A new Catholic church has been erected in Inner Mongolia, dedicated to the Mercy of Jesus, thanks to the efforts of the local Catholic community.
Newsroom (05/07/2023 09:00, Gaudium Press) A new Catholic church has been erected in Inner Mongolia, dedicated to the Mercy of Jesus.
Built entirely thanks to contributions and donations from the local Catholic community, the church dedicated to the Divine Mercy of Jesus was erected in Mongolia during the feast of St. John the Baptist.
The church dedication ceremony was attended by three Chinese bishops: Matthias Du Jiang, Bishop of the Diocese of Bameng, Anthony Yao Shun, Bishop of Jining, and Paul Meng Qinglu, Bishop of Hohhot.
In addition, sixty other priests and a few nuns were present at the consecration ceremony of the new temple. The Catholic community of Bameng has about 40,000 Catholics, including 24 priests, 27 nuns, and 3 deacons.
The parish priest, Father Zhou Xueqing, said that “the new church is a dwelling place of God’s presence among us, a sign of our gratitude to the Lord, our faith, and our communion”. Father Zhou Xueqing was one of the most important promoters of the construction of the church.
In 1996, a group of Catholics from the Diocese of Bameng bought land to build a prayer and meeting room for the local community. In 2011, with the arrival of a priest, the room was transformed into a chapel where Masses were celebrated and the sacraments administered.
In 2018, the local authorities allocated a plot of land to the Catholics. With the contribution of volunteers and members of the local Catholic community, the first stones of the church were laid on the land.
Despite the problems related to the climate and the geographical situation, the fervor of the Catholics has driven the creation of various evangelization activities. Even during the pandemic, priests continued to participate in retreats and spiritual exercises with the faithful. (FM)
With information from Fides.
