The Chinese Province is offering a 10-day introduction to China for Jesuits interested in learning about the country and the Society’s mission there.
China is one of the apostolic preferences of the Society of Jesus, and the Jesuit Chinese Provincial Fr John Lee SJ said that the aim of China Contact Programme is to provide young Jesuit priests and scholastics with “a better knowledge and first-hand experience of China” as well as “form better and solid young Jesuits for foreign mission in our Society today, especially for the China mission”.
The Society’s interest in China dates back to its early days, when Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary travelled to Asia. He never made it there, dying of a fever on the island of Shang Chuan, while waiting for a boat to take him to mainland China. Xavier’s dream of a mission to China was fulfilled 30 years later by Matteo Ricci, is one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission, as it existed in the 17th and 18th centuries. An Italian Jesuit, he spent 28 years evangelizing, absorbing Chinese culture and bringing Western science to China. His scientific acumen and enthusiasm for cultural exchange won the trust and admiration of the Ming Dynasty Emperor Wanli. The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world.
“This programme is not only about the history of the Catholic Church and the Jesuits in China, but also about the contemporary issues of China in terms of economics, culture, politics, etc,” said Fr Thierry Meynard SJ, director of The Beijing Centre, the Jesuit work that will conduct the programme. “It is important that Jesuits learn from China, so they can understand better the impact of China in the world and in their own culture and country, and also can develop educational or cultural exchanges with China.”
The China Contact Programme will be held in Beijing from August 2 to 11, 2014, and will be conducted in English. It will include lectures, sharing, formative activities, and visits to Jesuit sites including the old Jesuit Observatory, the old Summer Palace, and the Tomb of Matteo Ricci. There will also be opportunities to experience some Jesuit works in nearby areas.
The invitation is open to all Jesuits, particularly those aged 40 and below, who are mature in their personality and vocation; open to change in their ways of thinking and behaving, open to learning from a new culture, and open to cooperating with others for God’s Mission; and have the desire to be sent to a foreign mission.
Fr Meynard said that some young Jesuits who attended the China Contact Programme in the past later joined the three-year programme of international regency.
Questions or applications should be directed to Scholastic Vincentius, Chinese Province Curia Assistant, at sectpo1@gmail.com before January 31, 2014.
Main photo: Tomb of Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) at the Zhalan cemetery in Beijing