Asians for Mary Pilgrimage 2008
Washington —The Asian and Pacific Catholics in the Mid-Atlantic area in collaboration with the USCCB’s Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church, Asian and Pacific Affairs, will hold the 7th Annual Asians for Mary Pilgrimage on Saturday, May 9, 2009 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. In observance of Asian and Pacific Heritage Month, the annual pilgrimage, has grown in size and number as Asian and Pacific Catholics honor Blessed Virgin Mary with prayers and songs reminiscent of Marian devotions in their homelands observed during the whole month of May.
This year’s pilgrimage will begin with a procession at 12:00 noon. A Marian Procession will be led by Indonesian prayer dancers and will bring to the altar images and icons of our Blessed Mother in the tradition of the Bangali, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Vietnamese Catholic communities. A colorful Call to Prayer will be opened by Korean Teen Drummers and the Korean Youth Orchestra of the St. Andrew Kim Parish in Olney, an Indonesian Gamelan ensemble, and young Bangali and Indian musicians. A multilingual Rosary will follow led by children from various ethnic communities. The highlight of the afternoon is a Multicultural Holy Mass presided by Most Reverend Martin D. Holley, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington.
The Asians for Mary Pilgrimage has been a happy gathering for Asian and Pacific Catholics, their families, parishes, and friends. It has been a powerful source of grace, resulting in deeper devotion to our Blessed Mother, increased interest about the heritage of Asian and Pacific Catholics and their faith practices, increased participation and deeper commitment in serving as volunteers in parish evangelization programs, and greater openness to share and dialogue with others.
For more information about the Asians for Mary Pilgrimage, please contact:
Cecile Motus at 202-541-3384.