BEIJING (Agenzia Fides): On May 24, many Catholic communities across mainland China observed the feast of Our Lady Mary, Help of Christians. It was also the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China.
Many communities experienced the day as the culmination of the spiritual journey of the Marian month, in communion with the universal Church.
In the parish of Bailing in the diocese of Shantou, Guangdong, 300 Catholics received the sacrament of Confirmation during a Mass following a Marian procession. Parishioners prayed together for peace, for vocation, for a better world.
At the Shrine of Sheshan, near Shanghai, many came to venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary, while in the Diocese of Wenzhou, Zhejaing province, members of the cathedral parish made a week-long pilgrimage to the shrine in the Diocese of Taiyuan in Shanxi province, from May 15 to May 20. They were welcomed by Bishop Paul Meng Ningyou.
They shared the history and experience of the local community, while admiring the area’s natural beauty and giving thanks to God for the gift of creation, in the spirit of Pope Francis encyclical, Laudato Si’.
At Lushan shrine in Jiangxi province, there was an influx of pilgrims for the Marian month. Priests and nuns from the Matteo Ricci Spirituality Center also provided logistical assistance to pilgrims from Shanxi, Fujian, Shandong and Beijing.
