ASIA/CHINA – The Xi Tang parish in Beijing on the way to the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Beijing (Agenzia Fides) – Prayer, Eucharistic adoration, intense spirituality and meditations related to the “Year of the Son of God”, a special year celebrated in 2022. It is the program of the Xi Tang parish, in the archdiocese of Beijing , dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Carmel. In this way, the community prepares the solemn celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary after the new opening on July 16, the patronal feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. According to Fides, during the homily, the parish priest, Father Li Jianmin, underlined “the path of sanctification, purification and conversion” that every believer is called to follow, and shared with those present the words of Mary in the Gospel. At the end, he gave the medal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to all those present, recommending them to “imitate Our Lady, her Fiat, to sanctify each day and serve others with missionary zeal.” In the afternoon, the priest spent time with the elderly and sick, imparting to them the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.
On July 24, the parish celebrated the Second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in communion with the universal Church, in tune with the Chinese cultural tradition that is nourished by deep respect, high esteem and filial love for the elderly and the grandparents. After Sunday Mass on July 31, Father Li presided over a special catechetical course to answer the questions of the parishioners and help them on the path of faith, inaugurating a new formation course for adults. In addition, meditations related to the Year of the Son of God are offered every day on the parish Wechat account. With these pastoral initiatives, the parish is intensely following its synodal path also in view of the 300th anniversary of its foundation in 2023.
With the gradual relaxation of anticovid measures, the parish has set out to relaunch all its pastoral, missionary, charitable and cultural activities. The parish choir will also resume preparation for Christmas concerts, resume Eucharistic Adoration 24 hours a day, as well as fundraising for the San Francesco Foundation to help the poor. The church of Xi Tang, in the archdiocese of Beijing and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, was founded in 1723 by an Italian Lazarist missionary, a great composer of Baroque music, Father Teodorico Pedrini (Fermo 1671 – Beijing 1746). To pay homage to the founder, the parish choir is dedicated to the missionary. The church was the fourth church founded by Catholic missionaries in Beijing after those that were opened in 1650, 1665 and 1703 by Portuguese and French Jesuit missionaries.
(NZ) (Agenzia Fides 08/10/2022)
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