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Recently, two events took place in China under the auspices of the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC) and Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) that reflect the policy of harmony and cooperation between the Church and the Party in China known as “Sinicization.” On September 24, Catholics from two churches in Zibo city in Shandong province attended an event called “One Hundred Sermons.” In this event, speakers explained the instructions of President Xi on religious activities, the promotion of Sinicization in the Church, and how to adapt to the socialist society. News of this event was posted on the BCCCC website . According to the official record, Bishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang, vice-chairman of the BCCCC, delivered the opening address, and some 30 clergy and other members of the church attended. Father Wang Yutong, deputy director and secretary-general of the Zibo Catholic Patriotic Association, made a presentation entitled "Personal Experience of the Sinicization of the Church” based on his 30 years of experience in parish management, evangelism and daily activities through the association. The priest concluded his speech by calling for Chinese Catholicism to carry on the legacies of pioneering leaders like Bishop Zong Huaide and follow the principles of “one direction, one road, one flag” — to adhere to the Sinicization of religion, the path of independence and a self-run church, and the flag of patriotism and love for religion. (There were, in fact, two Chinese bishops named Zong Huaide. It is unclear from the current report which Bishop Zong was being cited.) Later in the month, from September 27 to 29, 18 prominent representatives of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, visited Xibaipo village, a prominent communist revolutionary site in Shijiazhuang (Hebei province). Broadly speaking, “Sinicization” can refer to the adaptation of Catholic practice to Chinese culture. However, under the current regime in China, it refers to a specific policy carried out under the direction of the United Front, a branch of the Chinese Communist Party. During the recent conference of the USCCA this past August, a panel explored the dimensions of this policy and its implications for Christians living in China. View the conference panels here >

This book is the first scholarly study of the Four Character Classic , a children’s primer written by Giulio Aleni, SJ (1582–1649) when the famous Jesuit missionary was living in Fujian, China. Clark underscores how Aleni’s published work made creative use of existing pedagogical styles in Chinese culture to serve the catechetical exigencies of the Catholic mission in East Asia. He meticulously followed the expositional style of Confucian children’s primers, wedding them with Christian content and vision. This book also includes masterful translations of Wang Yinglin’s (1551–1602) hallowed Confucian Three Character Classic and of Aleni’s Chinese catechism, which was published during the Qing Dynasty. Clark’s careful reading of the Four Character Classic provides new insights into an area of the Jesuit mission in early modern China that has so far been given little attention, the education of children. Anthony E. Clark is Professor of Chinese History and Edward B. Lindaman Endowed Chair at Whitworth University. He is the author of several books, including China’s Catholics in an Era of Transformation (2020), China Gothic: The Bishop of Beijing and His Cathedral (2019), and Heaven in Conflict: Franciscans and the Boxer Uprising in Shanxi (2015). Dr. Clark is an Emeritus Director on the Board of the USCCA.

Hosted by the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore, the Initiative for the Study of Asian Catholics (ISAC) seeks to foster and better propagate social scientific research on Catholics in contemporary Asia. The official launch of the program was announced October 1, 2021. ISAC already has a few collaborators working on mainland China cases. Their upcoming conference “ Catholicism, Family and Asian Societies ” will have three presenters (out of 18) speaking on cases from Shanghai, Yunnan, and Hunan. ISAC is also launching the “ Global Chinese Catholicism Project ” in partnership with scholars based at Hong Kong University. Additionally, one historian teaching in Hong Kong is taking a leading role in their project on " Asian Marianism ". Ultimately, ISAC intends to become a platform where researchers can exchange ideas, seek collaborations, and offer advice with the objective of enhancing the collective understanding of Asian Catholics and global Catholicism. Thus, ISAC seeks to be a resource for researchers, students, journalists, and the general public, offering up-to-date information on scholarly activities and publications relating to Asian Catholics. One of the coordinators of ISAC is Michel Chambon, Ph.D., Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore. Dr. Chambon spoke during a panel entitled, “Building Bridges Between China and The West: Three Case Studies” at the USCCA’s latest conference, " China, Christianity, and the Dialogue of Civilizations ." He is a frequent contributor to Catholic periodicals dealing with the life of the Church in East Asia. Learn more about ISAC >

Special thanks to Daniel Lindbergh Lang for providing this reflection on his experience at the USCCA's 28th International Conference, "China, Christianity, and the Dialogue of Civilizations." Attending the 2021 U.S.-China Catholic Association conference has been for me, one grace after another in a hopeful start to engage further with the Church in China. I’m Catholic, through generations of my dad’s family, Austrian-Americans. I’m Chinese, through my late mother, who immigrated to America in the early ‘90s. Since embracing my faith and learning Chinese as an undergrad, I’ve grown increasingly interested in China’s Church. My interest grew so much that as a college senior, I conducted fieldwork in Taiwan, meeting young parishioners there and embarking right after on the 2019 World Youth Day pilgrimage. I learned about the USCCA last fall while Googling scholars involved in China’s Church. I asked them how they’d recommend I learn more, and John Lindblom recommended the USCCA. I began attending webinars, starting with Dr. Diane Obenchain’s. Meanwhile, I hoped to return soon overseas for the U.S. Peace Corps Mongolia. When I heard about the USCCA’s conference, I felt interested but uncertain whether to attend in person. I no longer was affiliated with a school, would be going alone and wouldn’t be presenting. I took a leap of faith. I registered. Then my parish priest Fr. Nathan Mamo called, offered to sponsor me in full and insisted that I participate in everything I could. I gratefully accepted. God set my stage. I arrived Wednesday evening, settled into the residence hall and wandered Santa Clara University to the Mission Church. I asked Fr. Michael, the executive director, if anyone had dinner plans, since I knew no one. He connected me with Rosie Bai, the board secretary. We got dinner. I felt delighted to learn she was a Catholic from Xi’an, since I’d studied there. After dinner, I received a text from Tom McGuire, the board chair. He invited me to get breakfast with him, where I also met his wife Florence and Frs. Francis Li and John Chen. Soon, I would know many people. From Mass that Friday evening into the opening keynote, I met people familiar with both the places I'd been, such as Dr. Chiaretto Yan with Shanghai, and the places I hoped to go, such as Kathleen O'Brien with Jilin. That felt wonderful. Throughout the weekend, I enjoyed serendipitous encounters with extraordinary folks, such as with fellow Sir Knight Peter Tan, who was a Master of the Fourth Degree. I felt awed by the approachability of guests and by their candor. Every break we had felt fast, for every person I met shared such unique stories and advice. I could write thousands more words about these moments. Perhaps my most personally memorable moment occurred during the question-and-answer period of my final session. A virtual participant, Joseph Zhao Yu, mentioned while asking a question that he was in Reno, Nevada—where my parish was. I too was planning to ask a question in that session. So, while asking my question, I introduced myself as also from Reno. Afterward, the panelist Kathy Stout approached me, requesting my WeChat for her friend, who saw us online. Her friend became my friend, and we texted, coordinating to meet. That Thursday, when I returned to my parish to tell my priest about the weekend, I also introduced our parish to my new friend, Joseph. Now we sing tenor together in our music ministry. We hope this fall to help with the USCCA’s Mission Appeal program. The Holy Spirit really brought us together. In my weeks since the USCCA conference, I have spoken about it with most anyone interested. The conference widened my perspective on hope, despite challenges among believers in China. From sessions and keynotes that weekend, I penned three dozen pages of notes, exchanged contact information with so many people and took plenty more photos. In my research, as I read pieces about China’s Church, I often smile when I realize I’ve met their authors like Ian Johnson and Drs. Richard Madsen and Michel Chambon. Whatever the Lord has in store for me, His plans are great. I’m glad to grow.

A young Chinese priest in China is studying English and preparing for the TOFEL exam. His hope is to come to the US or the Philippines to pursue a master’s degree so that he can better serve in his diocese. This priest belongs to the Wenzhou Diocese (温州教区), where he has taught math at a junior seminary school in China for the past 6 years. Currently, he has been given leave to focus on studying English so that he can continue his education abroad. He would like a native English speaker as a conversation partner to assist him as he prepares. Someone familiar with using WeChat online would be ideal. If anyone is interested, please contact Fr. Michael at Director@USCatholicChina.org .

The Catholic Church in China, with its long and storied history, has entered a new era. With the signing of an historic agreement between the Vatican and the Chinese government, an impasse of over 50 years was broken. Since then, reports of government persecution of religion in China have continued to break, but signs of hope have also emerged. What does the road ahead look like? ​ On September 17, 2019, Fr. Michael Agliardo, SJ, executive director of the US-China Catholic Association, and an authority on the Church in China, upon his return from consultations in Europe concerning the circumstances of the Church in China spoke on these issues. Included were ways for us to get involved and connected. In addition, the event shared the America Media short “The Catholic Church in China” – awarded a first-place prize in 2018 by the Catholic Press Association. Co-producer Zac Davis was on hand to join the conversation. ​ The evening ended with an opportunity to raise questions and share views with others gathered.

On November 30, 2020, Prof. Diane Obenchain shared her reflections on Confucian and Christian Dialogue. ​ Family is at the core of all spheres of Chinese civilization: government, economic organization, worship of every kind, morality and philosophical/scientific exploration and pragmatic implementation of the physical world. What has been called “Confucianism” in the West builds upon family relations, but also goes beyond the family to provide rectification/correction of certain tendencies in family relations. Family is also at the core of Western civilizations as well: Greek, Roman, Celtic, Germanic, and more. Christian faith builds upon family relations, but also goes beyond the family to provide rectification/correction of certain family tendencies. During our time together, we will examine Chinese family relations, Confucian moral transformation of family relations, and Christian moral transformation of family relations. We will seek to discover what is shared in common and what is different in Confucian and Christian moral transformation of the family. We will close with a discussion of how we can work together in areas of shared common interest. About Dr. DIANE OBENCHAIN Dr. Obenchain was one of the first Western professors to teach at Peking University, beginning in 1988, at the time when China was reopening to the West. Now she spearheads Fuller Seminary’s engagement with Nanjing Seminary, China’s one national Protestant seminary. For more information on Dr. Obenchain click here. additional resources Christ and the Dominions of Civilization by Max L. Stackhouse (Author, Editor), Diane B. Obenchain (Editor) Despite the predicted secularization of the world, religion continues to grow as a global influence, one that has the power to unify or to divide. Yet contemporary discussions of globalization rarely take religion into account. The contributors to this third volume in the "God and Globalization" series investigate what happens when we account for religion as a force that shapes our increasingly common life on earth. They look at the effect of religion within and across national borders and cultures: how the world is brought together by common ethical perspectives, and pushed apart by the different ultimate concerns of each religion. "God and Globalization: Christ and the Dominions of Civilization" offers fresh perspectives and interpretations on religion and the politics, economics, and culture of globalization. Ways of Confucius and of Christ by Lou Tseng-Tsiang (Dom Pierre-Celestin) 2014 [1948; 1946] When a Chinese diplomat abandons his career to enter a religious community it is commonly felt that he has made a break with his past. When the diplomat is a Chinese Foreign Minister and the community a Benedictine abbey in Belgium, the contrast is all the more startling. In this meeting of East and West, Dom Lou shows us with extraordinary insight that his life preserves an essential unity. Just as the natural order precedes and leads up to the supernatural, so he has been led from the ways of Confucius to those of Christianity and finally to the Catholic Church and monastic life. This event was part of a collaborative public lecture series, “Exploring Christianity and Culture in China: Today and Yesterday,” cohosted by ChinaSource, the US-China Catholic Association, and the China Academic Consortium.

On April 30, 2020, Prof. Andrew Kaiser shared his reflections on the life of Timothy Richard. Richard was a unique and inspired Baptist missionary who went to China from Wales in the late nineteenth century. Sometimes hailed as the Protestant Matteo Ricci, he came to China as a young man and immersed himself in its social life, its hopes and its struggles. ​ A video of Professor Kaiser's lecture and additional resources on the life of Timothy Richard are provided below. About Timothy Richard As a young man, Timothy Richard set out from his native rural Wales to bring the Gospel to a distant land. He joined the English Baptist Missionary Society and arrived in China in 1870. Over the next 45 years, Richards fell in love with his new land and new people. While shared the Gospel that had changed his own life, he touched and inspired many others. One of his early responsibilities was to organize relief during the devastating North China Famine (1876–1878). He later directed the Christian Literature Society for China, which introduced some of China’s best and brightest scholars to perspectives that aided China’s development as it engaged with modernity. During the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion, Richards got local missionary societies to agree to set aside exorbitant compensation claims and instead accept funding from local governments to establish the Imperial University of Shanxi, one of the first modern universities in China. A young idealist who persevered into old age, Richard changed others and was changed in turn. Yet the core commitment of his life never wavered: The Gospel of Jesus Christ. What can we learn today from this missionary and friend of China - “one of the greatest missionaries whom any branch of the Church, whether Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, or Protestant, has sent to China” (Kenneth Scott Latourette, noted scholar of Christianity in China at Yale University). About Andrew Kaiser Our speaker, Andrew Kaiser, is author of Encountering China: The Evolution of Timothy Richard's Missionary Thought (1870 – 1891) (Pickwick Publications, 2019). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh. his recent publications also include The Rushing on of the Purposes of God: Christian Missionaries in Shanxi since 1876 (Pickwick Publications, 2016). Kaiser is a frequently requested international public speaker. He and his family have been living in Shanxi province since 1997, serving the community through professional work and public benefits. the presentation additional resources: Books on Timothy Richard Encountering China: The Evolution of Timothy Richard’s Missionary Thought (1870–1891) (Pickwick Publications 2019) by Andrew T. Kaiser The great historian of Christian missions, Kenneth Scott Latourette, writes that Timothy Richard (1845-1919) was widely regarded as "one of the greatest missionaries whom any branch of the Church, whether Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, or Protestant, has sent to China." In this volume, Andrew Kaiser provides a welcome exploration of the life and ministry of this remarkable Welsh Baptist missionary to China As the first critical examination of Richard's missionary identity, this groundbreaking historical study traces the narrative of Richard's early life in Wales and his formative first two decades of service in China. Richard's adaptations to the common evangelistic techniques of his day, his interest in learning from grassroots Chinese sectarian religions, his integration of evangelism and famine relief during the North China Famine (1876-79), his strategic decision to evangelize Chinese elites, and his complicated relationships with Hudson Taylor and other China missionaries are all explored through the writings and personal letters of Richard and his contemporaries. The resulting portrait represents a significant revision to existing interpretations of this influential China missionary, emphasizing his deep empathy for the people of China and his abiding evangelical identity. Readable and relevant, Encountering China provides a new generation with an introduction to this lost legend of China mission. Timothy Richard’s Vision: Education and Reform in China, 1880–1910 (Pickwick Publications 2014) by Eunice Johnson Pioneer missionary Timothy Richard served forty-five years in China, where he became a household name among educated Chinese. In 1880, he first articulated a vision for the modern Chinese university as the basis for overall progress in China. By the mid-1890s, many Chinese scholars and officials began to embrace his expanding vision and approach to reform. In the devastating aftermath of the 1900 Boxer Uprising, he worked with Protestant missionaries and Chinese authorities to have reparations dedicated to the founding of the Imperial University of Shansi (now Shanxi University). Overseen by Richard and the provincial governor as joint chancellors, it included both Chinese and Western Learning Departments. Eunice Johnson’s touching account reveals the fervor of Richard’s dedication to China and the Gospel, and it helps lay bare the contribution he made to many aspects of China’s modernization. additional resources: Books by Timothy Richard The New Testament of Higher Buddhism (T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh 1910) Timothy Richard was an ambassador between cultures. Not only did he bring his own Christian faith to China. He also helped make the links between Christian and Chinese wisdom available to people in the West. In this volume, Richard argues, in a sense, that the current encounter between Christianity and the East is not the first, but that in the century after Christ, the encounter between Christians and Buddhists had already taken place in Central Asia. The dialogue had begun long before Europeans showed up on the shores of China. ​ You can access this book of Richard’s reflections in PDF form here . This event was part of a collaborative public lecture series, “Exploring Christianity and Culture in China: Today and Yesterday,” cohosted by ChinaSource, the US-China Catholic Association, and the China Academic Consortium.

About the Event: In Hong Kong beginning in March 2019, yet another movement gained momentum, this time to protest a bill that would allow extradition of suspects to jurisdictions with which Hong Kong did not have an extradition agreement, including Mainland China. The U.S. media portrayed this unrest from an angle that lionized young people on a tiny island enclave struggling against an overbearing Goliath. However, on the ground, the perspectives were more nuanced. Within the Christian community, opinions varied regarding how far to take the protests, and how much support churches should lend. The divisions left a lasting mark. Sociologist Lida Nedilsky, who has followed the involvement of Catholics and Protestants in Hong Kong’s civic life of throughout her career, lends insightful perspective regarding the contributions of Hong Kong Christians to the territory’s civic culture, the impact this involvement has had on the churches, and the unfolding implications of the current crackdown pursued by Beijing. About Lida Nedilsky: Lida V. Nedilsky is a Professor of Sociology at North Park University. Her research interests focus on China, particularly how religious people in Hong Kong get engaged in political issues. Dr. Nedilsky is the author of Converts to Civil Society: Christianity and Political Culture in Contemporary Hong Kong (Baylor 2014) and contributor to Shun-hing Chan and Jonathan W. Johnson's Citizens of Two Kingdoms: Civil Society and Christian Religion in Greater China (Brill 2021). She also serves on the Academic Advisory Board of Tripod, a publication of the Holy Spirit Study Centre of the Diocese of Hong Kong. The Presentation: Further Resources: Converts to Civil Society: Christianity and Political Culture in Contemporary Hong Kong by Lida V. Nedilsky, Ph.D. Lida V. Nedilsky captures the public ramifications of a personal, Christian faith at the time of Hong Kong’s pivotal political turmoil. From 1997 to 2008, in the much-anticipated reintegration of Hong Kong into Chinese sovereignty, she conducted detailed interviews of more than fifty Hong Kong people and then followed their daily lives, documenting their involvement at the intersection of church and state.

The Christian theological conversation spans two millennia. Recently, however, more scholars have begun to recognize that, in the words of Andrew Walls, “the theological agenda is culturally induced; and the cross-cultural diffusion of Christian faith invariably makes creative theological activity a necessity.” What does that look like in practice? Doesn’t that lead to syncretism? Can’t we just teach a pure gospel? On June 10, 2021, Dr. Jesse Ciccotti spoke on theologizing in Chinese contexts by first discussing theology as an “idiomatic activity,” that is, an activity by which Christian thought is expressed in ways that are natural to a cultural native. He then highlighted key Chinese cultural material in Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism and illustrated these with examples. He closed with a discussion of the relevance of cross-cultural theological creativity, as well as its risks. About Dr. Jesse Ciccotti Jesse Ciccotti holds a PhD in Comparative Philosophy from Hong Kong Baptist University and an MA in Chinese Philosophy from Wuhan University. He and his family lived in China for 12 years. Dr. Ciccotti’s primary research area in philosophy has led him down several interdisciplinary paths, one of which is historical studies of Christianity in China, regarding the transmission of the Christian message across cultural boundaries, examining the lives and works of Chinese Christians and foreign missionaries to China. His work for the Center for Global Christianity and Mission focuses on the recently opened online archive of Chinese Christian posters. the presentation additional resources Dr. Ciccotti has also provided the content of his lecture for download and a reading list for those who want to learn more. Christian Theology in a Chinese Idiom Lecture Christian Theology in a Chinese Idiom Reading List This event was part of a collaborative public lecture series, “Exploring Christianity and Culture in China: Today and Yesterday,” cohosted by ChinaSource, the US-China Catholic Association, and the China Academic Consortium.

A special feature has been added to the upcoming 28th International Conference of the US-China Catholic Association, which will be held August 6-8, 2021, at Santa Clara University. The USCCA has planned for two day-trips after the conference ends for participants to further enjoy their time in California. The two options are "A Day in San Francisco" and/or "A Day in Monterey and Carmel-by-the -Sea." To learn more about these day trips, or to learn about ways you can extend and enjoy your time in the Golden State after the conference, please click here .

USCCA is proud to announce the addition of Myron Youngman, Founder and Director of the Kaifa Group, as a keynote speaker for the upcoming 28th International Conference of the US-China Catholic Association, themed "China, Christianity, and the Dialogue of Civilizations." He will speak about the circumstances of the Protestant churches in China and the challenges they face today. General conference information > All keynote speakers >