Dioceses of Kai Feng and Zhu Ma Dian in He Nan province in
mainland China had the joy of welcoming six new priests at the beginning
of the year, a sign of hope for the mission of the Church.In Kai Feng, over a thousand faithful attended the priestly ordination of three deacons from Kai Feng diocese and one from Xing Tai.
Fifty priests concelebrated the solemn celebration on January 2 presided by Bishop Lian Jian Sen of Jiang Men at the new church dedicated to the Sacred Heart.
Forty seminarians of the Seminaries of Shi Jia Zhuang (He Bei), Tai Yuan (Xi Shan), Chi Feng (inner Mongolia) and Wu Han (Hu Bei) were also present, as well as several religious sisters.
For Kai Feng diocese, it had the most ordinations in recent years. While for the diocese of Zhu Ma Dian, the two ordinations held on January 1 was also a historical moment; it was the first ordinations since 1933.
Chinese Christian media, Faith of He Bei, pointed out, "Both the dioceses, like many other continental communities, had to deal with the lack of priestly vocations. These ordinations are obviously a source of great joy and hope for the local community and for the entire Church in China, which is doing her best in the field of evangelization with limited human and material resources."