Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Cang Zhou (Agenzia Fides) – On the eve of the opening of the Marian Month of May and the celebration of the Patron Saint of Workers, St Joseph, many Catholics in China went on pilgrimage to Marian Shrines to pay homage to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to her “most chaste spouse”, Saint Joseph. Local sources told Fides News Agency that many chose to visit the She Shan Marian Shrine, in the diocese Shang Hai, in response to Pope Benedict XVI's Letter to Chinese Catholics dated 27 May 2007, and to prepare for 24 May, World Day of Prayer for the Catholic Church in China. Chinese Catholics, deeply devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, live the month of May with spiritual intensity.
In the diocese of Cang Zhou, He Bei Province, Fan Ga Da Catholic parish dedicated to St Joseph started the Marian month on 30 April with an evening pilgrimage to the Marian shrine known as the Village of Our Lady of Lourdes. The faithful were guided by three priests. The following day the parish celebrated the feast day of St Joseph the Worker, Patron Saint of workers and of the parish, with a solemn Mass during which 4 women religious of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus made temporary vows. The parish is preparing to welcome Catholics from Beijing, Tian Jin and other dioceses, on 9 May, as part of an inter-diocesan pilgrimage for the Month of Mary.
The St. Francis Caritas group in Pu Ning parish, Guang Dong province, paid homage to St Joseph with an 'ecological' feast, in the footsteps of Saint Francis, offering thanks to God, Creator of all creation.
The Franciscan Tertiary community of Xian Yang, in Shaan Xi province, welcomed 37 new members on the eve of the Month of Mary. Among those present for the ceremony, which took place in St Peter's parish, the Assistant spiritual Director of Franciscan Tertiary International, the Director of the Asia zone and the Director of Hong Kong. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 03/05/2010 - righe 30; parole 349)
