Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tai Yuan (Agenzia Fides) – Over 40,000 faithful from the Province of Shan Xi and other parts of continental China, gathered in a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrow in the Archdiocese of Tai Yuan, in the Province of Shan Xi, on September 15, the day on which the Universal Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. According to information sent to Agenzia Fides, 40 priests concelebrated in a Mass that was celebrated by Bishop Li Jian Tang of the Diocese of Tai Yuan. In the homily, the Bishop recalled salvation history, focusing on the presence of Our Lady at her Son Jesus's side and her great sorrow for His Passion and death: “They suffered together for us. She participated in the work of salvation. We must be her good children, learning from her – our sweet, tender and sorrowful Mother – her love, her Fiat, especially her second Fiat...we should be like her, always ready to say “Here I am Lord, be it done unto me according to your will.”
The Shrine to Our Lady of Sorrows of the Archdiocese of Tai Yuan is one of the most important and is especially visited by faithful from the central and western parts of the country, who come to pay homage to Our Lady. The 5th Sunday of Lent and the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows are the dates that see the greatest flocks of pilgrims to the Shrine, which hosts tens of thousands of people. The church at the Shrine is also famous as it is built with the typical Chinese style, similar to the Tian Tan Temple (The Temple of Paradise), showing an example of harmonic inculturation in evangelization.
The Archdiocese of Tai Yuan, erected in 1946, was historically a Franciscan mission. The first Franciscan Bishop was Bishop Agapito Fiorentini. Today, the Archdiocese of Tai Yuan has 27 parishes with 90 churches and chapels. The community has over 80,000 faithful, 50 priests, 30 sisters, and 47 seminarians who study at the Seminary of Montecorvino of Shan Xi (named after Blessed Giovanni da Montecorvino, 1247-1328, first evangelizer of China, who was Archbishop of Kambalik, present-day Beijing). In the territory of the Archdiocese, there are 2 Marian Shrines: one dedicated to Our Lady of Grace and the other, to Our Lady of Sorrows. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 18/9/2009)
