Friday, October 29, 2010

Six new priests ordained in China

At least six young men from three mainland Chinese dioceses were ordained priests on Oct. 28, the feast day of Saints Simon and Jude the Apostle. “I will increase efforts to evangelize,” said Father Deng Xiaobo, one of the two new priests of Zhanjiang diocese, noting that the Church has “a big market” as Catholics account for only a small percentage among China’s 1.3 billion people. “I vow to build a good image to attract more young men to explore their vocations,” he added.
Fathers Paul Sun Ruigang and Thomas Liang Weiguo of Taiyuan during their ordination
In Beijing diocese, Bishop Joseph Li Shan ordained Fathers Augustine Cao Wei and Peter Bai Guoliang, who have spent 10 years studying at the diocesan seminary and the Seoul archdiocesan Major Seminary. Bishop Ignatius Wang, retired auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and a Beijing native, also laid his hands on the new priests’ heads. Ten priests from Korea were among the 65 priests concelebrating the ordination Mass. In northern China, three bishops concelebrated the ordination Mass for Fathers Paul Sun Ruigang and Thomas Liang Weiguo of Taiyuan at the 100-year-old cathedral in Shanxi.

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