ASIA/CHINA - Bishop of Ningbo visits his former parish: "Communion and unity in the love of Jesus Christ"

Ningbo (Agenzia Fides) – “Communion and unity in the love of Jesus Christ.” With this expression, Francis Xavier Jin Yangke, Bishop of the Diocese of Ningbo, summarized the recommendations addressed to the small Catholic community of Yancang, in the parish of Dinghai, Zhejiang province. A special bond unites the Bishop with this community, as he served there as parish priest for 14 years. On Sunday, May 25, accompanied by Father Wang Jiangfei, diocesan chancellor, Bishop Jin returned to his former parishioners to “confirm the brothers in the faith” and exhort everyone to bear witness to the mercy and truth of Christ. The motto chosen for this pastoral visit was: “Jesus is the heart of our life, follow him and do not be afraid.”
After the solemn Eucharistic celebration, the Bishop shared a warm conversation with the faithful, recalling the years they had spent together and expressing his gratitude to the lay people who had supported his work with prayer and active participation in parish life. Bishop Jin also encouraged young people to bear witness to the faith among their peers and listened attentively to the parish committee's report on the management of the community. The Diocese of Ningbo is historically linked to the work of the Lazarist missionaries, as well as to the work of Jesuits such as Martino Martini and Lodovico Buglio.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Ningbo was erected in 1924 and elevated to a diocese in 1926. After the resumption of ecclesiastical activity in 1979, the diocese gave great importance to the reopening of churches and the formation of priests and religious, applying the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. Located in a region of strong economic development, thanks to the dynamism of the port of Ningbo, the diocese, although small in size, shows remarkable vitality in the pastoral, cultural, and social spheres. On May 24, 2024, it hosted a conference commemorating the centenary of the Primum Concilium Sinense in Shanghai. The diocesan community is experiencing abundant vocational flourishing: several priestly ordinations and religious professions are celebrated each year. The nuns of the Congregation of the Daughters of Purgatory, made up of about fifty sisters, also receive numerous vocations. Currently, the Diocese of Ningbo has more than 30,000 baptized Catholics and is organized into four deaneries, with 12 parishes, 106 churches, and chapels. It also manages a Catholic cemetery, a Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, a vocational center, and a spiritual retreat house. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 28/5/2025)

Share:

local churches

---

---

bishops

---

---

laity

---

---

mission

---

---