Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Filipino and Indian descent, held a meeting recently to discuss
preparations for the annual pilgrimage, to be held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception in D.C. on May 11. Shown are, back row, far right: Fred Semendy,
executive chairman of the event co-sponsor Asian Pacific Catholic Network (APC-Network) of
the mid-Atlantic Region; to his right is Program Director Corinne Monogue of the Multicultural
Ministries of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, and Sr. Anna Nguyen (fifth from right,
back row), Assistant Director of the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs of the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in D.C.
Photo: Jennie L. Ilustre
WASHINGTON, D.C.–Some 1,000 Asian Pacific American Catholics in the East Coast are expected to attend the 11th annual Marian Pilgrimage on May 11, a Saturday. Venue is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the nation’s capital.
“We’re inviting the general public to join us in this one-day celebration of faith and heritage,” said Fred Semendy, executive chairman of the event co-sponsor Asian Pacific Catholic Network (APC-Network) of the mid-Atlantic Region. “It is open to everyone.” The Shrine is located at 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, Washington, D.C. 20017.
Participating communities include Bengali, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Lebanese, Indonesian, Indian (Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara rites), Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Montagnard, Pakistani, Samoan, Sri Lankan, Tongan, Thai and Vietnamese American Catholics.
The celebration will begin at 1 p.m. with a procession with many of the Marian images venerated throughout Asia and the Pacific. It is followed by a call to prayer and the Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The recitation of the rosary will follow at 2 p.m., with each mystery lead by a different Asian community.
A multilingual mass at 2:30 p.m., with Bishop Barry C. Knestout, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, as celebrant, will cap the event.
Last year, the event drew over 800 participants, including several who came with their families. As in the past, the pilgrimage is sponsored by the APC-Network), in collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat on Cultural Diversity. Sr. Anna Nguyen is the USCCB Assistant Director of Asian Pacific Island Affairs.
The APC-Network is committed to sharing the Catholic faith, as expressed in the cultures and languages of Asian Pacific Americans.
The Secretariat on Cultural Diversity also works towards the pastoral goal of promoting understanding of cultural diversity in the Church. One aspect of this is training pastoral leaders on Building Intercultural Competencies for Ministers (BICM), which supports the richness and diversity of Asian Pacific Americans, as well as other ethnic groups in the Catholic Church in the U.S.
Asian Fortune is an English language newspaper for Asian American professionals in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Visit fb.com/asianfortune to stay up to date with our news and what’s going on in the Asian American community.