Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug 30, 2006 / 22:00 pm
The construction of a Marian shrine on a Vietnamese hilltop began this month after government authorities granted the local diocese permission for the project.
The shrine is being built where a three-meter (nearly 10 foot) statue of Our Lady of Fatima was erected 47 years ago. Work began after the local government approved construction of a 300-meter (984 foot) flight of stairs leading to the statue, a platform for celebrating Mass and a chapel at the site.
More than 50,000 pilgrims gathered at the site for Mass and a foundation laying on Aug. 13th, reported UCA News. The mass was preceded by a Marian procession. The previous evening, about 15,000 pilgrims spent the night praying, reciting the rosary and singing Marian hymns.
The new shrine in Tanh Linh, 1,518 km south of Ha Noi, will be named Ta Pao Marian Shrine.