ASIA/CHINA - All Souls' Day especially dedicated to the memory of deceased missionaries and priests who dedicated their lives to the mission in China

Zi Bo (Agenzia Fides) – In communion with the Universal Church, Catholics in China celebrated All Souls' Day. In many parishes, the traditional Mass for the Dead has been an opportunity for the Chinese world to relaunch its mission of evangelization.
Among the many initiatives that took place, Agenzia Fides was informed that the parish of Lin Zi (Diocese of Zhou Cun), in the province of Shan Dong, decided to commemorate this day in a special way to the French missionary Fr. Ai Tian Li, recalling his life dedicated to the mission. Fr. Ai, came to the parish in 1934, where he gave life to the Catholic community with a school, catechism classes, and many other activities. On November 22, 1945, he died of an illness and many of the parishioners had him buried in the courtyard of the parish church. According to the present pastor, Fr. Meng Fan Qiu, “today we have had a new experience that encourages us to imitate the missionaries' example of bearing witness to the Love of Christ.”
The faithful of the parish in Hai Ping visited the tombs of all the priests and religious who have served in the parish over the course of its history. They also gathered together to reflect on the meaning of life and death, highlighting the importance of preparation during this pilgrimage that we are on in the world, so we can reach the Father's House. Sacred Heart Parish in the Diocese of Hai Men, in the province of Jiang Su, celebrated a Mass for the Dead, in memory of all Chinese-speaking people who have passed away. According to a testimony from one of the 200 faithful who participated, “for the first time we have had a Mass for the Dead in Chinese, and we have finally understood the meaning of prayer for the dead.” (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 7/11/2008)