YOUNGSTOWN — PolishYoungstown, in collaboration with St. Columba Cathedral, will present the return of Gorzkie Zale and Benediction Service, an ancient Polish Lenten tradition that offers a solemn reflection on the Passion of Christ.

The bilingual service will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesdays during Lent on March 19 and 26, and April 2 and 9 at St. Columba Cathedral’s Sacred Heart Chapel, 154 W Wood Street, Youngstown. Accompanist Luke Politsky will provide musical support for the service.

Event organizers said a time-honored Polish tradition, Gorzkie Zale, translated as the “Bitter Lamentation,” is a 45-minute bilingual prayer service deeply rooted in Polish Catholic heritage.

Participants will contemplate Christ’s suffering, injustice and sacrifice through readings, hymns and prayer intentions, as detailed in scripture.

The service consists of three parts, with each featuring hymns and meditations on Christ’s passion and a dialogue between Christ and the sorrowful Blessed Mother as she grieves for her dying son.

Aundrea Cika-Heschmeyer of Polish Youngstown said the traditional devotion was once an integral part of the calendar at Polish-founded parishes worldwide, as it was at St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish on Youngstown’s South Side. Since the closing of these ethnic churches, this service had been unavailable locally until recently, when it was brought back by PolishYoungstown.

All community members, regardless of background, are encouraged to come together for prayer, reflection and fellowship. A free-will offering will be collected to support the St. Vincent de Paul Society and security expenses at St. Columba Cathedral, which is the mother church of the Diocese of Youngstown.