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As Mission Sunday approaches, the USCCA invites you to an upcoming free public lecture on November 9 featuring Dr. Lian Xi, David C. Steinmetz Distinguished Professor of World Christianity at Duke University, who will speak about Lin Zhao and on what her story reveals about Christianity in twentieth-century China. Dr. Lian Xi is the author of Blood Letters: The Untold Story of Lin Zhao, A Martyr in Mao's China . We invite you to fill out the public lecture interest form to indicate your interest in attending or in viewing a recorded video of the lecture. This lecture will be hosted by the China Academic Consortium, ChinaSource, and the USCCA. It will be held on November 9 from 5–8pm PT in the Calvin Room of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, 2407 Dana St., Berkeley, CA. A free light meal and beverages will be served from 5–6pm, followed by the lecture and Q&A session from 6–7:30pm; the premise will close at 8pm. For more information, please contact operations@errchina.com by November 4.

On Saturday, August 3, 2024, at the 29th USCCA International Conference, we were glad to learn from Dr. Anthony E. Clark, Dr. Xiaoxin Wu, and Fr. Rob Carbonneau about "Understanding China's Past and Present Realities as a Foundation for Future USCCA Relationships." The video of this presentation is now available via our YouTube channel: About the Speakers Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D., FRHistS, FRAS Anthony E. Clark 柯學斌 is the Edward B. Lindaman Endowed Chair at Whitworth University, the Distinguished Combe Trust Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, and an elected Fellow of both the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Asiatic Society. He is regarded as one of the most influential scholars of China’s Catholic culture and history, and he has published dozens of books, articles, and reviews related to China’s long exchange with Christianity. Xiaoxin Wu, Ed.D. Dr. Wu Xiaoxin, Ed. D., Director of Research at the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College. He has had relationship with the USCCA since its beginning, especially as understood through the personal relationship of Father Edward Malatesta, founder of the Ricci Institute and an early board member of the USCCA. The Ricci Institute is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024. Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D. Since 2023, Fr. Carbonneau has been an Archival Specialist at the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College. His research concentrates on the Passionist China Collection in Hunan, China, documenting the Republican era (1911-1949).

On Saturday, August 3, 2024, at the 29th USCCA International Conference, Dr. Michel Chambon, Dr. Jin Lu, and Dr. Qi Zeng presented on the topic of "Chinese Culture, Context, and Catholicism." We are glad to share the video of this conference session below: About the Speakers Dr. Michel Chambon Dr. Michel Chambon is a Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. He has a PhD in Anthropology from Boston University and a Canonical License in Theology from the Catholic University of Paris. In addition to his monograph, Making Christ Present in China , he has published papers on the agency of Christian buildings, Chinese Pentecostalism, and Chinese Catholic nuns. He is a coordinator of the Initiative for the Study of Asian Catholics – ISAC – an academic consortium designed to foster social scientific research on Asian Catholics: www.isac-research.org Dr. Jin Lu Dr. Lu received her PhD in French Literature from Boston College. As a trilingual writer, she has authored a monograph on the concept of philosophe in French Enlightenment (Laval University Press, 2005), served as an editor, contributor and co-translator for a book on the images of France during the Qing dynasty (Laval University Press, 2009) and co-authored a book (with Benoît Vermander) on intercultural dialogue (Peking University Press, 2016). Her forthcoming monograph from the University of Notre Dame Press is entitled Translingual Catholics: Chinese Theologians before Vatican II . Dr. Qi Zeng Dr. Qi Zeng was professionally involved for many years in the U.S. pharmaceutical and financial industries. She holds a Doctor of Science degree from Harvard School of Public Health, as well as dual MA degrees in philosophy and theology from Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in theological ethics in Boston college working on her dissertation titled “Toward a Chinese universal ethic.”

We are glad to announce the subject of our next Book Circle discussion: "A Christian Looks at Zen," by Thomas Merton. This essay was written as Merton's Introduction to The Golden Age of Zen , a book by John C. H. Wu. In previous Book Circle discussions, we have explored the friendship between Merton and Wu as it unfolded in letters across cultures and continents. The next Book Circle meeting will be held on October 19, 2024 at 7 am PT / 8 am MT / 9 am CT / 10 am ET / 10 pm China Standard Time. For updates and the Zoom link, please sign up via the Book Circle interest form .

On Saturday, August 3, 2024, at the 29th USCCA International Conference, Dr. Georges Enderle, Dr. Brent Fulton, and Andrea Lee presented on the topic of "Social Service Outreach in China." We are glad to share the video of this conference session below: About the Speakers Dr. Georges Enderle Georges Enderle is Professor Emeritus in the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. Before joining Notre Dame in 1992, he was doing research and teaching business ethics in Europe over ten years. Since 1994, he has been involved in numerous research and teaching activities in China. His research interests lie in the ethics of globalization, wealth creation, business and human rights, and corporate responsibilities of large and small companies, with a view on developments in China. His most recent book is Corporate Responsibility for Wealth Creation and Human Rights (2021; in Chinese 2023). His website can be found at sites.nd.edu/georges-enderle . Dr. Brent Fulton Dr. Brent Fulton is Founder of ChinaSource, which serves as a platform for facilitating informed discussion around critical issues facing China and its church. An avid China watcher, Dr. Fulton has written and taught extensively on the church in China and on Chinese social and political phenomena. His publications include China’s Urban Christians: A Light That Cannot Be Hidden (Pickwick, 2015). Dr. Fulton holds MA and PhD degrees in political science from the University of Southern California and a BA in radio-TV-film from Messiah College. Dr. Fulton and his wife, Jasmine, previously lived in Hong Kong from 2006 to 2017. They currently reside in northern California. Andrea Lee Andrea Lee is Content Manager at ChinaSource. Holding a B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature from Tunghai University and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from SOAS, UK, she has a profound understanding of cultural narratives, which she applied in academic and editorial contexts before joining ChinaSource. Originally from Taiwan, Andrea's career spans significant contributions to Chinese Christian ministries and extensive editorial work. Her fluency in Mandarin and expertise in content management make her a vital member of the ChinaSource team. Andrea resides in southern California with her family. She continues to promote the dialogue around Christianity in China through her participation in international conferences and collaborative projects.

On Saturday, August 3, 2024, at the 29th USCCA International Conference, Fr. Peter Shen, Dr. John Worthley, and Fr. Qiulin Zhang presented on the topic of "Social Services in Rural and Urban China." We are glad to share the video of this conference session below: About the Speakers Fr. Peter Shen Fr. Peter Shen is from Xingtai Diocese of Hebei Province, China. He graduated from Jilin Catholic Major Seminary in 2012. He was ordained to the priesthood in China in 2016. He worked at Hebei Faith Press which is a Chinese Catholic Newspaper from 2013 to 2019. He received a master's degree in Pastoral Theology at National Catholic Seminary in China in 2023. He is currently sponsored by the Maryknoll China Project and is studying for a master’s degree in International Communications at St. John’s University in New York City. Dr. John Worthley Prof. John A. Worthley first went to China in 1983 to teach at Wuhan University as visiting professor of public administration from Seton Hall University. He returned every year after teaching at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade and Hainan University. In 1993 he facilitated Mother Teresa’s visit to Sheshan and in 2004 he brought her successor, Sr. Nirmala, to Qingdao. He authored the first article on Chinese public administration in Western literature in Public Administration Review (1984) and has published three articles in America magazine on the church in China. He is a (retired) University Professor of Public Administration of Seton Hall University. His time is divided among the East Coast, the Midwest and China. Fr. Qiulin Zhang From May 1992 to October 1994, Fr. Qiulin Zhang studied theology and philosophy at the National Catholic Seminary. From February 1995 to May 1999, he studied theology at the Theological Seminary of St. John's University in Minnesota, USA, and received a Master's degree in Liturgical Studies and Master’s degree in Divinity (M.Div). From September 1999 to May 2007, he studied at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and obtained a PhD in Liturgical Studies. Since September 2007, he has been teaching at the National Catholic Seminary in China. From 2008 to 2011, he served as director of the Spirituality Department of the Seminary; from 2011 to 2012, he served as director of the Discipline Department; and from 2012 to present, he serves as director of the religious affairs department.

On Saturday, September 21, 2024, the USCCA Book Circle discussed  a series of talks presented by Thomas Merton on the subject of Confucianism. These talks, presented to novice monks of the Abbey of Gethsemani in 1965, drew connections between Confucian aesthetics and morality with the Christian monastic life. We delighted in seeing and hearing how Merton, perhaps the greatest mystic of the 20th century, taught with such depth, down-to-earthness, simplicity and humor. Lay and religious participants from multiple time zones joined us for this discussion, including friends from the Merton Society and the John C.H. Wu Institute. We discussed the legacy of John C.H. Wu, the role of contemplative spirituality in becoming a person of integrity, the ways in which the Trinity can be understood through the lens of Chinese philosophies, and parallels in Axial Age thought across the East and West. We also discussed Merton's appreciation of Chinese landscape paintings, such as this 18th century piece by Hua Yan: Merton detected a profound spirituality in the fullness of empty space used in paintings like this. The next Book Circle meeting will be held on October 19, 2024 at 7 am PT / 8 am MT / 9 am CT / 10 am ET / 10 pm China Standard Time. For updates and the Zoom link, please sign up via the Book Circle interest form .

by Tom McGuire Pope Francis's visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore reminded me of St. Paul’s missionary journeys. Like Paul, Pope Francis faithfully proclaimed the Gospel. He appeared tired when he arrived in Jakarta, but as he met the people the joy of the Gospel was evident in his smile. His actions and words were a message of God’s love for all. The people responded overwhelmingly in the affirmative to his Gospel-inspired call for dialogue based on respectful listening to the opinions of others, which leads to unity in diversity.  Coming from the 29th USCCA International Conference in August with a focus on friendship and dialogue, Pope Francis's dialogue with young people of different religions in Singapore illustrated a significant path to follow in carrying out the USCCA's Gospel-inspired mission. He encouraged young people to build bridges of peace and solidarity in a world divided by differences. He engaged in spontaneous off-script dialogue with ten young people in a bridge-building dialogue. Pope Francis was on stage with ten young people representing different religions. Three of the young people gave short statements of their experience of inter-religious dialogue, then each asked Pope Francis a question. It was clear that Pope Francis had a prepared text as a response to young people. He realized the prepared text did not respond to the questions asked. So he went off script. The resulting dialogue gave us six points for all young people who engage in dialogue and friendship.  Pope Francis responded after listening: “ Young people are courageous and like to seek the truth but they have to be careful not to become what you referred to as ‘armchair critics’ with endless words. A young person must be a critical thinker, and it is not good never to be critical. But you must be constructive in criticism because there is destructive criticism, which only makes a lot of complaints but does not offer a new way forward. I ask all young people, each of you: are you a critical thinker? Do you have the courage to criticize but also the courage to let others criticize you? Because, if you criticize, then someone else will criticize you. This is a sincere dialogue between young people.” “Young people must have the courage to build, move forward and go out of their ‘comfort zones’. A young person who chooses always to spend his or her time in ‘comfort’ is a young person who becomes fat! Not fatter in body, but fatter in mind! That is why I say to young people, ‘Take risks, go out! Do not be afraid!’. Fear is a dictatorial attitude that paralyzes you. It is true that young people often make mistakes, many mistakes, and it would be good if each one of us – if each of you – could think about how many times you have made mistakes. We make mistakes because we started walking and we make mistakes on the journey. This is normal; the important thing to realize is that you have made mistakes. Let us see who can answer my question: What is worse, making a mistake because I started to walk or not making a mistake because I stayed at home? Everyone, the latter! A young person who does not take risks, who is afraid of making mistakes, is already old! Do you understand this?”  “You have also talked about the media. Today there are so many options, so many possibilities for using the media, cell phone, or television. I would like to ask you: is it good to use media or is it not good? Let us think about this. What is a young person who does not use media like? He or she is closed. What about young people who live totally enslaved to the media , what are they like? They are lost. All young people should use the media, but in a manner that can help us move forward, not in a way that can enslave us. Understood? Do you agree or disagree?”  “One of the things that has impressed me most about the young people here [Singapore] is your capacity for interfaith dialogue. This is very important because if you start arguing, ‘My religion is more important than yours…,' or ‘Mine is the true one, yours is not true….,' where does this lead? Somebody answer. [A young person answers, ‘Destruction’]. That is correct. All religions are paths to God. I will use an analogy, they are like different languages that express the divine. But God is for everyone, and therefore, we are all God’s children. ‘But my God is more important than yours!’. Is this true? There is only one God, and religions are like languages, paths to reach God. Some Sikh, some Muslim, some Hindu, some Christian. Understood? Yet, interfaith dialogue among young people takes courage. The age of youth is the age of courage, but you can misuse this courage to do things that will not help you. Instead, you should have the courage to move forward and to dialogue.”  “One thing that helps a lot with dialogue is respect. I will tell you one thing. I don’t know if it happens here, in this city, but in other cities, it happens that among young people something bad occurs: bullying. I ask you: who is the bravest to tell me what they think about bullying? [Some young people respond] Thank you! Everyone has provided a definition of bullying but with a different aspect. Whether it is verbal or physical bullying, it is always an aggression. Always. Just think about what happens in schools or children’s groups: bullying targets those who are weaker. For example, a disabled boy or girl. Instead, we saw here this beautiful dance with disabled children! Each one of us has our own abilities and limitations. Do we all have abilities? [Answer: “Yes!”] Do we all have some limitations? [Answer: “Yes!”] Even the Pope? Yes, all, all! As we have our limitations, we must respect the disabilities of others. Do you agree? This is important. Why do I say this? Because overcoming these things helps in your interfaith dialogue since it is built upon respect for others. This is very important.”  "Any further questions? No? I want to thank you and repeat what Raaj told us: to do everything we can so as to maintain a courageous attitude and promote a space where young people can go and dialogue. This is because your dialogue is one that creates a path, and that leads the way forward. If you dialogue as young people, you will also dialogue as adults; you will dialogue as citizens and as politicians. I would like to tell you something about history: with every dictatorship in history, the first thing it does is to cut off dialogue.” Source of Pope Francis’s quotes: Vatican News Tom McGuire, M.Div, M.R.E. is a Director Emeritus of the USCCA. Tom has served as a Maryknoll Missionary in Hong Kong and as Director of Campus Ministry at University of Detroit Mercy.

Report by Shirley Wang, Conference Rapporteur I recently ended a developing friendship, and I am ready to defend my decision if you ever ask why. However, a thought recently struck me: did I ever love this person as a friend in the first place? Did I ever genuinely receive this person as who they were? I wouldn’t have thought about it this much if I had not experienced a profound growth in my understanding of friendship at the 29th USCCA International Conference. At a panel session themed “Friendship as Ministry,” Kathleen O’Brien, Yujia (Sam) Zhai, and Greta Frei all provided powerful examples of what it means to love as a friend. In her friendship ministry with Chinese students at UC-Berkeley, Kathleen was deeply convinced that ministry is founded on friendship and trust. Therefore, she did not approach her mission by sending fliers or preaching Christianity in the open. Instead, she looked at Chinese students as friends, and she saw their deep desire to connect with American culture. Kathleen and her partner Phoebe started a cultural exchange program to connect the Chinese and the American students. This sparked deeper conversations and more trusting relationships. Kathleen listened in her ministry. It is something so simple yet easily forgotten. Sam Zhai, who converted to Catholicism, received similar outreach. Sam is a deeply spiritual and philosophical person who researches the theology of Covenant and ponders much about friendship. Sam revealed that friendship is different from fellowship because the latter is about collaboration, but the former is about “encountering each other as authentically as possible.” I understood this to mean that friendship has no tie to any  agenda other than two people receiving and loving each other as exactly who they are. Sam shared how he experienced friendship as a student at UCLA, where he encountered the faith. One day, his campus minister asked to take him to lunch, just “wanting to get to know him.” Sam reflected that the simple gesture helped him to experience “being elected.”  We as Christians often say we are elected by God, but we rarely think about what this means. Sam’s experience of feeling elected reflects God’s friendship with us: the Lord desires to build a relationship with us, not because of our external qualities, but because God wants to love us. Therefore, when we build genuine friendships with one another, we are reflecting the love of Jesus. Greta Frei gave a wonderful example of what this friendship looks like. Greta is working to build a database of Chinese Christian faith history, to which more than a hundred Chinese students (Christians and non-Christians) are contributing. One student, who is Catholic but is going through a period of uncertainty in her faith, asked Greta if she still wanted her to be part of the project if she were to leave the faith. Greta answered: “You can be Catholic, Protestant, Atheist… We are still friends.” As someone who lost friendships after a faith conversion, I was moved close to tears by how Greta showed love to this student. Today, let’s reflect on what it means to encounter one another. Let’s ask if we are listening and being authentic in our relationships, both on a small-scale interpersonal level and on a larger cultural or political level. And, my friend, if you find reluctance in your heart—like I did—to have genuine friendship with someone, remember that our Hope is the ever-loving Christ. He will always first encounter and love us. Shirley Wang recently graduated from Augustana University and is a volunteer with the US-China Catholic Association.

What does "friendship as ministry" mean, and what does that look like? Find out in our recently published video of the 29th USCCA International Conference session, "Friendship as Ministry": About the Panelists Greta Frei Greta Frei is a PhD student in the Department of History at Boston University working with Dr. Eugenio Menegon. Greta received a BS in Computer Science along with a supplemental major in Chinese from the University of Notre Dame. Her undergraduate thesis explored the theme of suffering in Su Xuelin’s novel Heart of Thorns, a semi-autobiographical work about a May Fourth intellectual who converts to Catholicism. Greta also worked in Notre Dame’s natural language processing research lab where she explored how computers can be used to process human language. At Boston University, she combines her love of Chinese, literature, religion, and technology to research the impact of Christianity on the development of Chinese literary and intellectual history. Greta leverages her technological background to visualize and analyze Christianity’s development in China. Kathleen O'Brien Kathleen O’Brien’s commitment to her Catholic faith and passion for Chinese culture were nurtured during her time at Bradley University, where she was a religious studies and philosophy major. Upon graduation, she dedicated three years as a Maryknoll lay missionary, teaching English in China at Jilin Agricultural College and Jilin Catholic Seminary. Kathleen has a master’s in systematic theology at Catholic Theological Union. She was also a full-time USCCA staff member from Fall 2021–Spring 2023 tasked with launching the Chinese and American Friendship Ministry. She now works for Maryknoll in the Mission Formation Department and is heavily involved with her local parish serving as the co-chair of the Parish Council. She will speak on the successes and challenges of engaging national Chinese students on US campuses. Yujia (Sam) Zhai Yujia (Sam) Zhai is a Theology doctoral candidate at Boston College concentrated in Comparative Theology and Christian-Jewish Relations. Born and raised in Tianjin, China, Sam came to the USA as a college student majoring in Physics and Computer Science at University of Southern California. He became a Catholic in 2013 and went on to earn two Master's degrees at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. Sam will share how his experiences with a multicultural U.S. campus, research in Christian-Jewish relations, and reflection on friendships have shaped his Catholic identity and commitment as a Chinese student in America. The USCCA's Chinese and American Friendship Ministry provides programming of welcome and outreach to Chinese international students; it also enhances the ability of theology professors, campus ministers, and other university members who work with these students, to successfully engage them on campus.

We were honored to present the 2024 Venerable Matteo Ricci Award to the Maryknoll Society at the 29th USCCA International Conference. The award was received by Fr. Tim Kilkelly, M.M., on behalf of Maryknoll. The US-China Catholic Association presented the Venerable Matteo Ricci Award on August 3, 2024 to the China Educators and Formators Project. This award was granted in recognition of the Maryknoll's generous contribution to the graduate education of 175 Chinese priests, sisters, seminarians, and laity, and for building friendship and dialogue between the people of China and the USA. ​ About the USCCA's Venerable Matteo Ricci Award Matteo Ricci and his principles of friendship have gained long-standing relevance and respect in China. It was through Ricci's faith and wisdom, gained through his desire to immerse himself in the Chinese language and Chinese culture, that personal relationships matured and strengthened. China and the world came to know and appreciate the spirituality grounded in Matteo Ricci's principles.  Matteo Ricci's legacy continues to be widely respected today. ​ The guiding criteria of selecting honorees is based on the premise that each recipient has contributed significantly o the cross-cultural bridge-building endeavors with China. ​ We are thankful to all who represent Matteo Ricci's principles with China. Among us at the 2024 conference were two previous recipients of the Ricci Award: Dr. Xiaoxin Wu of the Ricci Institute at Boston College (2013) and Dr. Brent Fulton (with Joann Pittman) of ChinaSource (2021). ​ We believe Matteo Ricci continues to be a relevant and contemporary voice. The USCCA honorees know and represent the legacies of Matteo Ricci as we continue the USCCA presence of friendship into the future. The 29th USCCA International Conference was held on August 2–4, 2024, on DePaul University's Lincoln Park campus. We invite you to view media from the conference on the Conference 29 Media page .

On Sunday, August 4, 2024, at the 29th USCCA International Conference, Fr. Augustine Tsang, S.J. delivered a Keynote Presentation on the topic of "Hope in the Present: Pastoral Work in and for Chinese Christians in Recent Years." We are glad to share the video of this presentation below, which has also been made public on our YouTube channel : Father Augustine Tsang (曾慶導神父) was born in Guangzhou, China. After graduating from high school in Hong Kong, he immigrated to the U.S. and received his higher education there. He holds a Master’s degree in Biology and a Doctoral Degree in Sacred Theology from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Boston. He joined the Society of Jesus in Los Angeles and was ordained in the Cathedral of San Francisco on June 11, 1994. He has been teaching at Fu Jen Faculty of Theology of Saint Robert Bellarmine in Taiwan since 2001, a member of the International Association of Jesuit Universities, Asia-Pacific region.