The Csík Basin, in the eastern part of the Carpathian homeland, is a special place and plays an important role. The sacred places are formed in two different ways. One is created by God and marked out for man, while the other is created by man and sacred to God. It is most fortunate when the place marked by God is recognized and operated by man for the glory of God. This is what the Csík Basin was and should be. Our relational (analogical) thinking is important to recognize the role of a landscape in our lives and to understand the sacred actions of the fathers of old.

If there is any part of the created world that can provide a home, a nest, a shelter for human culture that is built to last, it is the Carpathian Basin. There is no other place on earth where natural boundaries offer such secure protection to its inhabitants. There is no other place where the conditions necessary for life to flourish are so rich and balanced.

Romania (Romanian: România, an East-Central European state. It is bordered by Ukraine to the north, Moldova to the east, Hungary and Serbia to the west, Bulgaria to the south and the Black Sea to the east. With an area of 238,391 square kilometres and a population of 19 million (2022), it is the eighth largest country in the European Union and the seventh most populous. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, with about 1.9 million inhabitants.

Csíksomlyó is the easternmost and most famous shrine of Mary in historic Hungary. The shrine of Mary, which belonged to Hungary when our parents and grandparents were alive, miraculously survived as a national pilgrimage site for Hungarians all over the world after the border changes during the dark years of communism.