A Catholic bishop in Myanmar told the faithful to take refuge in Mother Mary's devotion.
"A bullet can kill a person and we are afraid of being shot by a bullet. But a Hail Mary is much more powerful than a bullet. And we pray the prayer 'Hail Mary' with faith and trust to the Blessed Virgin Mary," said Auxiliary Bishop Noel Saw Naw Aye of Yangon Archdiocese.
Bishop Noel hoisted the Marian flag to begin the novena of the Annual Marian Pilgrimage in Nyaunglebin on February 4.
The 120th Annual Marian Pilgrimage, Our Lady in Nyaunglebin, known to be Lourdes in Myanmar, is celebrated online from February 4 to 13, 2022. Nyaunglebin is 100 miles north of Yangon, Myanmar.
The Marian pilgrimage had to cancelled in 2020. But the novena were celebrated without the physical presence of the devotees.
In 2022, the novenas will be held online according to the Facebook and YouTube pages of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Myanmar's Office of Social Communication (CBCM -OSC).
People are encouraged to participate in online services due to political instability and pandemic.
Myanmar Cardinal Charles Bo, SDB, will preside over the feast day celebration and lower the flag on February 12.
Ma Sabai, a devotee, "It has been three years already that we could not take part in the Marian feast. We are hoping to have a better situation like before and to be able to take part in the Eucharistic celebrations and other forms of devotions."
The annual pilgrimage held since 1902 attracts thousands of Catholics, Hindus and Buddhists from across Myanmar.
The online celebration of the Marina Pilgrimage offers opportunities for the diaspora people in the US, Australia, India and other countries to join in the devotion.
Father Michael Mignot, the first French Missionary in this region, built a Church in 1902. The Marian statue was brought from France and dedicated the mission to the care of Our Lady of Lourdes.
"Mary is a person who has suffered from the hardships and encountered life problems like us," said Father Dominic Jude, the rector of the pilgrimage site. The priest wants devotees to look at Mary overcome difficult situations.
With inputs from Hubert Saw.
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