Our Lady of China
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Summary
The Virgin Mary appeared as a beautiful lady in the skies when Catholics implored her to save them from their enemies and their city from destruction during the Boxer Rebellion. In thanksgiving for Our Lady’s protection over the city of Dong Lu (Tong Lu), a beautiful church was built in her honor. It was meant to serve as a constant reminder to the people of Mary’s loving and motherly protection.
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Timeline
April 1900 |
When the Boxer Rebellion broke out, nearly 10,000 hostile soldiers attacked the small impoverished mission village of Dong Lu (near Peiping), home of 700 - 1,000 Christians and founded by Vicentian fathers. The Virgin Mary appeared as a beautiful lady in white in the sky surrounded by light. The soldiers, in senseless rage, started to shoot into the sky. Then suddenly they fled, frightened, and never came back again when a fiery horsemen - perhaps St. Michael - chased the attackers out of the village. The Chinese pastor of the village, Father Wu, had prayed for Our Lady's intercession. |
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In thanksgiving for Our Lady’s protection, a beautiful church was built in her honor. It was meant to serve as a constant reminder to the people of Mary’s loving and motherly protection.
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The pastor secured a painting of the Dowager Empress Ci Xi, the long time ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, dressed in imperial robes.He commissioned an artist to use it as the background for the image of Our Lady holding the Christ Child. The picture was hung above the altar in the Church of Dong Lu, which eventually became a famous place of pilgrimage starting in 1924. |
1924 |
Shanghai Synod of Bishops in China, the first national conference of bishops in the country, chose this image to be denoted as "Our Lady of China" or "Our Lady Queen of China". People began coming to the shrine. |
1924 |
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. |
1928 |
An officially-sanctioned image of Our Lady of China was blessed, granted and promulgated by Pope Pius XI. |
1929 |
First official pilgrimage to Dong Lu. |
1932 |
Pope Pius XI approved it as an official Marian Shrine. |
1941 |
Pope Pius XII designated the feast day as an official feast of the Catholic liturgical calendar. |
1941 |
Shrine is destroyed during the Second World War when it caught fire due to Japanese artillery bombardment |
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). |
1992 |
Shrine rebuilt as the largest church building in north China. |
May 23, 1995 |
Over 30,000 Catholics from the unofficial Church had gathered for Mass at the Donglu shrine on the vigil of the Feast of Our Lady, Mary Help of Christians. There were four bishops of the unofficial Church concelebrating the Mass and nearly 100 unofficial priests standing in the open field. Suddenly, during the opening prayer and again during the consecration, the people observed the sun spinning from right to left. Light rays of various shades emanated from the sky. Participants saw Our Lady fo China and the Child Jesus in the sky and also the Holy Family, the Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit. The phenomenon lasted approximately twenty minutes. |
May 24, 1995 |
The Public Security barred all pilgrims from joining anyone on the hill. The police forced people back into buses and trains without offering any explanation. Still, as many as 100,000 successfully reached the area by finding alternative ways to get there to celebrate the Feast of Mary Help of Christians. |
April 1996 |
An official government announcement forbade anyone from going to the Dong lu shrine. The Chinese government mobilized 5000 troops, supported by dozens of armored cars and helicopters, destroyed and leveled that Marian shrine, confiscated the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and arrested many priests.
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. |
Photo Gallery
Our Lady of China (Dong Lu, China 1900)
Our Lady of China (Dong Lu, China 1900)
Our Lady of China (Dong Lu, China 1900) |
Description of the Virgin
The Virgin Mary appeared as a beautiful lady in white in the sky surrounded by light. The resulting paiting using a painting of Emperess Dowager CiXi as a backdrop, features 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.
Messages
There were no messages given at Dong Lu.
Miracles, Cures, and Signs
When the Boxer Rebellion broke out, nearly 10,000 hostile soldiers attacked the small impoverished village of Dong Lu, home of approximately 1,000 Christians. The Virgin Mary appeared as a beautiful lady in the sky surrounded by light. A fiery horsemen - perhaps St. Michael - chased the attackers out of the village.
Church Approval
The Church has not issued an official judgment of the apparition at Dong Lu. Pope Pius XI's establishment of the church as an official Marian Shrine constitutes implicit approval. In 1941, Pope Pius XII designated the feast day as an official feast of the Catholic liturgical calendar. 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).
Prayers to Our Lady 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.
Imprimatur: Bishop William E. Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport Connecticut
Almighty and eternal God, Comforter of the afflicted, and Strength of the Suffering, grant that our brothers of China who share our faith, may obtain, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and our Holy Martyrs, peace in Thy service, strength in time of trial, and grace to glorify Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Promoted by Cardinal Thomas Tien Keng-Hsin, S.V.D., the first Chinese Cardinal
Consecration of the Chinese People to Our Lady of China
O Mary, Mother of God, our Mother, with sincere filial love, we consecrate to your most tender, most loving immaculate heart, our bodies, souls, abilities, lives, words and deeds, and all that we have. We also consecrate to you the Chinese people throughout the world. e pray that you be the Mother of priests and all missionaries. May they loyally and zealously proclaim the kingdom of God. Be the Mother of all Christians. Help them to progress in virtue and to shine forth evermore the splendor of faith. Be the Mother of all unbelievers. Deliver them from darkness and lead them into the light of Faith. We beseech you to show mercy to the imense population of Chinese descent. They hae all been redeemed by the precious blood of your Divine Son. THrough your most efficacious intercession, may theya ll take refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Source of life and holiness, and become one fold under One Shepherd iin the Church.
Help of Christians, pray for us. Holy Mary Mother of all Graces, pray for us. Our Lady of China, Queen of the Chinese People in Heaven, pray for us.
Source: http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/pm/PMourladyofchina.php
Books and Videos
God-Sent: A History of the Accredited Apparitions of Mary
by Roy Abraham Varghese
Marian Shrines in China
Our Lady of Bliss
Located in the hills north of Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province in southwestern China. The 200-year-old shrine was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and reopened in 1980.
Our Lady of the Rosary (Rosary Villa)
Opened on April 30th,1993
Located on top of the hill in Longtian village near Fuzhou city, Fujian province.
The Dominicans, who were in Fujian province before Liberation, had dedicated the area to Mary of the Rosary. A statue of Our Lady, a gift from Italy, stands in the middle of the Chinese style pavilion on the shrine grounds. The shrine is used as a place for priests' retreats and for group pilgrimages. It was set up by Fuzhou's elderly bishop to promote unity and community in the Catholic Church.
Church of Our Lady of Lourdes
Built after reported apparition and healings of Our Lady of Lourdes in Qingyang in 1901;
Closed in 1939 (bombed by the Japanese and was later turned into a factory);
Construction on new church began in 1993 (200 metres from the original site);
Re-opened in
May 1st, 1994 (40,000 of the faithful attended);
Located in Qingyang township in Nanjing diocese, Jiangsu province;
Virgin of Sheshan Help of Christians
Located about 35 kilometres from Shanghai city;
In 1866, the Church in Shanghai built a hexagonal pavilion and placed within it an altar and a statue of Our Lady. Jesuits built a church at the summit of the mountain opening in 1873. In 1924, the bishops of China consecrated the nation to Our Lady and following the consecration they made a pilgrimage to Sheshan. Work on the first basilica in the Far East began in 1925 and was completed 10 years later. The bronze statue of Our Lady, altar and the stained glass window were removed or destoyed during the Cultural Revolution. In 2000, a replica of the bronze statue of Mary paid for by 10,000 supporters was re-installed. Pilgrimages to the shrine resumed in 1979.
Our Lady of China Project
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
400 Michigan Avenue, N.E.
Washington, DC 20017-1566
info@ourladyofchina.org
Links
The Cardinal Kung Foundation
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