On the Solemnity of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, May 31, more than 10,000 pilgrims journeyed to the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Tra Kieu, Agenzia Fides reported June 3.
The article said that the pilgrims came from communities in the Diocese of Da Nang, in central Vietnam, to visit the site that honors what, according to local tradition, was an apparition the Blessed Mother made in 1885.
According to local tradition, in September 1885, the Virgin Mary made an appearance at the Tra Kieu church to help Catholics defend themselves against soldiers, a UCA News article said. Facing the anti-colonial Van Than army, which had triple the number of soldiers as the Catholics did, the parish priest created a shrine to Mary, and the women, children and people too old to fight prayed the rosary, according to an Instagram post from the travel agency The Pilgrims’ Center.
Archbishop Joseph Dang Duc, coadjutor of the Archdiocese of Hue, called the pilgrimage an “event of love, faith, commitment, and service, an opportunity to profess one’s faith in the face of the challenges of the present time,” Vatican News reported. The archbishop is also the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Da Nang.
The archbishop presided over the Mass, which hundreds of priests concelebrated and both lay faithful and religious attended, Ageniza Fides reported.
According to UCA News, the pilgrimage both drew the Marian month of May — which Vietnamese Catholics celebrate with prayer vigils, outdoor Masses, and community rosaries — to a close and prepared the faithful for the Solemnity of Pentecost, which is June 8 this year.
Agenzia Fides reported that Monsignor Bonaventura Mai Thai, Da Nang Diocese’s vicar general, said that the Blessed Mother — through her deep relationship with God and the Holy Spirit — is a model for all.
“Mary is a model of openness and acceptance of the Spirit of God,” he said. “Contemplating Mary at Pentecost, we have the opportunity to allow ourselves to be shaped by the Holy Spirit to transmit God’s love to the world.”
The archbishop said that by visiting her cousin Elizabeth, Mary exemplified the synodal Church’s mission to listen to and serve other people.
“Mission today means not remaining locked up at home or in church, but is an invitation for all to reach out to the poor, the suffering, and the marginalized who need support, comfort, and encouragement, starting with those at our side, in our families or in our communities,” he said.
The archbishop said that the Holy Spirit’s grace allows all Church events to transcend “purely social gatherings.”
“With the presence of the Holy Spirit, they will be spiritual moments lived in the presence of God, and will bring renewal, true joy, and peace to hearts,” he said. “Today, each of us, regardless of our status and mission, whether priest, religious, or lay person, is invited to live in a spirit of gratitude, humility, and dedication, like the Virgin Mary, to know how to trust, praise, and give thanks to God.”
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