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On April 24, 1929, three young Passionists were murdered at the hands of bandits while serving as missionaries in Hunan, China. This event impacted U.S. Catholic history, shaped the Holy See's relations with China, and influenced the diplomatic policy of the U.S. Department of State in China during that era. We invite you to learn about these missionaries through a virtual presentation by Fr. Rob Carbonneau: "95 Years Later: Remembering the Life, Death, and Memory of Three Young Passionists Killed in Hunan, China." Father Robert E. Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D., USCCA Director Emeritus April 24, 2024 Online via Zoom at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time You can learn more and attend the presentation via Zoom by navigating to the presentation's event page, hosted by the Passionists of Holy Cross Province . We hope you can join us in reflecting on the legacy of these three witnesses for the Catholic Church in China.

In April, the USCCA Book Circle discussed Bede Bidlack’s article, “Merton’s Way of Zhuangzi : A Critique.” This article opened us to the world of Daoism through Merton’s translation of Zhuangzi. We explored some of the reasons why Asian wisdom became attractive to Americans during the 1960s and continues to do so today. We also pondered some of the challenges facing the Christian church as it interacts with not only Daoism's philosophical aspects, but also popular cultural practices associated with it. Like Merton, we appreciated the Daoist love for holistic perception and creative spontaneity. We enjoyed reading aloud Merton’s rendition of "Cook Ding" (庖丁解牛), the story of an insightful conversation between a prince and his masterful butcher. We also sampled a few pieces of Merton’s artwork influenced by Chinese culture. It was delightful to discover the close relationship between the intellectual and the mystical, the intellectual and the practical, as they manifest in Catholicism and Chinese culture. For those interested in dialoguing with Chinese spirituality, we recommend the readings below, as they arose in today’s discussion: · Thomas Merton, The Way of Chuang Tzu (NY: New Directions, 1997). · Mary Yuen, ed., Liturgical Inculturation in China and Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Holy Spirit Study Center, 2003). · Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Mariner Books, 2006, first published in 1974). · Roger Lipsey, Angelic Mistakes: The Art of Thomas Merton (Vermont: Echo Point Books and Media, 2018). Our next Book Circle discussion will be on May 11 at the same time (7 am PT / 8 am MT / 9 am CT / 10 am ET / 10 pm China Standard Time). We will be reading Donald P. St. John's article, “Ecological Wisdom in Merton’s Chuang Tzu. ” Dr. St. John's article contains five meditations on the ecological crisis inspired by a reading of Merton’s book, The Way of Chuang Tzu . The themes of these meditations are: The problem of anthropocentrism Seeing the world through the eyes of other creatures The relationship between nature and culture The usefulness of the useless The problem of technology For each of the five meditations, we encourage you to reflect on the following in preparation for the upcoming Book Circle discussion: How does Zhuangzi help you make sense of the nature of the ecological crisis? How might Zhuangzi help us think/live differently to alleviate the ecological crisis? Does Zhuangzi remind you of some aspect of Christian spirituality? You may sign up for updates (including a link to the Zoom session) by filling out our Book Circle interest form .

Dear Friends in Christ, We hope to see you at the 29th International Conference on August 2–4 at DePaul University. The theme of this year's conference is: "Our Hope Is In Christ" A provisional conference program is now available describing some of the panels, speakers, and events that will occur during the Conference. You can view the latest conference program right here on our website . Which events and activities pique your interest? Please note that as a provisional schedule, the conference program is subject to change. Subscribe to our email list for more updates on the 29th International Conference! Registration for the conference will be opening next week.

Dear Friends in Christ, We hope to see you over Zoom at the next USCCA Book Circle. Our next discussion will be held on April 20, 2024 at 7 am PT / 8 am MT / 9 am CT / 10 am ET / 10 pm China Standard Time. This month, we will be reading "Merton's Way of Zhuangzi : A Critique," a chapter by comparative theologian Bede Bidlack in Merton & The Tao: Dialogues With John Wu and the Ancient Sages . We will be discussing the following questions: Bede Bidlack states that postmodern scholarship has abandoned the missionary distinction between Christian miracles/faith and pagan superstition/beliefs (87-88). How significant is this change for the future of the Chinese church? Bidlack mentions Merton’s dissatisfaction with monastic life and Western modernity in the 1950s-1960s. Besides Merton, many others in the West became attracted to Eastern wisdom during this period. Why do you think this was the case? After reading Merton’s translation of the story, "Cook Ding," can you reflect on the relationship between craftsmanship, art, spirituality, and contemplation? Anyone interested in participating in Book Circle discussions can let us know by signing up for Book Circle updates through the Google Form linked here . Please feel free to share that form with anyone you know who might benefit from participation in the Book Circle, such as: Chinese Christians interested in the growth of Chinese churches Emerging scholars interested in the dialogue between Christianity and Chinese culture All those interested in forming a more profound friendship between China and the United States Again, we welcome you to participation in the USCCA Book Circle.

9 March 2024, Summary authored by Kathy Stout ,   Ph.D. in Theology and adjunct professor, The University of Dayton In our second meeting, the Book Circle discussed Fr. Arturo Sosa’s 2019 article, “The Church in China: Notes for ‘Writing the Future.’” Fr. Sosa’s forward-looking vision inspired a wonderful conversation on three topics: the inculturation of the Gospel, the urbanization of the Chinese Catholic church, and the complexity of Sinicizing Christianity. We were fortunate to have a diverse number of participants who brought their unique perspectives to the discussion. We were incredibly grateful to have someone attending from a mainland China location who shared first-hand experience on the growth and vitality of the local churches there and a few professional theologians. All participants appreciated Fr. Sosa’s definition of inculturation as “following the kenotic incarnation of Jesus,” which requires a radical degree of humility from the church. On the complexity of Sinicizing the Gospel, we came to recognize it as a complex, dynamic, and open-ended process evolving on many levels, including philosophical, cultural, and social. On the needs of the Chinese church, one participant reminds us that more than anything, young people today are looking for friendship and solidarity in the community.  Below are a few more highlights of the discussion: The church’s mission is to stand under the cross of Jesus Christ in solidarity with the Chinese. Together, we discover more and move closer to the kingdom of God. How can the church provide a sense of community to the young people in China today?  Again, welcome to the 2024 USCCA Book Circle. Mary Sluka, USCCA Board Member   Fr. Hugh O'Donnell, C.M., USCCA Board Member Kathy Stout ,   Ph.D. in Theology and adjunct professor, The University of Dayton, “The Art of Dialogue and Proclamation: A Case Study with John C. H. Wu (1899-1986)” ------------------ P.S. We recommend Walking with Ignatius by Superior General Fr. Arturo Sosa. ​ Walking with Ignatius introduces the reader to Fr. Arturo Sosa, elected Superior General of the Society of Jesus in 2016. This book opens the "Ignatian Year" and marks the 500th anniversary of the wound that led to the conversion of St. Ignatius Loyola. Along with his observations on the Society of Jesus, the Church, and the world today--while emphasizing the Universal Apostolic Preferences--Fr. Sosa offers suggestions for reflection and prayer alone or in a community. In his words, the reader is invited "to grow, starting in the exact place you find yourself, guided by the Lord, and advancing step-by-step...and [to] become a pilgrim yourself so that you may walk the path of Christian adventure in our changing world. Written in collaboration with the journalist Darío Menor, Walking with Ignatius is based on his weekly interviews with Fr. Sosa over two and a half months. P.P.S. You might also enjoy "The Culture of Encounter: An Imperative for a Divided World," Keynote Address by Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J., an hour-long keynote address that Fr. Sosa delivered at Georgetown University. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- APRIL AND MAY 2024 Book Circles If you know anyone who might be interested in the Book Circle, please direct them to the sign-up form . April 20, 2024 (see below for next month's reading) 10:00 p.m. Chinese time 10:00 a.m. Eastern / 9:00 a.m. Central / 8:00 a.m. Mountain / 7:00 a.m. Pacific. May 11, 2024 10:00 p.m. Chinese time 10:00 a.m. Eastern / 9:00 a.m. Central / 8:00 a.m. Mountain / 7:00 a.m. Pacific. The Book Circles are virtual conversations; an email will be sent to all who RSVP several days in advance of the scheduled event. ---------- NOTE: For April, we will read an essay written by the American comparative theologian Bede Bidlack, "Merton's  Way of Zhuangzi:  A Critique." Merton's book  The Way of Zhuangzi,  published in 1965, is a great introduction to the Chinese philosopher for English-speaking readers. Since we have been thinking about Christianity's dialogue with Chinese culture, Merton's interpretation of Zhuangzi provides a good opportunity to see some dialogue in action. Merton believed that Chinese philosophy could benefit Christians living in the West. Bidlack's article will help us understand why that might be the case. As you read the article, please reflect on the following questions: 1. Bede Bidlack states that postmodern scholarship has abandoned the missionary distinction between Christian miracles/faith and pagan superstition/beliefs (87-88). How significant is this change for the future of the Chinese church? 2. Bidlack mentions Merton’s dissatisfaction with monastic life and Western modernity in the 1950s-1960s. Besides Merton, many others in the West became attracted to Eastern wisdom during this period. Why do you think this was the case? 3. After reading Merton’s translation of the story, Cook Ding, can you reflect on the relationship between craftsmanship, art, spirituality, and contemplation?

Jesus said, “You are my friends.” By Tom McGuire, USCCA Board member From August 2-4, 2024, the USCCA's 29th International Conference will gather people from China, the United States, and other parts of the world to build bridges of friendship and dialogue with each other. This Gospel-inspired mission flows from our intimate friendship with Jesus, who chose us with the words, “You are my friends because I have made known to you everything I have learned from my Father.” Matteo Ricci describes this intimate friendship in human terms when he writes, “Although a friend and I may be of two bodies, within those two bodies, there is but one heart between us.” His description of human friendship opens the way to discovering communion with one another in Jesus Christ, a sharing of “…everything I have learned from my Father.” Shirley Wang, a Chinese international undergraduate student searching for a way to share her newly discovered relationship with Jesus with others, wrote this about friendship with Jesus. "It is so true and so good that our friendship with Jesus makes the foundation of our other friendships. I realized that Jesus can be friends with people through my friendships. It is what I needed to know because it is difficult at times to love my friends, but it is easier and sweeter when I realize my love for my friends is the Lord’s” … I desire to grow in my relationship with Jesus and let Him love other people through me." Jesus’ friends are his disciples, and he has a mission that requires keeping his commandments as he kept the commandments of his Father. A foundational mission command for missionary disciples is “This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.” Friendship with one another in Jesus Christ takes us beyond political ideology and divisions that lead to misunderstandings and aggressive rivalry. Building bridges of friendship and dialogue can break down the security walls of ‘my truth,’ ‘my way,’ and ‘my culture. Unselfish listening to one another is the Way of Jesus, who, although divine, shared in our humanity. He shows us a Way to risk emptying ourselves of our security and entering into another person's experience. Jesus said, “You are my friends.” The 29th International Conference will provide opportunities to tell stories about and experience the command Jesus gives his missionary disciples. “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.” The joyful friendship of Catholics in the United States and China is a witness to the Love of God for all people. Let us pray that Conference 29 will produce the fruit of building bridges of friendship and dialogue in our communities. So people who do not yet know Jesus Christ will say what Tertullian, 192 C.E., reported people saying of the Christian communities, “See how these Christians love each other.” -------------- Related: The Top Ten Reasons to Attend the 29th International Conference Note: Shirley Wang was first introduced to the USCCA through our Book Circle initiative; please read our most recent blog post on this topic: “The Church in China: Notes for ‘Writing the Future.’” All are welcome to join our Book Circles in April and May 2024; see the blog post for more details. Finally, if you have enjoyed visiting the USCCA website and want to learn more about our mission, please get in touch with director@uschinacatholic.org  or consider donating $35 to honor the 35th anniversary  of the USCCA.

Theme: Our Hope is in Christ Why participate in the 29th International Conference? We are very pleased to share that Cardinal Cardinal Blase J. Cupich , Archdiocese of Chicago, will be the presider at the liturgy on Saturday, August 3, 2024, at 5:00 pm at  St. Vincent de Paul Parish - Chicago. Top Ten+ Reasons to attend and participate in the 29th International Conference! 1. Opportunity to dream together in our shared Hope in Christ for a better future in our divided world 2. Opportunity to be enriched by experts in our dialogue and friendship mission 3. Opportunity to pray and praise God with Cardinal Cupich and our brothers and sisters from abroad  4. Opportunity to honor and celebrate an extraordinary individual who has manifested the spirit of Ricci 5. Opportunity to experience radical hospitality from the USCCA family 6. Opportunity to deepen our knowledge and love for the mission of the USCCA 7. Opportunity to discover DePaul University, an authentic Chinese banquet in Chinatown & iconic churches in Chicago 8. Opportunity to toast with friends from near and far who are committed to dialogue and friendship 9. Opportunity for friends/disciples of Jesus from China and the United States (and beyond) to meet and deepen our communion in Christ. 10. Opportunity for dialogue that leads to discovering how friendship is the way to proclaim the Gospel. (and a few more) 11. Opportunity to explore the rich wisdom of Chinese and Western culture that opens hearts to encountering Christ. 12. Opportunity to listen to the voice of experience of those living the Gospel of Jesus Christ in China and the U.S.  13. Opportunity to deepen our mutual commitment to building bridges of friendship and dialogue between the people of China and the U.S.  14. Opportunity to explore new insights into the meaning of the Gospels as understood from different Chinese traditions . 15. Opportunity to explore historical hurt that makes Christ a foreigner in Chinese culture.  16. Opportunity to experience our love for one another as friends in Christ Jesus . 17. Opportunity for people from China and the U.S. to become friends for life. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are a few highlights of the Conference program. Four outstanding keynote speakers and over 30 panel speakers from China, Germany, and USA, and a video message from Cardinal Chow of Hong Kong. Seven panels on Saturday and three panels on Sunday focusing on the themes of theology and faith forming in China, Chinese culture and Catholicism, clergy leadership and church life, and social services by both religious and lay people in urban and rural China. Speakers consist roughly equal number of religious and lay speakers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few notes: These reflections -- i.e. the Top Ten+ -- are drawn from a recent meeting of the Conference Planning Committee. We're all very much looking forward to your participation and attendance. Registration will be available in mid/late April 2024. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- We look forward to learning and praying with you on August 2-4, 2024, at DePaul University. Peace, friendship and Lenten Blessings, The 29th International Conference Committee and All of us at the USCCA

You are invited to join the 2024 USCCA Book Circles, whose aim is to educate friends and affiliates of the USCCA, current and former Board members, colleagues, and others interested in learning more about the Church in China. In keeping with our mission, the Book Circles aim to build bridges of friendship among ourselves and across the Pacific. We use books, articles, videos, films, guest speakers, and respondents to promote stimulating conversations via Zoom. These conversations usually last an hour or so. In the past, we read and discussed John C. H. Wu’s remarkable autobiography, Beyond East and West, initially published by Sheed and Ward in 1951 and recently re-published by Notre Dame Press in 2018. In 1951, it was an instant Catholic best seller, sometimes compared to Thomas Merton’s Seven Storey Mountain and St. Augustine’s Confessions for its moving description of Wu’s conversion in 1937 and his early years as a Catholic. He was deeply schooled in the Chinese classics, which, after his conversion, he said, “…point to universal truths that originate from and are fulfilled in Christ.” The Foreword in the Notre Dame edition was written by his son, John Wu Jr. We trust John and his son will continue to guide us in our journey beyond East and West. We also read Richard (Dick) Madsen’s China’s Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in an Emerging Civil Society (University of California Press, 1998) and benefited a great deal from the participation of Dick in our discussions. The book treats the emergence of the Catholic Church from the isolation and persecution of the Mao era. “All kinds of religious groups … revived and flourished in the post-Mao era,” many on a spiritual quest. “Madsen was interested in determining if such quests would result in constructing a more humane social order in China. Would religion contribute to or impede economic modernization? What role would the church[es] play in the pluralization of society?” From his sociological perspective, Madsen offered the exciting prospect of believers joining fellow citizens on the complex and uncharted journey toward a mature civil society. Someone commented, “This was like the Magi’s star for me – clear direction, long journey!” Then, John Lindblom led us in a discussion of his excellent article, "John C. H. Wu and the Evangelization of China," in Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture 2005 (Vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 130-164). The amazing growth of religion in China since the 1980s and a genuine search for truth, meaning, and purpose in life revealed people's openness to evangelization. This continually calls for cultural and religious dialogue between East and West. John Lindblom believes that John C. H. Wu is an excellent guide for Westerners “…to develop our understanding of the natural wisdom of the East and discover the ‘seeds of the Logos’ fully revealed in Christ.” John’s final pages present Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist texts that connect the East and West. The Book Circles in 2024 Our first Book Circle conversation this year will be on Saturday, February 17 (U.S. time zones: 9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET ). We will discuss the following two articles, which we will make available to the group: The Conclusion (pp. 541-43) of Jean-Pierre Charbonnier, M.E.P., "Christians in China: A.D. 600-2000." (Ignatius Press: San Francisco, 2007). This conclusion offers a brief history to orient the discussion. John Wu, Jr. “God-inebriated: An Introduction to the John C. H. Wu-Thomas Merton Correspondence” in Merton and the Tao: Dialogues with John C. H. Wu and the Ancient Sages (Fons Vitae: Louisville, KY, 2013) pp 127-149. Understanding the Tao requires mystical empathy. Our second Book Circle conversation will be on Saturday, March 9 ((U.S. time zones: 9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET ). We will discuss Arturo Sosa, S.J.’s “The Church in China: Notes for ‘writing the future’” (La Civilta Cattolica (20 August 2019), accessible here . Father Sosa is the former superior general of the Jesuits. He said the Jesuits have sought, are seeking, and will continue to enculturate themselves among the Chinese and there to seek the voice of God among the people. He spells out the Gospel dimensions of such a presence in this article. After these two Book Circle conversations , we will welcome and rely upon recommendations from the members of the Book Circle for upcoming sessions. NOTE: If you are interested in participating in either or both of these Book Circle discussions, let us know by signing up for Book Circle updates through the Google Form linked here . Who Might Benefit from the Book Circles? Chinese Christians interested in the growth of Chinese churches Emerging scholars interested in the dialogue between Christianity and Chinese culture All those interested in forming a more profound friendship between China and the United States Again, welcome to the 2024 USCCA Book Circle. Mary Sluka, USCCA Board Member < marysluka@gmail.com > Fr. Hugh O'Donnell, C.M., USCCA Board Member Kathy Stout , Ph.D. in Theology and adjunct professor, The University of Dayton, “The Art of Dialogue and Proclamation: A Case Study with John C. H. Wu (1899-1986)” ------------------ To receive an invitation to the next Book Circle event, please contact one of the organizers directly, or Gerald P. Doyle, Interim, Chief Administrative Officer at director@uscatholicchina.org . ---------------------------- An Update from the Second Book Circle: 14 March 2023 The Church in China: Notes for Writing the Future

Week One: A Meditation on Friendship and Suffering The US-China Catholic Association (USCCA) invites you to participate in the journey of Lent. All of us are people of friendship. All of us are people of suffering. How easy is it for us to travel the six weeks of Lent and forget that it is the strength of friendship that sometimes actually provides us the willingness to take up and carry the cross for the suffering people around us? Likewise, acknowledgment of friendship and suffering enables us to be humble and open to the generosity of others who see and want to offer us compassion.  Photo credit: Rev Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D.   Worthwhile also for meditation during this first week of Lent is the friendship and sufferings witnessed by the many American Catholic missionaries alongside the peoples of China since the 1920s. The USCCA has valued the wisdom of this historic legacy since its founding 35 years ago.  This first week of Lent is an invitation to remember our personal and public journey of friendship and suffering. In this spirit, let us reflect on the life and memory of Matteo Ricci to inspire, sanctify, and unite us with the Catholic Church in China. We invite you to learn more about the USCCA's mission of friendship with Chinese Catholics, including our Chinese and American Friendship Ministry (CAAFM). Our prayers together and your financial donation  (large or small) assist in our mission of friendship this Lent. Lenten Blessings and Peace, Rev. Rob Carbonneau, CP, PhD, Director Emeritus And All of us at the USCCA ------------------------- Note: This photo above was taken in 2008. It shows the statue of  Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) outside the front gate of South Church, Beijing. An Italian, he first arrived in Macau in 1582. His proficiency in Chinese language and culture increased. Between 1595 and 1601, he wrote the  T reatise on Friendship . His intent was to employ translated phrases, adapted texts, and known sayings of Western saints and people of wisdom, which would be appreciated by Chinese scholars of the day. Upon his death in 1610, the Chinese provided him with an honorific burial site that still can be visited in Bejing today.   ------------------------- Reflections from  Rev. Rob Carbonneau, CP, Ph.D., Director Emeritus The Journey of Lent: Week 2 The Journey of Lent: Week 3 Finally, if you have enjoyed your visit to the USCCA website  and learning about our mission, donate $35 to honor the 35th anniversary  of the USCCA

Week Two: A meditation on Mary, Jesus, and the love of God.    The USCCA invites you to participate in the journey of Lent.  Across cultures, Mary is a source of consolation. As the mother of Jesus, many turn to her with their hopes.  She was present at the marriage feast of Cana (John 2 : 1-12). And many turn to her as she knows of sorrow. She stood at the foot of the Cross as Jesus suffered (John 19: 25).  Lent encourages us to gain stamina and strength through her example.  Photo copyright 2016: the U.S.-China Catholic Association (USCCA)    Generations of Chinese Catholics have prayed to Mary.  During this second week of Lent, you are invited to reflect on how this Chinese image of Mary and Jesus speaks. Through her intercession, let us seek to understand Jesus. Seek to know the love of God. Today, where is your hope? Today, where is your sorrow? These hopes and sorrows represent our lived faith in 2024.  We invite you to learn more about the USCCA's Parish Mission Appeals , which, for the past 35 years, has shared a mutual story of faith, thanks, and understanding between Catholics in China, who have been discovering and living the Good News of Jesus Christ, with Catholics in the United States. Our prayers together and your financial donation  (large or small) assist in our mission of friendship this Lent. Lenten Blessings and Peace, Rev. Rob Carbonneau, CP, Ph.D., Director Emeritus And All of us at the USCCA ------------------------- Note: Monica Liu personally gifted this Marian painting to the USCCA in 2015. Known by her Chinese name, Ho Peh Liu [Liu Hebei:  劉莫尼加(劉河北) ] (1928-2016), she was a world-renown Catholic artist. She was trained at the Art School of Fu Jen Catholic University in Peking, China, by Luke Chen Yuandu [陳緣督] (1902 –1967), who pioneered the Chinese 'inculturation' of Christianity in the arts. Such an approach had the support of  Archbishop Celso Costantini (1876-1958), who was the  Apostolic Delegate to China (1922-1933). By advocating an artistic movement away from the colonial associations and European forms of missionary culture towards the expression of Christian concepts and iconography in an authentically Chinese idiom, Costantini wished to inspire and free the longstanding faith of Chinese peoples for the world. Eventually, Monica Liu converted to Catholicism. In 1956, Costantini invited her to exhibit her Chinese paintings in Rome publicly. During the ensuing years, she split her time between Taiwan and Chicago, Illinois. May the art of Monica Liu inspire us to grow in faith. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Reflections from Rev. Rob Carbonneau, CP, Ph.D., Director Emeritus The Journey of Lent: Week 1 The Journey of Lent: Week 3 Finally, if you have enjoyed your visit to the USCCA website  and learning about our mission, donate $35 to honor the 35th anniversary  of the USCCA

Week Three: A meditation-focused prayer during Lent.  The USCCA invites you to participate in the journey of Lent.  Lent provides us with the opportunity to draw closer to God in prayer. Photo: Rev. Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D. With confidence in God, these forty days enable each of us to deepen our spiritual life. For many, this means making the commitment to attend daily Mass, recite the Rosary, read Scripture or special devotions, light a candle at home, take a solitary walk, or share faith with another person. In all of these respective rituals we also have the chance to include prayerful intentions from our heart. No matter how we pray, Lent is a time to seek a personal relationship with God and social peace with one another.      Reading Scripture in community with friends is a life-giving activity. With the Chinese-English Bible  currently available on our website, you can learn more about the connections between Chinese and English through faithful translations of ancient Greek and Hebrew biblical texts. We encourage you to consider how your prayer and faith community might benefit from the introduction of several bilingual Bibles for group study. This Bible also makes a beautiful gift for anyone seeking to understand how Christ's message speaks across languages and cultures. Click on this link to place your order now . Deepen your understanding of Chinese and English words by studying the divinely inspired Word. Our prayers together and your financial donation  (large or small) assist in our mission of friendship this Lent. Lenten Blessings and Peace, Rev. Rob Carbonneau, CP, Ph.D., Director Emeritus And All of us at the USCCA -------------------------- Note:   Posting this blurred photo of a Chinese woman in prayer is intentional. It represents the quest of all of us to  seek a focused prayer life as part of our Lenten journey. In 2015, I made a visit to South Church in Beijing. As I walked among the pews, I was moved by the peace and presence of this woman praying her Rosary. I snapped her photo. After, I was frustrated that the image was distorted. However, as the years have passed, I have gained greater consolation that this photo represents the intent of so many of us to remain attentive in prayer. During this third week of Lent, let us draw consolation from the dynamic and diverse methods and opportunities available to us to stay focused in prayer even when our faith is chaotic or tested. God always welcomes an open heart during Lent. Photo: Rev. Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D. -------------------------- Reflections from  Rev. Rob Carbonneau, CP, Ph.D., Director Emeritus The Journey of Lent: Week 1 The Journey of Lent: Week 2 Finally, if you have enjoyed your visit to the USCCA website and learning about our mission, donate $35 to honor the 35th anniversary of the USCCA

Week Four: A meditation - fasting and abstinence during Lent.  The USCCA invites you to participate in the journey of Lent.  Diverse religious traditions of world agree that fasting and abstinence can be helpful throughout various times during our spiritual journey. The Gospel of Mathew 4:11 tells us how Jesus "fasted forty days and forty nights and afterwards was hungry." This fourth week of Lent we might consider our relationship with food. While some might equate fasting and abstinence as a kind of "cultural cleansing," such rituals should rather accentuate that we seek a "spiritual cleansing."  In doing so, we are then able to turn our attention to God. In other words, the decision to "give up" some food or drink is in fact an "intentional sacrifice." And when done with purpose and humility it reminds us of our hunger to know God and let God to know us.    This Lent, we also invite to join the 2024 USCCA Book Circles, whose aim is to educate friends and affiliates of the USCCA in learning more about the Church in China.   I n keeping with our mission, the Book Circles aim to build bridges of friendship among ourselves and across the Pacific. The most recent Book Circle  conversation was held on Saturday, March 9 (U.S. time zones: 9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET ). The discussion focused on Arturo Sosa, S.J.’s “The Church in China: Notes for ‘writing the future’” (La Civilta Cattolica (20 August 2019), accessible here . Father Sosa is the superior general of the Jesuits. He said the Jesuits have sought, are seeking, and will continue to enculturate themselves among the Chinese and there to seek the voice of God among the people. He spells out the Gospel dimensions of such a presence in this article. NOTE:  If you are interested in participating in future Book Circle discussions, let us know by signing up for Book Circle updates through the Google Form linked here . We're tentatively planning the next Book Circles for April and May 2024. Our prayers together and your financial donation  (large or small) assist in our mission of friendship this Lent. Lenten Blessings and Peace, Rev. Rob Carbonneau, CP, Ph.D., Director Emeritus And All of us at the USCCA -------------------------- Note. Throughout the twentieth century, at least two generations of American Catholics were often told to eat all the food on their plate. After all, weren't they more fortunate than those without food in China?  Rarely was it acknowledged that the United States and China suffered from food disparity in 1930s. We have come to understand that The Great Depression was actually international in scope. Furthermore, both nations faced economic scarcities and human suffering because of war in the 1940s. It is best to remember both of these examples when looking at this photo.   Let us engage with Chinese man as he enjoys his food in Shanghai during the late 1920s. This Lent 2024, our religious faith might lead some of us to decide practice fasting or abstain from food. Indeed, this is worthwhile. At the same time, another option might be our participating in a credible program that addresses the injustice of ongoing world hunger. Original Photo: Mactavish & Co. Shanghai, circa 1928. Image is now part of the Passionist China Collection. 800.02_025.038. Located at the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History, Boston College.  ---------------------------------- Reflections from Rev. Rob Carbonneau, CP, Ph.D., Director Emeritus The Journey of Lent: Week 1 The Journey of Lent: Week 2 The Journey of Lent: Week 3 Finally, if you have enjoyed your visit to the USCCA website  and learning about our mission, donate $35 to honor the 35th anniversary  of the USCCA