Mission in China today

Some of the most moving experiences of my priestly and missionary career have taken place in China

By Roger Brennan, S.F.M.
December 2007

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Very often when I meet people who learn that I am a priest missionary working in China there follows a predictable series of questions: Are there many Catholics in China? Are there Catholic churches in China? Do you teach religion?

I will usually tell them that no one really knows how many Catholics there are in China but estimates are between six and 12 million. China does have Catholic churches, some that are licensed by the government and open to the public, and some that are not. The congregations and clergy of the licensed Churches belong to the Chinese Patriotic Association, an organ of the government that does not recognize the authority of the Pope over the Catholic Church in China. In the licensed churches, Mass is celebrated just like in a parish church in Canada. The churches that are not licensed are considered illegal by the government. Priests and people who participate in these churches are subject to harassment and arrest and the churches are sometimes destroyed.

Foreign residents are not permitted to teach religion in China with the intention of conversion. Only local religious leaders in licensed religious institutions like churches, temples and mosques can teach religion. Foreign residents are also not permitted to conduct religious services in public. I cannot teach religion in China nor can I say Mass in public. I am there to teach English.

When I explain this situation to people I can immediately see the puzzled look on their faces and know what the next question will be: "Well, what kind of priestly or missionary work can you do?" or "Why are you in China if you can't work as a priest or missionary?"

This line of thinking exposes some of our common underlying misconceptions about priesthood and mission. Many people assume that mission means conversion and priesthood means sacramental ministry. But these are very limited definitions of what it means to be a priest or missionary.

I can honestly say that some of the most moving experiences of my priestly and missionary career have taken place in China. They are primarily events that remind me of St. Francis of Assisi's instruction to his friars: "Preach the Gospel always and when necessary, use words." These events do not take place in a "religious" context and those involved may not be believers in any conventional sense; they do not know that I am a priest, though they would know that I am a Christian. And the fact that they are expressing themselves in a language that is not their first language sometimes lends a certain ambiguity to the event. However, it is always clear that something profound has taken place and this is what they are seeking to communicate.

A few examples may illustrate what I mean. For several years I taught English to doctoral students at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Central China. English was important for them both in their research and if they hoped to pursue further studies at an English research facility in the West. Each year I gave several lectures on Western culture and told them that just as a knowledge of Confucianism helps one to understand Chinese culture, some knowledge of Christianity would throw light on aspects of Western culture. In this context I was able to introduce sacred scripture and Church history, and discuss Christian beliefs, values, customs and celebrations.

These lectures were always well received and sparked lively discussion. In particular, I remember one instance the day after a presentation on Jesus and His teaching. I was working with a group of students and one of them said to me, "What you told us yesterday was important for us."

This past year I was teaching at a university in Southeast China and for the final examination each student met with me to give a five-minute impromptu talk on a topic they had selected only a few minutes before. Halfway through the afternoon, a student came in who had chosen the topic, "An important event in your life." She sat down and proceeded to tell me that her father had died almost a year before, leaving her family in great difficulty.

For nearly 40 minutes she poured out her grief and pain. She had not been able to do this at home because she felt she had to be strong for her mother and her younger brother. She had not felt able to share this with her friends and classmates at the university. My presence obviously provided an opportunity for her to unburden herself and also, I hoped, to receive some words of comfort and hope. Her outpouring of grief during the exam completely threw my schedule off, but I felt deeply honoured and humbled that she chose to share something so important with me.

Through the years I have learned that meaningful ministry for a priest is not so much a matter of what you plan to do or say, but more often a case of where the Spirit places you and what word the Spirit places in your mouth. My greatest joys in ministry have been those occasions when someone has quoted back to me something I said which was important for them, but which I have no awareness of having said. Or when I find myself in an unplanned situation where there is an opportunity to share the Gospel with those who may never have heard the message of Jesus.

For me, being a priest has meant trying to be present in the world with a certain sensitivity to the ways in which God's presence is manifest in ordinary life, and to be at the disposal of the movement of God's Spirit.

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