Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) - In time of war and under persecution, the Blessed Virgin has always protected Vietnamese Catholics, they have a special devotion for the Mother of Jesus. Devotion to the Virgin has evolved since the 16th century, coinciding with the arrival of the first missionaries in the Indochina region. This year the month of flowers in Vietnam – dedicated to the Virgin Mary - has become the occasion to pray for the Church in China.
In May, more than 200 parishes in Ho Chi Minh City organized hymns, prayers, dances and offerings of flowers to the Virgin Mary. At the end of the month of flowers, solemn processions with offerings were celebrated. The number of baptisms, which has “exceeded one thousand" in the Vietnamese Catholic family was highlighted. May is a "memorable" month for the faithful, it becomes an occasion to celebrate the Mother of Jesus
In the parish of Xay Dung Catholics reinforced their missionary presence among the poorest and most disadvantaged communities in the area. On 22 May the faithful organized the ritual offering of flowers, which was attended by over 400 people. Following the appeal of Benedict XVI, in addition, the pastor invited the faithful to pray for the Church in China and religious freedom.
At the end of catechetical and pre-marriage courses, the parish of Nhan Hoa held baptismal initiations for 16 new brothers and sisters. Dances and songs in Chinese clothes, instead marked celebrations in the parish of Cha Tam, where believers offered flowers to the Virgin Mary and prayed for the Church in China, where "Jesus is still the subject of persecution." Among the various invocations, the faithful called for the unity of the Chinese Church, despite the "temptations" and the repression faced by priests, bishops and lay people in China.
The children of ethnic Chinese sang, danced and offered flowers to Our Lady of Sheshan (Shanghai), and prayed for China.
On 28 May, the parish of Bình An Thượng, also in former Saigon, organized a solemn procession and offering of flowers to Our Lady, which was attended by more than 5 thousand faithful. For the occasion, the vicar of the parish invited to people to "look beyond" the clothes, flowers and rituals, because "what matters is the beauty that resides in the heart of every Christian. Let us turn to the Virgin Mary, praying the Rosary, not only in this month of May, but all year. "
