Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bologna (Agenzia Fides) - In preparation for the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China - which will be celebrated worldwide on May 24 - the first booklet has been prepared to accompany the faithful who want to bear witness to their closeness to the Chinese brothers and sisters through a prayer meeting. The booklet, entitled Strong in tribulation, constant in prayer (p. 32, € 1.60) is published by Editrice Italiana Missionary (EMI) and offers a prayer vigil supplemented by important insights on the history and life of the Church in China, marked by the suffering and by moving testimonies of faith. The booklet also collects texts of Benedict XVI and excerpts from his Letter to the Chinese Catholics of 2007. In that text, the Pope praised the testimony given by the Catholics of China urging them to unity and remembering that "no difficulty can separate us from the love of Christ." The booklet also proposes the experience of Don Bao, a Chinese priest who tells us about his spiritual journey, always enlightened by faith. "My strength," says Fr Bao "is Jesus himself. He said: It is not you who have chosen me, but I have chosen you. On this path, I find the cross, but also the joy and peace."
The publication is edited by Gerolamo Fazzini, editor in chief of Credere, and father Angelo Lazzarotto, PIME missionary with a long history of relations with China. "To publish and spread the booklet seemed a simple and concrete way to be close to our brothers and sisters in faith who live in China," says to Fides Agency Lorenzo Fazzini, director of EMI.
The World Day of Prayer for the Church in China was established by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. On May 24, the feast of St. Mary Help of Christians, the Chinese Catholics in particular pay homage to the Virgin Mary in the Shrine of Sheshan, near Shanghai. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 21/05/2013).
