Rural parish to honor Matteo Ricci

Published Date: June 16, 2009

A church near Nanchang in eastern China is planning to erect a statue of groundbreaking missioner Father Matteo Ricci on the site where he is believed to have lived for a period of time.

Father Wang in front of the century-old Xuposhan village church

The statue is the brainchild of Father Peter Wang Leizhen, the first resident priest here in 40 years. He told UCA News that he wants to unveil the statue in the courtyard of Xuposhan village church, about an hour by car from the city, to commemorate the famous Italian missioner´s 400th death anniversary.

The unveiling would coincide with the reopening in October of the church that has been closed for a year of renovations.

Father Ricci was a Jesuit priest, famous for his missionary work in China. He introduced Catholicism to Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi province, around 1595.

Villagers have told Father Wang of stories passed down from generation to generation that say Father Ricci stayed briefly in the village before going on to Nanchang city. In the 19th century, French members of the Congregation of the Mission built the Xuposhan village church on the site of the house where Father Ricci is said to have stayed.

The missioners also opened an elementary school to offer free education and accommodation to local children.

Father Wang said the decision to honor the famous priest was the easy part. Finding someone to create the statue is harder. The priest said he had approached many local sculptors and workshops but none were able to help. “We are still looking for someone in the country who knows how to make the Ricci statue,” said Father Wang.

He is also limited by his budget. Originally he had wanted the statue cast in bronze, which would be more durable, but that proved too costly. The parish budget is just 20,000 yuan (US$2,927), he said, and fiber-reinforced plastic would be cheaper.

The Xuposhan church was once a center of missionary activities before the founding of the People´s Republic of China in 1949. There were about 3,000 Catholics in nearby villages but most left after the church compound was confiscated during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).

The church was returned to the diocese in 1980 and priests from Nanchang city came to say Mass occasionally.

The parish now has about 100 Catholics, who have started coming to church after Father Wang made home visits since arriving here in November 2007. In October, two days ahead of the church reopening, the parish will conduct an evangelistic program to reach out to people who are not Catholics in the neighborhood, Father Wang said.

Father Wang believes the reopening of the church here would be a fitting moment to honor Father Ricci who is credited with bringing the Gospel to China and bridging European and Chinese civilizations.

The Italian Jesuit was born in 1552 and arrived in Macau in 1582. Macau was then a Portuguese colony and the gateway for foreigners entering China. The next year, he went to Guangdong province, southern China, and spent 12 years there before moving north to Nanjing but was turned back as foreigners were unwelcome at the time.

He retreated to Nanchang by boat in 1595 and spent three years there where he met with many intellectuals and bureaucrats who appreciated his wide knowledge of geography, mathematics and science. He also published a world map and books in classical Chinese.

His letters and other documents, however, do not identify the exact locations he had lived in, and no relics have been found so far.

Father Ricci arrived in Beijing in 1601 and the Chinese emperor allowed him to stay in the capital until his death in 1610.

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