MACAU (UCAN) -- Bishop Jose Lai Hung-seng of Macau wants his Catholics to help the Church in Guangdong, the mainland Chinese province neighboring Macau.

Bishop Lai told UCA News that Zhanjiang diocese in southwestern Guangdong has only a bishop and three priests to serve 36,800 Catholics in 16 churches.

When Bishop Lai, 61, recently visited Bishop Paul Su Yongda of Zhanjiang and his priests at their cathedral, they told him they have inadequate personnel and resources to provide formation for Catholics.

"We use the same Cantonese dialect," Bishop Lai said, "so we should get to know our neighboring dioceses in Guangdong and offer our help." He also noted that it takes less than five hours to drive from Macau to Zhanjiang city.

Bishop Lai, two priests, two nuns and two laypeople visited churches and scenic spots in Zhanjiang diocese, Yangjiang and Zhaoqing cities in Jiangmen diocese, and Guangzhou city in Guangzhou diocese, all in Guangdong, Sept. 11-14. Two officials from the liaison office of the Central Government in Macau and Guangdong's religious affairs bureau accompanied them.

While visiting Jiangmen diocese, the Macau bishop said, he noticed that 400 Catholics at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Yangjiang enjoy strong fellowship and take active part in parish activities, such as organizing Sunday liturgy and teaching catechumens.

Father Paul Liang Jiansen of that diocese told UCA News in October that he enjoyed the fellowship between Yangjiang and Macau Catholics during their meeting in September. Father Liang, based in Jiangmen city, manages seven churches and presides at Masses in Yangjiang during major Church festivals and funerals.

The priest said he is glad that, after sharing with the visitors his plan to train lay leaders to serve the parish and do evangelization work, the Macau Church offered to support the plan and provide teaching materials as needed.

Father Liang said the visit "boosted exchange between the two Churches," and he hopes this can be strengthened even more in the future.

He explained that Macau and western Guangdong have had a longstanding link because Jesuit missioners came from Macau to his area to launch mission work and several cities in Jiangmen diocese once were part of Macau diocese.

Bishop Lai told UCA News the greatest outcome of his trip was getting to know clergy and Catholics in the mainland dioceses and their Church situation.

In his view, it would be good if Macau Catholics, especially younger ones, share with these dioceses their knowledge, catechesis and pastoral experiences during summer vacation periods. Macau priests and nuns could also conduct retreats and study sessions in these dioceses, he suggested.

The prelate also said he welcomes mainland priests to come for short- and long-term study in Macau. In July, he recalled, a group of 24 priests attended a two-week course conducted by diocesan-run Macau Inter-University Institute and afterward made a retreat. This was "a good start," Bishop Lai said.

In September, the bishop also noted, the institute started an undergraduate course on Christian Studies that is open to mainlanders, but no mainland priests or nuns enrolled for this year's course.

The bishop's trip to the mainland was his third since taking charge of Macau diocese in 2003. He visited Beijing Nov. 7-10, 2005, at the invitation of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, and joined an interreligious trip to Guangdong with other religious leaders of Macau Sept. 21-23, 2006.

Father Joao Evangelista Lau Him-sang, one of two priests on the recent trip, told UCA News that officials of the central government's liaison office in Macau expressed their hope of strengthening relations with Macau diocese.

Father Lau, parish priest of Macau's Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady, believes such relations could serve as "a channel" for Chinese officials "to understand the Vatican's way of doing things and to reflect China's opinions" to the Vatican.

Ye Xiaowen, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, visited Bishop Lai and other Macau Catholic leaders in January 2005, and Liu Yandong, head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China, visited last December.

(Accompanying photos available at here