CHENGDU, China (UCAN) -- More than 400 Catholics, double the usual number of churchgoers, packed a newly assembled makeshift church in Mianzhu city, Sichuan province, for Sunday Mass on July 27.

A priest says Mass at the newly assembled 123-square-meter temporary church in Mianzhu, during Sunday Mass on July 27.

According to Father James Li Jinxuan, the parish priest, "Catholics now have a deeper faith in God after having gone through the calamity."

July 27 was the first time Sunday Mass was celebrated in the new structure since the 80-year-old Mianzhu church collapsed in the May 12 earthquake. The 8.0-magnitude quake destroyed many Chengdu diocese churches.

According to a diocesan report, 26 of the 59 churches standing before the earthquake need to be rebuilt, and some of them relocated, while 23 others need repairs.

Mianzhu is 70 kilometers north of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu.

The parish there is one of the first three chosen by Chengdu diocese's Church Restoration Office in which to build makeshift churches. The other two are in Pengzhou and Xiushui. These temporary structures are made of zinc-steel sheets with heat-insulating polystyrene filling.

The diocese set up the office on June 10 to rebuild and relocate churches affected by the quake so Catholics can resume normal religious life.

Father Li recalled that before the quake struck, only about 200 people regularly attended Sunday Mass at Mianzhu Church.

The priest attributed the increase partly to home visits priests and nuns have made to comfort quake victims. He said the outreach seems to have increased the religious fervor of previously non-practicing parishioners.

Even before the makeshift church was constructed, he noted, Sunday Masses had resumed in mid-June in tents. He added that now Sunday Mass starts at 9 a.m., an hour later than it did previously, to allow more travel time for the increased number of rural Catholics now coming to this "city church."

More than 400 Catholics pack the newly assembled 123-square-meter temporary church in Mianzhu, during Sunday Mass on July 27.

The makeshift church, which has a floor area of 123 square meters, stands in front of the ruins of the former church.

Father Li said he would apply to the local religious department to rebuild a permanent church on the same spot. He also plans to propose the church proper be built above a ground-floor parking area for cars and motorbikes.

Although the makeshift church is complete, its furnishings are not. According to Father Li, the church has hired two men to construct pews with planks from the ruins of the collapsed church. They have so far made a dozen, each of which can seat six people, so most Massgoers have had to stand during liturgies.

Even with more pews expected to be completed in coming weeks, Father Li does not think the makeshift structure will be able to accommodate all Massgoers on Aug. 15 for the Assumption of Mary, a major feast day in China.

"But this is not a problem, as long as we have a decent place to hold Mass for the Catholics," he said.

The local government has sponsored a three-room house next to the church as office and residence for the priest and parish staff, he added.

Meanwhile, the parish has organized school lessons for kindergarten and elementary school children in the neighborhood in tents, but has suspended summer catechism classes for children this year, Father Li said. He plans to arrange a counseling course in early August to help parishioners minister to quake victims.

The diocese has received funding from Catholic-run Jinde Charities, based in Hebei province in northern China, for its restoration projects.

Mary Feng Lihong, head of Jinde's relief team, told UCA News on July 28 that they have given about 230,000 yuan (US$33,718), collected from Catholics across the country, toward materials and labor for the makeshift churches in Mianzhu, Pengzhou and Xiushui.

Only the Bailu church in Pengzhou is still being assembled. The parish priest there, Father Francis Zhang Yiqiang, spoke with UCA News on July 29.

Debris from the collapsed church had just been cleared and the cement floor for the makeshift church had just been completed, he said. He expected the 180-square-meter temporary church would be assembled in time for Sunday Mass on Aug. 3.

Since the collapse of their church, Bailu Catholics have had to attend Mass in the courtyard of a damaged church in a neighboring county, the priest added.

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