Our Lady of Happiness

Marian title of Guiyang (Guizhou)

En la tradition / legend proposal (as set out in this document) would be a former mission site, in the hills north of Guiyang, transformed into Marian sanctuary in the 20th century, linked to the evangelization of the ethnic minorities of the region. Not included in accessible historical sources (directories of Chinese Marian shrines, studies of Marian about China, Catholic press articles or ecclesial databases) the explicit mention of an advocation called "Our Lady of Happiness" or of a Marian sanctuary with this title in Guiyang.

Main data

Origin and history

En la tradition / legend proposal (as set out in this document) would be a former mission site, in the hills north of Guiyang, transformed into Marian sanctuary in the 20th century, linked to the evangelization of the ethnic minorities of the region. Not included in accessible historical sources (directories of Chinese Marian shrines, studies of Marian about China, Catholic press articles or ecclesial databases) the explicit mention of an advocation called "Our Lady of Happiness" or of a Marian sanctuary with this title in Guiyang.

As for the documented historythe Church in China has developed various recognized Marian devotions, including Our Lady of Donglü and the sanctuary of Sheshan (Mary Help of Christians)which are the Marian centers most studied and mentioned by the literature and international Catholic organizations. In recent listings of Marian advocacy with patronage in the world, as well as in articles on the "14 great Marian advocacy of China," there is no "Our Lady of Happiness" or any similar sanctuary in Guiyang.

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The image and the sanctuary

Not in verifiable sources no official description of an image mariana titulada “Nuestra Señora de la Felicidad” en Guiyang: – No se documenta el image type (escultura, cuadro, relieve, etc.). – No se conoce con certeza el material (madera, piedra, lienzo, etc.) ni rasgos iconográficos concretos (posición, símbolos, vestiduras, inscripciones). – No aparece en catálogos de santuarios, ni en páginas diocesanas de Guizhou, ni en repertorios de arte sacro chino conocidos.

It also does not have a official name of the temple or sanctuary (e.g. diocesan or national sanctuary), and its canonical category (parish, local sanctuary, basilica, etc.). The sources that describe the Marian shrines recognized in China indicate, on the other hand, other centers such as Sheshan (Shanghai) or Donglü (Hebei), without reference to a Marian sanctuary of "Our Lady of Happiness" in Guiyang.

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Sponsorship and coronation

– Patronage: It is not recorded in documented sources that "Our Lady of Happiness" has been proclaimed a patron of the city, diocese, province or nation in China. It does not appear in the relations of employers' advocacy mentioned in recent studies of world Marian patronings or in the lists of Chinese advocates with specific patronage.

– Canon coronation: does not contain a documented canonical coronation of this title, neither by decree of the Holy See nor by a pontifical delegation recognized in official repertory or in the international Catholic press.

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Party and devotion

No consta una fecha de fiesta litúrgica propia for "Our Lady of Happiness" in the known diocesan calendars of China, or in the information disseminated by reference Catholic organizations. No reliable data on pilgrimages, inflow of faithful, popular traditions, processions or specific novena in honor of this advocation in Guiyang or in the province of Guizhou.

In contrast, existing documentation highlights other Marian celebrations of national scope, such as the "Our Lady of China" (linked to Donglü) and the party of Mary Help of Christians in Sheshanwho bring together many faithful and have abundant testimony of pilgrimages and devotions.

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Link to the Rosary

No consta un own and specific link between the advocation of "Our Lady of Happiness" in Guiyang and the prayer of the Rosary, for lack of reliable data on this advocation and its local devotional practice.

From a general Marian perspective, in the Church in China the Rosary is one of the most widespread forms of prayer among Catholics, both in contexts of freedom and difficulty, and is very associated with devotions to Our Lady of China, Donglü and Sheshanwhere the faithful turn to Mary to ask for protection, strength in faith and perseverance in the midst of trials. In any authentic Marian sanctuary, also in China, the Rosary is usually converted into a school of contemplation of the mysteries of Christ next to Mary, and in a way of uniting the joys and sufferings of the people to the maternal intercession of the Virgin, even when the concrete advocation does not have a formally codified rosarian tradition.