Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Beijing (Agenzia Fides) - There are several pilgrimages of the Chinese Catholic community, both continental and of the Diaspora, that distinguish this month of June, dedicated to the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. According to what Faith reports to Fides, on June 18, on the eve of the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, more than 320 parishioners of the Xi Kai Cathedral of the diocese of Tian Jin made a pilgrimage to significant places of the Catholic faith which represent the path of development of the Church in China: the church built by the great Belgian missionary Fr. Vincent Lebbe in 1870 (rebuilt and repaired in 1988 and 2004) is now the largest church in the diocese of Tian Jin, with more than 3,000 faithful and 21 ecclesial base communities, the parish in Shuang Shu, consecrated and inaugurated recently and the Diocesan Pastoral Center, which represents the life of faith today. According to the priest who led the pilgrimage, "this short path was a summary of the history of the Catholic diocesan, and exchange among the faithful helps us to promote the evangelization of the future".
A group of Chinese Catholics of the Diaspora communities in northern California, United States of America, on June 10 made a pilgrimage to the Catholic community in He Bei, visiting in particular the great center of Faith mass media and the Major Seminary. Before this stop they had already made stops in Macao, Hong Kong, Guang Dong, Zhe Jiang, Shang Hai, Xi An and Beijing, meeting the local community to exchange experiences related to evangelization and to the life of faith lived in such different environments . After more than two weeks of this "emotion of faith", they concluded their spiritual journey in a meaningful place: the tomb of the great Jesuit missionary Fr. Matteo Ricci, in Beijing.
The 75 disabled employees of a company owned by a Catholic of Xi An, in Shaan Xi Province, at the beginning of the month of the Sacred Heart made a pilgrimage to the ancient parish, dedicated to St. Joseph, in the diocese of Beijing. According to the responsible of the company, the destination of the pilgrimage was chosen "because this church, built in 1655 by the Jesuit missionaries Fr. Louis Buglio and Fr. Gabriel de Magallanes, is a historical monument of great importance recognized by the state and is located in historical Beijing. I was impressed by the enthusiasm of our disabled employees, as well as the nuns who accompanied us. I realized that they have a great need for spiritual life". (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 06/21/2011)
