World Day of Prayer for the

Church in China

May 24 is the day of prayer for the Church in China. It was proposed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 that every year, May 24, precisely on the feast of Mary Help of Christians to pray for the Church in China.

Following are suggestions of Prayer Intentions for the Church in China, to be used during the world day of prayer, or the previous Sunday (May 20, 2012):

Mission Intention Church in China. That the Lord may help the Church in China persevere in fidelity to the Gospel and grow in unity.

In China, the Catholic Church is confusingly divided into the government-sanctioned Catholic Patriotic Association and the underground Church. The Catholic Patriotic Association forbids its members and clergy to communicate with the Vatican or other foreign Catholic organizations. In defiance of the Church doctrine of apostolic succession, the Chinese government appoints bishops for the Catholic Patriotic Association. Wrongly seen as a threat to the government, many underground Catholic bishops, priests, and laity have been imprisoned.

Our prayers are timely now because a growing number of Chinese are openly seeking God for the first time in decades. New-found material wealth for many has left people spiritually dissatisfied. The Pope asked for Christians around the world to make May 24 a day of prayer for China. We pray earnestly for the divided Church in China, that all Catholics there may be reconciled to one another and united in their fidelity to the Gospel.