Book available from Angelico Press On May 24, the USCCA Book Circle discussed pages 77–90 of John C. H. Wu's book, Chinese Humanism and Christian Spirituality . This was the latter part of Wu's chapter entitled "The Wisdom of Chuang Tzu: A New Appraisal." Wu's philosophical exploration of Chuang Tzu (also translated as Zhuangzi or Zhuang Zhou ), the sage of ancient Taoism, challenged Book Circle participants to consider the limits of technology, language, and even ethical pr

In May 2007, Pope Benedict XVI (1927-2022) released a Letter to Chinese Catholics, in which he asked that May 24 each year be celebrated as a World Day of Prayer for the Church in China. He chose May 24 because it is the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, who is venerated at the Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai. Image from the Passionist China Collection. Digitized at the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College. Image copyright © Passionist Chin

On May 18, 2025, the USCCA joined Catholics around the world in celebrating the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican. As Vatican News reports , "The Pope upheld the missionary spirit" in his homily: This is the missionary spirit that must animate us; not closing ourselves off in our small groups, nor feeling superior to the world. We are called to offer God’s love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity which does not cancel out differences but values the personal

by Tom McGuire, M.Div., M.R.E., USCCA Director Emeritus We celebrate the election of Pope Leo XIV, who greeted the world with these words that carry the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in his first message to the world: “God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward. We are disciples of Christ, Christ goes before us, and the world needs His light. Humanity

First-hand testimony by Chiaretto Yan As soon as I arrived in Rome on May 6, I went immediately to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray in front of the tomb of Pope Francis: “Holy Father, you once wrote me in a letter, ‘I encourage you to promote dialogue on the paths of reconciliation and peace. I bless you and all your loved ones from my heart.’ Your words are a guiding light for my path forward. You inspired me to complete my book, My Chinese Dream: Dialogues and Encount

Statue of Our Lady of Sheshan On May 7, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI wrote a " letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China ." Since then, Catholics around the wold have celebrated May 24th not only as the Feast of Mary, Help of Christians, but also as a World Day of Prayer for the Church in China. We invite you to join us in requesting that you share an Intercession Prayer with your parish's interces

In the USCCA's Book Circle discussions, attendees from around the world come to discuss history, Chinese culture, theology, philosophy, and the life of the Church in China. Since January, the Book Circle has been reading John C. H. Wu's Chinese Humanism and Christian Spirituality , available from Angelico Press  for 15% off with the discount code wu15 . Image from Angelico Press On May 24, the Book Circle will discuss pages 77–90 of Wu's work; these pages cover the latter por

On this day (May 11) in the year 1610, Venerable Matteo Ricci died in Beijing at the age of 57. Today, his legacy lives on in a multitude of initiatives fostering friendship and dialogue among Catholics in the U.S. and in China. We invite you to read more about this remarkable Jesuit missionary to China at the following links: Catholic Encyclopedia: Matteo Ricci The 2024 Venerable Matteo Ricci Award From Matteo Ricci to Pope Francis: Jesuits and Christian Dialogue in China Th

Did you know that the Holy See designated May 1–4 of this year as a Jubilee of Workers? This coincides with China's celebration of Labor Day, which extends from May 1–5. We invite you to read more about the Jubilee of Workers in the informational resources available from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops . Photo of St. Joseph the Worker Church in Macau, China. (Credit: Whhalbert, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons) In the image above, a beautifully crafted fountain we

On April 26, the USCCA Book Circle discussed pages 59-76 of John C. H. Wu's book, Christian Spirituality and Chinese Humanism . This was the first part of Wu's chapter entitled "The Wisdom of Chuang Tzu: A New Appraisal." Discussion participants wrestled with the often lighthearted and paradoxical insights of the ancient sage of Daoism, Chuang Tzu. Image from Angelico Press Particularly thought-provoking was the idea of the Dao as beyond the limits of verbal expression and du

Did you know that in 2021, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published a book about Catholics and Catholicism in China and the U.S.? If you are interested in learning more about how Catholics in the U.S. and in China can work together in friendship and dialogue, we invite you to read Partners in Evangelization: Chinese American Catholics , pictured below. This book is currently available from Ascension Press . This Pentecost season, may we remember that together

Text from Beijing Catholic Church translated by Gaby, with introductory comments by Tom McGuire Pope Francis called all Catholics to celebrate a Jubilee Holy Year of Hope in the decree called "Hope Does Not Disappoint", with the prayer, "In this Jubilee Year, may no one be deprived of the opportunity to receive God’s forgiveness and consolation.” The Catholic Diocese of Beijing provided these guidelines for Catholics to encourage concrete Catholics to be "leaven of authentic

Pope Francis, 1963–2025 The USCCA joins the Church in China, the Church in the U.S., and the global Church in remembering Pope Francis' significant contributions as priest and pontiff. In a speech delivered on the 18th of February 2018 , Cardinal Cupich of Chicago described how Pope Francis' gifts have led to "resituating mercy at the heart of the Gospel." Cardinal Chow of Hong Kong has also expressed his regard for Pope Francis in recent years, even nicknaming him the "Pope

by Tom McGuire, M.Div, M.R.E., USCCA Director Emeritus Today, we celebrate Easter in the year 2025. I invite you to read and meditate on five of the Jesus Sutras, Chinese texts from the seventh century, describing Christ’s Resurrection. Christian priests in a procession on Palm Sunday, in a 7th- or 8th-century wall painting from a church in China. The Jesus Sutras introduce Chinese people to Easter as a celebration of the Gospel of Light, a celebration of Hope in Christ’s Res

On March 20, ChinaSource hosted a free public lecture by Dr. Glen Thompson, Professor Emeritus of Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong. The topic of the lecture was "China's Earliest Christians: Who Were They and What Can We Learn From Them?" Dr. Thompson's book, Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China , was recently given an Award of Merit from Christianity Today . Promotional poster for the public lecture We are glad to share that ChinaSource has published the vide

By Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D. Palm Sunday 2008 — Chongqing, China (photo taken by Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P.) As we celebrate Palm Sunday and carry our palms to places of reverence in our homes, I invite you to reflect upon these women and the child pictured above. As they carry on their faith traditions, consider for a moment the ways in which you pass on the traditions of your Catholic and Christian faith from your generation to the next. What childhood traditions, le

Have you signed up for updates from the USCCA Book Circle ? Book Circle discussions are held over Zoom on select Saturdays, 6 am PT / 7 am MT / 8 am CT / 9 am ET. In April (daylight saving time), this is 9pm Chinese Standard Time. Attendees from around the world come to discuss history, Chinese culture, theology, philosophy, and the life of the Church in China. Image from Angelico Press Since January, the Book Circle has been reading John C. H. Wu's Chinese Humanism and Chris

by Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D. Lu Zhengxian (Photo credit: Anthony E. Clark Private Collection) Let us reflect on six ways that we might learn from the experiences of this notable Chinese Catholic. First: Lu was Born in Shanghai in 1871; he was familiar with Protestant Christianity and Confucian philosophy. Education led him to enter the Chinese Foreign Service in 1893 and assigned to St. Petersburg, Russia. There, in 1899, he married Bertha Bovy (1855-1926), a Belgian

by Gaby Jesus himself came up and walked by their side. (Luke 24:15) With the improvement of living standards, people in China have ample clothing and food. Delicious cuisine and frenzied shopping cannot fill the void in people's spiritual lives. In recent years, an increasing number of young, middle-aged, and even elderly people have begun to contemplate the ultimate meaning of life. Therefore, they come to the church seeking answers. This phenomenon reflects that in contemp

By Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D., Director Emeritus, USCCA Image of the memorial marker in Yuanling, Hunan, China. Photo by Rob Carbonneau, C.P. Copyright Passionist China Collection. In 2024, local Chinese Catholics in Yuanling, Hunan, China dedicated this memorial marker to remember the 9 United States Passionists, 6 Sisters of Charity from Convent Station, New Jersey, 1 Grey Sister from Canada and 1 lay doctor from Germany. All gave their lives in service alongside th