In its last meeting of this semester, the USCCA Book Circle discussed the collected letters of correspondence between John Wu and Thomas Merton, accompanied by an introductory essay by Lucien Miller entitled "The Thomas Merton—John C.H. Wu Letters: The Lord as Postman." These readings were drawn from Merton & the Tao: Dialogues with John Wu and the Ancient Sages , the book which has been the focus of our Book Circle over the course of the semester. A lively discussion ensued

Will you be joining us to celebrate 35 years of the USCCA at the  29th USCCA International Conference ? This week, we would like to introduce you to more of the panelists and session chairs who will be there at DePaul University's Lincoln Park campus on August 2–4, 2024: Dr. Jin Lu  received her PhD in French Literature from Boston College. As a trilingual writer, she has authored a monograph on the concept of philosophe in French Enlightenment, served as an editor, contribut

Introducing Interior Taiji by Simeiqi He, Ph.D Immersed within the ancient tradition of Taiji (Tai Chi) (2), Interior Taiji has been transforming contemporary China's personal and social lives for over a decade. It is a unitive praxis created by the Chinese Catholic Gong Yan with love and life as its central expression. The praxis of Interior Taiji has two faces. It faces the Chinese Catholic Church as “unitive spirituality. It also faces the broader Chinese society as “uniti

As we look forward to celebrating the USCCA's 35th anniversary at the   29th International USCCA Conference , we invite you this week to learn about more of the panelists and session chairs presenting on topics pertaining to theology, history, and the life of the Church in China: Dr. Brent Fulton  is Founder of ChinaSource, which serves as a platform for facilitating informed discussion around critical issues facing China and its church. His publications include China’s Urban

On June 10, 2024, the USCCA was pleased to collaborate with ChinaSource and the China Academic Consortium in hosting the latest Speaker Series, featuring Dr. José Casanova. Dr. Casanova lectured on the topic of "The Three Phases of the Globalization of Catholicism in Asia, with special focus on developments in China." Drawing from his extensive knowledge of the history of Catholic encounters in Asia, Dr. Casanova outlined three phases of globalization, each marked by its own.

In addition to  keynote speakers and honored guests  who have agreed to speak at the  29th International USCCA Conference , panelists from both lay and religious backgrounds have agreed to present on topics pertaining to theology, history, and the life of the Church in China. We invite you to learn more about some of the scholars and practitioners who have agreed to serve as panelists or session chairs at the Conference: Fr. Joseph Jianmin Bai , from Hebei Province, was orda

Alongside keynote speakers and panelists , we are glad to share that the following Catholic Church leaders have agreed to speak as honored guests for the 29th International USCCA Conference . Cardinal Cupich will be presiding over the Conference Mass on Saturday evening August 3, 2024; Cardinal Chow will be communicating with attendees via video message on Sunday morning (August 4). We invite you to learn more about these honored guests: Cardinal Blaise Cupich , Archbisho

Keynote speakers have played an important part in USCCA conferences throughout the years. We are pleased to share a bit about each of the keynote speakers scheduled to present at the 29th International USCCA Conference: Anthony E. Clark  is the Edward B. Lindaman Endowed Chair at Whitworth University, the Distinguished Combe Trust Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, and an elected Fellow of both the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Asiatic Society. The topic of Dr. C

Pope Benedict XVI declared May 24th a Day of Prayer for China.  Let us meditate and reflect on the Prayer Composed by Pope Benedict XVI (2007).  Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title "Help of Christians," the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection. We come before you today to implore your protection. Look upon the People of God and, with a mother’s care, guide them along the paths o

Together we celebrate Our Mother of Sheshan on May 24, 2024. We are invited to unite in prayer with Chinese Catholics this sacred pilgrimage site located a top a mountain side in the Songjiang District, in Western Shanghai. At the 1924 Shanghai Synod of Bishops in China, the image known as "Our Lady of China"; or "Our Lady Queen of China" was chosen. Thus, some historical suggest that that 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of this event which helped to promote annual devotiona

We are glad to announce that José Casanova, a leading scholar in the sociology of religion and Professor Emeritus at Georgetown University, has agreed to present a webinar hosted by the USCCA, ChinaSource, and China Academic Consortium : "The Three Phases of the Globalization of Catholicism in Asia, with special focus on developments in China" José Casanova, Ph.D. June 10, 2024 7:30 p.m. (ET) Online via Zoom José Casanova is a Senior Fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion,

In its May 2024 meeting, the USCCA Book Circle discussed "Ecological Wisdom in Merton's Chuang Tzu, " Donald P. St. John's chapter in Merton & the Tao: Dialogues with John Wu and the Ancient Sages . Thinking through Dr. St. John's five meditations on Merton's reading of Zhuangzi, Book Circle participants considered the implications of Daoist and Catholic thought for a philosophy of ecology: 1. The problem of anthropocentrism: Some participants emphasized the problematic natu

Friends in Christ: In conjunction with the 35th anniversary of the U.S.-China Catholic Association (USCCA), the International Conference will be held August 2-4, 2024 at DePaul University — Lincoln Park Campus, Chicago, Illinois I have compiled the following list of missionaries to China with a United States and Canadian heritage in honor of this event. Also included are several international-based congregations my research shows have a U.S./Canadian legacy. Historians studyi

Friends in Christ: For 35 years, the US-China Catholic Association has organized an inspiring set of conferences that have welcomed the Church in China and the Church in the US to come together in dialogue and to learn and grow in friendship among Catholics from the US and China. We invite you to review the enduring legacy of our conferences across the years. If you have attended one or more of these conferences, we would welcome your reflections to share with those who will

Dear Friends in Christ, We are glad to announce that information about registration and logistics for the 29th USCCA International Conference has been published on our website! Navigate to the Registration and Logistics page  for information on registration, lodging, accessibility, and a Guided Tour that will conclude our time together in Chicago. An "early bird" rate is available through May 31, 2024. On-campus housing and the Guided Tour have limited capacity; we encourage

29th International Conference: A Gift and an Opportunity By Daniel Lang I feel delighted to read that our next USCCA conference is coming. While I'd certainly like to be back there if I could (in the great city of Chicago, too!), I'm hard at work in Asia. Still, that's an exciting example of the friendships made through USCCA and why I encourage you to attend. My attendance at the most recent 2021 USCCA Conference during the waning COVID-19 pandemic years catalyzed an opportu

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 Y

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 pr

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 sched

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 s