For over one thousand years Poland has been a bulwark of Catholicism, fighting against the horrors of pagan invasions and looking to Catholicism for a sense of social and national unity. When Poland was partitioned in the 19th century, many turned to the church for solace and during the communist era, underground resistance meetings were surreptitiously held in churches. The deceased Polish-born Pope John Paul II remains a genuine source of pride for all Poles, and is beloved in a way more profound than cynics in the West can understand. Those used to the more easy-going habits of the West may find the Polish enthusiasm a bit unnerving at first, particularly the solemn and opulent processions that occur from time to time and the droves that flock to mass. Tourists should remember while visiting Kraków's many churches that these aren't museums, but active places of worship to be treated with the requisite respect.
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A visit to Poland was a complete pleasure to see that Christianity IS surely flourishing in this vast land. 'The easy-going habits of the West' certainly are not a staple in Catholic Ireland where enthusiasm for Christianity remains overall solid and thus similar to Poland. As a youthful person, I viewed the solemnity of the Religious Processions witnessed in Poland as a marvel to behold!