Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Huesca (Agenzia Fides) - The community of Chinese Catholics in Spain will flock to the Shrine of Torreciudad (Huesca, Spain) on Saturday, May 24, to celebrate the Day of Prayer for the Church in China. The encounter will be presided by an image of Our Lady, Empress of China that was brought to the Shrine by students from a Hong Kong school and that will be carried in a procession and then enthroned inside the Shrine.
According to the scheduled program, the acts will begin with a celebration of a Mass in Mandarin Chinese, followed by an outdoor procession accompanied by the recitation of the Rosary, and lastly, there will be Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. According to the Torreciudad information office, there will be Asian pilgrims from Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Pamplona. They have also mentioned that “the day will not attract great crowds,” but it will be “truly exciting to share this time of prayer with the family members of those who are still today - in the 21st century- persecuted for their faith.”
The Shrine of Torreciudad , popularly known as a family shrine, has hosted many families that have come to visit during the month of May, to celebrate the reception of a sacrament of one of their relatives. They are also weeks during which various groups celebrate their own feasts, such as the Filipino celebration of “Our Lady of Peace” on May 3, the gathering of Latin Americans in Spain on May 4 (during the Encounter of American Peoples, with 3,000 people), the gathering of Romanian Catholics last May 27 (for the 2nd Marian Day for Romanian Families), and the Rural Encounter for farming families on the feast of Saint Isidore the Worker. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 23/5/2008; righe 22, parole 286)
