NJ Chinese Catholics honor Blessed Mother on pilgrimage
A group of Chinese Catholics and friends from both the Newark Archdiocese and Metuchen Diocese journeyed to Washington, DC, on May 2 to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. The 23rd Annual Asian and Pacific Island Catholics Marian Pilgrimage was sponsored by the Asian and Pacific Catholic Network (APCN), in collaboration with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secreteriat of Cultural Diversity in the Church.
Sr. Dong Hong Marie Zhang, liaison to the Chinese Community of Newark Archdiocese, organized this event for the New Jersey Chinese group.
The pilgrimage’s opening procession featured a welcoming traditional drum by St. Andrew Kim Korean Church of Maryland. Led by Knights of Columbus, 26 groups from various Asian countries then processed toward the basilica’s altar with statues and portraits of Mary, flower arches, and banners.
A multi-lingual and multi-cultural celebration
There followed “A Call to Prayer,” featuring sacred songs and movements performed by five different cultural groups wearing their own traditional attire. The five liturgical dancing groups represented the Chinese Catholic community from New Jersey; the Vietnamese Catholic Community from Silver Spring, MD; the Montagnard Catholic Community from North Carolina; the Korean Catholic Community from Fairfax, Virginia; and the Chinese Catholic Community from Holy Redeemer Church in Pennsylvania. A young Chinese family from Washington, DC crowned a statue of Mary during this part of the service.
Before Mass, the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary were prayed in five different languages by different Asian communities. Participants also had the opportunity to partake in the Sacrament of Confession when they arrived at the basilica.
Sharing faith and traditions
Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar presided over the mass. “Your faith is shaped by a profound love for Blessed Mary, and she walks with us,” he said during the liturgy. On May 1, Pope Leo appointed the bishop, who has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington since 2023, as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia. Bishop Menjivar will be installed in his new diocese on July 2.
This was the third year that the Chinese liturgical dance group, the Rejoice-Singyee dance team, led by choreographer Sherry Chen, performed the call to prayer before the altar of the basilica. They danced to the song “You Raise Me Up.”
“The worship dance is not only a way to praise and thank God, but also an opportunity to share our culture with others,” said Sr. Dong Hong Marie. “Furthermore, it could be a vehicle to evangelize and reach out to others.”
To learn more, visit the website of Archdiocese of Newark’s Chinese Catholic Apostolate.
You can view a video of the apostolate’s Call to Prayer dance below:
Featured image: Dancers from the Chinese Catholic Community of the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, participate in the call to prayer preceding a Mass on May 2, 2026 for the Asian and Pacific Island Catholics Marian Pilgrimage at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. (Catholic Standard photo by Mihoko Owada)
