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From Fides ServiceMay 22, 2009
Chinese Catholic pilgrims continue with their
devotion of traveling to the Marian shrines of the county, in light of the
upcoming May 24th celebration of the second “Day of Prayer for the Church in
China,” which was instituted by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to Chinese
Catholics, signed May 27, 2007, Solemnity of Pentecost, with these words: “Dear
Pastors and all the faithful, the date 24 May could in the future become an
occasion for the Catholics of the whole world to be united in prayer with the
Church which is in China. This day is dedicated to the liturgical memorial of
Our Lady, Help of Christians, who is venerated with great devotion at the Marian
Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai.”
The Shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan, mentioned by the Pope, to whom he himself has
written a prayer, is seeing a great number of pilgrims during this month
dedicated to Mary. The average number on a daily basis is estimated to be about
1,000 pilgrims. The faithful come from the local Diocese of Shanghai, as well as
that of Jiang Su, Zhe Jiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan...and even from communities of
Chinese living in the diaspora.
140 faithful from the parish of Wu Qiao in the Diocese of Cang Zhou, in the He
Bei Province went on a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine on Mount Ping Ying in the
Province of Shan Dong, where the largest shrine dedicated to Saint Joseph is, as
well as the Mount of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Bishop Fang Xing Yao of the Diocese of LinYi, of the Province Shang Dong, led
the pilgrimage on May 13, feast of Our Lady of Fatima, to the Marian Shrine of
Wang Zhuang, established in 1905. Over 30,000 faithful, Chinese and foreigners
included, from He Bei, Jiang Su, Shan Dong...all participated in the great
Catholic gathering. To show their appreciation for the Catholic community, the
highway authorities of the road that leads to the Shrine suspended the toll
payment to all vehicles going to the Shrine. The local Church offered all the
transportation services possible to the pilgrims. As some faithful said: “it was
a day of communion and authentically Christian fraternity.”
During the homily, Bishop Fang said: “the pilgrimage helps us to strengthen our
faith and to intercede for the good of the country and the world. It reminds us
that saving our soul is the most important in our life. We should imitate Mary's
humility and always follow the Lord's commandment of love of neighbor. Our
prayer, devotion, and the pilgrimage all help us to have a more united family,
and a purer and holier society.”
106 faithful from the parish of Fu An in the Diocese of Min Dong gathered
together on May 15 in the Village of the Rosary, the most famous Shrine and
largest in the Fu Zhou area in the Province of Fu Jian. According to the priest,
“the day was the International Day of the Family, and was chosen to help promote
the Christian message on the family. The family is the cell of society and the
Church is like one family, the heart of society. Thus, we dedicate our
celebration to the Lord and Our Lady, Mother of All Families.”
The Catholic Association of Saint Anne of the Parish of Wu Qiang, in the Diocese
of Heng Shui in the Province of He Bei, visited the Village of Lourdes (Marian
Shrine) of the Diocese of Xian Xian. A group of pilgrims from the Diocese of
Ning Bo, in the Province of Zhe Jiang traveled to the Marian Shrine of Fan Ge Da
in the Diocese of Xian Xian in the Province of He Bei. Some 80 pilgrims from the
Diocese of Nan Yang of the Province of He Nan have taken a Pilgrimage Week (May
8-15), traveling through Beijing, Zheng Zhou, Tai Yuan, and various other
provinces. (NZ)
