Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Biancun (Agenzia Fides) – On July 13, at 77 years of age, His Excellency Joseph Jiang Mingyuan, Bishop of Chaohsien (Zhaoxian) and Administrator of Xingtai, in the Province of Hebei (continental China), passed away at 3:30 am at the residence for elderly clergy in Biancun. In December 2004, he suffered his first stroke, from which he was able to recover. In 2007, another apoplectic stroke forced him to abandon his ministerial activity and entrust the Diocese once more to his predecessor. This past March 19, he suffered a double heart attack, which left him hospitalized and later, on July 7, he was housed in a residence for elderly clergy in the Diocese of Biancun.
The Prelate was born February 21, 1931, into a family of long-standing Catholic tradition, in the village of Dacaozhuang, in Ningjin County. After having completed elementary school studies, in 1944 he began his life as a seminarian in the minor seminary of “Heng Yi” (in memory of Cardinal Celso Constantini) in Xuanhua. From 1953-1958, he studied Philosophy and Theology at the “Wen Sheng.” Beginning in October 1958, due to the new political situation in the country, he worked in a foundry, then in a glass-making factory, and lastly, in an art school. Arrested in Beijing on September 18, 1961, he was imprisoned in the Detention Center No. 1 of the capital and was condemned to forced labor and “reform education”: in 1966, he was transferred to Daqingyan in Datong, where he continued serving his sentence until 1969, when he was freed and allowed to return to his home, although he remained under tight control by security forces.
Ordained a priest on December 8, 1981, he entered the Congregation of Disciples of the Lord. He carried out his pastoral ministry first in Beijing, later in Gaoyi, Longyao, Boxiang, and Lincheng. He commissioned the building of the Cathedral of Jiazhuang and founded the “An Ya” Rehabilitation Residence in Longyao. In Taixinshan, he commissioned the construction of several houses and an assisted-living facility on a terrain of over 2,000 mu.
August 8, 2000, he was ordained a bishop by Bishop Raymond Wang Chonglin of Zhaoxian, and later became his Auxiliary Bishop. Shortly following his ordination as Bishop, he was arrested for 10 days, and after the canonization of the Chinese Martyrs (October 1, 2000), he was one again arrested along with Bishop Wang, for a period of 5 months, during which he was forced to attend sessions of “reform education.”
Bishop Jiang is remembered by the clergy, religious, and faithful of Zhaoxian as a zealous priest and a holy pastor, a resplendent example of faithful and sincere witness to the Lord and His Church, even in times of hardship and darkness. He always lived in a spirit of piety and perseverance, remaining poor in spirit. He was a joyful, humble, and patient man who knew how to suffer and offer his life unconditionally for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
The Diocese of Zhaoxian, today closely linked to that of Xingtai, has over 60,000 Catholics, 40 priests (almost all young in age) and 120 churches, including the cultural activity centers. The Major Seminary has 30 young men and the Minor Seminary, 84 students. There are over 100 sisters of the Congregation of Saint Teresa. The Diocese has several lay associations and many social works, including the “Alba House,” with 80 disadvantaged children, the newspaper “The Mustard Seed,” a printing company for religious and cultural activities, an audio-visual center, etc.
The funeral services will be held on July 19, in the Church in Biancun, in Ningjin County. In light of the death of Bishop Jiang, it is fitting to recall the words of His Holiness Benedict XVI in addressing the Chinese Catholics in his Letter to the Church in China, written last year: “With intense joy I acknowledge your faithfulness to Christ the Lord and to the Church [...] since ‘it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake’ (Phil 1:29).” (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 18/07/2008)
