ASIA/TAIWAN - Missionaries for the world “Made in Taiwan”

Taipei (Agenzia Fides) - "The official closing of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the evangelization of Taiwan just ended. You could taste the joy of a wonderful experience of prayer and fellowship," Agenzia Fides learned from a note written by Fr. Felice Chech, Camillian, National Director of Pontifical Mission Societies in Taiwan, just minutes after the long event on Saturday, November 21 (see Fides 20/11/2009, 21/11/2009).
At the Lin Kou Stadium in the outskirts of Taipei, the closing celebrations were presided over by the Special Envoy of the Holy Father, Cardinal Jozef Tomko, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Also present were: Cardinal Paul Shan, Emeritus Bishop of Kaohsiung, along with all the Bishops of Taiwan; Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun; Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, Archbishop of Manila (Philippines); Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Cardinal Pham Minh Man, Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam); Bishop Pierre Nguyen Kham, Auxiliary Bishop of Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam); Bishop Jose Lai Hung-seng of Macao, over 500 priests, religious, and a large group of over 19,000 Catholics.
At first, the President of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou spoke on the witness of the Catholic Church and confirmed his effort to alleviate the tension between China and Taiwan, in response to the message of Pope Benedict XVI for universal peace. The gathering began at 1pm and featured songs, especially by the local native peoples, by testimonies, and projections that mentioned the key dates in the history of these 150 years of evangelization, as well as the persons who were the main protagonists both in the apostolate and in the area of humanitarian efforts.
It was said that within these 150 years, the Catholic Church has built 724 churches, now has more than 200,000 faithful, 5 universities, 29 schools, 11 elementary schools, 166 kindergartens, hospitals and outpatient centers, especially among native peoples and in rural areas.
The Holy Mass was presided by Cardinal Jozef Tomko, who read the message of the Holy Father announcing the appointment of Archbishop ad personam conferred upon Archbishop Peter Liu of Kaoshiung. At the end of the Eucharistic liturgy, continues Fr. Checa, Cardinal Paul Shan, said that the celebration was not the conclusion of a year of intense activity, but the beginning of a new era of testimony. The Cardinal, in thanking all the missionaries from abroad, said he hoped that the Church of Taiwan would soon become a missionary herself. He encouraged families to be more numerous and to be more generous in offering God the vocations of their children. The name of Taiwan is known abroad for products "Made in Taiwan,” the Cardinal added, we should make sure that sooner or later it will be better known for a new and more valid importance: for its missionaries for the world "Made in Taiwan!" (SL) (Agenzia Fides 23/11/2009)