ASIA / CHINA – The diocese of Zhouzhi celebrates ninety years of evangelization by renewing its missionary commitment
Zhouzhi (Agenzia Fides) – May the celebration of 90 years of life of the diocese of Zhouzhi, in the province of Shaanxi, in mainland China, “be an opportunity to renew our missionary commitment while remaining faithful to our baptismal vocation”. Thus Mgr.Joseph Wu Qinjing, Bishop of the diocese of Zhouzhi, encouraged the faithful during the solemn Eucharistic celebration for the ninety years of the diocese, on the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary Queen, on 22 August.
According to information gathered by Fides, the Bishop urged the faithful to “take care of pastoral care with love and concrete initiative and support the development of the diocese”. In these times when “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few”, he also exhorted us to “pray for the vocations of the Church”. During the celebration, Mgr. Wu also ordained a diocesan priest, and exhorted him as follows: “be the incarnation of Jesus, serving the people of God through prayer and the daily sacraments, which are the source of your strength and inspiration. You must practice what you preach and preach what you practice ”.
With great emotion, the new priest thanked all those who accompanied and helped him on his vocational journey: “you are my motivation for the priestly life. From you I have seen the sign of God’s love and your love and your generosity have made me what I am today. Prayers and service are the only way to express my gratitude ”.
The diocese of Zhouzhi is located in the center of the Guan Zhong plain, in the province of Shaan Xi. Created Apostolic Prefecture on 22 August 1932, it was elevated to diocese in 1951 and consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Today the diocese has over 67,000 faithful, about sixty priests (many have studied abroad and some are still in Europe and the United States for their studies), more than 200 religious. The diocese has more than 200 churches, hundreds of places of prayer and 2 Marian shrines: the Shrine of the Mount of the Cross and the Shrine of Our Lady of Hu Xian. The diocese of Zhou Zhi has always been faithful to its long tradition of faith, rich in priestly vocations and consecrated life.
After the reopening in the 1980s, more than 300 priests and as many nuns offer their pastoral service in the various Chinese dioceses, such as Beijing, Shang Hai, Xin Jiang and Jiang Xi. Furthermore, the diocese is committed to collaborating with other Catholic realities, such as Catholicism Shanghai Jiaoqu Guangqi Society Service Center. The ordinary pastoral life of the diocese is marked by numerous initiatives linked to catechism, youth spirituality (especially university), formation in the faith, preparation for Christian marriage.
(NZ) (Agenzia Fides 07/09/2022)
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