Agenzia Fides

Wan Zhou (Agenzia Fides) - After celebrating the Month dedicated to the Sacred Scriptures, the faithful of the Diocese of Wan Zhou in the province of Si Chuan in Mainland China have become more aware of their responsibility to live the Word of God, and give glory to the Lord, of sanctifying themselves. These beliefs mainly matured in the 60 members of the "Group of intensive study" consisting of seminarians, women religious and some lay faithful, who from September 25 to October 25 gathered to study, reflect, share the Word of God at least 14 hours a day. As reported to Fides Agency by Faith of He Bei, priests are satisfied with the results of the various initiatives that were programmed and carried out in the diocese in this "Month of the Sacred Scripture," as it was considered as a new baptism for all, "to walk the way of the Year of Faith" proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI. In the final feast of the Month, the Bishop Ordinary, His Exc. Mgr. He Zeqing awarded the Diploma of the Bible and the missionary Mandate to the 60 members of the group. In addition, the Bishop praised the representation set up on the biblical theme, and suggested to prepare one for the Christmas celebrations of the Year of Faith.
The Diocese of Wanxian, which was part of Sichuan province before the erection of the Chongqing Municipality in 1997, lies in the district of Wanzhou and covers eight counties, in a mostly mountainous area. The Diocese currently has more than 60,000 Catholics and 11 young priests who, together with the Bishop Mgr. He Zeqing, who has just started his ministry as the successor of Mgr. Xu, and 16 women religious of the Congregation of the Holy Family, work actively in the pastoral care and evangelization. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 29/10/2012)