ASIA/CHINA - After a retreat, 40 religious, accompanied by priests and seminarians from the Catholic community of Si Chuan, visit the area hit by the earthquake in May

Peng Zhou (Agenzia Fides) – Over 40 religious from 5 dioceses of Si Chuan, the region hit by the earthquake on May 12, 2008, went with their Retreat Director Fr. Luke Tsui Kam Yu, of the Diocese of Hong Kong, to visit the area hit by the earthquake. They were accompanied by priests, seminarians, and several lay faithful of Si Chuan. They participated in the Mass, which was celebrated in the provisory chapel provided by Jinde Charities near the famous church of Bai Lu, which was built by the Paris Foreign Missions (MEP) in 1908, exactly 100 years ago. In the earthquake, the church collapsed in only 8 seconds, caving in on itself. This was home to the oldest Catholic Seminary, dedicated to the Annunciation, and was considered the birthplace of Catholicism in southwestern China. Now, the Chinese state is working to rebuild it.
After an 8-day spiritual retreat, the religious shared their experiences of faith, which had been placed to the test with the terrible natural disaster, with the Catholics who suffered the immediate effects of the earthquake. This faith has been renewed by the outpouring of support they have received from all over the world, especially that which came from the Holy Father. Si Chuan is a province with a great ethnic variety. The group of 40 religious that participated in the retreat were from 10 different ethnic backgrounds. As one local priest put it, “this shows that our evangelization effort has been well-received by everyone.” After the prayer for the people affected by the earthquake, the Rector of the Seminary of Si Chuan presented the pastor of the parish, Father Zhang, with a small contribution on behalf of everyone, given with all their love and support.
The Catholic aid being offered to the victims of the May 12 earthquake has been constant. On September 23, 3 volunteers from Singapore, accompanied by volunteers from Jinde Charities working at the site, spent 2 days with the children of the local school, helping them to forget the tragedy and concentrate on their studies at the beginning of this new school year. The volunteers from Jinde Charities, the Catholic charity service that is coordinating aid and were responsible in making the Holy Father’s contribution reach the earthquake victims, are still working full time to care for the victims. As the local authorities say, “we know we can always count on the Catholics to be with us.” (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 29/09/2008)