Catholic leaders in Vietnam urged believers to bring hope to the poor, abandoned, and marginalized during the annual Trà Kiệu Marian pilgrimage, which marked 141 years since the faithful say the Virgin Mary protected local Catholics during a period of persecution.
Thousands of pilgrims gathered last week at the Trà Kiệu Marian Pilgrimage Center in the Diocese of Da Nang for the 2026 Our Lady of Trà Kiệu Congress, according to the Vietnamese Bishops’ Conference.
Opening the pilgrimage, Father Bonaventura Mai Thai, representative of the apostolic administrator of Da Nang, reflected on the Gospel account of Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth and presented the Blessed Virgin as a model of missionary discipleship.
After her “yes” to God, Mary “promptly brought Jesus to Elizabeth, coming to share joy and to serve,” he said.
He urged Catholics to follow her example by setting out “to love and serve their brothers and sisters, bringing Christ to all people.”
The annual pilgrimage is one of Vietnam’s most significant Marian gatherings. It commemorates the Trà Kiệu tradition that recalls Mary’s protection of local Catholics during anti-Christian persecution in 1885.
During a Marian procession on May 30, Archbishop Joseph Đặng Đức Ngân, apostolic administrator of Da Nang, recalled “141 years since Our Lady appeared at Trà Kiệu (1885-2026) to protect and support the faithful during persecution.”
Drawing from the Gospel account of the Visitation, he described Mary as a missionary disciple who “brings Christ, brings faith, hope, and love.”
Religious sisters and lay faithful participated in flower offerings and devotional presentations that highlighted the gathering’s central message that all Christians are called to become “missionary disciples” in their daily lives.
The performances also reflected on contemporary challenges facing society, including family struggles, war and conflict, and what organizers described as the “storms” of modern life. Participants were encouraged to become bearers of God’s love and hope in their communities.
In his homily during the closing Mass, Archbishop Joseph challenged Catholics to express their faith through concrete acts of love and service.
“Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, believers share love without hesitation or calculation, without hypocrisy, with brotherly charity and mutual respect,” he said.
He called on the faithful to reject social distinctions that exclude the vulnerable.
“Love does not distinguish between the rich and the poor, the abandoned, or those on the margins of society,” the archbishop said.
He said Christians are called to become missionary disciples through lives marked by compassion and hope, bringing “peace, humility, service, love and hope” to others and “bringing hope where there is despair.”
The archbishop also encouraged believers to extend God’s mercy to those who have not yet encountered the Christian faith so that “those who do not yet know God may feel His love.”
As the pilgrimage concluded, Archbishop Joseph urged Catholics to become visible witnesses of charity in their communities through “gentleness and patience, loving words that heal, affectionate greetings, and loving visits with the eyes, hands, and feet of Christ.”
Recalling a message highlighted by Pope Leo XIV, he cited Jesus’ words from the Gospel of Matthew: “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14).
The two-day gathering concluded with the solemn papal blessing and the granting of a plenary indulgence to pilgrims, bringing to a close one of Vietnam’s largest annual Marian celebrations.
