The imprisonment of the Primate of Poland in the fall of 1953 was the culmination of the struggle between the Communist government of Poland and the Polish Church. Out of the total of three years imprisonment, Cardinal Wyszyński spent one year in Stoczek. Although the cardinal was not aware that he was held as captive at a Marian shrine, on December 8, 1953, he took a vow of personal devotion to Mary, Mother of God.
Four years after his release he visited Stoczek and donated a Rosary to the monastery. It now hangs from the picture of Mary, Mother of Peace.
Today, the monastery’s memorial room contains an exhibition of memorabilia of the “Primate of the Millennium.” It is a reminder of the painful history of the Polish Church after World War II.
