Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Taipei (Agenzia Fides) – "The parables of Jesus" was the theme of the annual spiritual retreat for priests of the Archdiocese of Taipei held at the end of January. According to information received by Fides, in five days of intense "spiritual recharge," the priests reread all the parables of Jesus contained in the Gospel of Luke, under the guidance of Fr. Anthony Mai, CDD (Congregatio Discipulorum Domains, Chinese congregation founded by Cardinal Celso Costantini, now internationally located), reflecting especially on their ties to the culture of today, which is dominated by the 'I'. According to Father Mai, "the parables of Jesus have no limits of time and space. Despite the different impact according to time and space, they are always relevant.” Among the ideas that emerged was that of "faith, prayer, and concrete life, three key elements for the Christian life," and ones that require the full commitment of priests, particularly in this Year for Priests, in which they "appear to be even more meaningful.” According to the official website of the Regional Bishops' Conference of Taiwan, Taiwan now has 15 bishops (including the Cardinal), 682 priests (among diocesan and religious), 1,053 religious, and 378 parishes serving almost 30,000 faithful. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 15/02/2010)
