Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Le Shan (Agenzia Fides) – The 57 faithful Tibetans in the autonomous area of Tibet from the province of Si Chuan were able to participate in a 13 day Christian formation course which just concluded, fighting the bitter cold and transport difficulties, thanks to the work of priests and religious of the Diocese of Le Shan. According to information from Faith in He Bei and from the Diocese of Le Shan, the priests and sisters from the parish of Kang Ding decided to stage the course in this remote area to meet the spiritual needs of the faithful Tibetans. After the intense days of “spiritual recharge” the faithful were enthusiastic: “We thank the Lord for this spiritual nourishment.... We received a new baptism with this formation.” The course ended with a Mass embellished with typically Tibetan songs and dances. Being relatively close geographically to the Tibetan autonomous area, the diocese of Le Shan has always been committed to helping the Tibetan faithful and the ecclesial community, welcoming pilgrims and trying to respond to the spiritual and material needs of the local ecclesial community.
The Diocese of Le Shan (originally Kia Ting) is a very animated diocese: the Lenten formation for 150 lay people has just finished, which encouraged prayer and fundraising for the earthquake victims in Japan. The diocese has a long history of evangelisation. The Gospel was brought to the area by Italian missionary Fr Lodovico Buglio (1606-1682), in 1640. Just one year after his arrival, he had baptised 30 people. In 1737, the mission was entrusted to the Society for Foreign Missions of Paris. From there came many missionaries, faithful and important works. In 1926, the year the Chinese hierarchy was established, the diocese of Le Shan was created, one of the five dioceses of the province of Si Chuan. According to the latest information from 2009, the diocese of Le Shan has over 70,000 Catholics, 44 parishes, 15 priests and 12 religious sisters in a diocesan congregation. The local Catholic community runs the Village of Peace (with the church of St Peter), Gong Xin Catholic Hospital with 100 beds and the retirement homes of Ai Min and St Peter. In addition to these services, all of the facilities are a living witness of Christian faith to those who use them. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 04/04/2011)
