ASIA/CHINA - Holiness, witness of faith, vocation and mission: the themes of the annual retreat of the various dioceses

Monday, 1 August 2022

Beijing (Agenzia Fides) - The journey towards holiness, the communion of the diocesan community (between priests, with the Bishop and the faithful), the synodal journey, the witness of faith, the vocation and mission of evangelization: these are the main themes of the annual spiritual retreat which took place in the various dioceses of mainland China during the month of July.
"Living according to the Christian spirit, practicing holiness and bearing witness", is the invitation that Msgr. Joseph Wu Qinjing, Bishop of the diocese of Zhouzhi in the province of Shaanxi, addressed to the priests of the archdiocese of Hangzhou, the capital of the province of Zhejiang. During the five days of meditations, from July, 25 to 29, Msgr. Wu, invited to preach the retreat, took the Apostle James as a model, especially his vocation and his own life, to highlight the true meaning of being followers of Jesus. He also illustrated the value of the testimony of faith and the nobility of the sacrifice of service. "Living the Christian spirit, practicing holiness and bearing witness" will be indispensable to promote the communion of the diocese, the synodal journey, the rebirth of vocations and above all to welcome the abundant divine graces.
"Vocation and mission" was instead the theme of the spiritual retreat that took place from July 11 to 13 in the diocese of Chengdu for the entire community of priests, seminarians and nuns in the province of Sichuan, of which Chengdu is the capital. Under the guidance of Fr. Lu Zhijun, a priest of the Weinan diocese of Shaanxi province with a great experience of spirituality, the participants meditated together on their relationship with the Lord, the vocation of Abraham, the evangelical episode of the Samaritan woman at the well, to respond to the Lord's call of love, carrying out the mission with poverty, patience and a spirit of service. In his speech, Bishop Msgr. Joseph Tang Yuange encouraged all those present to promote the pastoral care and evangelization of the diocese with a new spiritual impetus, resulting from these days of retreat and above all from the strong experience of communion. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 1/8/2022)


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