ASIA/CHINA - In November, the Catholic community of Wenzhou remembers the deceased missionary sisters

Wenzhou (Agenzia Fides) - As every year, the Catholic community of Wenzhou, especially young Catholics, gathered in front of the Catholic Sisters Cemetery in Jingshan Park to remember all the nuns who left their homeland to dedicate their lives to preaching the Gospel in China. Among them were the Daughters of Charity, such as the French Sister Louise and the English Sister Mary. After the prayer in front of the graves, the life and work of the five foreign missionary sisters of the Canossian Order who found their final resting place in the cemetery was also mentioned. They too, when they came to China, had decided to go there, knowing full well that they would never return to their homeland, and they dedicated their lives to serving their Chinese brothers and sisters in their works of charity (hospitals, orphanages, schools). The Catholics of Wenzhou still remember them with gratitude.

Many Chinese Catholic communities, after the Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of the Dead, use the entire month of November as an opportunity to undertake a spiritual journey illuminated by faith in Christ. The memory and commemoration of the dead is also preserved in traditional Chinese culture. In November, parishes and ecclesial communities undertake joint pilgrimages, visits to cemeteries, masses and prayers in memory of deceased loved ones, and works of charity inspired by the memory of those who rest in the peace of the Lord.

In Beijing, the parish of the Immaculate Conception (called Nantang), hosts Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every evening in November. The Diocese of Beijing has also set up a shuttle bus service to the metropolis' two Catholic cemeteries.

Francis Xavier Jing Yangke, Bishop of the Diocese of Ningbo, presided over the Commemoration of the Dead celebrations at the Catholic Cemetery of Xingan and spoke in his homily about death, the Last Judgement, hell and paradise. Catholics in Jiangxi province also take part in pilgrimages in the month of November as an opportunity for inner healing and purification. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 11/11/2024)

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