine representatives emphasize, the miners’ early-morning Midnight Mass is a tradition unique not only in Poland but worldwide. From the beginning, it has been held in the Wieliczka mine on Christmas Eve morning (at 6:00 a.m.) so that two shifts of miners—the outgoing and the incoming—could attend together. There was also another Christmas Eve custom: no heavy work was carried out, only tasks necessary for the safe operation of the mine and continuity of extraction. Today, the Christmas Eve service is celebrated in the Chapel of St. Kinga, located 101 meters underground. On one of its walls there is a Nativity scene with figures carved from salt.
…and 1,200 meters above sea level
In the Tatra Mountains, a traditional Midnight Mass—the highest in Poland—will be celebrated at the sanctuary on Wiktorówki. Each year, hundreds of worshippers make their way at night to the Sanctuary of the Queen of the Tatras, situated at approximately 1,200 meters above sea level. The Dominicans, custodians of the church, appeal to the faithful to behave responsibly during the holiday trek.
“We strongly urge, on our own behalf and on behalf of the Tatra National Park staff, that no litter be left within the Park. We remind you that we are in the mountains and on the grounds of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Jaworzyna,” the Dominicans emphasized in a statement.
Due to the small size of the wooden church, participants do not fit inside it or under the arcades. During the liturgy, crowds of worshippers stand in the surrounding area, in the silence and half-light of the Tatra forest.
Those heading to the Midnight Mass on Wiktorówki should equip themselves with traction cleats and trekking poles, and pack a thermos of hot tea. Two forest trails lead to the sanctuary: the blue trail from Zazadnia through Filipka Valley—about an hour’s easy walk along a gentle forest road—and the green trail from Wierch Poroniec via Rusinowa Polana—about 50 minutes.
Conditions for hiking in the Tatras are unfavorable: fresh snow has fallen, covering an old, hard, compacted layer, making paths very slippery. In many areas, trails are unbroken and their course may be difficult to see, increasing the risk of getting lost, especially at higher elevations. An additional difficulty is the low cloud ceiling and local fog, limiting visibility.
Wiktorówki is a special place for highlanders and pilgrims. The history of the devotion dates back to 1860, when a 14-year-old highlander girl, Marysia Murzańska, searching for lost sheep on the slopes of Rusinowa Polana, saw among the trees a radiant figure of a “beautiful Lady.” The Blessed Virgin promised the recovery of the animals and gave the girl three instructions—one concerned leaving Rusinowa Polana due to “spiritual dangers” threatening it; the other two called people to abandon sin and undertake penance.
At the site of the apparition, a paper image of the Virgin Mary was first hung on a spruce tree, later a glass-painted image, and at the end of the 19th century—a bas-relief. In 1902, a small chapel modeled on a shepherd’s hut was built there and a figurine placed inside. Reports of graces received contributed to the growth of devotion to Our Lady of Jaworzyna. In 1936, construction of a larger church began, which was consecrated two years later. During the German occupation, the figure was moved to Bukowina Tatrzańska and returned to the Tatras in 1947. In 1975, the then Metropolitan of Kraków, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, entrusted the chapel to the Dominicans, establishing the Tourist Pastoral Ministry in the Tatras. In 1992, a solemn coronation of Our Lady of Jaworzyna—the Queen of the Tatras—took place, with episcopal insignia.
Extraordinary Midnight Masses in the mountains
Midnight Masses with highlander settings will be celebrated on Christmas Eve in some churches in the Beskids. They traditionally gather parishioners as well as worshippers who cherish folk culture. Highlander music will be heard, among other places, in the Straconka district of Bielsko-Biała, in Szczyrk, and in Sopotnia.
During the solemn Masses, highlander voices and instruments will resound: ocarinas, shepherd’s flutes, violins and basses, bagpipes, as well as long alpine horns (trombity).
A Midnight Mass in a highlander setting has become a tradition at the parish of Our Lady of Consolation in Straconka, a district of Bielsko-Biała. It attracts crowds of worshippers from across the city and visitors from elsewhere. Clergy have appealed to Straconka residents who live nearby to walk to church if possible.
Highlander traditions will also be present at the sanctuary of Our Lady, Queen of Poland, “on the Hill” in Szczyrk. This year, worshippers will be accompanied by the regional ensemble Klimczok. As is customary, after the Mass everyone will share Christmas wafers and exchange greetings in the square in front of the sanctuary. In the Szczyrk parish of Saints Peter and Paul, carols during the highlander-style Midnight Mass will be performed by the regional ensemble Ondraszek.
Clergy from the parish of Saints Peter and Paul in Jaworzynka have asked worshippers to attend the Midnight Mass in traditional highlander attire. A highlander Midnight Mass will also be celebrated at the parish church of St. John the Baptist in Sopotnia Mała in the Żywiec region. Meanwhile, in Rabka, the Midnight Mass will take place with accompaniment by the Little Army of Janosik—last year, recordings from this service went viral around the world.