Author: cfliao

The Ignatian Ideal and Jesuit Reality

The Ignatian Ideal and Jesuit Reality保禄‧顾定豪( Paul Coutinho, S.J. ) 著

李骅、张令憙 译           小俞 绘图 

订购方式

2008 年 5 月 初版
书号 205291
定价 160 元 / 152 页 / 平装 / 25 开 / ISBN: 978-957-546-621-3

本书简介

为依纳爵而言,生命之目的乃是亲近天主,与祂密切结合。作者认为,依纳爵所揭示的这份天人合一关系,是耶稣会的正字标记。并以方济‧萨威、法伯尔、雅鲁培为例,证明人不论在何种局势、时代、文化、性情气质,都能活出依纳爵的理想。所有认真追随依纳爵的人,都会坚毅地把这理想世世代代传递下去。

 

耶稣会士首先是天主的人

作者简介
保禄‧顾定豪(Paul Coutinho, S.J.),印度籍耶稣会士,拥有临床心理学及历史神学学位,具丰富的依纳爵灵修经验,在印度及世界各地带领避静、主持工作坊。

译者简介
李骅,耶稣会士,主修依纳爵灵修并从事相关培育工作数年。著有《耶稣‧小兵‧心》,译有《上路去朝圣》、《爬上一棵树》、《依纳爵神恩的理想》。

张令憙,辅仁大学英国文学研究所毕业,基督生活团团员。目前服务于依纳爵灵修中心,同时从事翻译工作。译作计有:《炼净、光明、合一》、《行动中的默观者》、《主爱多缤纷》、《炽热的心》、《玛利亚–幽影中的恩宠》等。

本书简介:

  方济‧萨威、法伯尔及其他初期耶稣会士所活出的依纳爵神恩的“理想”,今日仍具意义吗?

  现今的耶稣会士,真能借由“持续处于与天主亲密共融的状态”,而在一切中找到天主吗?

  为依纳爵而言,生命之目的乃是亲近天主,与祂密切结合。这种在生活中“持续处于与天主亲密共融的状态”深深渗入依纳爵所做的每件事中,使他成为一位“行动中的默观者”,一位“在一切事物中找到天主的人”。

  本书作者认为,依纳爵所揭示的这份天人合一关系,是耶稣会的正字标记,是可奋力达到的理想。他以方济‧萨威、法伯尔这两位初期伙伴,以及晚依纳爵约450年的雅鲁培为例,证明人不论处在怎样的局势、时代及文化中,也不论拥有怎样的性情气质,都有可能活出依纳爵的理想。


书摘:

第一章 导论

2. 依纳爵和天主之间的亲密关系(第10页)

  有许多描述依纳爵灵修生活的说法,其中最适合的大概要算是“寻找天主的朝圣者”。莱内斯(Diego Laynez;编注:第二任总会长)是这样描述依纳爵: “他是那么的独特,他与天主间的来往已经超越了所有的感官能力,似乎已经进入直观的境界。”依纳爵认为,与天主共融不只是在理智上思考着天主,而是在 一个人的生命深处与天主合一,并渗透到生命中的所有层面。也就是经由效法基督的生命、死亡和复活,逐渐地与天主同化,最后转变成像圣保禄所说的,不是 我生活,而是基督在我内生活。

  要达到这样亲密的结合,一个人首先要看出自己的“受造性”,所有的一切都来自天主,而且天主在所有的受造物之内,所以天主也在我内(《神操》235号)。所有受造物都因天主而存在,就像光线来自太阳一样(《神操》237号)。依纳爵的这个基本经验是来自茫莱撒(Manresa)的深刻体验。依纳爵写信给博日亚 (Francis Borgia)说:“当人把自己的一切奉献给天主后,他会很有神慰地获得种亲密的认知,就是知道永生的天主以祂无限的存有,临在和支持一切的受造物。”当一个人有这样的基本态度时,他就会在一切受造物中发现天主,并且体会到天主是一切受造物的终向。因此身为受造物,理应完全为天主而活,就如依纳爵在《神操》的〈原则与基础〉中所描述的一样。


第三章 圣方济‧萨威

10萨威的灵修
在一切事物中发现天主(第66页)

  萨威是那么地与天主亲密结合,因此他的整个生命就是最美的祈祷。一位修士说:“他的眼睛常常望着天,充满著泪水;嘴里常常默念:‘耶稣基督,至圣 圣三’;然后他会对我们说,我亲爱的弟兄和伙伴,天主远远比我们所想像的还要好!”由此看来,依纳爵写在《会宪》中的话已经铭刻在他的心中:“当在一切事上寻求天主,尽量摆脱对任何受造物的贪恋,庶几将全部爱情移向造物主,按照天主的至圣旨意,在万物内爱天主,也在天主内爱万物”(《会宪》288号) 。

  萨威总是在所服务的人身上看到天主,他说:“全能的造物主,请记得是祢 创造了这些人的灵魂,他们是祢按照祢的肖像所创造的。”由于他在别人身上看到天主,因此他心中爱天主的热情自然就转向那些他所服务的人。这样的爱是那么地强,因此他祈祷说:“主啊,最痛苦的事,莫过于活着而察觉不到祢。”


第四章 伯铎‧法伯尔

4加深与天主关系的方法

自我割舍(第102页)

  当法伯尔愈来愈与被钉在十字架的基督结合后,他愈来愈不会融入富丽堂皇的氛围中;他说他在奢华的情况下,常常觉得很干枯。他也发现,只依赖人们的 帮助和博取他们的尊敬,会阻碍自己与天主亲密的结合。“我发现在人群中最被尊敬的人,常常是内在最忽略基督和圣神临在的人,因为这曾经在我身上发生过”;因此他相信,那些愈不刻意讨好人们,愈是接近被钉的耶稣的人,愈容易找到耶稣,也愈容易达到最终的荣耀。

  而且他相信,救恩是来自被钉在十字架上的耶稣,因此,一个人首先要寻求的是愿意与基督一同被钉,然后才和基督同享复活的光荣;而不是先寻求光荣,然后幻想自己有跟随耶稣基督被钉的能力。他同时坚持,耶稣基督将自己交给了痛苦的死亡,然后摧毁死亡,我们也需要效法祂,把自己放下,将自己的身体交给痛苦和死亡,然后才能在天主内重新获得生命。


第五章 依纳爵的理想与耶稣会的现实

(第107页)

  为依纳爵而言,生命的目的乃是与天主亲密的结合。这份关系深深渗入他所做的每件事中,赋予他生命意义,成了他一切行动所倚仗的基石。依纳爵将这份关系放在首位,直到它占有他,耗尽他。

  这份关系是依纳爵留给教会的资产。在某些人眼中,它只是高远的理想;对另一些人来说,它是值得拥有的造诣;还有些人以它作为生活方式,正如依纳爵那样。为耶稣会士而言,依纳爵是他们生活之典范,而与天主亲密的结合则是他们的理想。

  依纳爵、萨威和法伯尔是非常不一样的人,背景有天壤之别,性情也大异其趣。然而,他们却为同一个目标所启发,借着与天主合作而获得达成目标的力量。他们精力的活水源头,正是与天主亲密的结合。依纳爵指引萨威和法伯尔进到那份关系中,但基督才是他们的领导者和心灵之主。在拯救人灵的工作中与耶稣合一,正是将他们和其他初期伙伴联系起来,形成耶稣会的力量。依纳爵、萨威和法伯尔因着所成就的使徒事业闻名于世,但作为耶稣会士,这三位的不同凡响之处在于他们是属灵的人,奋力追求可能企及的与天主极亲密的给合。他们所服务的人也经验到,达到耶稣会士所追求的同样目标是可能的。在日常生活中经验天主,并在这份与主的关系内成长,是一种新的生活方式,那便是在一切事物中找到天主。

与天主共融不只是在理智上思考着天主,
而是在 一个人的生命深处与天主合一,
并渗透到生命中的所有层面

Jesuit education leader to address University of Scranton grads

(13-May-2008) Rev. Thomas E. Roach, S.J., secretary for education for the Society of Jesus, will be the principal speaker at the University of Scranton’s 2008 undergraduate commencement. Father Roach, who is responsible for helping to implement the educational ministry of the Jesuits worldwide, and who was among the delegates who this year elected the new superior general of the Society of Jesus, will also receive an honorary degree at the May 25 ceremony.Since 2001, Father Roach has been the Superior General’s liaison with the 3,888 Jesuit educational institutions worldwide, serving approximately 3 million students. He focuses on secondary and primary education. He was among the delegates who elected Rev. Adolfo Nicolas, S.J., as the Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

Slovenia honors Jesuit missionary-astronomer in China

The exhibition in Ljubljana (10 – 24 April 2008) announced the start of a two year project Hallerstein (from March 2008 to December 2009), which has been planned for the Culture Programme (2007-2013) of the European Community, Cultural Cooperation with and in third countries. The project combines cultural heritage, performing arts and new media technologies. Events will take place in Maribor, Ljubljana, Vienna, Lisbon, Braga, Prague, Shanghaj, Nantong and Beijing. In the frame of the project, researches, symposiums, workshops and intermedia performances will be performed. At the end of a project a book and dvd Hallerstein will be released.

The exhibition’s central figure was the renowned astronomer Ferdinand von Hallerstein – Liu Songling (1703 – 1774), a Jesuit missionary, scientist, inventor, mathematician, cartographer and diplomat, who was born in Ljubljana but lived for 35 years in China. He went to Beijing in 1739, where he worked for 32 years at the Emperor’s astronomical observatory (as its head for 28 years) and was awarded the title of Mandarin of the third grade. In addition to observing the stars and creating the calendar, he was in charge of the creation of an astronomic instrument or “sphere displaying the starry sky” and of the “great armillary sphere” that was completed in 1754, and was the largest such instrument at the old Beijing astronomical observatory. He also discovered a new comet in 1748.

A young province with an old tradition

Romanian Jesuits begin anew finding their path of service

Jesuits first came to Romania in the sixteenth century, but they are starting all over after the fall of communism and the sudden adoption of capitalist values. Father Vasile Tofaná is one of the new generation of young Romania Jesuits who are planning for a future that is not yet clear.

MP3 file | Length: 19:54

Macau Ricci Institute International Symposium

April 27-29, the Macau Ricci Institute held a three-day International Symposium dedicated to Polish Jesuit Missionaries in Chinese History.  The title of the Symposium was: “Introduction of Western Learning and Cultural Consciousness.”  There were 20 speakers from both Poland and Taiwan, as well as many participating scholars from from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.  Andrzej Rudomina (1595-1632) and Jan Mikolaj Smogulecki (1610-1656) were two of the outstanding Polish missionaries to China who were mentioned during theSymposium.

Catholic Schools’ Religiosity, Effectiveness In Teaching Religion Questioned

BANGKOK (UCAN) — A sense that religiosity is declining at Catholic schools and religious teaching is not being translated into lived values was a fundamental concern Catholic educators shared at a recent FABC meeting.

“The sacredness is lost in Catholic schools,” Father Roderick Salazar said in presenting the situation in the Philippines during the consultation on Eucharist and Education in Asia, held May 25-30 outside Bangkok.

The president of San Carlos University, which his Divine Word society runs in Cebu City, the Philippines, maintains that appreciating the sacredness of the Eucharist requires understanding and preparation, but he finds these lacking. “I can be holy in church but, as a student, cheating in exams,” he said by way of explanation.

Even being in a so-called Catholic country like the Philippines does not mean things go “the Catholic way,” the priest said on May 26 in front of more than 30 bishops, laypeople, priests and Religious involved in Catholic education. He cited some Catholic universities in the southern Philippines where Muslims form the majority of students. Some time ago his counterparts there removed crucifixes from classroom walls to avoid offending the clientele, he reported.

“I do not know how I would have reacted in the same situation,” Father Salazar later admitted to UCA News on the sidelines of the consultation. The Office of Education and Faith Formation (OEFF) of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) arranged the meeting at the Suvarnabhumi campus of Assumption University.

At San Carlos, he explained, all students must take certain compulsory subjects, “religious education” among them. The students, whether or not they are Christians, “have to know us, have to accept us, though not necessarily what we believe,” he insisted.

The Eucharist is celebrated regularly, “with the high liturgy that one can expect during high feasts,” but this is not enough, Father Salazar acknowledged. The most important question, he said, concerns what happens when Mass ends: “How does this exercise affect the daily work?”

Salesian Father Kuriala Chittattukulam had much the same question in mind when he told participants it would be difficult to say that celebrating Mass at Indian Catholic schools influences students’ actions in daily life.

“It should deepen their relationship with others, but it does not,” the executive secretary of the Indian bishops’ Commission for Education and Culture said when he presented the situation in his country.

The communitarian aspect of the Eucharist has not been taught in the schools, he stressed, so students “are not aware that the teachings of Jesus involve the social issues of the people.”

Additionally, the school community is seldom involved in the environmental issues or interfaith dialogue, the priest continued. He suggested that the schools do not have chapels because the academic community has no deep understanding of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

On the other hand, he reported much is being done to inculturate the Mass. He pointed to entrance dances, washing of the celebrants’ hands and arti, a common rite derived from Hinduism of offering light from lamps, which is offered to the chief celebrant before the Mass and later to the Eucharist. Father Chittattukulam expects this will make Mass more meaningful to young Catholics over time.7

In Taiwan, the local Church sees its Catholic schools and especially its higher college and two universities as places where young people grow in appreciation of the Eucharist, Father Lucas Wang Wen-lin said in another of the situation reports given May 26 and 27. The chaplain of Fu Jen Catholic University, outside Taipei, explained that attending Mass with their peers enables young people to find special relevance in the Eucharist.

Dominican Father Vicente Cajilig from the Philippines told UCA News on May 28 that Catholic schools must strive to be places where the mind is informed, the heart is formed and the whole person undergoes integral development. “In countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and others the Catholic institutions are prime choices. This is the honor that we enjoy for reasons the population knows very well,” the OEFF executive secretary said.

In other parts of Asia including Malaysia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, the local Church has little or no freedom to run schools.

‘Pastors, Priests And Bishops Really Need Education In The Area Of Women’s Concerns’

Women in the Church in Asia are looking for a different, deeper type of recognition that bishops need to address, says a noted Asian theologian.
 
Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Imus, the Philippines, a member of the Office of Theological Concerns of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), spoke to UCA News during a May 12-16 meeting at the Redemptorist Centre in Pattaya, 100 kilometers southeast of Bangkok.
 
The meeting’s theme — “The Bishop: Harbinger of Hope (Bishops, Women, Gospel and Communion)” — was inspired by Pastores Gregis (shepherds of the flock), Pope John Paul II’s 2003 apostolic exhortation presenting the fruit of the 2001 Synod of Bishops assembly on episcopal ministry.
 
Thirteen women, 10 bishops and two priests attended the meeting organized by the Women’s Desk of the FABC Office of Laity and Family in cooperation with the Office of Theological Concerns. They came from Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand.
 
Bishop Tagle acknowledged that not all bishops are familiar with the type of theological and scriptural studies arising from the perspective of women, but he said they have a great openness to learn and be educated in a feminist approach to theology and biblical studies.
 
The interview follows:
 

UCA NEWS: What was the genesis of this meeting?
 
BISHOP LUIS ANTONIO TAGLE OF IMUS: This meeting was organized primarily to orient bishops theologically and pastorally on the situation of women in Asia. Secondly, it was to help us in our ministry according to Pastores Gregis. Pope John Paul II enumerated those who are being victimized in our contemporary world, and one of them — and probably the biggest group — is the group of women. The third (motivation) is for us, in collaboration with the other sectors in the Church, to act on this as part of our pastoral ministry and priorities. 
 

What do bishops need to learn about women?
 
First, we offer this seminar as an introduction to some bishops on what we call the feminist hermeneutics, the feminist method of doing theology, the feminist method in reading Scriptures, because while we are aware in our pastoral areas of the situation of women, not all bishops are familiar with the type of theological and scriptural studies that are arising from the women’s perspective. This meeting was a blending of an introduction to feminist methodology of theology while also an updating on the situation of women.
 

It seems few bishops are here. Only 10 came from three countries?
 
Yes. We are sad that a meeting of such importance got only 10 delegates (bishops) from three countries. In a way it was a blessing, because the group was not that big. The interaction with women theologians and scholars, both among Religious women and laywomen, became more familiar, more personal and more profound.
 

Do you think the feminist theme kept some people away?
 
I do not want to judge, but that is always a possibility. That is one of the factors that instruments the attendance or the number of people (laughs). 
 

Might another term besides ‘feminist’ make the subject clearer or easier to approach?
 
Yes, that issue came up here. We were told by one of the speakers, who herself is a professional theologian and educator, that there seems to be a trend — even among circles of women’s scholars — to look for another term. As movements progress or develop, some terms have acquired connotations, and when people hear those some of them are turned off right away. So has the word “feminism” generated some reactions from different circles. So, “womenist” theology, or lately women’s thought, women’s methodology, perspective, are employed in our days.
 
But I should tell you that although the group that gathered among the bishops was quite small, I noticed a great openness to learn and to be educated in a whole womenist approach to theology and biblical studies.
 

Is the Church in Asia still following the old patriarchal way? Or can one see some influence of women’s perspective?
 
The pronouncements and statements of the FABC since 15 years or so show an increasing awareness of the role of women and the place of women in the Church and in the mission of the Church. In terms of documents and statements, that is already there. I think what surfaced in this meeting was: Okay, while these elements are in the documents, have these been understood? Have they been understood in a manner that in a way pushes the Church to a certain internalization of this reality, and then moving into action, like pastoral change, because of this new awareness?
 
So, on the level of awareness, no doubt. But in terms of translating the awareness into pastoral life, ministries, participation of women in some commissions and councils in the Church, that is to be desired.
 

In what ways can bishops be ‘harbingers of hope’ for women, as the conference theme says?
 
What came up time and time again is (that) renewed appreciation of the full humanity of women and the Christian calling could enable bishops to be more compassionate and welcoming to the presence of women in the communities, especially those who are experiencing a lot of oppression in the homes, in the workplace. So the theological and scriptural understanding of women’s world should be translated into a quality of presence, the presence of a pastor who should be understanding, compassionate, listening and would also use his ministry as bishop to set up in the diocese some centers, offices for education and opportunities also for women.
 

Where does it go from here, this issue of bishops and women?
 
That is a good question. The way the FABC is operating, this could be followed up. Like next year, another colloquium. But for me, what is crucial for the delegates, even if we were very few, is to bring home with us the learning, maybe to encourage the local episcopal conferences to do something similar for all the bishops in the conferences, and maybe to encourage other bishops to attend in the future similar formation programs.
 

Would you agree with the claim that millions of women are not recognized in the Church?
 
From discussions that came up during this meeting, it seems that recognition in terms of seeing their (women’s) presence, their actions, their contribution to the Church, that type of recognition is there. It seems that some women’s groups are looking for a different, deeper type of recognition which is, for example, (women’s) more active role in some commissions that make decisions. It is not just a recognition of what they are able to do in basic communities, in liturgy, but especially in councils and commissions that somehow contribute to setting directions in parishes and also dioceses. 
 

But what about parishes, to which women already belong?
 
Yes, it came up here that there are not enough (women) represented in parish councils or pastoral councils. Those who are there are not always the active type of women. They are there but quite subservient. Numbers alone do not guarantee that the women’s perspective is represented.
 

How can this be changed or get a new momentum?
 
We can attack this from different fronts. One is real education of all. We noticed that pastors, priests and bishops really need education in the area of women’s concern. Women, maybe, should understand the burdens the bishops are carrying. We cannot respond to everything. We need mutual understanding, ongoing dialogue. In the end, theologically it is back to the ecclesiology of communion, where the different gifts come together, support one another for the common good.

Church Workers Deliver Food Near Sealed-Off Zone in Quake-Devastated Area

MIANYANG, China (UCAN) — Four priests and two nuns crossed a checkpoint leading to a sealed-off area in devastated Beichuan county to deliver foodstuff to isolated quake survivors.
 
They came close to Beichuan town, which has been sealed off to be razed in an effort to prevent epidemics.
 
Father Zhong Cheng, parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Mianyang city, led the Catholic team in three cars and a truck to deliver relief aid May 21-22 to survivors of the massive May 12 earthquake in Sichuan province.
 
The other team members were three priests from other parts of the country, and Sisters Zhang Yimei and Zhan Dengju, who serve in the parish. They loaded the truck with five tons of rice and 200 buckets of cooking oil before heading northwest from Mianyang.
 
They delivered the foodstuffs door-to-door and comforted the residents, including some Catholics, at more than 10 locations in Beichuan, An and other counties, Father Zhong told UCA News May 22.
 
“On May 21, after Yongan town, we drove north toward Leigu, a town in front of sealed-off Beichuan town,” he said. Beichuan town, 90 kilometers northeast of the quake’s epicenter in Wenchuan, is the first place to be sealed off.
 
“Police at a checkpoint (just before Leigu) refused us entry,” the priest recalled. “We showed them a Red Cross permit, held up a placard that said ‘Offering of Love from the Catholic Church’ and pleaded with them to let us pass,” he continued. The officers let them pass, he said, but “warned us to be extremely careful.”
 
In Leigu, Father Zhong reported, some rescue teams were spraying disinfectant, and most houses and buildings had collapsed or stood dangerously. The Catholic workers all wore face masks, he added.
 
After Leigu it was not possible to go further, so the Catholic workers turned south to deliver food to other devastated areas before returning to Mianyang on May 22 evening. Evacuated Beichuan survivors are being housed for now in sports centers in nearby cities.
 
In Father Zhong’s view, setting up checkpoints was a good precaution. “If ordinary people entered the area, they might feel depressed seeing all the devastation,” he explained. “It’s been 10 days since the deadly quake, and even if bodies are found, they would be decomposed.”
 
Earlier, on May 13, the day after the quake, Father Zhong drove Sister Zhan to her hometown to search for her elderly mother, who lived uphill. A rescuer had carried her mother, who could not walk properly, down the slope to a safe place.
 
According to a May 22 report in China’s Nanfang Daily, headlined “Beichuan, Farewell Forever,” rescue teams suspended all rescue work in Beichuan town by May 21 evening, after evacuating the area and detecting no further signs of life amid the rubble. The ruins will be blasted and the town rebuilt in a new place, the report says.
 
About 12,000 of the 30,000 people there died, and 3,000 are missing, China’s media reported on May 22. Beichuan town is 135 kilometers north of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu, which lies 1,530 kilometers southwest of Beijing.
 
Beichuan county had several hundred Catholics, who mostly lived outside the town proper, according to Father Zhong.
 
China’s State Council on May 23 announced that the earthquake has affected nine provinces and one municipality, and claimed the lives of 55,740 people, besides injuring 292,481. A total of 24,960 people were still missing and 11 million have been made homeless, it said.

Catholic Volunteers Brush Up On Church And Other Knowledge To Serve In Olympic Village

BEIJING (UCAN) — Mainland Catholic volunteers are getting ready to serve athletes from around the world who will compete in the Beijing Olympics in August.
 
Beijing diocese has designated 16 people — seven priests, five nuns and four seminarians — to join the religious volunteer service group and work alongside Buddhist, Daoist (Taoist), Muslim and Protestant volunteers.
 
The Beijing Summer Olympics and the Paralympic Games will be held Aug. 8-24 and Sept. 6-17 respectively, during which a religious service center will operate in the Olympic Village, in the northern part of the capital. The volunteer group will be stationed there.
 
Four of the Catholic volunteers spoke with UCA News recently about how they are preparing to serve at the international event.
 
Father Joseph Zhao Qinglong, leader of the Catholic team, said the religious volunteers attended three training courses last year, the longest one lasting two months, with sessions twice a week. “Our participation as volunteers can be a concrete service the Church offers to society,” he said.
 
“Certainly, we will serve all foreign athletes, government officials and visitors who need the service, hoping they will feel at home,” the priest declared, noting that the China Church is part of the universal Church. Father Zhao, who studied in Rome for five years and returned to Beijing last year, can speak English, Italian and some French.
 
Li Jiangang of Beijing Seminary told UCA News about one of the courses, which the Beijing Religious Affairs Bureau held last summer for 60 volunteers representing the five government-recognized religions. The volunteers learned about the history of the Olympics, psychology, first aid, etiquette, English, customs and practices in Beijing, and the names of famous Chinese athletes, the seminarian recalled.
 
According to Li, based on exchanges with volunteers of other religions, the volunteers hold the common view that “the spirit of the Olympics coincides with religions’ and the state’s idea of harmonious society.” Thus, the Beijing Olympics will be “a juncture for development of the country and religions.”
 
Li said he practices the organ daily for an hour during the seminary’s lunch break, because he will provide accompaniment at Masses in the Olympic Village. He added that he spends another hour playing basketball to be fit for the strenuous service during the Games. Li can speak English, which he learned before entering the seminary.
 
Sister Dong Siuhong is “studying hard about religious knowledge, especially about the Church in China.” In order to provide the best religious services for the foreign athletes and accompanying personnel, she is learning about liturgical arrangement and church decoration.
 
During the Olympic events, she said, the Catholics and the 18 Protestant volunteers will stay at the Protestants’ Yanjing Theological Seminary in the capital’s Haidian district, near the Olympic Village.
 
Volunteers all have to wear the same uniform, but volunteer nuns will put on their habits at Masses to “show Catholic identity,” added Sister Dong, who can speak Korean.
 
“We will present to the visitors warm hospitality and a good image of Chinese Catholics,” she said, expressing hope that visitors would gain a better image of the China Church than they might have had a few decades ago.
 
Li too hopes to show the foreign athletes and visitors that the China Church is liberal and energetic. He noted that Beijing diocese is baptizing more and more young and educated people each year.
 
Sister Kou Suzhen, who studied in France, thinks being a volunteer fits in with the spirit of consecrated life. “I will express my devotion to God in my service,” she told UCA News. “As the Olympics takes off soon, I’m preparing myself to serve the foreign guests with a positive attitude, happiness and warmth,” she added.
 
Meanwhile, parish priests, nuns and lay leaders, as well as personnel of other religions in Beijing, attended a one-and-a-half-day training course on religious service for the Olympics in late April. Organized by the Beijing municipal government, the course instructed the participants on how to prepare and receive foreign visitors at their religious venues during August and September.

R.I.P Fr. Jesús Zarandona

Fr. Jesús ZarandonaFr. Jesús Zarandona went to the Lord peacefully on May 25, 2008 at 7:33 a.m. at Cardinal Tien Hospital, Taipei. 

Fr. Zarandona was born in Santurce (Vizcaya, Spain) on December 24, 1912.  He entered the Society at St. Ignatius Loyola Guipúzcoa (Azpeitiat, Spain) on August 14, 1929; was ordained to the priesthood on June 7, 1944 at St. Peter Church in Shanghai and professed his last vows on February 11, 1947 in Huhu (Anhui).  Fr. Zarandona dedicated his whole life in pastoral and educational apostolates, he used to teach at St. Aloysius Technical School in WuHu and Hsinpu, was Superior and Parish Pastor at Hsinpu, Chutung and Chupei.

His parents, among 9 children, offered one son to the Society of Jesus and to China, and offered 6 daughters as Clarisas Contemplative Sisters to pray for China.