Living cross-culturally

By teaching English in China, I have the opportunity to encounter and share life with the people

By Fr. Brian Swords, S.F.M.
December 2007

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I find it difficult to discuss motivation at any time and even more difficult to write about it from a historical perspective. That having been said, I would like to share with you my thinking on why I remain in mission. By “mission” I mean living and working in a country in which I am the foreigner and the religious expression is other than that of a Canadian Catholic.

Fr. Brian Swords and a Buddhist monk during a visit to Tibet.

I am currently teaching English in Urumqi, the capital of the Uyghur Autonomous Region in China’s Northwest. Why teach English in China, you may ask? Are there not more pressing needs in Canada where the shortage of priests is becoming acute? Yes, there are pressing needs in Canada; however those abroad are also screaming for attention.

As a committed Canadian Catholic, I believe that it is imperative to go and live cross-culturally. In so doing, I must not impose my ideas on people and must not take jobs from them. As a missionary my role is primarily that of an observer and a learner. I am an observer who shares in the life and reality of the people with whom I live and work, a people to whom I am always the foreigner. Learning is a key element—I am constantly aware of my need to understand and appreciate the people and culture. I also see my role as a coach, encouraging and blessing the good that I see and questioning or highlighting discrepancies that I believe hinder the realization of the basic goals of the people and society. China is really a homogenous monolith, one that due to its size has not only the capacity but also the propensity to absorb those who come in contact with it. The outsider or foreigner is not easily absorbed and can be a small but meaningful counterweight to address the imbalance.

Secondarily I believe that in living as a stranger in China I am focusing the attention of some Canadian Catholics on the reality of China in the world today. I am doing a little to promote a world that is “catholic” or universal.

On Sundays I attend Mass at the local church where there are only two or three non-Chinese parishioners attending. I believe that people see me as a “brother in the faith,” someone who helps them to appreciate and savour the fact that as a people of God, we are universal. My ministry cannot be overt, as China is officially run by a Communist government.

I believe that I have a God-given appetite and ability to live and work with others for the benefit of all. I have no road map or fixed objective; there is, however, a harmony which serves as a yardstick for me. Encountering and sharing my life with the people here and then to share my experience with people in Canada is for me a Christian witness to the Risen Lord. I hear it echoed in my relationships with others and see it reflected in their attitudes: it suggests harmony and grace.

I believe the world undergoes constant alignment as it responds both negatively and positively to the prompting of the Spirit. At this time in history we are undergoing a major alignment, the depth of which we are only beginning to appreciate and grasp. My presence in China offers me a unique perspective that can and does enhance the perspective of others who are likewise engaged in witnessing to the greater and deeper realization of God.

In closing I would like to offer this observation. The media has recently been informing us of the demonstrations in Burma and the military suppression of the monks and the people. We may say that the monks are the soul of Burma. In China, the spirit or soul of the country is its young people. The idealism of most young people is not only endearing, it is challenging and evocative. They are a catalyst for holding me in mission.

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