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in person: Beulah Chapel at Home of Peace 4700 Daisy St. Oakland, California 94619 online: Sun, Nov 14 / 4pm-6pm (PST) Sun, Nov 14 / 7pm-9pm (EST) Mon, Nov 15 / 8am-10am (China) John Barwick, a lecturer in the Department of History at Cornell University, has a Ph.D. in modern Chinese history and has done work on the role of Protestant elites in China’s modernization during the first part of the 20th century. His research centers on the fascinating enigma that is modern China. He is drawn especially to the question of Chinese engagement with the modern world during the 19th and 20th centuries and the construction of Chinese modernity that emerged from it. A sub-theme of his work considers the role of religion in modern societies, and in particular the role of Christianity in mediating notions of modernity around the world over the past two centuries. His presentation will help us more fully understand Christianity's contribution to China’s development during the 1930's. After the lecture program on the stage ends, explore ideas and meet new people in any of the small groups throughout the evening. Explore ideas, meet new people, build community. Stay as long as you’d like at any of the three virtual tables. This event is being hosted by China Academic Consortium (ERRChina) and co-hosted by USCCA and ChinaSource. Learn more about the speaker here > The above link will take you to China Academic Consortium's website to register.

On November 10, 2021, Father Michael Agliardo, Executive Director of the USCCA, will participate in a speaker series hosted by the University of Notre Dame, entitled "The Global Church." The specific talk he will be participating in is "The Church in Asia.” “The Church in Asia” introduces Christianity in China from its entry in the 7th century to the present. From the very beginning, Christian evangelization has been a process of inculturation and of negotiation with other religious traditions, especially Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism. The on-going interweaving of Christian theology and Chinese cultural elements offers a special example of the diversity of the Church today. In this series we will explore the history of Christianity in China and introduce Chinese religions, especially Buddhism, in an open and accessible manner. The first episode of "The Church in Asia" occurred on October 27, 2021, and featured Xueying Wang, Ph.D. Dr. Wang presented during a panel entitled, "Chinese International Students in American Universities I" at our latest conference . On November 3, 2021, the second episode will occur and will feature Dr. Robert Gimello, who gave the lecture, " The Logos and the Dao: John C. H. Wu’s Catholic Witness to China's Spiritual Traditions " in 2019 at Santa Clara University, which was sponsored by the USCCA. The program is free and open to the public. Register here >

Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan was ordained a bishop in Hong Kong’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Saturday, December 4, 2021. Cardinal John Tong Hon, the apostolic administrator of Hong Kong, presided over the Mass. Cardinal Joseph Zen and auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha co-presided. Reflecting on his duties, Bishop Chow said, “As a successor to the Apostles by the grace of Almighty God, I request your constant prayers that I may always be loyal to God’s will as a shepherd to the People of God in Hong Kong, and faithfully carry out my duties.” Bishop Chow is the first Jesuit bishop of Hong Kong. Prior to the role of bishop, he served as the provincial superior of the Chinese Province of the Society of Jesus. We offer our congratulations to Bishop Chow and appreciate that while he has challenges ahead of him in a tense situation, we trust that he will guide the church with wisdom and integrity. In a brief speech at the end of the Mass, Bishop Chow said that he wanted to help “foster healing and connections” in the Catholic community in his "beloved hometown." “As the bishop, it is my desire to be a bridge between the government and the church in Hong Kong and between the Catholic Church, fellow Christian denominations, and other religions,” he said. Born in Hong Kong in 1959, Chow went on to study in the United States, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota. He entered the Society of Jesus in Dublin, Ireland at the age of 25. He continued his studies at Loyola University in Chicago, where he earned a master’s degree in organizational development in 1995. Bishop Chow also attended Harvard University from 2000 to 2006, where he studied developmental psychology and earned a Doctorate in Education.

A new book entitled, The Catholic Church, The Bible, and Evangelization in China , which was edited by Cindy Yik-yi Chu, was recently released and contains writings from authors in Italy, the United States, mainland China and Hong Kong. It provides various perspectives covering the Chinese Church in the contemporary period and considers the Church on the different levels -the diplomatic, the governmental, the communal, and the individual. From the publisher’s website, “This edited volume starts from the perspectives of Beijing in how it sees that religion should serve the interests of the state. From China’s viewpoint, religion should act as a stabilizing force of society, or else the Christian Churches will lose their reason for existence. This might be incomprehensible to Western Christians, who believe in the freedom of religion and their right to embrace their faith. This collection of articles represents the concerted efforts of Chinese, Italians, and an American—who live in China, Europe, and the United States and belong to different disciplines, such as History, Religious Studies, and Language Studies—to promote a better understanding of the Catholic Church in the world and in China.” Cindy Yik-yi Chu is a Professor of History at Hong Kong Baptist University and Editor of the Christianity in Modern China Series of Palgrave Macmillan. She writes on the Catholic Church and the Catholic sisters in China and Hong Kong. Her recent work is edited with Paul P. Mariani, People, Communities, and the Catholic Church in China (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020).

The Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History, a highly regarded research center for the study of Chinese-Western cultural exchange, has moved to Boston College from the University of San Francisco (where it has been since its founding in 1984). The anticipated inauguration is February 2022. The Ricci Institute is recognized as an international leader in the study of missionary history. Its early focus was the Jesuit missions from the 16th to the early 20th century and the history of Christianity in China. Under the leadership of the current director, the Rev. M. Antoni Ucerler, SJ, Ph.D., it has expanded its focus to include other societies in East Asia. The Ricci Institute will be co-led at Boston College by Dr. Xiaoxin Wu, director of research. The Ricci Institute supports research in a wide range of interests, including Chinese and East Asian history, relations between east Asia and Europe, the mutual influence of China and Europe on each other, religion and cultural philosophies of the East and the West, and the impact of cultural exchange on the development of natural science, technology, astronomy, cartography, and medicine. Fr. Ucerler notes that by moving to Boston College, the Ricci Institute will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to work closely with scholars at a major research university, as well as expanding ongoing connections with the Harvard Asia Center and the Yenching Institute, and Boston University’s Center for Global Christianity and Mission. Together, these institutions will house the world’s largest collection of research materials for scholars of Chinese-Western culture. Read more from Boston College >

On November 10, 2021, Fr. Michael Agliardo, Executive Director of the USCCA, spoke on “The Church in China Today” as part of a three-part series on the Church in Asia. This series of three talks was sponsored by the University of Notre Dame as part of its Global Church program. The discussion, led by Professors Gabriel Said Reynolds and Xueying Wang, ranged across a wide variety of topics. How can one get a handle on the Church in China, which has over 400 years of history and is spread across a vast land with 1.4 billion people? How do ordinary Chinese people view the Catholic Church in China? Is the Christian message something that resonates with young people in China today? Has the Catholic Church in China been able to build relationships with other religious groups in China? What about other Christian groups? Fr. Michael, who is a visiting professor of sociology at Santa Clara University, also reflected on how people make meaningful sense of life – no challenge in the contemporary era, when everything seems up for grabs. You can view more information on the series here . Share your own reflections and reactions with Fr. Michael here . the presentation

It is with great gratitude that we announce that our 2021 Annual Appeal received $61,577, surpassing our goal of $60,000. We add a special note of thanks to Father Ron Chochol (pictured left) who, through his “Chochol Challenge,” matched donations up to $5,000 and pushed us over the finish line. And we acknowledge with gratitude the alumni of the Maryknoll Sisters School who supported our appeal. Our Board of Directors also made all the difference as the campaign moved forward. They already contribute their energy and commitment in so many ways. Hats off to them for all they do. We also take our hats off to Bernard Ciernick (pictured below), a member of our staff. Not only did he personally support the effort. He rallied others to the cause. Thank you, Bern! We are very grateful to all of our donors. Thanks to your generosity, we have the funds we will need to continue operating into the upcoming year.

We are very excited to announce that last week, Kathleen O’Brien, who has joined the USCCA’s Campus Engagement Initiative (CEI) effort part-time, came out to the Bay Area to meet with local partners. She is preparing for spring 2022, when she will come out to work on this effort full-time. “We met with high school representatives, a local Chinese Catholic young adult group, university campus ministers, Protestant partners of the USCCA, and other potential colleagues,” Kathleen shared. “Through our conversations with Catholic Chinese priests, the Chinese Catholic Young Adult group, and campus ministers, we have been able to outline the first stages of our strategic plan. This includes creating four pilot programs by May 2022 so that they can be launched in the fall 2022.” Looking to the future of the CEI, Kathleen said, “Today in our world, division often dominates our discourse. The CEI is dedicated to the vision that engagement and friendship based on mutual respect are not only possible, but that they are the way forward. I also hope that through the work of the CEI, we can witness to the relevance of Catholic faith in people’s lives.” Kathleen is currently finishing her master’s degree in Theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Illinois. For three years she served as a Maryknoll lay missionary in China. There she taught English both at a university in Jilin and at the local Catholic seminary. “I was teaching English. But more importantly, I was able to accompany my students during their formative years. Teaching English at Jilin seminary gave me access to how Chinese Catholics understand God and grapple with their faith in Chinese society.” Kathleen brings this experience to share with others who work with Chinese international students. The USCCA’s Campus Engagement Initiative is dedicated to the proposition that the American and Christian values of generosity and friendship reflect the best of who we are. In addition, a goal of the CEI is to welcome Chinese international students and take time to share with one another what makes us most human - it is truly a work of faith. We thank Kathleen for taking the time to visit and look forward to her joining the USCCA team full time in 2022!

In our day, Chinese priests, sisters, and lay people are actively reflecting on their faith and how to meet the challenges of our times. In addition, they enrich our own Christian theology by drawing on their heritage and experience as members of Chinese society. Sr. Lina Rong, who recently published “Exploring a Theology of Relationships from a Biblical Perspective in the Context of China,” is no stranger to this effort. She is a Missionary Sister of Holy Hope (圣望会) and a professor at Hebei Catholic Major Seminary in Shijiazhuang (石家庄河北省神哲学院). After studying at Shaanxi Major Seminary and the Loyola School of Theology of the Ateneo de Manila, she earned a doctorate in Scripture at the Catholic University of America. Sr. Lina’s article was included in Yearbook of Chinese Theology 2021 , just published by Brill. It is a thoughtful reflection on the importance of relationship in Scripture and in Chinese culture. In drawing on this important theme and its place in both faith and culture, Sr. Lina points an important way forward for Christians in China. To read the full essay, please click here > Rong, Lina. “Exploring a Theology of Relationships from a Biblical Perspective in the Context of China.” In Brill Yearbook of Chinese Theology (2021) Vol. 7, edited by Paulos Z. Huang & Bin You, 69-84. Leiden: Brill, 2022.

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 >