China officially consecrated to Mary in 1924

The Shrine of Mary Help of Christians of Zo-se is of national importance in China. Located in the heart of Catholic China, it rises on a hill a few kilometers from Shanghai.

In 1844, a missionary, noticing the ruins of a Buddhist temple, thought of setting up a shrine in honor of the Virgin Mary. His dream came true in 1867, and soon Christians started coming there on pilgrimage.

It is in this shrine, in 1924, that the Apostolic Delegate in China, all the bishops, and many priests, came to officially consecrate China to the Virgin Mary. The current shrine, inaugurated in 1935, was elevated to a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1942.

After the military victory of Mao Tse-Tung, the shrine was desecrated and remained closed for 20 years. But the courage of more than 30,000 pilgrims unlocked the situation.

In 1978, from March 15-17, they entered the shrine (in complete disrepair) and placed a small statue of the Virgin inside. The authorities could not intervene because this action had taken place peacefully. Now reopened to worship, the shrine was entrusted to the priests of the National Church, then separated from Rome and who, in 1990, brought from Turin a statue of Mary Help of Christians.

Attilio Galli, Madre della Chiesa nei cinque continenti, Ed Segno, Udine, 1997

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