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On November 8, 2025, the US-China Catholic Association Book Circle gathered to discuss the section entitled "Christianity: The Only Synthesis Really Possible Between East and West" (pp. 159–172) in John C. H. Wu's Chinese Humanism and Christian Spirituality . More than a dozen participants gathered for this virtual discussion of some of the biggest ideas in world history. Image from Angelico Press Participants discussed Wu's perspective of Christianity as a bridge between the ancient Greek philosophers and the ancient sages of China; between Law and Gospel; and between Confucian virtue and the intuitive virtuosity of Daoism. Participants also reflected on John C. H. Wu's connection with Thérèse of Lisieux. The USCCA's Executive Director, Dr. Benjamin T. OuYang, shared the following lesson that he learned from humble Thérèse's life of service: "to love people who annoy you, find Jesus in the person that annoys you in the most hidden parts of their soul." Our next Book Circle meeting will be held at 6AM PT / 7AM MT / 8AM CT / 9AM ET on December 13, 2025. We will be discussing "Water and Wine: Chinese Ethics and the Christian Faith" (pp. 173–197), the last chapter in Wu's work. Chinese Humanism and Christian Spirituality  is now available from   Angelico Press  for 15% off with the discount code wu15 . If you have not yet joined us for a Book Circle discussion, please sign up for Book Circle email updates  today  and invite your friends to do the same! For in-person opportunities to learn about theology, history, and the life of the Church in China, we invite you to read about our upcoming 30th International Conference . USCCA programs like the Book Circle and International Conferences are made possible by supporters like you; even if you cannot participate directly, we ask that you please consider how you might contribute to our mission by way of our Annual Appeal . ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations  are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

We are glad to share that we are almost halfway to our goal of $100,000 for this year's Annual Appeal. As one donor remarked, "I support USCCA because of its mission of friendship, which is foundational to trust and peace not only between China and USA, but throughout the world!"  Will you help us pass this momentous benchmark? We invite you to make a donation today in support of our mission of peace and dialogue. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations  are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Today, the USCCA honors the memory of Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding, Hebei Province, China. Bishop Jia served in underground ministry for decades prior to the signing of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China. At 90 years old, he died on October 29, 2025, and was buried in his home village of Wuqiu, Jinzhou, Hebei Province, China. Photo from Agenzia Fides (license: CC-BY-4.0 ) For more opportunities to learn about the life of the Church in China, we invite you to read about our upcoming 30th International Conference . USCCA programs and news updates are made possible by supporters like you; even if you cannot participate directly, we ask that you please consider how you might contribute to our mission by way of our Annual Appeal . ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations  are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Today is the Feast Day of St. Peter Wu Guosheng (sometimes translated as "Peter Ou"), a Chinese hotel owner who remained faithful to the Gospel in his life and in his death. As Catholic News Agency reports, He was one of the first to convert to Christianity after missionaries arrived in his area, and he took the name Peter at his baptism. He enthusiastically preached Christianity to anyone who came by...He was sentenced to death for refusing to apostatize by stepping on a crucifix. St. Peter Wu Guosheng was born in 1768 and died in 1814. Below, you may find a painting from his era depicting a scene of domestic comfort. We invite you to imagine what it might have been like to stay as a guest in Peter's care. Garden Recreations (anonymous artist, ca. 18th–early 19th century) For more opportunities to learn about the history of the Church in China, we invite you to read about our upcoming 30th International Conference . USCCA programs like the Book Circle and International Conferences are made possible by supporters like you; even if you cannot participate directly, we ask that you please consider how you might contribute to our mission by way of our Annual Appeal . In service of our mission of mutual understanding, friends of the US-China Catholic Association are welcome and invited to share stories and reflections about history, theology, and the life of the Church in China. To submit your story, please email us at communications@uscatholicchina.org . ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations  are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Have you read the Call for Submissions for the upcoming 30th USCCA International Conference ? The conference will be held at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, on July 31–August 2, 2026. As Fr. Joseph Jianmin Bai remarked at our 29th conference (held in August 2024), faith and reason are complementary in the search for truth: In the mystery of the Incarnation, the Word of God does not replace or diminish human reason. He is fully God and, at the same time, a fully human being. Rather, he retains, confirms, and heals our reason. Through dialogue and growth in mutual understanding, we pray that the USCCA's International Conferences continue to provide avenues for faith and reason to build each other up. We invite you to subscribe to the US-China Catholic Association's YouTube channel  and email newsletter  for more conference quotes. We hope to see you at the upcoming 30th International Conference; even if you cannot participate directly, we ask that you please consider how you might contribute to our mission by way of our Annual Appeal . Thank you! ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

We are glad to share that Dr. Brent Fulton, founder of ChinaSource, will be delivering a free public lecture on November 15 entitled "Continuity and Change in China's Religious Policy." Brent Fulton is the founder of ChinaSource, an international organization that serves as a trusted partner and platform for educating the global church on critical issues facing the church and ministries in China, and for connecting Christians inside and outside China to advance the kingdom of God globally. He is the author of China's Urban Christians: A Light That Cannot Be Hidden and co-authored China's Next Generation: New China, New Church, New World with Luis Bush. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in political science from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in radio-TV-film from Messiah College. Dr. Fulton's lecture will be held in the Calvin Room of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley (2407 Dana Street, Berkeley, CA). A light meal with beverages will begin at 5pm; the lecture and Q&A are scheduled for 5pm–7:30pm, with the event closing at 8pm. Please click here to register as an attendee or to request a video recording of the event . For more information, please send inquiries to operations@errchina.org by November 13, 2025. For more opportunities to learn about theology, history, and the life of the Church in China, we invite you to read about our upcoming 30th International Conference . USCCA programs like the Book Circle and International Conferences are made possible by supporters like you; even if you cannot participate directly, we ask that you please consider how you might contribute to our mission by way of our Annual Appeal . ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations  are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

On November 8, 2025, the US-China Catholic Association will discuss the section entitled "Christianity: The Only Synthesis Really Possible Between East and West" (pp. 159–172) in John C. H. Wu's Chinese Humanism and Christian Spirituality . Image from Angelico Press In preparation for the discussion, Book Circle participants are invited to reflect upon the following discussion prompts, kindly provided by Book Circle facilitator Dr. Kathy Stout: 1) John Wu presents a series of impressionistic contrasts between cultures of the East and West on pages 161-163. Some of these contrasts are: rational vs. intuitive, fatalism vs. pride, Mary vs. Martha, male vs. female, active vs. contemplative. Do all these make sense to you? And in what ways?  2) Based on everything you have learned about Wu, how do you explain his conviction that the Incarnation of the Word of God is the only healing possible for the "unhealing wound in the soul of every Chinese," which is a lack of real synthesis between the moral teachings of Confucianism and the mystical transcendence of Daoism and Buddhism (p. 167-170)?  3) How does this chapter help you think about the work of evangelization in today's era of continuing globalization?  Chinese Humanism and Christian Spirituality is now available from Angelico Press  for 15% off with the discount code wu15 . If you have not yet joined us for a Book Circle discussion, please sign up for Book Circle email updates  today  and invite your friends to do the same! For in-person opportunities to learn about theology, history, and the life of the Church in China, we invite you to read about our upcoming 30th International Conference . USCCA programs like the Book Circle and International Conferences are made possible by supporters like you; even if you cannot participate directly, we ask that you please consider how you might contribute to our mission by way of our Annual Appeal . ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations  are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Have you read the Call for Submissions for the upcoming 30th USCCA International Conference ? The conference will be held at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, on July 31–August 2, 2026. The theme of our upcoming conference will be "Nourishing Trust and Friendship: Following the Way of Christ." As Catholic theologian and USCCA board member Dr. Kathy Stout (pictured above) noted during a presentation at our 29th conference (held in August 2024), the study of Chinese intellectual history can teach us that "China has beautiful things to offer to the West...not only to Western society, but also to the Church." We invite you to subscribe to the US-China Catholic Association's YouTube channel and email newsletter for more conference quotes. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations  are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

By Dr. Michel Chambon, cultural anthropologist, theologian, and Catholic minister In a small city in northern Fujian, where I’ve been studying Christian communities for more than a decade, the main church — once a Methodist mission — is home to a large association of elderly folks. Every Thursday morning, more than 200 retirees gather in the church for a time of fellowship and prayer. Despite their fragile health and modest means, these seniors love coming together — to sing, stretch, chat, and enjoy each other's company. But Thursdays are also when they sign up for the funerals happening that week. Arrival of a Christian Funeral Procession Every week, a group of them will attend the funeral of a Christian acquaintance. On the day of the cremation, their association arranges for one or two buses from the municipality, making it easy for about fifty senior volunteers to travel to the crematorium. And once there, the group has a well-practiced rhythm. After letting the family know they're present, the seniors line up two by two behind the grieving relatives, who themselves follow the portrait of the deceased, carried in a small procession. Ten or so paper funeral wreaths are brought out, and other seniors change into their outfits and pull out drums and trumpets to form a modest marching band. What starts as a small family gathering of ten or twenty people quickly grows into a musical procession of more than eighty, making its way toward the funeral parlor. Inside, a representative from the Christian group gently offers to help with songs and eulogies. Surprised by these unexpected guests, the family, in gratitude for their presence, feels a sense of release from the deceased loved one. For the next thirty minutes, the elderly Christians sing at the top of their lungs and take turns sharing heartfelt words about the departed. Then, one by one, each person steps forward to pay their respects to the deceased in their coffin and to the family before heading back to the bus. Each Person Pays Respect to the Deceased Though the appearance of these elderly Christians is brief, it leaves a deep impression on the family. For the children and grandchildren who may have, in many ways, left their elder behind, it comes as a shock to realize that their grandmother had a whole circle of Christian brothers and sisters who cared about her. Often, they didn’t even know she was a believer. And even if they had heard something about it, they had never felt the weight or warmth of what it truly meant. For some, this prayerful visit by elderly Christians at their grandmother’s funeral will return to them years, even decades later, when they themselves begin to wonder about the meaning of life. In some cases, that memory becomes a path, a way back toward the Christian faith, something like a family treasure they now long to uncover. A way to answer questions, soften a difficult season, or calm an aching heart. As Christians around the world pray for the souls of the departed, the quiet witness of these elderly Chinese believers gives us something to ponder. As a group, humble and unassuming, they come to pray with a particular soul and that soul’s family. They don't preach. They don’t give grand speeches about the resurrection. They simply show up, visible, tangible, and joyful, but also as a peaceful, loving presence. And sometimes, that quiet, fleeting appearance plants something deeper than words. Something no one can control, yet something that opens the door to faith. Dr. Michel Chambon is a cultural anthropologist, a theologian and a Catholic minister specialized in the study of contemporary forms of Chinese Christianity. As a Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore, he is one of the coordinators of ISAC—the Initiative for the Study of Asian Catholics. In service of our mission of mutual understanding, friends of the US-China Catholic Association are welcome and invited to share stories and reflections about history, theology, and the life of the Church in China. To submit your story, please email us at communications@uscatholicchina.org . ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Today is the Feast Day of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles, also known as Simon the Zealot and Thaddeus (respectively). Contemporaries of Jesus, these apostles spread the Gospel in Persia and the surrounding area, making them two of the earliest Christian missionaries in Asia. As EWTN reports, "These guardians of hope and zeal take on an even greater significance as we approach the Jubilee 2025." We invite you to learn more in their video on Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles: In service of our mission of mutual understanding, friends of the US-China Catholic Association are welcome and invited to share stories and reflections about history, theology, and the life of the Church in China. To submit your story, please email us at communications@uscatholicchina.org . ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

In news from the Church in China, a new Auxiliary Bishop of Shanghai was consecrated on October 15, 2025. Rev. Ignatius Wu Jianlin, who has served the church in pastoral and administrative roles since his 1997 ordination, was appointed by Pope Leo XIV on August 11, 2025. Shanghai, China As Vatican News reports , Bishop Jianlin's ordination was approved "within the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China. We invite you to read more at Agenzia Fides . For more opportunities to learn about the life of the Church in China, we invite you to read about our upcoming 30th International Conference . USCCA programs like the Book Circle and International Conferences are made possible by supporters like you; even if you cannot participate directly, we ask that you please consider how you might contribute to our mission by way of our Annual Appeal . In service of our mission of mutual understanding, friends of the US-China Catholic Association are welcome and invited to share stories and reflections about history, theology, and the life of the Church in China. To submit your story, please email us at communications@uscatholicchina.org . ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

October 19 and October 20 marked celebrations of the Feast Day of St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the religious order known as the Congregation of the Passion (also known as the Passionists, abbreviated as "CP"). As the University of Notre Dame's FaithND reports , When he was 26 years old, Paul experienced a vision during prayer in which he heard God calling him to establish a new religious community dedicated to Jesus’ passion. In the vision, he saw himself clothed in the habit that his community would wear: a long, black robe with a white symbol stitched in the center—a white cross above a white heart that held the words, “passion of Jesus Christ.” The new community was grounded in poverty and solitude and had a mission to encourage people to meditate on the suffering and death of Jesus. The Feast Day of St. Paul of the Cross is celebrated on October 19 in most countries; in the U.S., it is celebrated on October 20. To learn more about the history of the Passionists and their history of missionary work in China, we invite you to visit the Passionist Historical Archives website . In service of our mission of mutual understanding, friends of the US-China Catholic Association are welcome and invited to share stories and reflections about history, theology, and the life of the Church in China. To submit your story, please email us at communications@uscatholicchina.org . ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.