Marian devotion
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In Xilin, the Truku community known by its own name Tears, a church founded in 1956 is dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima. The prayer for peace takes on depth here by meeting a community memory marked by migration, name changes and the will to preserve land and culture.
Chinese name: The Church of the Holy Virgin of Silin Fatima.
International name: Church of Our Lady of Fatima.
Community name: Taste it.
Advocation: Our Lady of Fatima.
Place: Xilin Road 104-2, Wanrong municipality, Hualien County.
Registered Foundation: 1956.
Ecclesial status: Christian-mission dependent on St. Mary, Mother of God, of Wanrong.
Jurisdiction: Catholic diocese of Hualien, decanate of Yuli.
Preferred originating people: Truku.
Party holder: May 13.
Ciyakang, Rangah qhuni y Xilin
The Cultural Foundation of Indigenous Peoples retains the local account of the different names of the community. The oldest name remembered is qhuni Rangah, related to the shape of the channel and translated into the account as "the tree's grinder." During the Japanese period Ciyakang was used; later the name Xilin Mandarin was imposed.
To name these layers of memory avoids presenting the place only by an administrative name. The official community register recognizes Ciyakang as a Truku community located in Xilin Village.
A mission founded in 1956
GCatholic records the church of Our Lady of Fatima from 1956 and classifies it as a mission dependent on the parish of St. Mary, Mother of God, of Wanrong. The diocese's directory includes Xilin among the communities served from that header.
A primary chronicle has not yet been found to describe the construction, the dedication ceremony or its first leaders. This is why the fact sheet retains only the year and the accredited unit, without completing the gaps with conjectures.
Fatima: conversion, Rosary and peace
The apparitions of Fatima began on May 13, 1917, when Lucia, Francis and Jacinta said they had found a luminous Lady in Cova da Iria. The message called for conversion, penance, prayer and trust in Mary's Immaculate Heart.
John Paul II taught that his essential core coincides with Christ's invitation in the Gospel: to convert and pray. The shrine of Fatima recalls the request to pray the Rosary daily for the peace of the world and the end of wars.
Devotion should not be used to spread fear or speculation. It leads Christ, the sacraments, the reparation of harm, solidarity and a reconciled life.
Pray for peace without erasing history
The Truku families of the region were displaced from their former mountain territories and colonial policies that changed their organization and relationship with the land. The subsequent change of names itself retains traces of these processes.
Christian peace does not amount to forgetting or accepting injustice. It requires to recognize the truth, respect the territory and voice of the community, repair when possible and build relationships that do not repeat domination.
A community that comes back to care
The indigenous report collects the voice of inhabitants who returned to Xilin after training outside to care for the elderly and contribute to local life. It also documents the desire to preserve the memory of the first family groups and to transmit it to the new generations.
The church of Fatima can accompany this daily care: prayer for the elderly, support for families and responsibility for young people. Devotion is authentic when it strengthens the dignity of people and does not replace their voice.
Verified location
GCatholic places the mission in Xilin and provides the code 7QM3RC6Q+RH. The individual Google tab expressly identifies the church of Our Lady of Fatima of Xilin in Xilin Road 104-2 and sets the enclosure in 23.8122351, 121.4390755. The code, name and address converge in the same place; the most precise individual coordinate is used.
To visit
It's an active mission within a Truku community. It is appropriate to confirm the schedules with the parish of Wanrong and not to assume that it will be open. Permission must be requested before photographing people or ceremonies and respecting spaces, stories and activities that the community does not wish to convert into public content.
Prayer to Our Lady of Fatima of Xilin
Our Lady of Fatima, accompanies Ciyakang and all the families of Xilin. Save the Truku people, their elders, their tongue, their land and their memory. Teach us to pray the Rosary, to convert the heart and to work for a peace that walks with truth and justice. It strengthens those who return to care and leads everyone to Jesus. Amen.
Sources consulted
- Diocese of Hualien: the pastoral network of Wanrong.
- diocesan Directory: Xilin as a dependent community.
- GCatholic: title, year, dependency and location.
- Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation: Ciyakang's names, memory and voices.
- Official register of indigenous communities: Ciyakang and Truku people.
- Fatima Sanctuary: Rosary and Prayer for Peace.
- St. John Paul II: conversion and prayer as the core of Fatima.
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