Before the Assumption Procession in Manhattan’s Chinatown, the faithful lined up at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, August 10, outside the Church of the Transfiguration on Mott Street, ready to participate in a special walk to honor the occasion of the Virgin Mary’s bodily ascent to heaven at the end of her life.

As they began the 29th annual procession, participants headed down Mott Street, turned left onto Gotham Square, and veered northward on East Broadway to other parts of the Chinatown vicinity, with music from a brass band and a drum group. The procession throughout Chinatown is organized primarily by the Transfiguration parish. Nearly 500 people attended the preceding noon Mass, most of whom also participated in the colorful procession that featured balloon-filled floats and the parish’s large statue of Mary. In all, more than 800 people joined the Assumption Procession.

August 15 is the Feast of the Assumption.

“This is very important for our parish, it’s magnificent with so many people, standing room only during the Mass,” Wuwei Chen, a parishioner at Transfiguration, told The Good Newsroom as she and her husband prepared to join others on the faithful walk. “It’s very exciting…They were talking about it after every Mass (in recent months), asking for donations and volunteers.”

Her husband, Hanlin Fu, noted that the event was “amazing, all these people together for Mary, Ave Maria.” Chen and Fu, both China-born and in their 30s, are newlyweds, married in April at Transfiguration.

Another Mass and procession participant, Stephanie Godino, a member of All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the East Village, said, “This is the biggest celebration of the year for this (Transfiguration) church and the Chinese community. It’s very well organized and beautiful, and they’re very faithful. They’ll be back here in about an hour for the benediction.”

The preceding Mass was celebrated in Mandarin Chinese and English by the parish pastor, Father Roger Kwan, who also walked in the procession and blessed both the Knights of Columbus, the Knights of Assumption — charged with carrying the statue of Mary — along with the parish’s Assumption of Mary statue. After the procession, there was a benediction and refreshments in the parish’s school auditorium.

In his homily, Father Kwan cited the Gospel reading from Luke 12, noting, “Mary makes it her constant life mission to, even if she’s in heaven, to set out and bring Him (Jesus) to us, just as she did with Elizabeth…Now she is in heaven, and she is present to all of us, praying for us and watching over us. We’re reminded that the joy of Mary’s Assumption is not meant for her alone. It’s a promise and a hope for all of us.”

Transfiguration parish’s website notes that the annual Assumption Procession “demonstrates the enthusiasm and dedication of our parish family, our reverence for Our Lady, and our desire to connect people from all cultures and walks of life in the Lower East Side and New York City.”

The parish adds that “our vibrant community has a special connection to diverse groups of immigrants, past, present, and future. Transfiguration Church is a center of the life of the community of New York City’s Chinatown, Little Italy, and the Lower East Side.”