Story Published:
Jul 29, 2010 at 7:51 AM CDT
Story Updated:
Jul 29, 2010 at 11:22 AM CDT
CARTHAGE, Mo. -- Thousands of Vietnamese Catholics from around the country will gather here next week for an annual celebration. The Marian Days festival is held each summer at the Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix, which is a Catholic order founded in Vietnam.
This year's gathering is Aug. 5-8 and includes a drive to recruit more Vietnamese to register for a bone marrow donation network. Last year, Be The Match Registry signed up about 2,000 potential donors at Marian Days.
Marian Days attracted about 1,000 people the first year and has been drawing more than 50,000 recently. Participants come from around the United States, with many camping in tents on the parish campus.
