ASIA/CHINA - The Lunar New Year of Chinese Catholic communities: Blessing for families, visits to hospitals, works of charity

Beijing (Agenzia Fides) - The great “ChunYun army”, the endless crowd of people who travel across China to celebrate the Chinese New Year with their loved ones, marks one of the most significant moments of the year. Internal migrants who work in large cities return to their places of origin for the holiday, which this year falls on January 29. For Chinese Catholic communities, the Lunar New Year is an opportunity to develop pastoral initiatives focused on friendship and sharing with everyone. In the diocese of Shanghai, more than 60 parishes have received a blessing from Bishop Joseph Shen Bin along with a printed symbol of blessing that they can hang on the doors of their homes and which have been given to all the faithful by their priests during Mass. During the homily of the Mass celebrated on Sunday 26 January in the cathedral, Bishop Joseph Shen Bin invited everyone to “renew themselves internally in the sign of the Jubilee to welcome the New Year with a completely new perspective” and to “spread the joyful good news of the Gospel and peace”. As a concrete sign of charity, the offerings of the Mass will go to the communities of Tibet affected by the earthquake. The local Catholic communities see in the most important celebration of Chinese culture a privileged occasion also on a pastoral level. In Wuhu, Anhui province, priests and nuns dedicated themselves to caring for 12 elderly and sick people in the parish during these days with special care, also organizing visits to hospitals and nursing homes to bring them the sacraments of the Eucharist, Penance and Last Rites. At the same time, priests and nuns have been recipients of good wishes and gratitude. In the diocese of Xi'an, the Seraphic Youth Group shared a moment of coexistence with priests, nuns and Bishop Anthony Dang Mingyan in the cathedral. These pastoral initiatives, inspired by the Jubilee, and organized on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, were also carried out in the parishes of the provinces of Beijing, Wenzhou, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, and in the diocese of Sanyuan (province of Shaanxi), led by Bishop Joseph Han Yingjin. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 27/01/2025)

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