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The US-China Catholic Association (USCCA) is a bridge between scholars, religious, Chinese Catholics, and interested laity in the United States. Recently, a former Lay Maryknoll Missionary and now full-time USCCA staff member, Kathleen O'Brien, had the opportunity to meet a current Maryknoll priest, Fr. Bob Carleton. Fr. Carleton has been a dedicated supporter of the Catholic Church in China for many years. He is a longtime USCCA Board member and previously served as Treasurer. At the Maryknoll residence in Los Altos, California, Fr. Carleton and Kathleen had the chance to share their love of the Maryknoll mission and their experiences of their time in China. Kathleen noted that meeting with Fr. Carleton reminded her of her love for the USCCA mission. She states, "The history, stories, and dedication of the Maryknollers and other religious orders in China is the legacy that the USSCA mission endeavors to carry forward day."

In July, the U.S.-China Catholic Association (USCCA) held a three day in-person workshop at the Berkeley offices for partners interested in the USCCA's new initiative of welcome and outreach to Chinese international students in the Bay Area. The workshop offered participants a time to reflect on the Church's mission and to better understand the worldview of this generation of Chinese students on our college campuses. Each day, participants had the opportunity to listen to a wide range of speakers and discuss topics relevant to this new ministry. Topics included discussing the Church document Joy of the Gospel and listening to a Chinese doctoral student at Duke University speak about “The Worldview of a Post-90's Generation in China." Participants included current and present students, the chaplain at UC Berkeley’s Newman Hall, a pastor of a Chinese Catholic community, local Chinese Catholics, and a few of our Protestant partners as well. Thanks to this diverse group of participants and the thought-provoking presentations, lively discussions and a real desire to serve Chinese international students marked each day of the workshop. One participant noted that, "The workshop was way above my expectation. Thank you for your hard work and all the speakers' presentations. I am so thankful for the USCCA's ministry. I am thankful for you bringing the Catholic faith to the young Chinese generation." We hope the same energy from the workshop will carry over into the fall semester, when we finally get to meet the many Chinese international students who come to our shores for an education! Pilot programs will launch at UC Berkeley, the University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University, and San Jose State. Would you like to be involved in the Bay Area pilots and meet students from China? Would you like to discuss expanding the Campus Engagement Imitative to your area? Contact Fr. Michael (Director@USCatholicChina.org) or Kathleen O'Brien (CEI.Coord1@uscatholicchina.org).

Paul GE Tingzhu was born in 1839 at Xiaotun, a village that today is located in Henan Province. He was a poor farmer. At the same time, he was the leading Catholic layman in his village. In 1900, a loosely organized, quasi-religious, quasi-nationalistic faction known as the “Boxers” in English unleashed a wave of attacks against foreigners and Western culture in China. They viewed Christianity as a Western religion and so saw Chinese Christians as traitors. Chinese Christians were in no way betraying their country. The God to whom they owed allegiance was universal, not Western. However, the Boxers were not open to theological fine points, and instead unleashed their fury and intolerance on their fellow Chinese who had become Christian, as well. On August 9, 1900, Paul was setting out to begin his routine farm work when he was confronted by a band of Boxers. Having been told that the sixty-one-year-old farmer was a Catholic, the Boxers demanded from him a denial of his faith. Paul answered, ‘Absolutely not! No, no! It does not matter if you kill my body; I want to save my soul.’ The Boxers tied him to a tree and brutally tortured him to death. Throughout, GE Tingzhu remained steadfast, reaffirming his faith and trust in God, and continually invoked the holy names of Jesus and Mary. While the Boxers saw GE as betraying their country, that was not his own perspective. Rather, Paul GE Tingzhu was affirming his faith in God, and in Jesus as the one who most truly reveals who God is. Saint Paul GE Tingzhu, pray for us!

Over the weekend of July 23-24, Fr. Michael Agliardo, executive director of the U.S.-China Catholic Association (USCCA), and Br. David, a seminarian from northern China working with the USCCA, traveled to Irvine (in Orange County, California), for a mission appeal. They spoke at eight Masses at St. Thomas More Parish about the witness to the faith of Chinese Catholics and the ways the USCCA could collaborate as brothers and sisters in Christ. The community, their pastor, Fr. Eugene Lee, and their pastoral vicar, Fr. Kiet Ta, were all extremely gracious in hosting the USCCA. The diocesan mission officers, Greg Waldenbach and Ruth Guzman, also arranged for a luncheon that Friday. It was attended by representatives of the two main Chinese Catholic communities in the Diocese of Orange, including Deacon Leonard Sun and Deacon Louis Liu. Bishop Kevin Vann took time to join the gathering. Bishop Vann has a keen appreciation of the challenge and opportunities for evangelization in society today. That Monday, Bishop Vann invited Fr. Michael and Br. David to his office to discuss a book project that he is supporting that draws connections between the Bible and the Dao De Jing. The latter is a key text in both philosophical and religious Daoism (Taoism). Often the Dao De Jing and the Bible are viewed as quite different from one another, but on a deeper level, works of profound wisdom meet in ways that are both common sensical and surprising. In addition, Bishop Vann and Fr. Michael discussed ways that the Diocese of Orange might participate in and support USCCA’s Campus Engagement Initiative. Many newcomers from China reside in Orange and study at U.C. Irvine and other area schools. Bishop Vann understands the importance of outreach and welcome to the Chinese in his diocese.

(Photos: In traditional China, the emperor served as the mediator between heaven and earth, between the cosmic order above and the moral order of society. In the 17th century, Jesuit astronomers brought new methods of astronomy to China, allowing the Chinese to predict celestial events and construct a calendar to govern human affairs with greater accuracy.) This summer, the US-China Catholic Association is very blessed to have Brother David, a seminarian from China, living in residence. Staying in Berkeley, Brother David is assisting Fr. Michael and Kathleen O'Brien, local coordinator for the Campus Engagement Initiative (CEI), as they launch this new program. And he is looking at degree programs at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) that explore the intersection of science and faith. The GTU is a national center for theology in Berkeley. Brother David was born into a traditional Catholic family in northern China and grew up in a devout Catholic community. He was aware of his vocation to be a priest since he was a boy, but given the strong emphasis on family in traditional Chinese culture, he delayed entering the seminary, instead attending seminary and earning a Bachelor of Science. After working several years, he entered the seminary with his family’s support. In this respect, the delay in entering the seminary was fortunate: Brother David had the opportunity to gain a background in science. Had he entered the seminary right after high school, as many Chinese aspirants have in the past, he might not have gained that background. In Brother David’s experience, many people in China have a strong faith in science and a negative attitude to religion. He writes, “The most common view they hold is that religion is a superstition and spiritual opium of humankind. This is actually a prejudice. This prejudice is not the result of objective and neutral analysis by most Chinese people; rather, they are taught in that way since childhood. People who grow up with this kind of education have a strong belief in science. They are accustomed to looking at everything from a scientific perspective. They think that whatever is scientifically proven is true, otherwise, it is pseudoscience and absurd. They do not realize that their attitude to science is like a religion, yet their patterns of thought and behavior have made science a rational god.” He adds, “As many scientific theologians or theological scientists have said, science is about HOW, and religion is about WHY… These are two distinct but interpenetrating fields. Science can promote faith, and faith can guide the development of science, such as even has been the case in astronomy. So, I think that the relationship between science and faith should not be an adversarial one, as most Chinese think, but a partnership and a friendship.” As noted, Brother David is also working on the USCCA’s Campus Engagement Initiative (CEI). This is a new program launched in collaboration with area universities and select Catholic high schools. The goal is to promote welcome of and deepen engagement with Chinese international students. These young people are important ambassadors between cultures and communities. The CEI will provide Chinese international students the opportunity to meet other Chinese persons here in this country, to encounter the best of American culture, and to learn about the constructive role that faith plays in society and in the lives of individuals. (You can read more about the CEI on the USCCA website.) Brother David’s role in these early stages of the CEI is to collect and review resources on philosophy and faith that will be relevant and interesting for Chinese international students. These resources include books, music, and videos in Chinese and in English. The USCCA will curate and provide background so that Chinese international students can explore these questions on their own, or in conversation circles on campus. Brother David is also assisting the USCCA in building a new website to host these materials and to develop the social media to promote them. And he is helping organize a leadership training session for the CEI team and volunteers. Would you like to reach out to Brother David? Would you like to support his work and the CEI? Write us in Chinese or in English at Staff@USCatholicChina.org.

Why are there so many Catholic churches in Hebei Province? And why so many Protestant Churches in Anhui? When thinking about missions, we don’t always consider geography, yet the five official religions in China are very geographically concentrated. On Thursday, June 16th, 2022, Dr. Fenggang Yang gave a lecture entitled, “Where Are the Churches in China? And Why? Geographical Patterns of Church Development.” In it, he presented the geographical distribution of Catholic and Protestant churches in China, discussed several distinctive characteristics of the churches and their locations, and traced some of the historical and social patterns of church development. about dr. Fenggang Yang Dr. Fenggang Yang is a professor of sociology at Purdue University and the director of the Center on Religion and the Global East. His primary research interests include the sociology of religion, religious change in China, and immigrant religion in the United States. Dr. Yang has authored numerous articles and books, in both Chinese and English. His most recent book in English is Atlas of Religion in China: Social and Geographical Contexts (2018). The Presentation further resources Dr. Yang's Purdue Faculty Page > Center on Religion and the Global East > Scholarly Works by Dr. Yang >

We invite you to mark your calendars for the US-China Catholic Association’s 29th international conference. The Conference will take place August 4-6, 2023, at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. As in previous years, the USCCA’s conference will include: · keynote speakers from around the U.S. and around the world · representatives of organizations that serve the Church in China and build fraternal relations · panels with opportunities for learning and discussion · workshops for networking and building capacity · the Ricci Award Banquet · local performers · and the opportunity to celebrate and worship together! Please mark your calendar and stay tuned for our August announcement for further details. Send inquiries or interest regarding involvement to Fr. Michael Agliardo, Executive Director of the USCCA: Director@USCatholicChina.org

The Macau Ricci Institute and the Centre for Catholic Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) are co-organizing an international symposium themed, “The Doors that Propaganda Fide has opened since 1622.” The event is virtual and will take place August 24-26, 2022. Propaganda Fide was established on January 6, 1622 by Pope Gregory XV, and the year 2022 is the commemoration of its 400th anniversary. Its founding established the ways for the Holy See to directly govern the dioceses in the Far East. Prior to its founding, monarchies, such as Spain and Portugal ran the missions of the Church under their jurisdiction. The significance of its work extends over the fields of evangelization, communication, science, and cultural exchange. In 1967, Propaganda Fide was renamed the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. In 2022, Pope Francis introduced the reform of the Roman Curia which has at its heart the conversion of the Church to being missionary. The newly restructured Dicastery for Evangelization will embrace the mission ad gentes (to nations), as well as the new evangelization of peoples who have already encountered the Gospel. The symposium will study the effects of this pivotal establishment in Church and world history, as well as lessons to sustain the Church’s missionary journey. Learn more and register >

Bishop Peter Wu Junwei of Yuncheng, a diocese in Shanxi, died May 10, 2022. The 59-year-old suffered a heart attack induced by work-related stress. Bishop Wu was born into a devout Catholic family in the town of Xiliulin, in the outskirts of Taiyuan (Shanxi Province), in 1963. He was the eldest of six siblings. One brother became a priest while a sister joined a religious congregation. He himself entered the junior seminary in 1982. Eight years later he was ordained a priest in the local diocese. From 1991 to 1996 he served as parish priest in Shagou. Then he was placed in charge of diocesan affairs until 2001. Between 2001 and 2009, he served as rector of the Shanxi Major Seminary, where he himself had studied. In September 2009 he moved to Yuncheng, and a year later he was appointed the ordinary bishop in the local diocese, consecrated with the approval of both the Holy See and Chinese authorities. Bishop Wu’s great-uncle, Saint Peter Wu Anbang, suffered martyrdom during the Boxer rebellion of 1899-1901, and was canonized in 2000 as one of 120 holy Chinese martyrs. Read more here in English and here in Chinese.

Young Jesuits and lay partners of the Chinese Province of the Society of Jesus have developed a prayer app in Chinese to promote Ignatian Spirituality to Chinese speakers around the world. From Mondays through Fridays, users are invited to 15 minutes of guided contemplation based on the daily Gospel. Then on Saturdays, there is a guided Examen, a prayer that helps one review one’s day, or in this case one’s week. On Sundays, the app provides a recollection or longer form of prayer lasting about 45 minutes. The developers of the app hope that through this platform more Chinese-speaking people can grow deeper in their relationship with God, and live a more meaningful life. Access the app >

China's transformation since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 has been dramatic. What have been the implications of this transformation for the Church in China? How has this affected relations with the Vatican and the wider Christian community? Fr. Mariani provides an overview of leadership policy in China, then focus on how its current leaders see their "historical mission." How does this backdrop help us to better understand the developments of the past ten years leading up to today? about fr. paul mariani Paul P. Mariani, S.J., is the author of Church Militant: Bishop Kung and Catholic Resistance in Communist Shanghai (Harvard University Press, 2011) and holder of the Edmund Campion, S.J., Endowed Chair in the Department of History at Santa Clara University. His ongoing research focuses on religious policy and conflict in China, and specifically on Christian resistance in China since 1950. The PResentation further resources Church Militant: Bishop Kung and Catholic Resistance in Communist Shanghai By 1952 the Chinese Communist Party had suppressed all organized resistance to its regime and stood unopposed, or so it has been believed. Internal party documents—declassified just long enough for historian Paul Mariani to send copies out of China—disclose that one group deemed an enemy of the state held out after the others had fallen. A party report from Shanghai marked “top-secret” reveals a determined, often courageous resistance by the local Catholic Church. Drawing on centuries of experience in struggling with the Chinese authorities, the Church was proving a stubborn match for the party. Mariani tells the story of how Bishop (later Cardinal) Ignatius Kung Pinmei, the Jesuits, and the Catholic Youth resisted the regime’s punishing assault on the Shanghai Catholic community and refused to renounce the pope and the Church in Rome. Acting clandestinely, mirroring tactics used by the previously underground CCP, Shanghai’s Catholics persevered until 1955, when the party arrested Kung and 1,200 other leading Catholics. The imprisoned believers were later shocked to learn that the betrayal had come from within their own ranks. Though the CCP could not eradicate the Catholic Church in China, it succeeded in dividing it. Mariani’s secret history traces the origins of a deep split in the Chinese Catholic community, where relations between the “Patriotic” and underground churches remain strained even today. People, Communities, and the Catholic Church in China (Co-edited by Fr. Mariani and Cindy Chu) This edited volume explores various facets of the Catholic Church in post-Maoist China. The eight contributions successively focus on the impact of state control over Catholic communities during the late twentieth century, the influence of ecclesial figures like Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian (1916–2013) in Shanghai and Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun (1932–) in Hong Kong, the role of Catholic institutions like the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum Sinense and the Jinde Charities Foundation, as well as the significance of the Sheshan Miracle, which occurred near Shanghai in March 1980 and the ongoing transformation of youth ministry in mainland China. A key feature of this book is that contributors offer insiders’ points of view since most of them are Catholic clergy members involved in the transformation of the Church in China. Together, they provide a rich account of the many factors and actors that shape the evolving reality of Chinese Catholicism. Consequently, this book illustrates how Chinese Catholics and their institutions cannot be reduced to a mere political question or to issues of religious freedom, an approach that unduly dominates most debates on Chinese Catholicism. While complicated church – state relations are carefully revisited, contributors open new doors of investigation, showing for instance how popular piety, social work and younger generations question the ways in which Chinese Catholicism takes shape today. Although one might have hoped that some chapters would have adopted a more critical and analytical approach, the scope and coherence of the volume can only benefit those interested in contemporary Chinese Catholicism. The conversations it initiates call for further inquiry on how Chinese Catholicism responds to and contrasts with other Chinese religions – including Chinese Protestantism. While all religions – either in Taiwan or in mainland China – have shown great signs of vitality, the number of Catholics somehow stagnates in mainland China and declines in Taiwan. This particularism remains unexplained and calls for further investigation with cross-religious and transregional attention.

In a move that has stunned the Catholic Church and the world community, today China’s national security police arrested Cardinal Joseph Zen (陳日君紅衣主教), bishop emeritus of Hong Kong. He was charged with "collusion with foreign forces." According to police, Cardinal Zen was suspected of advocating that foreign governments sanction Hong Kong and/or China. Also charged in connection with this case were senior barrister Margaret Ng, activist and pop singer Denise Ho, former lawmaker Cyd Ho, and former professor Hui Po-keung. All five, including Cardinal Zen, were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which was setup to provide legal and humanitarian support for those arrested during Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy demonstrations. After being questioned for several hours at the Chai Wan Police Station and having his passport confiscated, Cardinal Zen was released on police bail. He departed without making any comment to the media. Cardinal Zen is a member of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, more commonly known as the Salesians of Don Bosco, or simply the Salesians. He earned a doctorate in philosophy, taught at Hong Kong’s Holy Spirit Seminary, and served as provincial superior of the Salesians in China. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong from 2002 to 2009, and during that time, in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI elevated him to the cardinalate. Born in 1932, he is 90 years old. Cardinal Zen has consistently been an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and as a result, after teaching from 1989 to 1996 at seminaries in China mainland, he was barred from returning. He has been an ardent advocate of democracy in Hong Kong, showing up at protests and standing among young people in the front lines in tee shirt and jeans.Also a critic of the unpublished accord that the Vatican struck with Beijing, Cardinal Zen has repeatedly urged that the Holy See stand up for the “underground church” in China, that is, those Catholics who refused to operate under or cooperate with government regulation of the Church. In 2007 Pope Benedict XVI published a pastoral letter in which he outlined a way forward for Chinese Catholics to balance their civic responsibilities and their duty to Christ. This letter has served as a foundational document for Chinese Catholics ever since. In 2019, Cardinal Zen published For Love of My People I Will Not Remain Silent: On the Situation of the Church in China, an extended reflection on the origin and significance of this letter and the deteriorating freedom of the Chinese Church. In response to journalists’ questions concerning the arrest of Cardinal Zen, Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, said simply, “The Holy See has learned with concern the news of Cardinal Zen's arrest and is following the evolution of the situation with extreme attention.” White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “Freedom of expression [is] critical to prosperous and secure societies. We call on PRC and Hong Kong authorities to cease targeting Hong Kong’s advocates and to immediately release those who have been unjustly detained and charged, like the Cardinal Joseph Zen … and others arrested today.” The Hong Kong Diocese was more restrained. Not wanting to inflame the situation, it has resisted issuing a statement pending further clarification. While all members of the Church, including cardinals, should follow those civil laws that do not violate justice, we can rightly ask whether Cardinal Zen’s work for the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund was subversive of the state or whether it in fact promoted the health of the state and its adherence to the highest standards of justice. Indeed, many residents of Hong Kong do not consider Cardinal Zen anti-Chinese, but rather consider him a great patriot. We pray that all people in Hong Kong will work together for the good of their community, and that the authorities in the territory will welcome the participation of all, even those who voice criticism of particular policies. Addendum as of 5/17/2022: In light of Cardinal Zen’s arrest, it is worth pointing out that he is no stranger to Hong Kong’s prisons. As a registered chaplain, he has been a regular, visiting and giving hope to those who have been cut off from the outside world. Imprisoned pro-democracy activist Leung Wing-lai recalled advice that Cardinal Zen offered him on one such visit. “He said ‘Remember, you can be angry, but do not have hatred’” (as reported in The Guardian 5/16). Cardinal Zen will return to court on May 24. That is the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, a feast honored at the Basilica of Our Lady in Sheshan and a day that Pope Benedict XVI set aside for the entire Church to pray for Christians in China. At this time, we pray for China. We pray that Chinese authorities proceed with justice. We pray for the people of Hong Kong. And we especially pray for Cardinal Zen, as well as Margaret Ng, Denise Ho, Cyd Ho, and Hui Po-keung, who were all charged in connection with their role on the Board of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund.