ASIA/CHINA - Chinese Catholics end celebrations for Lunar New Year in a spirit of Christian charity and evangelisation

Saturday, 3 March 2007

Beijing (Fides Service) -Lunar New Year festivities lived by Catholics in a spirit of Christian charity and evangelisation in communion with Chinese Catholics all over the world close tomorrow Sunday 4 January with Yuan Xiao Feast of the Lanterns.
Before 8am on the eve of Lunar New Year a mini bus started from Jing Xiang cathedral in Heng Shui, He Bei province. The bus was driven by parish priest Fr Luo Li Min and the passengers were three Sisters of Our Lady of Good Counsel and two lay Catholics. The bus was carrying rice, cooking oil and clothing …offered with love by the community and collected by the Jin De Catholic Charity Foundation in He Bei. The group travelled 200km and took the supplies to about 20 needy families returning late at night in the middle of an explosion of celebration fire works.
The priests of Bao Ding spent the first days of the new year holidays visiting people in hospital and in Homes carrying community to Catholics and sharing God’s love with the others.
Members of the Child Jesus Charity Foundation started last Christmas 2006 at Hu Zhuang parish in the archdiocese of Ji Nan, in province of Shan Dong, visited needy families in 13 parishes carrying God’s blessing to all and announcing His Love for all men and women.
For New Year the diocese of Wan Zhou Si Chuan province led by Bishop Giuseppe Xuorganised a party for people with no family “to share with them as one great family gathered around Christ the dew and sun and warmth of the Lord”. For the local Catholics the long holiday time was an opportunity for pastoral work and evangelisation. Jiang Yin parish organised a course of catechism for workers. Fr Han, parish priest at Fei Cheng, gave a course for his parishioners on the theme “knowing more about our faith”.
Catholics lived Lunar New year in a spirit of communion. The community in Bai Shui offered a warm welcome to priests, nuns and lay Catholics working in other regions of China who returned home for the occasion sharing their experience of pastoral care and evangelisation. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 03/03/2007 Righe: 38 Parole: 410)


Share: