"...A woman in white appeared above the settlement, and the rioters' bullets were aimed at her. When the apparition did not fade, attackers had not even time to reorganize because a strange horseman put them to flight."
THE POSITION OF THE CHURCH - APPROVED
Our Lady of China is the name given to an
apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Donglu, China, first appearing in
1900.
An officially-sanctioned image of Our Lady of China was blessed, granted and
promulgated by Pope Pius XI in 1928, in response to the requests made by the
1924 Shanghai Synod of Bishops in China, the first national conference of
bishops in the country. Following the event, Archbishop Celso Costantini,
Apostolic Delegate in China, along with all the bishops of China, declared
the Chinese people dedicated to Our Lady of China, using the official image.
In 1941, Pope Pius XII designated the feast day as an official feast of the
Catholic liturgical calendar. In 1973, following the Second Vatican Council,
the Chinese Bishops conference, upon approval from the Holy See, placed the
feast day on the vigil (day preceding) of Mothers Day (the second Sunday of
May).
Christian devotion to Our Lady of China has been popular in Donglu.
Several churches, chapels, and pastoral centers around the world,
predominantly those focused on ministry to Chinese-speaking Catholics, have
adopted the name, including a mission in Washington, DC. There is a Chapel
of Our Lady of China in the National Shrine of the United States in
Washington, DC, established and dedicated in 2002 under the Most Rev.
Michael J. Bransfield. There has been some controversy because the image
used in the Chapel is not the officially approved image of Our Lady of
China, but instead a different Chinese image of the Virgin Mary.
The Virgin of Sheshan is another, similar apparition which has attained like
acclamation and fame among Chinese Christians.
BACKGROUND OF
OUR LADY IN CHINA
Our Lady
of China appeared near Peiping. It
stands in a village named Tong Lu. A
Poor Mission was started there by
the Vincentian Fathers. It was a
poor place, perhaps the poorest in
the whole region, formerly called
"the place of beggars." In 1900,
there were some seven hundred
Christians gathered about the little
hamlet. Suddenly, the famous Boxer
rebellion swept China and grew to
such proportions, that even small
places like Tong Lu could not escape
its fury. In April 1900, a force of
ten thousand rioters attacked Tong
Lu. The soldiers, in senseless rage,
started to shoot into the sky. Then
suddenly they fled, frightened, and
never came back again. According to
the legend, a woman in white
appeared above the settlement, and
the rioters' bullets were aimed at
her. When the apparition did not
fade, attackers had not even time to
reorganize because a strange
horseman put them to flight. Soon
after they had disappeared beyond
the horizon. Father Wu, a Chinese
priest, confessed to his flock that
he invoked the help of Mary. A new
church was built on the site and
Father Wu placed a picture of Our
Lady on the main altar. He asked the
painter to dress Our Lady in the
royal robes of the dowager Empress
Tzi-Hsi. The image of the Blessed
Virgin in the royal robes of the
pagan Empress, with the Christ Child
on her knees, is vivid expression of
Chinese tradition. It is a shrine of
the Mother and her Son. Though her
robes be pagan, she belongs to every
age, to all people and to every
race. As was told and promised in
the Old Testament: "I am the mother
of fair love, and of fear, and of
knowledge and of holy hope."
The Tong Lu church was completely
destroyed recently by the Chinese
Communists, but the picture of Our
Lady of China remains intact because
only a copy of the picture was used
in the church. The original was
hidden in the wall behind the copy,
and this was recovered and found
intact. It is now in possession of
Chinese priests who carry out their
activities in disguise.
Continued Persecution of the
Underground Church in China
Bishop JIA Zhiguo, the underground
Roman Catholic bishop of Zhengding,
Hebei, was arrested on March 20,
2002. Bishop JIA is 67 years old and
was ordained a bishop in 1980. He
was previously in jail for
approximately 20 years. He was
released shortly after our press
release and has been under strict
surveillance for many years…..
Father PANG Yongxing, 30 years of
age, was arrested in his home in
December 2001. On Easter Sunday,
March 31, 2002, Father MA Shunbao,
50 years of age, was arrested while
he was offering Holy Mass. Father
WANG Limao, 32 years of age, was
arrested on Palm Sunday, March 24,
2002, also while offering Holy Mass.
All three priests belong to the
underground Roman Catholic Church in
Baoding, Hebei. On July 7, 2002,
they were sentenced to three years
of labor camp for “disturbing the
peace of society” under the “cult”
law….. Six Roman Catholics from
Wenzhou, Zhejiang went to DongLu in
Baoding, Hebei for a pilgrimage in
May 2002 and were arrested by the
authorities. They were fined a total
of JMP 30,800 (US $ 3,850) for
“illegal pilgrimage.” They were
released soon after the fine was
paid. …..On July 18, 2002, in
Dong-An village, Fujian province, 31
underground Roman Catholics, 26 of
whom were students under 18 years of
age, were arrested during a summer
vacation catechism class in a
private home. Among the 31 arrested
were a Catholic nun, Sister Chen Mei,
27 years of age, and four chaperons.
The children and chaperons were
released after one day. The
situation of Sister Chen Mei is
unknown…..Bishop WEI Jingyi, 44
years of age, the underground Roman
Catholic Bishop of Qiqihar,
Heilongjiang, was arrested Sept 9,
2002. He was too released shortly
after our press release.
Annual “Coast to Coast” Masses for
the Underground Church in China
The Cardinal Kung Foundation is
promoting the celebration of an
annual Mass for the persecuted
underground Roman Catholic Church in
China. The Foundation has chosen, as
the annual date for this Mass, the
Sunday before October 1, which is
the National Day of the founding the
People's Republic of China and also
the anniversary of Pope John Paul
II’s canonization of the 120 blessed
martyr saints of China
Hail, Holy
Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Mother of all nations and all people.
You are the special heavenly Mother of the Chinese
people.
Teach us your way of total obedience to God's will.
Help us to live our lives true to our faith.
Fill our hearts with burning love for God and each
other.
Stir up in our youth an unconditional giving of self to
the service of God.
We call on your powerful intercession for peace,
reconciliation and unity among believers
and the conversion of the unbelievers in China and
throughout the world,
for God's mercy is our only hope.
Our Lady of China, Mother of Jesus, hear our petitions
and pray for us.
Amen.
Source: Daisy Y.Y.
Lin, MD, MPH
Imprimatur: Bishop William E. Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport
Connecticut
