My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Recently, I returned from a 10-day pastoral visit to China. My intention was to better understand the Chinese culture so that we in the Diocese of Brooklyn may better attend to the needs of Chinese immigrants. Moreover, I intended to visit with Father John Vesey, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn and a Maryknoll associate serving in China.

In the last 10 years, there has been a 45 percent increase in the Chinese population living in our Diocese. Currently, there are more than 380,000 Chinese immigrants living in Brooklyn and Queens. Truly, it is a challenge to minister to such a large population without native speaking Chinese priests.

At last year’s Easter Vigil, we baptized 130 Chinese people in our Diocese. This year, an additional 80 entered into the Church. Opportunities for evangelization exist; however, the Chinese population is unique, and it is important to have a Church that is known to our Chinese neighbors.

Father Vesey has been working for more than eight years in the Shenyang Diocese in the Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Father Vesey teaches English in one of the universities, as well as in the seminary in that city. On Sundays, he ministers to the English-speaking community at the Cathedral Chapel.

On this trip, I was most fortunate to be accompanied by Msgr. Joseph Chiang, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J. Msgr. Chiang has been a close personal friend for more than 40 years, and he is well known in China as well as in the U.S., as he was the national director of the Chinese Apostolate. He was an invaluable asset on this trip and opened many opportunities for dialogue with the Church in China.

Our visit began in Hong Kong where we were hosted by the Maryknoll community in that city. It was an important first stop. Maryknoll has a clear view of the Chinese situation. During my time here, I could not help but think about Bishop Francis X. Ford, born in our own Diocese, who died in a Chinese prison camp in 1952 and whose Cause for Canonization has already been introduced. He is already a Servant of God.

In Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to visit with Cardinal Zen Ze-Kiun and his successor, Cardinal Tong Hon. Both of these great Churchmen helped me to understand the Church in China. Nevertheless, while this experience has truly enriched my understanding, it will take a long time to fully comprehend the situation.

While in Hong Kong, I also had the opportunity to visit Father John Ahearn, who happens to be a native of the Diocese of Brooklyn. He is the pastor, ironically, on a small island called “Long Island.” He is one of the eight Maryknoll missionaries stationed there who hail from our Diocese. We certainly have a rich history with the missionaries who have traveled so far to minister to so many. While there, we also visited the study center set up by the Diocese of Hong Kong, lead by Cardinal Tong. It is an important element, as much information for the Church in China comes through this office.

Following our departure from Hong Kong, Msgr. Chiang and I traveled to the Diocese of Shenyang for our visit with Father Vesey. This section of Northeast China was once known as Manchuria and had been occupied by Japanese forces during World War II. Bishop Paul Pei is recognized by the Holy See and also by the Chinese government and belongs to what we may call the registered church, versus the unregistered church. In the past, we used the terms underground church or patriotic association churches. However, perhaps they do not do justice to the situation.

The priests of the so-called underground church are known to the faithful and also to the government. It is referred to as an underground church because it is fully adherent to the Holy See. Again, this is a generalization which varies from place-to-place. The situation of the underground church has improved from what it was in the past.

While in Shenyang, we were able to celebrate the anticipated Mass on Saturday for the seminary population of approximately 50 seminarians from various dioceses of the region of Northeast China. The Mass was celebrated in English, and the homily was translated into Chinese by the seminary rector. The students are rather proficient in English and sang English hymns and responded to the Mass in English.

As in the Church in the U.S., during my stay in Shenyang, I was able to see the great work that women religious have contributed to the building up of the Church. I had the opportunity to visit a convent where the sisters run an assisted living facility for senior citizens. They also carry on other apostolic activities. These sisters wear traditionally religious garb and are recognized by the government which assists them in taking care of the senior citizens.

However, the autonomy of the Church and the relationship with the patriotic Church varies from province to province. In Southern China, our final stop, this reality was much more dramatic.

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Part II of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s visit to China will be published in The Tablet next week.