Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mindong (Agenzia Fides) - "Immense gratitude to the Lord" is what the Bishop of the Diocese of Funing/Mindong, Vincent Zhan Silu, expressed before leaving for Rome for the laying of the foundation stone of the new church on September 27.
The Bishop of the Diocese of Funing/Mindong, in the coastal province of Fujian in mainland China, will participate in the upcoming plenary session of the Synod of Bishops together with Bishop Joseph Yang Yongquiang of Hangzhou, after being appointed by Pope Francis.
Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau yan sj, Bishop of Hong Kong, and Norbert Pu, Bishop of Kiayi (Taiwan), will also attend the Synod Assembly, which will be held from October 2 to 27.
The site on which the new church will be built is 12 hectares. It is a piece of land allocated by the government. During the opening ceremony and the blessing of the construction site in the presence of about 20 priests, hundreds of religious and lay people, as well as the massive presence of state authorities, Bishop Vincent Zhan said: "As I stand on this hill, I feel from the bottom of my heart great gratitude to our Lord for this grace bestowed upon our diocese of Mindong. For "this is the day the Lord has prepared for us; let us rejoice and be glad in it," he added, quoting Psalm 118.
The new church, once built, will be the center of ecclesiastical life in the Catholic community of Baisheng in the city of Fuding, which has long suffered from a lack of places of worship and spaces for pastoral activities. Given the size of the church, all citizens of Fuding will be able to use the church and the activities promoted in the new spaces.
Bishop Vincent Zhan, together with the priests of the Diocese of Mindong, blessed the construction site on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of the new church and prayed that "the Holy name of the Lord may be celebrated in this place forever". (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 30/9/2024)
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