What an experience!!!
Christian and I attended the Marian Days festival in Carthage, MO!
This annual Roman Catholic event to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary is the largest Vietnamese pilgrimage in America. Carthage, which has a population of 15,000, hosts 70,000-80,000 people each year. The festival itself is hosted by the Congregation of the Mother of the Redeemer. They have been hosting this event since 1978, yet most Missourians are unaware of it. I stumbled upon it while researching areas in which the Ozarks intersect with the broader international community for Ozark International Outreach. Christian and I attended as representatives of Ozark International Outreach but were personally enriched as we experienced sights and sounds that were unfamiliar to us. And there was food everywhere, authentic Vietnamese food!!! It was an amazing experience a mere one hour from home. I must attend again!
