ASIA/CHINA - Evangelisation in area of Gui Lin visited by tourists from near and far

Gui Lin (Fides) - “We focus all our efforts on evangelisation”, Rev Tao Shou Ying, parish priest at Gui Li parish in Guang Xi province told Hebei Catholic bulltin Faith “It is right to make our church as beautiful as possible but without the presence of our faithful it would be senseless. This is why we need to concentrate on evangelisation. We have various initiatives in this respect: information leaflets on Christianity, meetings and courses on the faith and all this is offered free of charge. I must admit that we have expenses but we try to save in other areas”.
The Catholic church in Gui Lin was renovated a few years ago the priest explained: “The renovation cost a lot of money, energy, time and red tape. But a church is the house of God and as such deserves the best we can offer. Our parish receives donations from all over China and from benefactors in Germany, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong”.
The area of Gui Lin is very popular with tourists who come from others parts of China and from other countries. The parish sees this flow of travellers as an opportunity for mission. Visitors are warmly invited to visit the church and learn more about the Christian faith. The first parish church here was built in 1901 by priests of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. Work to renovate the church started in 1998. The parish as 6 districts and a community of over 4,000 Catholics.
(Agenzia Fides 23/09/2005 Righe: 24 Parole: 281)