Articles in this Issue
Editorials
Catholics in China: An Overview
We hope you will see that Chinese Catholics live with a strong awareness of Our Lord Jesus’s presence with them amidst many challenges, that they live in hope in exceedingly challenging times, and they remain faithful to him in ways that can inspire us all.
Lead Article
The Resolve of a Commoner
Some Reflections on China’s Catholics Today
China’s Catholics continue to endure their present circumstances, attending services, meeting in their homes for private prayer and study, and supporting one another in their Christian faith.
Supporting Article
Maryknoll Convent School
Her Story, 1925 to the Present
Sister Rose Maryknoll Duchesne Debrecht (principal, 1965-1972) said, “[The] Convent School has created a priceless history. Each and every person, who has been a participant in the school’s life, is to be given a grateful pat on the back for contributions so steadfastly made...”
Supporting Article
Synthesizing East and West
Wu Jingxiong’s Lasting Contribution to Chinese Christianity
Perhaps Wu’s important message for Christians (and perhaps former Christians, or “nones”) in the West, is that we need to recover to the experience of joy that follows from interior harmony, as was known by Christian mystics.
Supporting Article
Holy See-China Provisional Agreement
The Balance Sheet Five and a Half Years Later
Chinese Catholics are called to witness to their fellow citizens that they are Christians and good citizens, like all others, working for the common good of the whole country and in keeping with their own culture.
Supporting Article
The Sino-Vatican Provisional Agreement 2018
Will this problematic Agreement be abandoned or renewed on better terms for the Catholic side? Can the Vatican achieve better results in dealing with China with the assistance of its new bridging figures?
Supporting Article
Life in the Underground Catholic Church
I hope that through such sharing, it will not only help people better understand the Chinese church, but also help those who are willing to lend a helping hand to the underground church in a better and more effective way.
Supporting Article
Caring for Our Common Home
In our catechetical teaching, we cannot only mention love of God and man, but need to holistically bring out “love of God, love of humans, and love of the Earth.”
Supporting Article
A New China and a New Catholic Church
At this crossroads, perhaps Wu Jingxiong points the way forward… In an era when conflict threatens to dehumanize us all, Wu Jingxiong’s Christian humanism remains to this day a beacon of hope.
Book Reviews
The Many Facets of China’s Catholic Church
Caution, Confidence, and Conviction
Many heroic Catholic Christians in China have considered what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called the “cost of discipleship,” and followed the Lord Jesus, remained on the vine, and borne much fruit.
ChinaSource Perspective
A Shared Hope
May the recurring message of hope amidst difficulty conveyed in these articles spark the imaginations and encourage the hearts of all who seek to stand faithfully with their brothers and sisters in China.
Resource Corner
Recommended Reading on the Catholic Church in China
The books in this list provide a robust starting point for understanding the Catholic Church in China today and how it has been shaped by its history.
Image credit: WaitforLight via Adobe Stock.
John A. Lindblom
John Lindblom received his MA in International Studies (China) at the Henry M. Jackson School at the University of Washington, with a focus on the Catholic Church in China. He received his PhD in World Religions World Church (theology) at the University of Notre Dame. His research examines connections between …View Full Bio
Michael Agliardo
Fr. Michael Agliardo, SJ, is a member of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order more commonly known as “the Jesuits.” Early in his career as a Jesuit, he worked in campus ministry and taught theology at Fordham University in New York. After receiving a doctorate in sociology at …View Full Bio