ASIA/CHINA - Inner Mongolia, the new church of the Mercy of Jesus inaugurated thanks to the support and donations of the local Catholic community

Bameng (Agenzia Fides) - The new church in the Diocese of Bameng (Inner Mongolia) dedicated to the Mercy of Jesus, was built with the generous support of volunteer work and donations from the local Catholic community. The opening of the new church was accompanied with great emotion by the Catholics of the region and experienced as a source of comfort for all. Three Chinese bishops (Bishop Matthias Du Jiang of Bameng, Bishop Anthony Yao Shun of Jining and Bishop Paul Meng Qinglu of Hohhot) as well as around 60 priests and 15 nuns. "The new church is a place of God's presence in our midst, a sign of our gratitude to the Lord and our faith and community," said Father Zhou Xueqing, parish priest and also great promoter of in building the new church. Representatives of other faith communities also took part in the consecration and inauguration of the new church, along with officials from the United Front department.
Back in 1996, Catholics from Bameng Diocese bought land to build a prayer room for the local community in a context where the majority of the population practices Tibetan Buddhism and Mongolian shamanism. In 2011, with the arrival of a local priest, the prayer room was transformed into a chapel where it was possible to celebrate the liturgy and administer the sacraments. In 2018, thanks to the allocation of land by the local government, and thanks to the voluntary work and generous donations of priests and laity of the local community, the first stone of the church dedicated to the Mercy of Jesus was laid on the land allocated by the local government.
Despite the problems linked to the climate and the geographical situation of the diocese of Bameng, the apostolic fervor of the local community has favored in recent years the development of catechism courses, the organization of spiritual retreats for priests and lay people, the launching of charitable works, the development of youth and vocation ministry, and the organization of pastoral years dedicated to specific figures and themes, such as those dedicated to Saint Paul, Saint Joseph and the proclamation of the Gospel. Even during the pandemic, priests continued to participate in retreats and spiritual exercises at least once a year, under the guidance of Anthony Yao Shun, Bishop of Jining.
The community of Bameng has around 40,000 Catholics, including 24 priests, 27 nuns and 3 deacons. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 1/7/2023)

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