Shijiazhuang – On the eve and in the early hours of the Lunar New Year, which this year falls on February 17, Catholic parishes throughout China will be filled with families eager to participate in Eucharistic celebrations, pray giving thanks to God and invoking his blessing for the new year, as well as light candles, firecrackers, and fireworks to share moments of community fellowship. However, for a month now, Catholic communities in mainland China have been carrying out pastoral activities and charitable initiatives traditionally linked to the Lunar New Year, which begins with the start of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar.
Bearing witness to their faith through works of charity and mercy, Chinese Catholic communities eloquently demonstrate how the Christian spirit and the Chinese virtue of caring for the most vulnerable flourish in harmony.
According to the church news portal xinde.org, ahead of the Lunar New Year—which, according to Chinese astrology, will usher in the Year of the Horse—the Catholic charitable foundation “Nanjing Ark” has launched a grassroots charity initiative to provide “a warm winter” for people in need and with disabilities, such as blind children, former leprosy patients, and elderly people suffering from various illnesses. In collaboration with civil organizations and entities, the foundation has donated 20,000 yuan to support families with sick children facing hardship. Furthermore, its volunteers have distributed 40 eye care kits to teenagers as part of the “Luminous Childhood” initiative, in partnership with an eye hospital; visited the Municipal Center for the Prevention of Occupational Diseases, expanding assistance to patients cured of leprosy; and delivered 50 new quilts to needy elderly people in the area.
In the Apostolic Prefecture of Lindong , Inner Mongolia, the Dengkou community promoted various awareness and support activities for elderly people living alone and students facing difficulties in honor of the Lunar New Year.
The Sacred Heart of Charity Association of the Diocese of Meizhou, inspired by the words and teachings of Jesus, is promoting solidarity campaigns for people in need.
The Taihu community in Wuxi City also carried out an initiative to support adults with autism, visiting a rehabilitation center to help overcome loneliness and allow everyone to feel included in the festive atmosphere shared by families.
The Shanghai Catholic Intellectuals Association visited nursing homes to bring greetings and wishes of “joy, health, and warmth” for the New Year.
Meanwhile, twenty volunteers from the Tian’ai Association of the Archdiocese of Guangzhou have renewed the beautiful tradition of their initiatives supporting the elderly and people with disabilities, reaching even cities and villages far from the metropolis.
According to Chinese astrology, the Year of the Horse promises to be marked by positivity, and the ability to fulfill desires and successfully achieve one’s goals. The seventh animal of the zodiac, the horse symbolizes vitality, independence, a free spirit, confidence, and autonomy.
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