Feast of Mary, Help of Christians or Our Lady of Sheshan

The following is from the Cardinal Kung Foundation

Today is the World day of prayer for the Church in China.  It is the Feast of Our Lady of Sheshan and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI requested the following:

"Dear Pastors and all the faithful, the date 24 May could in the future become an occasion for the Catholics of the whole world to be united in prayer with the Church which is in China.  This day is dedicated to the liturgical memorial of Our Lady, Help of Christians, who is venerated with great devotion at the Marian Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai.  I would like that date to be kept by you as a day of prayer for the Church in China.  I encourage you to celebrate it by renewing your communion of faith in Jesus our Lord and of faithfulness to the Pope, and by praying that the unity among you may become every deeper and more visible." - His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on May 2007

Prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan

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 of truth and love, so that they may always be

a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.

When you obediently said "yes" in the house of Nazareth,

you allowed God’s eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb

and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption.

You willingly and generously cooperated in that work,

allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul,

until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary,

standing beside your Son, who died that we might live.

From that moment, you became, in a new way,

the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith

and choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross.

Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed

with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter.

Grant that your children may discern at all times,

even those that are darkest, the signs of God’s loving presence.

Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China,

who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love.

May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world,

and of the world to Jesus.

In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high,

offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love.

Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love,

ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built.

Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen!

Please say one "Hail Mary" daily for the cause of canonization for Cardinal Kung Pin-Mei.

Threats against Christians in China

Pray to Our Lady of Sheshan!

World Day Prayer for the Church in China - Our Lady of Sheshan

Our Lady of Sheshan prayer card from the Cardinal Kung Foundation

Prayer of of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to Our Lady of Sheshan on the occasion of the World day of Prayer for the Church in China.  Mahalo to Magnifcat for the reminder in today's readings.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF SHESHAN

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 of truth and love, so that they may always be
a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.

When you obediently said “yes” in the house of Nazareth,
you allowed God’s eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb
and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption.

You willingly and generously cooperated in that work,
allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul,
until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary, standing beside your Son, who died that we might live.

From that moment, you became, in a new way,
the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith
and choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross.

Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed
with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter.
Grant that your children may discern at all times,
even those that are darkest, the signs of God’s loving presence.
Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China,
who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love.
May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world,
and of the world to Jesus.

In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high,
offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love.
Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love,
ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built.
Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen!

Prayer Source: Carlos of Caput Mundi

Our Lady of China Prayer Card in Chinese from my friend Menna

Our Lady of China Rosary Prayer Card in Chinese by my friend Menna

A village of vocations on the Silk Road

Our Lady of She-Shan pray for China

A small village on Silk Road, inhabited by 660 people, of whom 400 are Catholic (about 130 families), has given 14 vocations to the Church in recent years: 7 priests, 1 deacon, 3 religious sisters, 2 major seminarians and 1 minor seminarian. The village is Zan Jia Cun, Fu Feng district in the Diocese of Zhou Zhi, Shaan Xi province.

Read the rest here.

A Ratzinger from Four Centuries Ago. In Beijing

"...The challenge is all the greater today, with China rising to become a new global superpower. But it has been one before.

Between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this challenge was taken up by a brilliant missionary, Jesuit Fr. Matteo Ricci, the fourth centenary of whose death is being marked in 2010 with exhibits, studies, and conferences, including in China, where he is considered a national treasure. His beatification process is also underway.

In dialoguing with the intellectual circles of Beijing at the time, Ricci adopted an approach remarkably similar to the one proposed by Benedict XVI today. He knew very well that the Christian Gospel was an absolute innovation, come from God. But he knew that human reason also has its origin in the one Lord of Heaven, and is common to all who live under the same sky..."

You can read Sandro Magister's article in its entirety here.

Your Children in China

Please join the Holy Father in praying for the Church in China.

Oldest Chinese Cleric died in his sleep at 110

Shared by Sue of Half the Kingdom

Trappist priest Rev. Nicholas Kao Se-Tsien, Hong Kong’s oldest man, who recited the rosary devotion 15 times a day for world peace every day from 1932, has died at the age of 110.

ARTICLE

The Underground Church in China

Because I am one-fourth Chinese, it grieves me that China, continues to persecute our Chinese Catholic brothers and sisters, who are loyal to Rome.

As you know, two Catholic churches exist in China. Like I mentioned above, one is the Church that is loyal to the Holy Father and is known as the "underground church". The other is the state run church known as the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. Their bishops and priests are loyal to the Chinese government.

On Good Friday, I had a chance to catch up on my reading of Catholic magazines and newspapers. I read two articles regarding the underground church. One is A Tale of Two Bishops and it appeared in the February 2002 issue of Crisis Magazine

It tells the story of Ignatius Pin-Mei Cardinal Kung and his fellow priest Father Fan, now bishop. Both priests were imprisoned and tortured for their faith. However, both priest chose a separate and distinct path.

The other article was also in Crisis Magazine and it appeared in their December 2005 issue. It is entitled Outlaw: One Priest in the Underground Chinese Church. The story is about a Catholic man who was imprisoned for the crime of belonging to the Legion of Mary.

I hope you take the time to read both of the articles.

It was sad to read in the first article that religious communities such as Maryknoll and the Jesuits contribute large amounts of money to the state run church. The underground church is virtually forgotten. It's main source of help comes from the organization run by the late Cardinal Kung's nephew Joseph Kung...The Cardinal Kung Foundation. Our family made the hard decision to end our monetary support of Maryknoll based on that information a few years ago. It was hard because we have good friends in that religious community both priests, brothers and sisters. However, we couldn't in good conscience continue to help them help the enemies of the Church.

If you want to help, please remember to pray for the loyal and persecuted Church in China. Also, consider donating to the Cardinal Kung Foundation