ASIA/CHINA - “Family and marriage pastoral care is our eternal task” says a Beijing priest active in this sensitive field

Monday, 26 June 2006

Beijing (Agenzia Fides) - “Family and marriage pastoral care is our eternal task because it concerns the future of the Christian community and promotes inculturation” said a priest in Beijing active in the field of pastoral care for youth, married couples and families. “The family has always been important in the Christian community in China. In the past fifty years the faith has been handed on in families even in times of darkness and trial. Families are the seed beds of vocations and the faithful realise the indissoluble nature of marriage… many young people come to Church following the example of grandparents and parents… the family and life are also important in Chinese culture and this is a path for inculturation and evangelisation. Experience shows we were right. For example church weddings. Most Christians are married in Church, many after years because they were unable to do so during the Cultural Revolution... many non Christian couples ask to make their promises in Church. We do not refuse. We give them a short course of preparation and then a blessing. Many say: ‘The presence of God in our lives helped us to life marriage and life more seriously. We learned about the Catholic faith’. Many copies ask to be baptised.”
Special events like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, as well as St Valentine’s Day (7 July), Family Day in China are opportunities for family pastoral…. In May Jia Mu Si diocese in Hei Long Jiang province celebrated 25 weddings and 50 young couples are attending pre-marriage courses. Lian Zhou parish in Guang Zhou diocese launched a pro-life and pro-family campaign around Father’s Day. Tai Yuan diocese in Shan Xi province has a special Marriage Group which works with the Marriage Pastoral Committee to deal with separations and divorces. Every Thursday four priests are available for counselling for Catholic and non Christian couples. (Agenzia Fides 26/06/2006 Righe: 36 Parole: 441)


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