The number of Catholics among the Chinese
population has been reduced to merely 1% and there is a severe shortage of
Chinese priests who can enculturate Christianity for the ethnic Chinese. Before we see an increase in vocations to the
priesthood, we first need to increase the number of Chinese Catholics. A quick solution to welcoming more into the
Church is local, full-time, and professional lay missionaries, because it only
takes three years of full-time formation before they begin their
ministries. Additionally, they know the diversity
of local cultures well.
Chinese Lay Missionaries (CLM)
realizes the current situation of the Church among the Chinese and has been
working for the past decade to remedy the situation. CLM has a Formation
Program, Evangelism Research Center, and Evangelism Centers in Taiwan. Rev. Louis Aldrich, S.J. is the founder and
current program director. The Formation
Program started in 2004 and is under the Jesuit St. Robert Bellarmino Thologate
in Taiwan. Students receive either a
Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Evangelism after full-time study for three to
four years. There are currently 20 students enrolled in the program, who plan
on eventually joining a group of over 100 alumni. 16 of our alumni are currently working
full-time in our seven Evangelism Centers spread across six of the seven
dioceses in Taiwan while others are working in Catholic schools, parishes, or
religious institutes. We have brought over 300 people into the Church each year
for the past several years and over 1500 since 2007 through our Evangelism
Centers. Below is the story of one of
our converts, which is the result of building a personal relationship with
Jesus through our lay missionary, Tosca Ying.
Ms. Ah Jiao practiced the local folk religion,
but, after experiencing financial hardships, began searching for a new
meaningful life when she came to our program for catechumens. She was a bus driver, which made it difficult
for her to take Sundays off. She, however, made every effort to attend every class
in order to explore the Catechism and to build a personal relationship with
Jesus. Two and half months before her Baptism, she was seriously injured in a
car accident. She made a quick recovery and attributed it to her faith in God. She, committed to following Jesus, chose to
forgive the culprit. She felt like she had become a new person on the day of
her Baptism and now sees her family and surroundings with a new heart. She now also thanks God for changes in her
family. Her daughter, who had dropped
out of school, overcame depression and returned to school. Her son, who was a transient, told her that he
would find a job and try to lead a meaningful life. Ah Jiao is truly witness to
the power of Jesus' saving grace beginning in this life and promising to reach
its fulfillment in the next.
Ms. Ah Jiao’s story is one of converts involving the work of
the CLM. The work of God that these lay missionaries do is only possible
through the financial and spiritual support of others. I invite you to be our
partner in this work of the Lord today through financial means and through prayers
for our students and local lay missionaries.
It
is exciting that we will have two religious sisters and two lay faithful from Mainland
China in our Formation Center next school year for the first time. This is a result of our extended mission in Mainland
China in 2013. Each of them will need
US$7,000/year of financial aid for living expenses and tuition. Your generosity will bring thousands of Chinese
to grow with Jesus and to experience the love of God in China.
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