“Nowadays, we must encourage young people’s apostolate because it is young people who must change the world; it is young people that the future depends upon, and they must be aware of the responsibilities this involves”, this was said to SIR by cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Papal legate for the celebrations of the 700^th anniversary of the sanctuary of Our Lady of Piekary Slaskie in Poland, planned for Sunday May 27^th. The prelate highlights the social dimension of the Marian celebration, mentioning the importance attached to Our Lady of Piekary by John Paul II who, as a cardinal, went to the sanctuary on several occasions as a preacher, and as a Pope, named the effigy worshipped in the Sanctuary as Mother of Charity and Social Justice. The traditional all-men pilgrimage that has been held for 70 years is attended by over 100 thousand people. This year, in his invitation to the pilgrims, mgr. Wiktor Skworc, archbishop of Katowice, emphasised his wish that the celebrations “may bring all generations together: parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, students, workers, teachers and public authorities”. In addition to a liturgy officiated in Piekary in the morning by card. Grocholewski, young people’s prayers will be held in the afternoon along the monumental Way of the Cross, next to the sanctuary. The male pilgrimage of the last Sunday in May is followed, on the first Sunday after the Feast of the Assumption, by a no less crowded all-women pilgrimage.