BEIJING (Agenzia Fides): The highlight of World Missionary Month in China was World Mission Sunday, celebrated October 20. The participation of many Chinese Catholic communities in initiatives and moments of community during October, which the Church dedicates to mission throughout the world was spontaneous and creative.
Events through the month included prayers for peace in the world, donations for the mission, works of charity, pilgrimages, concerts and theatrical performances and sporting events.
Mission Sunday many parishes held the “Collection for the Missions”. In the homilies of many priests, reference was made to the history and spirit of mission, recalling the mandate of witness and proclamation of the gospel that Jesus entrusted to all his disciples.
On October 27, 26 priests, nuns and lay people from the Tangshan community took part in the Tangshan Marathon 2024 together with 20,000 participants from 13 countries around the world.
The runners from Tangshan wanted to offer a simple public witness of the faith that unites them and drives them to proclaim the g ospel with perseverance and endurance, sharing with everyone the difficulties, joys and encounters along the way.
In the parish of Hushan, the Diocese of Ningbo, a play inspired by biblical themes was performed to mark World Mission Sunday and to celebrate 30 years of Bible courses in the parish and the Year of Sacred Scripture in the diocese. On October 19, a concert entitled, “Our Lady of the Rosary”, was held at the Cathedral of the Diocese of Zhengding, Shijiazhuang, to encourage the baptised to follow in Our Lady’s footsteps and to become missionaries.
On the last weekend of World Mission Month, the youth group of the Shanghai Cathedral made a pilgrimage to Suzhou Cathedral, where they prayed together with the local community. The youth of the parish of Lucheng, the Diocese of Wenzhou, also made a pilgrimage along the Way of Our Lady of the Rosary, meeting a group of Dominican sisters at the Shrine in Fujian Province to pray the rosary together.
Fifteen Chinese bishops took part in the spiritual retreat on the theme of “Synodality and Encounter with the Lord” held at the National Seminary in Beijing during the World Mission Month, in the spirit of fraternal communion.
In October, priestly ordinations were celebrated in the dioceses of Taizhou and Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, while nuns made their final vows in the diocese of Wuhan, Hubei province.
On the occasion of the Feast of the Elderly, both parishes and communities of nuns organised moments of gathering with the elderly to show them gratitude for the witness of faith they give in the circumstances of daily life.
There were prayers for peace in the churches, often combined with the daily recitation of the rosary. The communities also accepted Pope Francis’ invitation to participate in the day of prayer and fasting for peace, asking for the gift of peace and an end to conflicts in the world.
