Our Lady of the Seven Dolores of Dong'ergou - The Blessed Virgin of Shanxi

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In the mountains south of Taiyuan, the Catholic community of Dong'ergou honors the Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Seven Dolores. In Chinese, the sanctuary is known as QICKHI Shān Sèngmong The church of the Mother of God on the Mountain of the Seven Dolores. The advocation contemplates Mary united to the suffering of Jesus Christ and faithful by the cross.

The meaning of the seven pains

Devotion recalls seven Gospel passages: the prophecy of Simeon, the flight to Egypt, the loss of the Child Jesus, the encounter of Mary with Jesus on the way to Calvary, the crucifixion, the descent of the cross and the burial. In Dong'ergou these mysteries are seen by walking the mountain, so the landscape becomes a path of prayer.

Origin of the Dong'ergou shrine

The archdiocese of Taiyuan itself places the origin of the church in 1924. The news of the extension of the feast of the Virgin Dolorosa had reached the community and the Catholics raised a temple dedicated to the Seven Dolores. Dong'ergou was a town with a strong Catholic presence and became one of Shanxi's great Marian destinations.

The history of the place is also linked to the Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta, Franciscan religious missionary of Mary arrived in Shanxi in 1904. Fides recalls that the communities of Tangshan continue to pilgrim in the places where they carried out their mission and link that memory to the sanctuary of the Dolorosa.

Destruction, clandestine life and reconstruction

During the Cultural Revolution the old temple was destroyed. The community, deprived of its church, kept faith and prayer in conditions of clandestine. With the subsequent opening, the reconstruction began in 1992 and the new set was consecrated in 1998. This rebirth made the sanctuary a visible memory of the perseverance of the Catholics of Shanxi.

The mountain set adopted elements of Chinese architecture: a monumental door understood as "Gate of Heaven," an outer altar of circular plant inspired by traditional forms and a large Marian lounge. In 2018 the authorities ordered the elimination or demolition of several external elements considered excessive. The advocation and pilgrimage, however, continued to be part of diocesan life.

The pilgrimages of September 15

Fides documented that more than 40,000 fieles They took part in the pilgrimage of September 15, 2009. The bishop presented Mary with his Son in the history of salvation and recalled that they both suffered united by humanity. The day brings together the Eucharist, confessions, rosary, songs and the penitential ascent on the mountain.

The Archdiocese again included the church of the Seven Dolores among its places of Jubilee pilgrimage. The official continuity of the sanctuary shows that it is not an isolated legend, but a living devotion within the local Church.

The Mountain of the Seven Dolores

Dong'ergou is approximately 30 kilometres south of the centre of Taiyuan, between the Jinci and Qingxu area. The church of the village and the sanctuary of the mountain form the same spiritual itinerary. The coordinates of the Catholic group are 37.65478, 112.36773; this location allows you to incorporate it into the world map of advocacy without confusing it with other temples of the Dolorosa.

A spirituality for those who suffer

The Virgin Dolorosa of Dong'ergou speaks of a mother who does not abandon. For Catholics who went through persecution, demolition and clandestine, the seven pains are not an abstract idea: they express the fidelity that remains when the buildings disappear and only shared prayer remains. The reconstruction of the sanctuary recalls that faith can rise again without forgetting the wounds.

Prayer to Our Lady of the Seven Dolores of Dong'ergou

Holy Mary, a faithful Mother by the cross, accompanies those who suffer and those who keep their faith in silence. You who knew the flight, loss and death of your Son, support the families of China, comfort the persecuted and teach us to stay with Jesus. Our Lady of the Seven Dolores of Dong'ergou, pray for the Church and for peace. Amen.

Sources consulted

• Catholic Archdiocese of Taiyuan: History and Jubilee Places.
• Fides News Agency: pilgrimage of over 40,000 faithful.
• Fides News Agency: pilgrimage and memory of Mary Assunta Pallotta.
• Kung Kao Po, weekly of the diocese of Hong Kong: description of the sanctuary.
• GCatholic: ecclesial identification and location.

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