Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Beijing (Agenzia Fides) - The pilgrimage to Marian Shrines and the consecration of new churches mark the intense journey of the Chinese Catholic communities of this period, towards May 24, World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, called by Pope Benedict XVI. Among the various information received by Fides, we report some.
The famous marian shrine of Hu Zhuang in the province of Shan Dong, witnessed the arrival of more pilgrims than in recent years, especially young people and other provinces. The group from He Bei was the largest, with over 300 people in one weekend. Even orphans and disabled children from the orphanage of Da Ming in the province of He Bei, went to the Shrine led by the nuns who run the orphanage. Given the distance from where they came, they went on a pilgrimage to the nearby shrine dedicated to St. Joseph and the Sacred Heart. According to a priest who was guiding them, "the pilgrimage is helping to strengthen faith, hope and charity. It is the best way to express faith and love the Lord, especially for young people. "
The faithful of the diocese of Shang Hai made the pilgrimage by visiting 12 parishes of the diocese of WenZhou and NingBo. In every parish they shared prayers, worship, celebration of the sacraments together with the parishioners, exchanging pastoral and evangelizing experiences.
The pilgrimage of sixty members of the parish of Lin Zi in the diocese of Zhou Zhi in the province of Shan Dong, took place within the diocese, to strengthen faith and to tighten even further the relationship between the faithful of the diocese, with a view to a better evangelization. The group of pilgrims from the parish of Fan Ga in the diocese of Cang Zhou (XianXian) in the province of He Bei was composed mainly by young people. On 22 May, after 200 km of pilgrimage, they stopped in front of the Marian shrine for worship and mass.
During this period several dioceses also celebrated the consecration of the new church, because "the temple of God is a sign of the presence of the Lord, and gives us strength and courage." So the church of Jia Bei Pu of the parish Fei Xiang, in the diocese of Yong Nian, was consecrated on May 21. Mgr. Du Jiang of the diocese of Ba Meng and Mgr.Meng Qing Lu from HuHeHaoTe, Inner Mongolia, blessed the foundation stone of the parish dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians that is celebrated on May 24, in the presence of more than 400 people . The church is located in the diocese of HuHeHaoTe. The Diocese of Bao Tou, Inner Mongolia, consecrated the new church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception which was built solely with the offers and the work of the parishioners, to meet the pastoral needs of Catholic immigrant workers. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 05/23/2011)
