ASIA/CHINA - Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Shang Chuan of the Cathedral of the Diocese of Jiang Men for prayer and evangelization

Tuesday, 16 July 2013

Jiang Men (Agenzia Fides) - Pray for the church in China and for the Universal Church so that the mission of evangelization in the world and China take its course and strengthens faith, especially in the Year of Faith: are the reasons of the pilgrimage that the faithful of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Mary in the Diocese of Jiang Men in the province of Guangdong made to the Sanctuary of the Island in Shang Chuan, on July 13. In Shangchuan, where Francis Xavier, the Jesuit missionary Saint, the great evangelist of Oriental Asia died in 1552, is the Shrine dedicated to the Universal Patron of the Missions. Don Huang, the priest who organized and accompanied the pilgrimage, urged the faithful in his homily with these words: "We must pray a lot, not only for ourselves, but for the Church in China so that it converts to our Lord as soon as possible".
Recalling the example of St. Francis Xavier, he encouraged everyone to "follow in his footsteps by being living witnesses of the Lord".
The Diocese of Jiangmen currently has a dozen priests, thirty nuns and about 20,000 faithful, distributed in 20 parishes. It has a special place in the history of the Church in China: Francis Xavier died on the island of Shangchuan in 1552, which is today part of the diocese. The shrine, which commemorates the death of the holy Jesuit missionary, is now a place of pilgrimage. To the north of the diocese is the city of Zhaoqing, where Father Matteo Ricci spent three years, he built a church and prepared for the next mission on the continent.
The Bishop of the Diocese of Jiang Men is His Excellency Mgr. Paul Liang Jiansen, 46 years of age and 19 of priesthood. He was consecrated on March 30, 2011 in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Mary in Jiangmen. His episcopal ordination was approved by the Holy See and also received the approval from the Chinese authorities. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 16/07/2013)


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