For the first time in the history of the church in China, a Catholic seminary on the mainland is offering a master’s degree to train pastoral workers and catechists. The three-year pastoral and catechetical master’s program will start on Oct. 5 at a seminary in Beijing. Most of the six applicants—a mix of priests, nuns and lay people—are from dioceses in northern China. The Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium is helping to organize the program. Michel Marcil, S.J., executive director of the U.S. Catholic China Bureau in South Orange, N.J., called the initiative “a breakthrough.” The “devout faithful in Chinese parishes” have been helping prepare candidates for baptism every year, Marcil said, but they have been following a question-and-answer format based on studying the catechism. The new course of study would guide them in a form of catechesis more in line with the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.
Chinese Church Launches Training
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
“His presence brings prestige to our nation and to the entire Group of 7. It is the first time that a pope will participate in the work of the G7,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
“Many conflicting, divergent and often contradictory views of the human person have found wide acceptance … they have led to holders of traditional theories being cancelled or even losing their jobs,” the bishops said.
Robots can give you facts. But they can’t give you faith.
“Irena’s Vow” is true story of a Catholic nurse who used her position to shelter a dozen Jews in World War II-era Poland.