BEIJING (Agenzia): Following the restrictions related to the Covid 19 pandemic, many Chinese Catholic communities have been resuming activities and practices of community life, usually carried out in the summer, starting with pilgrimages. Communities in Shandong province welcomed pilgrims from Beidajie parish in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei.
From August 21, parishioners led by parish priest, Father Liang Guochen, visited the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Jinan and other churches. The pilgrims also shared works of charity and experiences of preaching the gospel.
On August 11, a group from the Wenzhou Cathedral parish in Zhejiang province, made up mainly of young people engaged in liturgical service during the Masses, began a pilgrimage on August 11, to discover the beauty and to admire creation and to meditate together on the Holy Scriptures and to share moments of liturgical formation of faith.
In view of the 19th Asian Games, which will be held from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, the city’s Catholic communities also have a number of activities to be promoted under the slogan, “Serve the Asian Games Hangzhou and Build a Beautiful Parish”.
Some parishes organised summer camps for young people in anticipation of the sporting event, also to carry out voluntary maintenance and renovation work to improve the appearance of the individual parishes.
The volunteers removed architectural barriers, installed security systems, cleaned church façades and the grottoes of the Virgin Mary in parish courtyards and oratories. A demanding job, carried out by the young people with a lot of energy and out of gratitude, despite the exhausting heat of the summer.
