Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Shang Hai (Agenzia Fides) – Twelve children were baptized during the solemn celebration of the reopening of the Parish of Qi Bao dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, in the Diocese of Shang Hai, after the restoration work which has lasted a year. According to information received by Fides, over 2,000 faithful attended the solemn Mass celebrated on January 9, presided by the Diocesan Vicar, Msgr. Ai Zu Zhang, and concelebrated by 26 priests, assisted by 5 deacons. Twenty religious were also present. The Vicar, along with the pastor, gave books and sweets to the families of the newly baptized children.
The parish of Qi Bao, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, is one of the oldest churches in the Diocese of Shang Hai and is also home to the first place that accepted Christianity. During the Dynasty of Kang Xi (1600s), missionaries brought the Gospel to the area of Qi Bao. In 1867, the Parish of the Assumption was built, with a capacity of over a thousand worshipers. The temple was restored and enlarged in 1912 and in 1929, the bell tower was built a hundred feet high. On August 15, 1982, Feast of the Assumption and 115th anniversary of its foundation, the parish was reopened to the faithful after the Cultural Revolution. It is also home to the novitiate of the Congregation of the Presentation of Our Lady. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 12/01/2010)
