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{{Short description|Chinese Catholic title for the Virgin Mary}}
{{Short description|Chinese Catholic title for the Virgin Mary}}
{{Infobox Catholic apparition
{{Infobox Catholic apparition
|name = Our Lady of China<br><small>Nostra Domina de Sinis<br>{{lang|zh-hant|中 華 大 聖 母}} / {{lang|zh-hant|東 閭 聖 母}}</small>
|name = Our Lady of China<br><small>Nostra Domina de Sina<br>Our Lady of Donglü<br>{{lang|zh-hant|中 華 大 聖 母}} / {{lang|zh-hant|東 閭 聖 母}}</small>
|image = Our Lady of China MS.JPG
|image = Our Lady of China MS.JPG
|caption = The Pontifically crowned image venerated in [[Chiayi]], [[Taiwan]], [[Republic of China]].
|caption = The pontifically crowned image venerated in [[Chiayi]], [[Taiwan]]
|size =
|size =
|location = [[Republic of China]]
|location = [[Chiayi County]],<br>[[Taiwan (Republic of China)]]
|date = 1976
|date = 1976
|type = Wooden image, bejewelled golden crown and scepter with [[Globus cruciger]]
|type = Wooden image, bejewelled crown and scepter
|approval = [[Pope Francis]]
|approval = [[Pope Francis]]
|venerated_in = [[Roman Catholic Church]]
|venerated_in = [[Catholic Church]]
|shrine = National Shrine of Our Lady of China, [[Meishan, Chiayi|Meishan]], [[Taiwan]]
|shrine = National Shrine of Our Lady of China, [[Meishan, Chiayi|Meishan]], [[Taiwan]]
|attributes = [[Madonna and Child]] wearing Chinese imperial regalia
|attributes = [[Madonna and Child]] wearing Chinese imperial regalia
Line 16: Line 16:
}}
}}


'''Our Lady of China, the Great Mother''' ([[Latin]]: ''Nostra Domina de Sinis, Magna Mater'') ({{lang-zh|t=中華大聖母|s=中华大圣母|first=t|p=Jhōnghuá Da Shèngmǔ}}), also known as '''Our Lady of Donglü''' ({{lang-zh|t=東閭聖母|s=东闾圣母|first=t|p=Dōnglǘ Shèngmǔ|links=no}}), is a [[Roman Catholic]] title of the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] and [[Child Jesus]] associated with a purported [[Marian apparition]] in [[Baoding, China]] in 1900.
'''Our Lady of China, the Great Mother''' (Latin: ''Nostra Domina de Sina'') ({{lang-zh|t=中華大聖母|s=中华大圣母|first=t|p=Jhōnghuá Da Shèngmǔ}}), also known as '''Our Lady of Donglü''' ({{lang-zh|t=東閭聖母|s=东闾圣母|first=t|p=Dōnglǘ Shèngmǔ|links=no}}), is a [[Roman Catholic]] title of the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] associated with a reputed [[Marian apparition]] in [[Donglü]], China in 1900.


[[Pope Pius XI]] declared the Marian title a national shrine in [[Donglu]] in 1937. [[Pope Francis]] granted a Pontifical decree of [[canonical coronation]] on 19 February 2021 towards a Marian image venerated at the ''National Shrine of Our Lady of China'' in [[Chiayi County]], [[Taiwan (Republic of China)|Taiwan, Republic of China]]. The Archbishop of Taiwan, [[Thomas Yeh Sheng-nan]] executed the rite of coronation on 14 August 2022.{{efn|Franciscus, Papam — Congregatio de Cultu Divino et Disciplina Sacramentorum — Prænotanda Numerorum: 464/20, 19 February 2021. [[Vatican Secret Archives]].}}
[[Pope Francis]] granted an official decree of [[canonical coronation]] on 19 February 2021 towards a Marian image venerated at the ''National Shrine of Our Lady of China'' in [[Chiayi County]], [[Taiwan]]. The rite of coronation was
executed on 14 August 2022.{{efn|Pope Francis, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments — Protocol Number: 464/20, 19 February 2021. [[Vatican Secret Archives]].}}


==History==
==History==
===In Baoding, China===
===In Hebei, China===
[[File:Our Lady of China.jpg|thumb|The original statue image of "Our Lady of China" or "Our Lady of Donglü" ({{lang|zh-hant|東閭聖母}}) constructed in Yaoyang, [[Hebei]] province, destroyed in 1966 during the [[Cultural Revolution]]. A similar painting was reconstructed in 1989 now in its place. ]]
[[File:Our Lady of China.jpg|thumb|The original statue image of "Our Lady of China" or "Our Lady of Donglü" ({{lang|zh-hant|東閭聖母}}) constructed in Yaoyang, [[Hebei]] province, destroyed in 1966 during the [[Cultural Revolution]]. A similar painting was reconstructed in 1989 now in its place. ]]


During the [[Boxer Rebellion]], a great number of soldiers attacked the village of [[Donglü]], Baoding, Hebei. The village consisted of a small community of Christians founded by the [[Congregation of the Mission|Vincentian Order]] of priests. Pious legends claim that the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] appeared in white, and a fiery horseman (believed to be [[Saint Michael the Archangel]]) who chased away the soldiers.
During the [[Boxer Rebellion]], a great number of soldiers attacked the village of [[Donglü]], Hebei. The village consisted of a small community of Christians founded by the [[Congregation of the Mission|Vincentian Order]] of priests. Pious legends claim that the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] appeared in white with a fiery horseman (believed to be [[Saint Michael the Archangel]]) who chased away the soldiers.


The local [[Catholic priest]], Father Rene Flament of the [[Congregation of the Mission]] hired a local French painter in Shanghai to make a Marian statue similar to the Chinese dowager Empress [[Ci Xi]]. This image was based in the Marian image of “Our Lady of Laeken” venerated in the [[Church of Our Lady of Laeken]] in Brussels, Belgium. Accordingly, the original Donglu statue was later destroyed in 1966 during the [[Cultural Revolution]].
The local priest, Father Rene Flament of the [[Congregation of the Mission]] hired a local French painter in Shanghai to make a Marian statue similar to the Chinese dowager Empress [[Ci Xi]]. This image was based in the Marian image of “Our Lady of Laeken” venerated in the [[Church of Our Lady of Laeken]] in [[Brussels]], Belgium. The Donglu statue was later destroyed in 1966 during the [[Cultural Revolution]].


[[Pope Pius XI]] issued a decree ''Quod Te Delegimus'' on 20 January 1924 which designated the [[Apostolic Chancellor]] of China, Cardinal [[Celso Costantini]] to convoke the first Synod of Bishops in Shanghai, China. This first national conference with the bishops of China consecrated the Chinese people to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The same Pope favored the devotion to this venerated title in 1928.<ref>[http://www.dominicansmacau.org/?p=2280 "Our Lady, Queen of China", St Dominic's Priory, Macau]</ref> He later approved the formal request of the latter Apostolic Delegate to China, Bishop [[Mario Zanin (bishop)|Mario Zanin]] an official Marian title with a designated national shrine in [[Donglu]] in 1937.
Accordingly, Donglu became a place of pilgrimage in 1924. The image was blessed and promulgated by [[Pope Pius XI]] in 1928.<ref>[http://www.dominicansmacau.org/?p=2280 "Our Lady, Queen of China", St Dominic's Priory, Macau]</ref> At the close of the 1924 Shanghai Synod of Bishops in China, the first national conference of bishops in the country, the [[Apostolic Chancellor]], Cardinal [[Celso Costantini]] as the Apostolic Delegate in China, along with all the bishops of China, consecrated the Chinese people to the Blessed Virgin Mary. [[Pope Pius XII]] designated the feast day as an official feast of the Catholic liturgical calendar in 1941.<ref name=Kung>[http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/pm/PMourladyofchina.php "Our Lady of China", The Cardinal Kung Foundation]</ref>


In 1973, 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).<ref name=Kung/>
[[Pope Pius XII]] designated the feast day as an official feast of the Catholic liturgical calendar in 1941.<ref name=Kung>[http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/pm/PMourladyofchina.php "Our Lady of China", The Cardinal Kung Foundation]</ref>


In 1989, a painted canvas of the same Madonna with Child Jesus dressed in golden imperial robes was recreated, now enshrined at the altar of the “Our Lady of Donglu” parish.
In 1989, a painted canvas of the same Madonna with Child Jesus dressed in golden imperial robes was recreated, now enshrined at the altar of the “Our Lady of Donglu” parish.


===In the United States of America===
===In the United States of America===
[[File:OUR LADY OF CHINA.jpg|thumb|The restored painted image (1989), currently enshrined at the high altar of the national shrine in [[Baoding, China]]. ]]
[[File:Israel Nazareth7 tango7174.jpg|thumb|upright|An image of the [[Madonna and child]] as ''Queen of China'' (Latin: Regina Sinarum) displayed at the [[Basilica of the Annunciation]] in [[Nazareth]]. ]]
In 22 January 1982, an American shrine dedicated to the namesake Marian title was erected in [[Rockville, Maryland]], United States under the auspices of the former [[Archbishop of Washington]], Cardinal [[James Aloysius Hickey]]. The Catholic shrine serves as a pastoral mission to the Chinese peoples.
On 22 January 1982, an American shrine dedicated to the namesake Marian title was erected in [[Rockville, Maryland]], United States under the auspices of the former [[Archbishop of Washington]], Cardinal [[James Aloysius Hickey]]. The Catholic shrine serves as a pastoral mission to the Chinese peoples.


===In the Republic of China===
===In the Republic of China===
Alternatively in 1976, another statue was reconstructed in [[Taiwan]] now venerated in the “National Shrine of Our Lady of China”, which was constructed in 1913.
In 1973, the [[Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference of Taiwan]], upon approval from the Holy See, placed the feast day on the [[vigil]] (day preceding) of [[Mothers Day]] (the second Sunday of May).<ref name=Kung/>


In 2020, the now Archbishop of Taipei, [[Thomas Chung An-Zu]] requested a formal coronation for the Marian image, which was granted and merited a decree of pontifical coronation from [[Pope Francis]] on 19 February 2021. The official decree was released to the Taiwanese media on 2 March 2021. The image was crowned on 14 August 2022.
Alternatively in 1976, another Marian statue was reconstructed in [[Taiwan]], now venerated in the “National Shrine of Our Lady of China”, a parish which was originally constructed in 1913.

In 2020, the Archbishop of Taipei, [[Thomas Chung An-Zu]] requested a formal coronation for the Marian image, which was granted and merited a decree of pontifical coronation from [[Pope Francis]] on 19 February 2021. The official decree was released to the Taiwanese media on 2 March 2021. The image was crowned on 14 August 2022.


Another namesake Marian Catholic parish is located in the #367 Jong—Zheng road of [[Xindian District]] in [[New Taipei]], with a significant influx of both Taiwanese aboriginal and Vietnamese Marian devotees.
Another namesake Marian Catholic parish is located in the #367 Jong—Zheng road of [[Xindian District]] in [[New Taipei]], with a significant influx of both Taiwanese aboriginal and Vietnamese Marian devotees.


===In Shanghai, China===
===In Shanghai, China===
The namesake Marian title is also honored by its Marian devotees as a variant name for the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] of “[[Mary, Help of Christians]]” venerated at the [[Sheshan Basilica]] for [[communist]]—nationalist sentiments. Though the stylistic iconographies of both images of the enshrined Marian images differ.
Since 2014, a namesake image was enshrined at the [[St. Ignatius Cathedral|national Cathedral of Shanghai]]. The Marian image was created by the renowned Spaniard sculptor Antonio Jesús Yuste y Navarro (recipient of the 8th ''La Hornacina'' Award of Spain).


==Marian cult and veneration==
To date, the namesake Donglu shrine in [[Baoding]] (1937), the [[Sheshan Basilica]] in [[Shanghai]] (1981), the ''Our Lady of China Parish'' of [[Chiayi]] (1973) and the [[Wanchin Basilica of the Immaculate Conception|Wanchin Basilica of the Immaculate Conception]] (1985) in Taiwan are the only four designated national shrines by the [[Holy Office]] in China.
[[File:NostraSignoraLaeken 12.jpg|thumb|The Marian image venerated in the [[Church of Our Lady of Laeken]] in [[Brussels]], where the Donglu image was patterned on. [[Pope Pius XI]] crowned this image on 17 May 1936. ]]
A namesake [[mosaic]] is displayed at the [[Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception]] in Washington D.C. established in 2002.<ref>[http://www.nationalshrine.com/site/c.osJRKVPBJnH/b.4953557/k.7180/Upper_Church_Floor_Plan.htm Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate conception]</ref>


Controversy arose due to the Marian iconography allegedly having syncretist associations to the Buddhist goddess [[Kuan Yin]] and not being officially sanctioned by the [[Holy Office]] for religious propagation. Adding more political issues, a Chinese cardinal, Thomas Tien Keng-Hsin, sanctioned this variant image for a religious prayer card for the persecuted in China, and was widely promoted in America and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq2/yq328.html |title="Our Lady of China", The Marian Library, University of Dayton |access-date=2014-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730071334/http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq2/yq328.html |archive-date=2013-07-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Efn|Several churches, chapels, and pastoral centers around the world, predominantly those focused on ministry to [[Chinese language|Chinese-speaking]] [[Catholics]], have adopted the name, including a mission in [[Washington, D.C.]] St. Genevieve's Chinese Roman Catholic Church, Fresno, California also honors Our Lady of China. There is a Chapel of Our Lady of China in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York.<ref>[http://www.olc.faithweb.com/ R.C. Our Lady of China Chapel]</ref>
==The Order of the Sisters of Our Lady of China==
[[File:Ignatius Cardina Tin.jpg|thumb|The first [[Asian people|Asian]] Cardinal, the former [[Archbishop of Peking]], [[Thomas Tien Ken-sin]]. ]]
An Order of missionary [[Catholic nun]]s with the namesake title was founded by the former [[Archbishop of Peking]], Cardinal [[Thomas Tien Ken-sin]] in [[Shandong, China]] in 23 December 1938. The [[Holy Office]] issued a decree which approved their congregation in 23 December 1940.

After the [[Second World War]], the nuns moved to the [[Republic of China]] in 1952. They later obtained a parcel of land and constructed their own motherhouse [[convent]] in [[Chiayi, Taiwan]] in the Marian year of 1954. The Order presently operates in the mainland of China, the island of Taiwan, and [[Australia]].

==Claims of syncretism==
[[File:NostraSignoraLaeken 12.jpg|thumb|The Marian image venerated in the [[Church of Our Lady of Laeken]] in [[Brussels]], where the Donglu image was patterned on. [[Pope Pius XI]] crowned this image on 17 May 1936. ]]


In the Philippines where the Chinese and Chinese-Filipinos comprise the biggest ethnic community, the Santa Maria Parish of the Jesuit Fathers, located at the old Ateneo campus in Iloilo City, is the only church in the country dedicated to Our Lady of China that is duly recognized by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). The Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in D. Jakosalem, Cebu City, still by the Jesuits, also houses an image of Our Lady of China. It used to be dedicated to this title of Our Lady until the patronage was changed to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Although Binondo in Manila is the country's Chinese capital, both the Minor Basilica of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz (Filipino Parish) and the Binondo Chinese Parish does not house an image of the Chinese Madonna (as clarified by representatives of both parishes). As of October 2020, images of Our Lady of China (sometimes referred to as Our Lady of Sheshan) can be found at the following Chinese-Filipino Catholic communities: Santa Maria- Our Lady of China Parish, Iloilo City; [[Ateneo de Iloilo]] - Santa Maria Catholic School, Iloilo City; Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cebu City; [[Sacred Heart School - Ateneo de Cebu]], Mandaue City; Saint Peter the Apostle Parish, Paco, Manila; Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society Seminary, Manila; Saint Jude Catholic School ([[National Shrine of Saint Jude Thaddeus]]), Manila; St. Jude Thaddeus Parish, Legazpi City; Queen of Peace Parish, Bacolod City; Resurrection of the Lord Parish, Iligan City; and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Butuan City (P. Burgos Street).}}
During the 1960s, a standing image of this [[Madonna and Child]] gained political controversy due to the Marian iconography allegedly having syncretist associations to the [[Buddhist]] goddess of mercy [[Kuan Yin]] and not being officially sanctioned by the [[Holy Office]] for religious propagation. The former [[Archbishop of Peking]], Cardinal [[Thomas Tien Ken-sin]], sanctioned this variant image for a religious Catholic prayer card for the persecuted in China without direct consultation with the [[Holy See|Vatican]], and was widely promoted in America and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq2/yq328.html |title="Our Lady of China", The Marian Library, University of Dayton |access-date=2014-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730071334/http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq2/yq328.html |archive-date=2013-07-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Efn|Several churches, chapels, and pastoral centers around the world, predominantly those focused on ministry to [[Chinese language|Chinese-speaking]] [[Catholics]], have adopted the name, including a mission in [[Washington, D.C.]] St. Genevieve's Chinese Roman Catholic Church, Fresno, California also honors Our Lady of China. There is a Chapel of Our Lady of China in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York.<ref>[http://www.olc.faithweb.com/ R.C. Our Lady of China Chapel]</ref>


Nevertheless, Pope Francis granted a canonical coronation to the image, as existing at a shrine in Taiwan, in 2022.
In the Philippines where the Chinese and Chinese-Filipinos comprise the biggest ethnic community, the Santa Maria Parish of the Jesuit Fathers, located at the old Ateneo campus in Iloilo City, is the only church in the country dedicated to Our Lady of China that is duly recognized by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). The Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in D. Jakosalem, Cebu City, still by the Jesuits, also houses an image of Our Lady of China. It used to be dedicated to this title of Our Lady until the patronage was changed to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Although Binondo in Manila is the country's Chinese capital, both the Minor Basilica of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz (Filipino Parish) and the Binondo Chinese Parish does not house an image of the Chinese Madonna (as clarified by representatives of both parishes). As of October 2020, images of Our Lady of China (sometimes referred to as Our Lady of Sheshan) can be found at the following Chinese-Filipino Catholic communities: Santa Maria- Our Lady of China Parish, Iloilo City; [[Ateneo de Iloilo]] - Santa Maria Catholic School, Iloilo City; Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cebu City; [[Sacred Heart School - Ateneo de Cebu]], Mandaue City; Saint Peter the Apostle Parish, Paco, Manila; Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society Seminary, Manila; Saint Jude Catholic School ([[National Shrine of Saint Jude Thaddeus]]), Manila; St. Jude Thaddeus Parish, Legazpi City; Queen of Peace Parish, Bacolod City; Resurrection of the Lord Parish, Iligan City; and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Butuan City (P. Burgos Street).}} In 2002, an image of this controversial [[mosaic]] was installed at the [[Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception]] in Washington D.C., United States. <ref>[http://www.nationalshrine.com/site/c.osJRKVPBJnH/b.4953557/k.7180/Upper_Church_Floor_Plan.htm Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate conception]</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
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[[Category:Catholicism in China]]
[[Category:Catholicism in China]]
[[Category:Marian apparitions|China, Our Lady of]]
[[Category:Marian apparitions|China, Our Lady of]]
[[Category:Titles of Mary]]
[[Category:Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus]]
[[Category:1900 in Christianity]]

Latest revision as of 21:40, 7 August 2024

Our Lady of China
Nostra Domina de Sina
Our Lady of Donglü
中 華 大 聖 母 / 東 閭 聖 母
The pontifically crowned image venerated in Chiayi, Taiwan
LocationChiayi County,
Taiwan (Republic of China)
Date1976
TypeWooden image, bejewelled crown and scepter
ApprovalPope Francis
Venerated inCatholic Church
ShrineNational Shrine of Our Lady of China, Meishan, Taiwan
PatronageChinese peoples
AttributesMadonna and Child wearing Chinese imperial regalia
Feast dayThe Second Sunday of May

Our Lady of China, the Great Mother (Latin: Nostra Domina de Sina) (traditional Chinese: 中華大聖母; simplified Chinese: 中华大圣母; pinyin: Jhōnghuá Da Shèngmǔ), also known as Our Lady of Donglü (traditional Chinese: 東閭聖母; simplified Chinese: 东闾圣母; pinyin: Dōnglǘ Shèngmǔ), is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a reputed Marian apparition in Donglü, China in 1900.

Pope Francis granted an official decree of canonical coronation on 19 February 2021 towards a Marian image venerated at the National Shrine of Our Lady of China in Chiayi County, Taiwan. The rite of coronation was executed on 14 August 2022.[a]

History

[edit]

In Hebei, China

[edit]
The original statue image of "Our Lady of China" or "Our Lady of Donglü" (東閭聖母) constructed in Yaoyang, Hebei province, destroyed in 1966 during the Cultural Revolution. A similar painting was reconstructed in 1989 now in its place.

During the Boxer Rebellion, a great number of soldiers attacked the village of Donglü, Hebei. The village consisted of a small community of Christians founded by the Vincentian Order of priests. Pious legends claim that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in white with a fiery horseman (believed to be Saint Michael the Archangel) who chased away the soldiers.

The local priest, Father Rene Flament of the Congregation of the Mission hired a local French painter in Shanghai to make a Marian statue similar to the Chinese dowager Empress Ci Xi. This image was based in the Marian image of “Our Lady of Laeken” venerated in the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium. The Donglu statue was later destroyed in 1966 during the Cultural Revolution.

Accordingly, Donglu became a place of pilgrimage in 1924. The image was blessed and promulgated by Pope Pius XI in 1928.[1] At the close of the 1924 Shanghai Synod of Bishops in China, the first national conference of bishops in the country, the Apostolic Chancellor, Cardinal Celso Costantini as the Apostolic Delegate in China, along with all the bishops of China, consecrated the Chinese people to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII designated the feast day as an official feast of the Catholic liturgical calendar in 1941.[2]

In 1973, 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).[2]

In 1989, a painted canvas of the same Madonna with Child Jesus dressed in golden imperial robes was recreated, now enshrined at the altar of the “Our Lady of Donglu” parish.

In the United States of America

[edit]
An image of the Madonna and child as Queen of China (Latin: Regina Sinarum) displayed at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

On 22 January 1982, an American shrine dedicated to the namesake Marian title was erected in Rockville, Maryland, United States under the auspices of the former Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal James Aloysius Hickey. The Catholic shrine serves as a pastoral mission to the Chinese peoples.

In the Republic of China

[edit]

Alternatively in 1976, another statue was reconstructed in Taiwan now venerated in the “National Shrine of Our Lady of China”, which was constructed in 1913.

In 2020, the now Archbishop of Taipei, Thomas Chung An-Zu requested a formal coronation for the Marian image, which was granted and merited a decree of pontifical coronation from Pope Francis on 19 February 2021. The official decree was released to the Taiwanese media on 2 March 2021. The image was crowned on 14 August 2022.

Another namesake Marian Catholic parish is located in the #367 Jong—Zheng road of Xindian District in New Taipei, with a significant influx of both Taiwanese aboriginal and Vietnamese Marian devotees.

In Shanghai, China

[edit]

The namesake Marian title is also honored by its Marian devotees as a variant name for the Blessed Virgin Mary of “Mary, Help of Christians” venerated at the Sheshan Basilica for communist—nationalist sentiments. Though the stylistic iconographies of both images of the enshrined Marian images differ.

Marian cult and veneration

[edit]
The Marian image venerated in the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, where the Donglu image was patterned on. Pope Pius XI crowned this image on 17 May 1936.

A namesake mosaic is displayed at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. established in 2002.[3]

Controversy arose due to the Marian iconography allegedly having syncretist associations to the Buddhist goddess Kuan Yin and not being officially sanctioned by the Holy Office for religious propagation. Adding more political issues, a Chinese cardinal, Thomas Tien Keng-Hsin, sanctioned this variant image for a religious prayer card for the persecuted in China, and was widely promoted in America and Canada.[4][b]

Nevertheless, Pope Francis granted a canonical coronation to the image, as existing at a shrine in Taiwan, in 2022.

References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ "Our Lady, Queen of China", St Dominic's Priory, Macau
  2. ^ a b "Our Lady of China", The Cardinal Kung Foundation
  3. ^ Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate conception
  4. ^ ""Our Lady of China", The Marian Library, University of Dayton". Archived from the original on 2013-07-30. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
  5. ^ R.C. Our Lady of China Chapel

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Pope Francis, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments — Protocol Number: 464/20, 19 February 2021. Vatican Secret Archives.
  2. ^ 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, D.C. St. Genevieve's Chinese Roman Catholic Church, Fresno, California also honors Our Lady of China. There is a Chapel of Our Lady of China in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York.[5] In the Philippines where the Chinese and Chinese-Filipinos comprise the biggest ethnic community, the Santa Maria Parish of the Jesuit Fathers, located at the old Ateneo campus in Iloilo City, is the only church in the country dedicated to Our Lady of China that is duly recognized by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). The Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in D. Jakosalem, Cebu City, still by the Jesuits, also houses an image of Our Lady of China. It used to be dedicated to this title of Our Lady until the patronage was changed to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Although Binondo in Manila is the country's Chinese capital, both the Minor Basilica of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz (Filipino Parish) and the Binondo Chinese Parish does not house an image of the Chinese Madonna (as clarified by representatives of both parishes). As of October 2020, images of Our Lady of China (sometimes referred to as Our Lady of Sheshan) can be found at the following Chinese-Filipino Catholic communities: Santa Maria- Our Lady of China Parish, Iloilo City; Ateneo de Iloilo - Santa Maria Catholic School, Iloilo City; Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cebu City; Sacred Heart School - Ateneo de Cebu, Mandaue City; Saint Peter the Apostle Parish, Paco, Manila; Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society Seminary, Manila; Saint Jude Catholic School (National Shrine of Saint Jude Thaddeus), Manila; St. Jude Thaddeus Parish, Legazpi City; Queen of Peace Parish, Bacolod City; Resurrection of the Lord Parish, Iligan City; and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Butuan City (P. Burgos Street).

Sources

[edit]
[edit]