Pope Benedict XVI declared May 24th a Day of Prayer for China.
Let us meditate and reflect on the Prayer Composed by Pope Benedict XVI (2007).
Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title "Help of Christians," the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection.
We come before you today to implore your protection.
Look upon the People of God and, with a mother’s care, guide them along the paths of truth and love always to be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.
When you obediently said "yes" in the house of Nazareth, you allowed God’s eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb and thus begin the work of our redemption in history. You willingly and generously cooperated in that work, allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary, standing beside your Son, who died that we might live.
From that moment, you became, in a new way, the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith and choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross. Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday, you journeyed with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter.
Grant that your children may discern the signs of God's loving presence at all times, even those that are darkest.
Our Lady of Sheshan sustains all those in China who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, and to love.
May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world and of the world to Jesus.
In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high, offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love.
Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love, ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built.
Please find more details about the Day of Prayer for China by visiting the Catholic News Agency.
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Fr. (John) Yongli Chen, a Priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit, recently shared this Prayer Composed by Pope Benedict XVI as well as the accompanying note with Tom McGuire, a member of the USCCA Board of Directors.
As the years have gotten longer since being "exiled" from my homeland in 2015, I miss more and more my original mission to evangelize people in China.
I encourage all of us to pray the Rosary for the rest of the month of May.
These are the trying times for all of us who are striving to be faithful to our Catholic upbringing both in China and in the United States.
We must encourage each other to make a special effort to pray to our Mother in Heaven this month for the people of China - and for the people of the United States ...
.... as together, we build bridges, create new and sustain old friendships, and enter into dialogue for understanding and healing.
Peace and blessings to all.
~ Fr. (John) Yongli Chen
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Inspired by the Gospel, the mission of the US-China Catholic Association is to build bridges of friendship and dialogue between the people of China and the United States by offering educational, service, and cultural programs in support of the Church and the larger society.
Our VISION
The US-China Catholic Association was founded in 1989 by concerned U.S. bishops Maryknoll, the Jesuits, and representatives of other religious orders to promote mutual support and fraternal ties between the Church in China and the U.S. Church.
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