SHANGHAI (Fides): Bishop Joseph Shen Bin celebrated his first Msss after receiving papal recognition of his appointment to Diocese of Shanghai on July 15 [Sunday Examiner, July 23], at the Xujiahui Cathedral [St. Ignatius Cathedral] on July 30, the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Over a thousand faithful and dozens of priests of the diocese braved the heat to participate in the celebration.
In his homily, the diocesan vicar general, Father Ignazio Wu Jianlin, retraced the life of St. Ignatius, his devotion to the Lord and his earthly pilgrimage, which led him to losing himself in the search of worldly glory, to his interior conversion and renewal in faith which called him to discern and follow the will of God.
Father Wu urged everyone to reflect on their own lives and to pay particular attention to that special “turning point” between possible perdition and the renewal of faith.
He encouraged people to follow the example of the saints in serving the Lord with all their heart and glorifying God, welcoming the gift of faith as the source of that strength necessary to walk through life, embracing even the commitments of study and work so as to contribute to the development of the Church in Shanghai and its Church.
