On January 19, 2018, a group of 63 members from the Haixing Praise Group of the Wenzhou Diocese embarked on a three-day pilgrimage to Shanghai. Under the careful arrangement of Sister Zheng Yumei and Teacher Chen Chengyu, we visited the Qingpu Tailai Catholic Church, the Xujiahui Catholic Church, the Xi Yan Church, the Chongming Island Catholic Church, the She Mountain Zhongshan Church, and the Mount She Basilica.
At 5 PM, with anticipation in our hearts, the brothers and sisters set off on the pilgrimage, praying and singing praises along the way, making the 7-hour journey feel shorter. Early on January 20, our first stop was the Qingpu Tailai Catholic Church, which is also the Qingpu branch of the She Mountain Seminary. According to Father Wang, during its peak, over 80 monks were called to study here, but now, due to various reasons, only a few remain. During the Mass, we offered our sincere prayers to God for the church’s vocations, asking the Lord to revive the church.
Next, we went to the Xujiahui Cathedral, which had been closed for two years for renovations. Established in 1910, Xujiahui Cathedral is the largest Catholic church in Shanghai, and after two years of closure, it now presents a stunning beauty. After completing our visit to Xujiahui Cathedral, we proceeded to the Xi Yan Church, located in downtown Shanghai, where Father Li introduced us to the church’s overview. After another two-hour drive, we arrived at the Chongming Island Catholic Church. After visiting the church, we celebrated the collective birthday of the Haixing Praise Group for the second half of the year, bringing our pilgrimage to a climax.
Sister Zheng Yumei expressed her feelings, saying: “This event is the longest pilgrimage in the 12 years since the establishment of the Haixing Praise Group. It is truly rare, both moving and grateful, and we thank God for His care. We will definitely organize this every year in the future.”
Finally, Teacher Chen Chengyu led everyone in singing the “Praise of the Lord.” He mentioned that the journey of Haixing over the past 12 years has not been smooth, with ups and downs, but God’s love has always been unwavering, allowing us to have today’s voices to praise Him. The older generation of aunties continues to serve in song, while the younger generation is smoothly taking over, and even our third generation of children is gradually emerging. No matter how great the difficulties, let us pray to God to help us continue on this path of service until we are old. Teacher Chen’s words touched everyone present, and we silently prayed for Haixing to continue to do well.
The second day of the pilgrimage was a beautiful Sunday. We participated in the Sunday Mass at the Chongming Island Catholic Church, presided over by Father Jia, with the Haixing Praise Group providing the liturgical music. In his sermon, Father Jia particularly reminded us that today’s Gospel tells of Jesus calling His disciples, who immediately followed Him. In our path of service, we should also do the same, giving up some comforts in life and making small sacrifices to serve the church, and God will reward us a hundredfold. After the Mass, the Haixing Praise Group exchanged liturgical music experiences with the choir of the Chongming Island Catholic Church, learning from each other’s spirit of service and singing techniques, which was very rewarding.
After finishing our fourth stop, we headed to the final destination of the pilgrimage, She Mountain. We prayed the Rosary in front of the Three Saints Pavilion, then walked the Stations of the Cross to reach the She Mountain Basilica. At the Basilica, the brothers and sisters of the Haixing Praise Group offered the “AVE MARIA” with prayers for the communion of the Chinese church, the revival of the Wenzhou church, and the intentions in each person’s heart. The singing echoed in the dome of the Basilica, and the church administrator and visitors praised us, as we gave all glory to the great God the Father. Amen! Beautiful times are always so short. On the way back, the group members expressed, “Although the three-day pilgrimage has ended, our pilgrimage on the path of faith will never stop. Returning to life, we will strive harder to serve, live out the image of God, and be qualified Christians is our ultimate goal. Let us work together.”