With
the cross at the peak of the mountain |
The
group of pilgrims |
TAIPEI, Taiwan (March, 2007).-A pilgrimage, a retreat, and a three-hour
climb were part of a weekend experience for Poveda’s Friends in
Taipei, Taiwan, who decided to have a day of silence and prayer in the
Marian Shrine of Jao Shi, Ilan.
This activity took place during lunar New Year holidays, on February 23rd.
The 25 people, including children, were distributed in five vehicles that
started off from Taipei at around 9:00 a.m. and passed through Shue Shan
tunnel, said to be one of the longest tunnels in the world.
The Marian shrine is located on a hilltop overlooking the city of Ilan.
Sitting on the benches outside the Church, one can see the grotto of Our
Lady of Lourdes, lush green color mountains, cascading water and of course
the view of Ilan City. The place is very famous among Catholics because
of the numerous stories and tales about miracles being granted to pilgrims.
The Shrine is only the first stop going up to the peak where one can have
a three-hour mountain trail trek. At the peak of one of the mountains
is an image of Our Lady and a Cross.
The retreat for parents was facilitated by Mei Ching Chen and the retreat
for Children by Joy Ampiloquio. It began at about 11:00 in the morning
and ended with yoga exercise for both kids and parents at around 9:00
in the evening.
The retreat for kids focused on the beatitudes and preparation for Lent.
The kids were asked to complete the sentence “Blessed are you ……”
and were asked to draw or write, on a prepared four week Lenten calendar,
what they could do to prepare for Easter. They were also asked to use
colored wires to represent their relationship with Jesus. One of them,
Jerry, a seven year old boy, made two hearts representing Jesus and he
being linked together and that being connected with Jesus makes you a
strong person.
Tom, (HsiaoYue) said that indeed he is blessed because he has a family,
parents who care about him and that he is blessed because many children
in the world have no parents. Another boy said that Jesus loves us so
much that he allowed himself to die on the cross. The Lenten calendar
they made was given to their parents to check if they really followed
what they committed to do. One parent shared later that her boy was really
determined to collect money for Lenten charity and that he didn’t
eat one dinner.
The following day was the three-hour climb to the peak. Reaching the peak
gives one a special sense of joy because trekking the steep hills is hard.
It was tiresome! Each made it to the top in different times. Some were
carrying heavy stuff like jackets of the kids and of course the packed
lunch.
The participants commented that it was a fruitful weekend of “trekking”
into their lives through the retreat, re-discovering themselves and growing
in friendship with God. The weekend journey was of course incomplete without
the company of Mary; who in the moments of giving up, inspired them to
go onwards… putting hope in their hearts.
Text and photos JOY AMPOLOQUIO
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