Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Han Dan (Agenzia Fides) – The initiatives for the new evangelization promoted by the community of Wei Xian, in the Province of He Bei, show the necessary participation of the entire community in the Church's mission. In spite of the scarce presence of Christians in the area, the community, especially the local priests, have not grown discouraged. According to information gathered by Agenzia Fides, at the close of the Summer evangelization activities, geared mainly towards youth and students, the priests launched a new initiative for spreading awareness of Jesus' name among the locals. The “God is Love” Choir, the orchestra, the ballet company...are all means for evangelization the priests and their collaborators say. In addition, there are two Catholic clinics run by the Sisters of the Diocesan Congregation of the Consolation of the Holy Spirit, who have given essential support to the charity missions.
Since the end of August, therefore, the young priests of the parish (and the townspeople) of Cheng An, Qu Zhou, Guang Ping, and Nan Le of the District of Wei Xian, have been carrying out a tour of evangelization with a choir, orchestra, and ballet company. They visited the villages in the area, to present their show with clearly Christian ideals, and were applauded by all who saw them, Christian and non alike. They also visited the town of Hu Zhuang, where out of a population of nearly 1,200, 500 are Catholics. However, the priests and missionaries have not forgotten them and have brought them their evangelizing spirit too, in addition to the Sacraments for whoever desires. The result has been surprising: the Catholics were moved and the non-Christians amazed, and in the end, all those present expressed their gratitude. According to Fr. Lu Rui Qiang, who first began this form of new evangelization, “the participation takes place not only among the faithful who take part in planning the mission, but also in those who come to enjoy it: all should be participants, even the smallest ones among us.” (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 11/09/2009)
