The presence of more than fifty Chinese laity coming from the Chinese Chaplaincy under the care of the Augustinian Recollects in Madrid, was justified. On Sunday, August 11, at twelve midday, the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Way of Monteagudo (Navarre) was the site of a a very meaningful and emotional celebration, after 89 years of missionary epic of the Augustinian Recollects in China. It has been two decades that the Inter-Provincial Noviciate of Monteagudo has not been the venue of priestly ordinations. Besides, two of last Augustinian Recollects who played leading roles in the first missionary epic in China: Melecio Ho and Benito Suen reside in this community. They were given the responsibility of putting on the stole and chasuble on the new priests.
Guillermo and Francisco
The new priests are Guillermo Zhang (Chang He, China, 1980) and Francisco Ma (Xi’An, China, 1982). The first comes from the Diocese of Hezé (Shandong, China), where the last bishop was the Augustinian Recollect José Wang; the second is a native of State of Shaanxi, and joined the Augustinian Recollect religious life through the vocational promotion of the Augustinian Recollect Missionary Sisters when he was still in the Diocesan Seminary and informed about the presence of the Order in China.
Guillermo and Francisco, from now on, have new assignment in order to initiate their pastoral ministry. In Madrid and Zaragoza they will continue their civil studies in Spain at the start of the new course in September, collaborating in the parishes of Saint Rita of Madrid and in Romareda College of Zaragoza.
Guillermo and Francisco are the first Chinese religious who are ordained after having received their entire formation in this country. They have spent 10 particularly difficult years, as the ordaining prelate, Eusebio Hernández, an Augustinian Recollect Bishop of Taragona (Zaragoza), emphasized in his homily: the learning of foreign language to the point of studying with it philosophy and theology; the remoteness of the family; many times the practical impossibility of maintaining communication or normal travel to their country; the special conditions in which the Church in China lives and which they have lived in their own personal growth, in religious life and in spiritual life.
China, becoming nearer
During the last years, the social and political reality has made possible new ways of presence and actions of the Order of the Augustinian Recollects in the country of China. Today, there is a better communication with the Mission, the visits are more frequent and normal, there are religious there who have been formed in Spain, or have taken refresher courses and learning of language; in Spain attention is given to Catholic Chinese citizens who live in Europe.
The seed that gave rise to the Mission in 1924, has been giving its fruits and today deploys its vitality in a rich, intense, pastoral work with new forms of presence and with multiple modes of pastoral care to the Chinese people both on the part of the order of Augustinian Recollects as well as the Augustinian Recollect Missionary Sisters. Sisters of this Congregation , both Chinese and other nationalities, were also present at the ordination in Monteagudo, because in this town of Navarre they have their Mother House, the house that was established by its Founder and first Bishop of the Mission, the Augustinian Recollect Francisco Javier Ochoa.