Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Wen Zhou (Agenzia Fides) - On the feast of St. Luke, 18 October, during the month of the Rosary and Missions, the Association of the Rosary in parish of Xi Ling, in the diocese of Wen Zhou was born. According to reports from Bei Faith to Fides, the statutes of the Association states: "with the help and protection of Our Lady, all members must imitate the virtues of Our Lady of the Rosary to serve the Church and the faithful". For many years the parishioners of Ling Xi, since other parishes had established the Association of the Rosary, desired to establish in their own parish to spread even more the devotion to Our Lady through the Rosary. During this summer’s Summer Camp they were even more aware of the importance of the Rosary, so they put themselves into action with the support of the pastor. In the homily of the Mass that solemnized the birth of the Association of the Rosary in the parish of Ling Xi, the priest blessed the members rosaries, encouraging everyone to "rely on the prayers of the Rosary every day, to draw strength and wisdom from evangelization in the footsteps of Our Lady of the Rosary".
According to Guide to the Catholic Church in China and the Manual of the Catholic Church in China by Faith Press, the Diocese of Wen Zhou, established in 1948 under the name "Yong Jia", consists of about 110 thousand faithful, with 188 churches and chapels. It resumed the pastoral and missionary activities in 1978. A score of priests are involved in the pastoral ministry and evangelization, there are 15 seminarians (8 minor and 7 major). In the diocese a diocesan religious congregation was recently founded, the Missionaries of St. Teresa, on January 8, 1995, which today counts 28 nuns. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 21/10/2011)
