Vietnam: 30,000 Faithful Attend Dedication of Nui Cui Marian Pilgrimage Shrine

Around 30,000 Catholics gathered in southern Vietnam on October 14 for the dedication of the Our Lady of Nui Cui Pilgrimage Center in the Diocese of Xuan Loc, marking a milestone for a shrine envisioned as an international pilgrimage destination.

The celebration in Dong Nai province also marked the 61st anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Xuan Loc, founded in 1965. Archbishop Marek Zalewski, apostolic nuncio to Vietnam, attended the Thanksgiving Mass, along with archbishops, bishops, more than 500 concelebrating priests, religious, and pilgrims from across the country.

The opening rite began when the head of the Nui Cui Pastoral Council presented the shrine’s key to Bishop Joseph Do Van Ngan of Xuan Loc. The bishop then handed it to Fr. Dominic Nguyen Tri Dung, director of the Nui Cui Pilgrimage Center, who opened the shrine’s doors.

The congregation then entered the shrine for the blessing and sprinkling of holy water on the faithful, the walls, and the altar.

During the Mass, Bishop Peter Nguyen Van Kham of My Tho delivered the homily, highlighting the shrine’s significance as a place of communion within the Church.

“The architecture of the Nui Cui Pilgrimage Center expresses the communion within the Church and the community, because we are in communion with Jesus Christ. ‘Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body’,” he said.

Bishop Kham also recalled the contribution of the late Bishop Dominic Nguyen Chu Trinh, who initiated and supported the development of the pilgrimage center.

“The Nui Cui Pilgrimage Center will not only be a destination for thousands or tens of thousands of people, but for millions and tens of millions of pilgrim faithful; it will not only hold national status, but will also become an international pilgrimage site,” he said.

Bishop Joseph then presided over the Rite of Dedication of the Altar and the Shrine. The rite included placing a relic of Vietnamese martyr Andrew Nguyen Kim Thong beneath the altar, reciting the prayer of dedication, anointing the altar and shrine walls with sacred chrism, incensing, and lighting the altar and the shrine.

Before the Mass concluded, Bishop Joseph thanked Archbishop Zalewski, the attending bishops and archbishops, priests, religious, and pilgrims for their participation.

Reflecting on the project, the late Bishop Chu Trinh had acknowledged the support of the wider Church community, saying, “Without God's grace and the contributions and help of everyone... I could do nothing.”

The pilgrimage center’s construction began with a blessing and cornerstone-laying ceremony in 2015, during the Church’s Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. The shrine therefore also honors Mary under the title of Our Lady of Mercy.

Developed through the efforts of the late Bishop Chu Trinh and the Diocese of Xuan Loc, the center has gradually become a destination for pilgrims from within and beyond the diocese. Its dedication marks a new stage in the shrine’s role in Marian devotion and Catholic pilgrimage in Vietnam.