Pilgrimage Day

Today I joined members of the parish at the National Marian Shrine on the outskirts of Lusaka for their annual pilgrimage.

We joined the Cathedral and Good Shepherd parishes for the event, which drew about 300 pilgrims. A committee from each parish organizes the event which includes rosary, confessions, Eucharist and benediction. The highlights for me were the music and the dancing. Two parishes provided choirs that sang well-known vernacular hymns. During the liturgy there were a number of processions which also featured dances by two groups of young women. And of course, each activity had a homily. Efficient Americans would begin fidgiting before the homily as the liturgy lasted more than two hours.

The shrine is located on a large piece of property and is still being developed. There is a large church on the property that is not completed, and the goal is to raise more money to finish the shrine. The service was in an covered out-door auditorium. The picture shows the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. I was fascinated by the folk art that surrounded the auditorium, below are some of the illustrations are from the life of Mary. Some of the illustrations are painted on tree trunks.