I was reading today about the Diocese of Taizhou, China. For 48 years, it was without a bishop. Erected in 1926, it has had only one legitimate bishop: Bishop Hou Hou-shan who was ordained to the episcopacy by Pope Pius XI in October, 1926. Bishop Hou died in 1962 and the diocese has been without a bishop until last Saturday, July 10, when Fr. Anthony Xu Jiwei was ordained bishop. Bishop Xu is recognized by the Communist government and by the Pope, and thus he not only is the legitimate bishop of the diocese, but also able to carry out his ministry without having to go underground.
The Diocese of Taizhou has six thousand Catholics, five priests and nine nuns. It has twenty-five parishes, five chapels and places of worship.
Within a few years of its erection as a diocese, Taizhou had twenty-one priests. By 1957, it had 6600 faithful, but because of government persecutions, all the churches were closed and the priests were arrested. In 1984, the government reopened some of the churches but the diocese had no bishop. Two priests tried to organize the faithful until 1999, when the now Bishop Xu became apostolic administrator.
Bishop Xu was ordained by four other legitimate Chinese bishops.
Despite all this persecution, the faithful remained. Think about it: two priests were all that were left among the clergy and they kept the faith alive in the hearts of the faithful, who retained their faith despite circumstances. Two priests only and no bishop.
We have so much for which to be thankful in this country.
God bless the people of the Diocese of Taizhou.
