Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Feng Xiang (Agenzia Fides) – All the faithful and priests of the Diocese should dedicate themselves to evangelisation in the full awareness of their own identity and of the mandate entrusted to them by the Lord and the Church. Priests in particular must continue to be sanctified, following the example of St. John Marie Vianney, to offer an optimal image of goodness, love, dedication and service to society and non-Christians. These are the main points of the 2011 Pastoral Plan of the Diocese of Feng Xiang, Shaan Xi Province, summarised in the annual diocesan Assembly held from 15 to 18 February.
According to information received by Fides, about fifty people attended the Diocesan Assembly: priests in charge of various diocesan Commissions, parish priests, men and women religious and active lay people. Ninety year old Bishop Lucas Li Jing Feng, who had been invited by Pope Benedict XVI to the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist in 2005, along with three other Bishops from mainland China, participated in the four day meeting, following all the actions taken by the various committees, the financial report, etc. After the Mass on 18 February , entrusting the missionary mandate, all participants returned to their parishes and communities with a renewed spirit of mission.
The Diocese of Feng Xiang is divided into four deaneries and 30 parishes, with over 20,000 faithful, 38 priests (including 18 men religious) and 60 religious sisters that belong to three female congregations (Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, Sisters of the Sacred Heart and Little Sisters of St Teresa). The diocese was founded as a Franciscan mission and to this day the devotees of the Saint from Assisi continue to operate in the diocese. In the diocese, there are two Marian shrines and a cemetery for Catholic priests. The diocese also runs various social services, such as clinics and an orphanage. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 25/02/2011)
