Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Shi Jia Zhuang (Agenzia Fides) – The feast of Our Lady of Fatima, prayers for Our Lady of China, and Mother's Day were all motives for the Chinese faithful from Shang Hai, Hang Zhou, Su Zhou, Wen Zhou, Ning Bo, and other parts of the mainland to meet at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan, the Shrine of the Mount of the Cross, and other Marian shrines, in expectation for the Day of Prayer for the Church in China on May 24, living this Marian month with great intensity. Over one thousand faithful from Holy Family Parish and Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Qing Cun traveled together on the pilgrimage to Our Lady of Sheshan Shrine on May 10, for the three motives listed above. They left at 6am praying the Rosary and the Way of the Cross. Along the road, they met up with other groups of pilgrims and upon reaching the shrine, they were a group of nearly 3,000 faithful. According to one of the priests leading the pilgrimage, “this is the Shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, but seeing as there is no Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima nearby, we wish to dedicate this pilgrimage to Our Lady of Fatima as well. What is important is the Marian devotion that is profoundly rooted in the life of our faithful.” A religious sister said: “Our Lady of Fatima reminds us of Pope John Paul II, so we also take advantage of the occasion to pay homage to this Pope that so loved China and is so loved by Chinese Catholics.” (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 13/5/2009)
