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Progress
of Our Lady of China Mosaic:
July, 2012
Mark your calendars for the 10th anniversary celebration of Our Lady of China mosaic. Read all about the celebration and pilgrimage here. English / Chinese
August, 2003
A Thanksgiving Mass will
be offered by the Rev. Walter R. Rossi, Director of Pilgrimages and
liaison priest of the Our Lady of China Project, for the Chinese
Catholics and friends on the first anniversary of the dedication of
the Our Lady of China Mosaic. The Mass is scheduled at 3 p.m.,
August 3rd, 2003 in the Crypt church, Basilica of the National
Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. All are
welcome.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: AUGUST 3, 2002 - DEDICATION OF OUR
LADY OF CHINA MOSAIC AT THE BASILICA IN WASHINGTON DC. DETAILS
TO FOLLOW. HOPE TO SEE YOU HERE. Click here for more details.
(Internet
Explorer 6 Browsers: Be sure to maximize the window and hover your
mouse above the flyer to access a command button you can click on to
enlarge the image to the actual size.)
April, 2002
Catholic
San Francisco announced the Dedication of our Project in their April
12 issue. Sister Maria
Hsu of the Office of Religious Ministries for the Archdiocese of San
Francisco is organizing a contingent of local Chinese to be present
at the dedication. She
also encourages all to join on a special pilgrimage to the National
Shrine (August 1-4), especially young people, “for whom it will be a
very precious memory for them to keep.” she said.
March, 2002
Arlington
Catholic Herald released the dedication news by Catholic News
Service in their March 7th issue.
March, 2002
Reverend Msgr.
Michael Bransfield announced the Dedication date as August 3 for Our
Lady of China Mosaic in its biannual publication “Mary’s Shrine”,
Volume 63, No. 1, Spring/Summer 2002.
December 12, 2001
Our Lady of
China Mosaic was installed on the Feast Day of Our Lady of
Guadalupe.
December 10, 2001
Mosaic
Italian artisans arrive at the Shrine to install the Our Lady of
China mosaic and a mosaic of Our Lady of La Salette.
December
7, 2001
In gratitude for all
of the Our Lady of China Project's generous donors, the project team
created a scroll, listing the names of all donors. This scroll
was placed in a crevice at the base of the mosaic and sealed for all
time. The mosaic was laid over the crevice.
November 11, 2001
Daisy Lin and
Maria Yu attended the Shrine's annual Board of Trustees dinner at
the Hyatt Regency Hotel (during the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops annual meeting).
November 2001
First week of
November artisans began preparing the area of the west nave in the
Shrine's Great Upper Church for installation of the mosaic. A metal
box containing the donors' names was sealed into the
wall.
October 29, 2001
Letters to
donors informed them that Father Rossi granted permission to place
their names in sealed container permanently behind the mosaic. This
honor was particularly pleasing to the committee because it is a
perpetual remembrance of all those who supported the project. The
letter also announced that Msgr. Bransfield approved our requested
dedication date: August 3, 2002.
October 2001
The prayer to Our
Lady of China: focused on our mosaic's theme "Faith, Hope, Love, and
Unity" was approved.
Prayer to Our Lady
of China
Hail, Holy
Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of all nations and all
people.
You are the special heavenly Mother of the Chinese
people.
Teach us,
your way of total obedience to God's will.
Help us to live
our lives true to our faith.
Fill our hearts with burning
love for God and each other.
Stir up in our youth, an
unconditional giving of self to the service of God.
We call on
your powerful intercession for peace, reconciliation and unity among
the believers and conversion of the unbelievers in China and
throughout the world, for God's mercy is our only
hope.
Our Lady of
China, Mother of Jesus, hear our petitions and pray for us.
Amen.
Imprimatur:
Bishop William E.
Lori
Bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut
Original
painting by Lu Hung-Nien (l9l4-), displayed at the Mission Center ©
Divine Word Missionaries, Techny, Illinois
Mosaic
displayed at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception, Washington, D.C. U.S.A. Dedicated on 8/3/02.
October 4, 2001
Daisy Lin and
Maria Yu joined Msgr. Bransfield and Mr. Rugo in Venice, Italy and
traveled to Spilimbergo to inspect the almost-completed
mosaic.
Fall 2001
Msgr. Michael
Bransfield, rector of the National Shrine, announced the Our Lady of
China Project in the "Mary's Shrine" newsletter.
July - September 2001
Fund
raising efforts took fu11 priority. We are grateful to all our
Chinese brothers and sisters and their friends working endlessly for
the success of the project.
June 2001
Fund raising reached
50% of its goal. Father Walter Rossi, associate rector of the Shrine
and the project's liaison, gave approval for Mr. Brett Rugo, the
project's general contractor to start fabricating the Our Lady of
China mosaic.
May 2001
The Most Rev. Alex J.
Brunett, Archbishop of Seattle, gave support to Our Lady of China
Project at the request of his assistant for APA Affairs, Ms.
Veronica Barber. In collaboration with Fr. James Elliott and the
Chinese Catholic Community, efforts began to raise money for the
mosaic image. Initial funds were raised at the May 12 APA gathering,
and by the Chinese community at Our Lady of Mt. Virgin Parish in
Seattle, but special Masses in parishes with Chinese Catholics were
scheduled for August and September.
April 2001
Kathleen Muldoon of
"Today's Catholic" in the Archdiocese of San Antonio introduced our
project in the paper's April 20 edition. Peter Gill, editor of the
Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut's "Four County Catholic," announced
our project in the April 2001 issue.
Easter Season 2001
A letter
went to all our donors and supporters informing them that the
project has reached 45% of its fundraising goal.
March 2001
Father Anthony E.
McGuire, with Migration and Refugee Services, Office for the
Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees, reported on the project in
the March issue of "The Networker." Also in March, the Our Lady of
China Pastoral Mission in Washington, D.C. promoted the project in
its monthly Chinese newsletter. Father Franklin M. McAfee, pastor of
St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Great Falls, Va., announced the
project in the March 4 and March 11 bulletin. Fred J. Turek, a
Knight of Columbus, helped to raise funds for the project after St.
Catherine's weekend Masses.
March 21-23, 2001
Father Joseph
Cheng, S.D.B., president of the Chinese Clergy, Religious, and Laity
Association in North America, visited the Archdiocese of Washington
and was introduced to our project. Father Cheng was enthusiastic and
supportive. He concelebrated the noon Mass at the Basilica March 22,
and the following day joined the procession of the cardinals,
bishops and priests from throughout the United States and many parts
of the world for the dedication Mass of the nearby Pope John Paul II
Culture Center.
March 19, 2001
A news release
with personal letter was sent to all the U.S. Catholic papers
announcing the Our Lady of China Project. Also on that date, Bishop
William E. Lori, our Episcopal sponsor, was installed as the Bishop
of Bridgeport (Connecticut). Daisy Lin, Carolyn Ng, and Maria Yu
attended the installation Mass at Sacred Heart University in
Fairfield, Conn.
March 11, 2001
Committee Members
joined Archdiocese of Washington faithfuls to bid farewell to Bishop
William E. Lori, the Project Bishop-Sponsor who was elevated to the
Bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
March 5,
2001
Virtual Tour of the Basilica of the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
February 24,
2001
Committee members
attended the Consortium Meeting of Diocesan Directors in Baltimore
and introduced Our Lady of China Project.
February
1, 2001
The official web
site for the Project was set up, courtesy of FYI-For Your
Information, Inc.
December
31, 2000
One third of the
fund has been raised through the generosity of the Chinese American
Catholics and their friends.
December
2000
The Project Committee
released the first version of a 10-min. videotape with the approval
of the Basilica.
Produced by Mr. Carl Whichard, the tape promotes the Project
in English and is translated into Chinese: Cantonese and
Mandarin.
November
12, 2000
Dr. Daisy Lin was
invited to give a report of the Project to the Basilica's Board of
Trustees at the Annual Bishop's Conference in Washington,
DC.
October,
2000
The Project Committee
sent a mass mailing of brochures and flyers to the pastors of the
Metropolitan DC area, and to more than 60 contact persons of various
Chinese churches and organizations across the
country.
Oct. 14,
2000
The Project and the
artwork were blessed by the Holy Father during Dr. Daisy Lin’s
private audience with His Holiness.
October
1, 2000
Rev. Walter Rossi
offered a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Basilica to coincide with the
canonization of the Chinese martyrs in Rome. Our Lady of China picture
was on display after Mass.
September
23rd -- December 31,
2000
Public fund raising
started in the Archdioceses of Washington DC, Philadelphia, New
York, Newark, and San Francisco.
September
7, 2000
The Iconography
Committee of the Basilica approved a cartoon of the artwork of Our
Lady of China. The estimated cost for the Project was $125,000. The
original painting was by Lu Hung-Nien, is now displayed at the
Mission Center, Divine Word Missionaries, Techny, Illinois @Divine
Word Missionaries
Fall,
2000
Reverend Msgr.
Michael J. Bransfield announced Our Lady of China Project in the
development phase in its biannual publication, "Mary's Shrine",
Volume 61, Number 2, Fall/Winter 2000
July,
2000
The Project brochure
became available for distribution.
June,
2000
The Committee
selected Rugo and Crossi, LLC, Nature Stone and Mosaic Contractors
in Woodbridge, VA, for the Project.
Spring-Summer,
2000
Rev. Father Thomas
Betz of the Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church and School in
Philadelphia announced the Project in their August Holy Redeemer
News; a special collection was held for the purpose.
Sister Janet
Carroll, M.M. Editor of the China Church Quarterly, United States
Catholic China Bureau, published our flyer "A Legacy to Our Lady"
announcing the Project.
Easter
Season, 2000
The Project
Committee sent letters, Shrine brochures, and flyers to all the
Chinese religious in the United States, different directors in
charge of Chinese/ethnic apostolates, and the Chinese church
organizations that were made known to the Committee.
April,
2000
The Project
committee contacted all the Archbishops and Bishops of the United
States for permissions to contact the Chinese American Catholics in
their respective archdioceses/dioceses.
February
7, 2000
The Iconography
Committee of the Basilica approved the Project as presented by the
Committee for the Promotion of Our Lady of China Project.
January
7, 2000
The Most Reverend
William E. Lori, then auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of
Washington, now Bishop
of Bridgeport, Connecticut, consented to be the Bishop-Sponsor of
the Project. Rev.
Robert Hill, Secretary for Services for Religious Men and Secular
Institutes in the Archdiocese of Washington DC, graciously agreed to
be the liaison.
November
16, 1999
Msgr. Michael J.
Bransfield, Rector of the Basilica, showed an available space, on
the west side of the nave in the Great Upper Church, on the wall
above the center stairwell to the members of the Committee for the
Promotion of Our Lady of China Project. He also delegated Rev.
Walter R. Rossi, Associate Rector and Director of Pilgrimages as the
liaison.
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