Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Beijing (Agenzia Fides) - Chinese Catholic communities throughout the country took part in the processions that took place on Sunday, 2 June, on the occasion of the feast of Corpus Christi, at the end of the three days that closed the month of May, dedicated to Mary, and opened the month of June, in which the People of God revives its traditional devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. From Beijing to Shanghai, from the dioceses of Hebei to Jiangxi, the numerous celebrations began with the liturgical feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 31 May. In Shijiazhuang, in the province of Hebei, on Saturday evening thousands of Catholics gathered in the Cathedral dedicated to the Immaculate Mother of God and walked through the streets surrounding the church with lit candles to pray the Rosary. The Catholic community of Anhui Province began the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart at the Shuidong Shrine of Our Lady, which is now the oldest church in the province (it was built in 1869). Throughout the month of May, pilgrims from all over China came to the Shrine, praying for world peace, for lonely people, for the unemployed, for the baptized who have drifted away from the Church, for victims of domestic violence and for families in crisis. The parish of Jiujiang (Jiangxi Province) prayed for all students preparing for exams, especially those taking university entrance exams, during the solemn celebration of Corpus Christi. After the procession and the Eucharistic blessing, Father Pang Rui administered the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to the elderly present, wishing them "to continue to be those who transmit the faith." In the same province, the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was solemnly inaugurated at the Marian Shrine of Lushan, dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Together with the faithful present, Father Wang Leizhen thanked Our Lady "for her protection" and asked her to "preserve and rekindle in us the virtues of faith, hope and charity". The priest also recalled the traditional practice of "vows", as "small gestures of love with which we can delight the Heart of Jesus every day and remain in intimate union with Him". (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 3/6/2024)
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