ONLINE NEWSLETTER

December 2008

Dear Friends:

In Luke's Gospel we read that the angels announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds. God chose to announce Jesus' birth first to those who, in Jesus' time, were on the margins of society, the ones most scorned and despised. Those shepherds proceeded in haste to Bethlehem to worship the Christ Child and to announce his birth to others. (Luke 1:8-18) The question is: would the people of Jesus' time listen to the message of the shepherds, or would they dismiss it simply because they were those most scorned and despised by society? In the same way, the people of the underground Roman Catholic Church in China cry out their message to the universal Church. It is a message about fidelity to Christ and to his Body, the Church, and about the persecution that they suffer as a result of that fidelity. As we celebrate Christmas, let us make certain that we heed the message of the shepherds of Jesus' time and the "shepherds" of our time.

Letters from the underground Roman Catholic Church in China

The following is a sample of the letters that I received during the recent months from the seminarians, nuns, deacons, and priests of the underground Roman Catholic Church in China. As most of us have not lived in a communist country, and have not had to practice our faith with great restrictions and persecutions, reading the letters below will share the above mentioned underground faithful's sincere, deep and heartfelt thoughts and feelings about their discontent and anxiety; even despair and anguish that will give you a better understanding of the position of the underground Church today. Many of them have been assisted by you so generously for many years. I translated a number of passages from their letters, keeping the original flavor in their letters. I must emphasize that these letters were written to the Foundation, like letters among friends, and were not meant for publication. But I know that they would not mind sharing their experience with you. Accordingly, I must keep their names confidential from all relevant authorities because their letters express a lot of truth, untold misery, and indescribable sorrow that might be rejected and mocked. Some useful statistics are intentionally omitted so that the authorities will not be able to trace their source. To put you in the right perspective, the authors of these letters are not the elderly religious or elderly pastors whom some "China Experts" have described as elderly priests who could not move past their sufferings in the past and could not work positively for a united Catholic Church in China. On the contrary, the authors are the better educated cross section of new generations of religious and pastors who enthusiastically persevere in their vocations in the underground Church during the very difficult recent decades. These are the blessed selected groups numbering hundreds who were able to temporarily leave China pursuing Bachelors, Masters and Ph.Ds in religious studies in the renowned seminaries and/or universities in the free world. They are educated, knowledgeable, and fiercely loyal to the Magisterium, although from the letters quoted below, it is quite obvious and downright alarming that there is widespread fear of and dissatisfaction with the current situation in China. No doubt, there is even bitterness in their letters. In spite of the many difficulties expressed in their letters, their commitment to the underground Church has brought more than 15 graduates back to serve their underground bishops and their dioceses within the last two or three years.

When we talk about China, we invariably quote from the so-called "China experts" showcased by the media. In my opinion, the writers of the following quoted passages are by far the better and truer China experts. They have lived the persecutions and experienced the anguish, poverty, dreams, and joy of being able to evangelize the true gospel regardless of the facts that there are so many government-imposed restrictions. Many of their families have experienced several generations of sufferings at the hands of the Chinese government, but have been marginalized by the pastors in the official or Patriotic Association Church. They are the ones who have really been tested by fire. The real "China Experts" are not those pastors from the universal Church who have toured China for a few days, or, even for a longer period, met with the pastors of the official Church and met with some high officials of the Chinese government and returned as the "ambassadors" of the official Church. Most of these visitors have not met with the underground Church pastors or bishops during their visits to China because they are either honored guests of the Chinese government or of the official Church. Consequently, it is obviously inconvenient or plainly not allowed by the government for these visitors to deviate from their itinerary in order to visit the religious of the underground Church. Far from being "China Experts," they are "politically correct experts" and have the "correct" political connections.

I wish that, one day, the underground pastors' front line experience, their keen observations, and their intimate knowledge of both the underground Church and the Chinese government's actual strategy towards it will be accessed by those who have the authority to influence the course of history in the Roman Catholic Church in China. Indeed, even if the underground pastors' uncompromising approach to remain faithful to the Successor of St. Peter is no longer considered expedient to the Church's current strategy, their 50 years of sacrifice should at least be appreciated with great compassion and admiration as heroic examples of fidelity exhibited by the martyrs of the church whose stories dominate the liturgical calendar.

I must state that the opinions expressed in the following letters by various underground religious and pastors from China are not necessarily those of the Cardinal Kung Foundation. None of these letters quoted below are from the underground bishops. They are all in jail, or under severe surveillance, or have disappeared, or are in hiding. I offer these letters to you as an alternative to the "news on China" typically found in the secular or religious press. I invite your opinion on these letters and I will be happy to share your comments with the authors of these letters. In the meantime, I sincerely request your continuous prayers for the Roman Catholic Church in China.

Adopt A Novice

Since July 2005, we instituted an Adopt A Novice program whereby anyone can financially adopt a novice in China for US$100 for 6 months, or US$200 for a year towards the living and formation expenses for a novice. In return, the novice will pray for the intentions of her benefactor everyday. Until very recently, the benefactors of the Cardinal Kung Foundation were supporting approximately 200 novices in more than ten different convents across China. For various reasons, including the recent economic downturn, we have a number of sponsors unable to continue with the sponsorship. This program helping with the formation of nuns is critical to evangelization in the underground Church. What could be better than having the benefit of a novice nun's grateful prayers everyday to address a special situation, e.g. a serious illness, the return of a relative to the sacraments, the conversion of a family member, a deceased loved one, six months of prayers as a special present at Christmas, for a birthday or anniversary? Please consider supporting a novice nun and recommend this program to a friend.

Yours Sincerely in Christ,
Joseph Kung
President

The following is a sample of letters that I have received from the seminarians, nuns, deacons, and priests of the underground Roman Catholic Church in China. 

On the underground Roman Catholic Church in China

1. "...I will forever, for better or for worse, accompany the difficult journey of the Roman Catholic Church in China. I follow the development of the Church in China from afar in Europe where I now live, because I have very good friends and family members in China baptized in the same faith. They continue to suffer from various pressures and persecution at the hands of the Chinese government because of their Catholic faith. This brought back my own experience of the same pressures and persecution. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult for foreigners in general to understand and visualize the cunning policy of the Chinese government and the resoluteness of the persecuted faithful. Perhaps these foreigners, except for very few, just do not understand the meaning of religious freedom, religious persecution and what those called modern martyr saints are all about. However, I am grateful to the foreign media, whose occasional reporting of the issues in China allow people all over the world to get a glimpse of the cruel on-going religious persecution carried out by the Chinese government. I wish that there were more of these reports. These reports and public opinion may force the Chinese government to gradually allow religious freedom …We are thankful and indebted for these timely press releases from the Cardinal Kung Foundation." From an underground priest studying in Europe.

2. "…I have now completed my first year of study. Because of the very risky situation in my area in China, I am not able to visit my home before I complete my degree. If I were to return home for a visit in the middle of my studies, I might not be able to return to continue my education in Europe. The security police in my diocese have already found out that I am studying aboard. Last summer, agents of the public security came to my home and interrogated my family about me. I am one of very few religious in my diocese that were able to go abroad to study. All other priests who have previous arrest records are not able to leave China. They simply could not get their passports. They are all under police surveillance. They must "play hide and seek" everyday with the security police in order to offer Mass secretly in the home of the faithful. They are under the risk of being arrested especially on any major feast day. My bishop is very old, but is still under the tightest police surveillance. He has absolutely no freedom to move around. The faithful are forbidden to attend Mass in the bishop's house. In spite of the persecution, the underground Roman Catholic Church continues to grow. I am extremely grateful to the Foundation's benefactors for their continuous concern, support, and prayers for the underground Church in China. May the motherly love of our Blessed Mother be with you and your benefactors always…." From an underground priest studying in Europe.

3. "…the Church in China has no freedom at present. The pressure is not only from the government, but also from the objections of many non-Catholics…Although our faithful live in this difficult situation, they feel great joy to be a witness to the suffering Christ. We hope that the government realizes that the Church is not only forever, but is also indestructible by any powerhouse…We hope that the non-Catholics may recognize the fact that God truly exists…We attend Holy Mass at three o'clock every Sunday morning.  Even at such early hours, although the dawn still does not yet arrive when the Mass is finished, there is never anyone complaining about attending Mass so early.  We have no church building. We can only take turns to pray in the homes of the faithful. Although we cannot give wide publicity to the celebration of a Holy Mass as in the Patriotic Association Church, we in the underground Church are able to express the true liturgy symbolizing the suffering Christ.  This lack of freedom is the result of pressure from the government.  Therefore, we can only pray to God to influence these government officers so that one day there will be freedom of religion in China…." From an underground seminarian studying in Europe.

A priestly ordination that did not happen

4. "…I was ordained a deacon approximately one year ago. My bishop had decided that I should return to China to be ordained a priest this summer. I did. But when the time came for my priestly ordination, my bishop was arrested and was kept in an unknown place. We could not reach him. I remember last year when I was in China for being ordained a deacon, we had to surreptitiously put the bishop on a motorcycle in the middle of a dark night, and piggybacked him to a secret place for my deacon ordination. After the ordination, we had again to secretly transport the bishop on the motorcycle to his residence. The whole journey including the ceremony lasted no more than two hours. There were only the bishop and a couple of other underground priests assisting the bishop. We had no music and no guests during the ordination. We did not even have an opportunity to take a picture for my deacon ordination. This time, with my own bishop in captivity, and most of the other underground bishops in the neighboring dioceses either in jail or in hiding, I was not able to get another bishop to ordain me. This was before the opening of the Olympic games and security was extremely tight. All religious activities in my underground diocese have been forbidden…During this entire period of several weeks immediately before the Olympic games, my vicar general was not even allowed to cross the boundary of his residing town by one step…Under this circumstance, the vicar general decided that it was too risky for an ordination this summer. He advised me to wait for another year…" From an underground deacon studying in Europe. 

China-Vatican relations

5. "…Even to this day, our underground Roman Catholic Church in China is not legal and is not recognized by the Chinese government. Therefore, our priestly status is not recognized by the government. Our work in evangelization is severely limited by the government. Our public praying is all secretly confined in the homes of the faithful, and our celebrations for major feast days are always sadly marked by our bishop being taken away or interrupted by sudden police inspections, or arrests, or are just forbidden. On the other hand, the Vatican wants so much to establish diplomatic relations with the Beijing government that it has, maybe unknowingly, acted as if the underground Roman Catholic Church has become its obstacle…The mood or feelings of the underground Roman Catholic Church frequently were overlooked. Last August, we received news that the Vatican was about to appoint a bishop belonging to the official Church or the above-ground Church to be the bishop of an underground diocese. Approximately two dozen priests belonging to the underground Church jointly signed a letter to protest this to the Vatican's Congregation. Upon receipt of this letter, the secretaries in charge of this appointment were openly angry and very hostile to this letter. Unfortunately, this issue has not been resolved, but the appointment has also not been made official… .We felt so sad that the underground Roman Catholic Church is not only illegal under the laws of the Chinese government, but also the same in the eyes of the Vatican. Please, God, hear our prayers." From an underground priest studying in Europe.

6. "…Following years of bullish news and excessive optimism about China-Vatican relations, the public appears to have gradually fallen prey to the idea that the official Church, otherwise known as the above-ground or Patriotic Association Church in China, will soon be recognized by the Vatican…giving an appearance of tacit approval of the religious policy of the Chinese government.  Since the end of June last year after the publication of the Pope's China letter, there was an explosion of an overly optimistic report and opinion, including those from the so called reputable "China experts," about the possibility that the Chinese government would immediately change its policy, and possibly establish normal diplomatic relations with the Vatican even before the opening of the Olympic games in Beijing.  In fact, this wishful thinking and expectation failed to lead us to any happy improvements in China-Vatican relations.  On the contrary, it is very regrettable to learn that in the recently announced list of attendees of the Bishop's Synod for the Bible in August, there was a complete blank for the names of the Chinese bishops from China.  Therefore, news of pending improvement and normalization of the diplomatic relations between China and the Vatican is quite disappointing.

"Hoping to change the policy of religious persecutions in a short period by the Chinese government does not appear to be practical. Rather, we are seeing more actions from the Vatican passively influenced by the Chinese government. Relying on the China letter from the Pope last year, the Holy Sea originally hoped to effectively unite and reconcile with the Catholic Church in China, thereby achieving the full communion of the official Church in China with the Pope and the universal Church. Therefore, almost all recent Vatican decisions appear to be so one sided in favor of the Chinese government as shown by almost all recent actions. For an example, almost all the Chinese bishops recently appointed by the Vatican are from the official Church. Financial aid is zealously awarded to the projects sponsored by the official Church. In the meantime, the Vatican officials "actively encourage" the underground Church religious to sacrificially accommodate the official Church's position, and even encourage the underground faithful to join the official Church's liturgies and sacraments.

"However, in spite of the effort by the Vatican to publicly merge the underground Church with the official Church, the local government is not willing to give legal status and to offer jobs to the religious and other leaders of the underground Church. In the meantime, one year after the China letter from the Pope, more and more underground faithful, at the urging of the Vatican, started to join the official Church. Therefore, taking full advantage of support from the Vatican, using the Vatican's own authority, the Chinese government was able to realize, almost within one year, the policy of "self-propagation, self-support, self-administration," and an independent Catholic Church that the Chinese government was not able to implement for more than 50 years, a policy continuously condemned by all the Popes since 1949…Under this condition, why should the Chinese government be anxious to establish normal diplomatic relations with the Vatican? It is to the clear advantage of the Chinese government to wait for the Vatican to give in completely until all the conditions set forth by the Chinese government are met by the Vatican! Moreover, the Olympic games have ended, and there is no urgent necessity to gain the goodwill of Vatican. In the meantime, the Chinese government can double its efforts to control the official Church, preventing it from leaning entirely toward the Vatican; and on the other hand, it can continue to pressurize, persecute, and weaken the underground Church to the end that it becomes an ineffective institution.

"The Pope wants us to go public. We wish to respond to the Pope's advice for the opening up of the underground Church and to be in communion with the brothers and sisters of the official Church. But the local government refuses to recognize our religious status, wants us to be reeducated in their official seminary in Beijing, and to accept the government's political reeducation and examination. We will be allowed to carry on our pastoral work only if we pass all these reeducation requirements; otherwise, we are still considered illegal. We of course know what exactly the government is demanding for all these reeducations. How would a priest feel if he, having already worked for approximately 20 years, had to go back to a communist seminary to be reeducated in its theology and political thought? This would not simply be a review of knowledge, but more importantly an attempt to change my viewpoint on faith and theology. The result could be not only the denial of my past decision to be an underground priest, but also the betrayal of my faith and conscience. So, you see, the underground religious cannot just blindly cross their line and go to work for the official Church. It is not the leadership of the underground Church that is refusing to give up its current pastoral work or to give up remembering its past persecuted experience, or to purposely not to cooperate with the government. It is the "one sided" appeasement policy of the Vatican that failed to work out the details of how the underground Church religious should be merged with and accepted by the official Church. It is very regrettable that the appeasement policy of the Vatican has not obtained the understanding and the reasonable response from the Chinese government. We should not just be pushed across the line without a clear understanding, with the Chinese government, of how this process should be peacefully carried out.

"Truly, the difficulties facing the underground Church of today have become more precipitous. The Church not only has to face severe restrictions from the Chinese government, but also has to face the mis- or non-understanding and unfair accusations from so many Vatican-recognized so-called "experts." However, we believe in that God who preserved the family of David when the Greeks trampled upon the Jewish religion in those "days of blood-shed." We hope that in the midst of their difficulties the same God will help those underground faithful and religious who have absolute faith in Him…" From an underground priest studying in Europe.

7. "…On September 9, 2007, underground Bishop Han Dingxiang of Yong Nian died in government custody very mysteriously at the end of his almost 8-year imprisonment. He was forcibly cremated and buried within 6 hours of his death by the Chinese authorities. (Editor's note: please visit our 9/10/07 Press Release for details of the death of Bishop Han)

"A priest of Bishop Han wrote a letter from China reporting the detail of Bishop Han's tragic, but a holy martyr's, death to the Vatican's Congregation. It was most disappointing that there was no reply, no expression, and no action from the Congregation regarding this letter. It was reported that the letter could not be accepted since there was no signature on the letter. Whether or not the letter has a signature is not important. The important thing is that Bishop Han has died in a Chinese jail for his Catholic faith as reported by international media and has therefore automatically become a martyr. An open recognition from the Vatican would surely bring about a deep consolation to Bishop Han's diocese. It would also be an encouragement to the suffering underground Church. There was no such open recognition and celebration in the Vatican for Bishop Han's martyrdom. (Editor's note: Many communications from the underground Church are routinely censored or bugged by the Chinese government. It is therefore customary for the correspondence from the underground Church to have neither a signature nor the name of the writer so that, if the letter is intercepted by the Chinese authorities, the writer may not be identified. This practice is common knowledge among those who frequently deal with the underground Church.) From an underground priest studying in Europe.

8. "…Because of the closeness of the Vatican to the Chinese government, many priests belonging to the official Church or the above-ground Church have been consecrated bishops that are now recognized by the Vatican. In contrast, the loyal and suffering underground Roman Catholic Church has now appeared to be considered an obstacle to the Vatican's policy. Also, because of the speed of the change of the Vatican's policy and of inadequate consultation for this change with the authority of the underground Church, it is difficult to alter our traditional position of being absolutely faithful to the underground Church and to readily accept the Vatican's change to appease the official Church, thereby causing some amount of unstableness and confusion in the underground Church...

"The religious of the official Church are using various influences, just want to be recognized by the Vatican. Take Bishop Li Shan of Bejing as an example. A priest belonging to the official Church had said as long as ten years ago that then Father Li Shan was being groomed as a bishop by the Patriotic Association. Bishop Li Shan in fact was consecrated a bishop and was quickly recognized by the Vatican two years ago! …Without knowing what is exactly to be done, many religious in the underground Church are now accustomed to saying: we only believe in one God, the Father Almighty…" From an underground priest studying in Europe.

9. "…Following many years of economic boom in China, many foreign bishops, foreign priests, and superiors of foreign religious orders - including some officials in the Vatican - thought that the religious policy of the Chinese government has now been changed for the better. That is patently wrong. They wrongly believe that the Chinese government refuses to accept and to recognize the underground bishops, priests, and other religious because they are being stubborn and uncompromising in their religious belief and are unwilling to give up their parish posts. They also wrongly believe that the underground Roman Catholic Church is an organization without any hope or future to look forward to. No wonder they look at the underground Church in a very negative light. They do not see, or purposefully avoid seeing, the persecutions that the underground Church has suffered, and do not want to acknowledge the brave efforts that the underground faithful have put forth to defend their Church and to protect their faith and love for the true Church and the Pope. They do not even hear or refuse to hear the appeal of help from the underground Church. On the other hand, because of their recognition by the government, the ease with which they can make contacts, and their many decorated and open churches which are the result of Communist government's financial subsidy, the above-ground or official Church receives the admiration and much help from the same foreign religious. They are the ones who claim themselves as 'China experts' without knowing how much harm they have done to the suffering underground Roman Catholic Church in China…" From an underground seminarian in Europe.

10. "…It is so difficult for me to make a clear distinction any longer between black and white in the happenings and decisions made by the Vatican regarding issues with China. I have never felt so helpless. It is apparent that the Vatican's practices have not been either to support or understand the underground Roman Catholic Church in China. The fact is that the Vatican is urging the suffering underground Catholic Church to gradually be merged with the official Church, which is also called the above-ground Church, or the Patriotic Association Church. One might say that we, the underground Church, have now been forced to the road of ruin not only by the persecution from the Chinese government, but also by the indecisiveness and appeasement of the Vatican. It was very difficult for me to accept these happenings when I first heard and understood them. They are so deplorable. I dare not to inform the faithful in the underground Roman Catholic Church in China of these facts because I am afraid that they will refuse to accept them…" From an underground seminarian studying in Europe.

11. "…Our convent was founded many years ago. At that time, there was no bishop in our underground diocese. More and more faithful left the official or the Patriotic Association Church and joined our underground Church. There were only eight or nine underground priests, not enough to meet the needs of various religious activities. Our convent was therefore established at that time by the underground priests to assist the work of the diocese. We had no fixed residence and had no financial resources to establish a convent. We still do not have one. We secretly lived with the families of the faithful, bringing our own rice for the meal. We worked under constant risk of arrest. In fact, many of our sisters, including our current mother superior, were arrested and detained at one time or another… I am now in my final year of studying for a university degree. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to study aboard, thanks to a scholarship from the Church and also the gift of a living allowance from the benefactors of the Cardinal Kung Foundation. I am grateful also for the prayers from my community and other friends. I remember all my benefactors in my daily rosary and Mass. I also pray for the intentions of those who posted in the prayer room of the Foundation website…" From an underground nun studying in Europe.

12. "…I am a nun from the underground Roman Catholic Church in China. I was sent by my diocesan bishop and mother superior of my convent to Europe to study so that one day I could go back to China to teach other nuns and seminarians, and other faithful. I have already been in Europe for a number of years. In these years, I have received every year a living allowance from the Cardinal Kung Foundation to supplement what is not covered in the scholarship granted to me by the university. My benefactors make it possible for me to concentrate on my studies…I am very grateful to them.

"We have many nuns in our convent, two-thirds of whom have professed permanent vows, and one-third of whom are novices and postulants. We are illegal in China, although we are native-born Chinese. Due to our affiliation with the underground Roman Catholic Church, we received not a penny from the Chinese government for any program to which a religious order affiliated with the Patriotic Association is entitled. Therefore, our subsistence in China is entirely dependent upon few good-hearted underground faithful benefactors. As we are located in a very poor region, these good hearted people could only assist us in a very limited way. We nuns live an extremely meager life. Besides dumplings made from wheat flour, we have only vegetables for lunch, and occasionally some beans. There is definitely no meat, fish, or eggs in our normal diet because we simply cannot afford it. On a few important feast days, the villagers would donate some meat to us.

"The Chinese government does not allow us to build any residence, and we do not have money to do so anyway. Groups of us, 7 or 8 nuns each, secretly live in the home of various faithful.  Even so, the local security police use every means to hunt us down in order to separate us or even detain us.  Therefore, we have to be constantly alert, and move to a different home when we believe that there may be a police raid coming.  This happens twice or three times a year. Notwithstanding numerous inconveniences and serious lack of space, we maintain a very rigid and orderly schedule for our religious life.  We have time reserved for rest, for prayers and meditations, for work, for studies, for meals, and for recreation.  As a result, we have successfully converted one or two small rooms within a family's home to a temporary but genuine convent.  Although there is no outward sign indicating that it is a convent, it is in fact a very real community and convent, full of God's grace.

"The above is an introduction to the simple life of our nuns in China. This is also the same life style of thousands and thousands of other nuns, seminarians, and religious scattered in the vast area of China. Although their lives are so poor and basic, they are nevertheless the "yeast of the group" as Christ said in the Bible (Matthew 13:33). Because of the existence and example of these nuns and seminarians, together with the grace of God and with the examples of these holy underground bishops, the millions of faithful in the underground Roman Catholic Church in China are able to face the horrible persecution from the Chinese government and at the same time firmly keep their faith. As a result, annually there is an increase of religious vocations in the underground Roman Catholic Church in China. Take for an example my own convent. Each year we have more than ten young girls requesting admission to our convent as novices. This is the reason why we have grown from few sisters to so many sisters.

"How true are the words of those who kept saying that the underground Church is without vitality and is a dying institution? Could it be possible that they formed their opinion because they could not hear the voice of those nuns, seminarians and religious, and they could not see their suffering in their lifestyle? It is so regrettable that they could not understand the real nature of the Catholic Church in China, especially the underground Roman Catholic Church in China. Therefore, my dear friends in Christ, please be assured that the underground Roman Catholic Church in China, regardless of the fact that there are no outward signs, is full of vitality. Its success in evangelization should not be overlooked. Let us be fair. What ever the number that the official Church or the Patriotic Association Church claims for their faithful and religious, we, the underground Roman Catholic Church, have at least that many, and more. Take my diocese as an example. While the official Church has only several priests and few faithful, we, the underground Roman Catholic Church, have many more priests, seminarians, and nuns, and tens of thousands more of faithful!

"The livelihood and education of so many seminarians and sisters in the underground Roman Catholic Church are indeed desperately in need of help from many benefactors. Since I arrived in Europe, I came to know the Cardinal Kung Foundation. Afterwards, representing my convent, I appealed for help from this Foundation. In the last few years, the Cardinal Kung Foundation did give our convent much help. The Foundation has been supporting the living and formation expenses of dozens of our novices, paying the tuition and related expenses for approximately ten professed nuns to study various subjects, including medicine and nursing in various Chinese universities, defraying the expenses of other projects, and subsidizing the living expenses of other nuns. Because of the help from the Cardinal Kung Foundation, we were able to develop and expand our convent by accepting many more new novices. We are fully aware that this help would not be possible without the kind donations and love from the benefactors and friends of the Cardinal Kung Foundation…Therefore, please pass on our gratitude of my Mother Superior, all the nuns and novices to our benefactors. We thank God for their kind help. All the nuns in our convent will remember their intentions in our prayers. We beg God's choicest blessings be placed upon each of you, your loved ones, your family and your work." From an underground nun studying in Europe.

Thanking the benefactors of the Cardinal Kung Foundation

13. "…Matthew 25:40: "as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me" Yes, I absolutely have no doubt. I daily offer my most humble and sincere prayers for you and for the benefactors of the Cardinal Kung Foundation that our all merciful and kind God will reward you a hundredfold for what you have done for us…." From an underground nun studying in Europe.

14. "…I know that the money you sent to us are all from the savings of those benefactors of the Cardinal Kung Foundation. Although I have never forgotten my gratitude to them, I am afraid that I have no other way to express it except to pray for them. For a long time, I have designated all my prayers on each Saturday for these benefactors. I chose Saturday because it is the date to venerate our Blessed Mother. I especially pray to the Lady of China to bless those benefactors for helping me to study and to grow by their kind prayers and financial help. I do not always know their intentions, but I could depend on the Blessed Mother who knows their needs and intentions. Please be assured that I will continue praying for my benefactors. Thank you so much…" From an underground nun studying in Europe.

15. "…Although we have never met, we have long been united in our daily prayers. I know you are the benefactors and friends of the Cardinal Kung foundation. As one of your beneficiaries, I am here not only to thank you specially, but also to represent my diocese and convent in China and express our deepest gratitude for what you have already done for us.

"Yes, we really must thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity and offerings. Having received your kindness for so long, how could we ever forget our benefactors, although you keep such a low profile in the public that very few people are even aware of your great work of generosity and love? Let us make no mistake: because of your help and donations, the underground Roman Catholic Church in China can continue to grow steadily; numerous seminarians, nuns and other religious can receive a good education. Consequently, we are able to build a strong foundation for the future evangelization and propagation of faith of the Roman Catholic Church in China. May God bless you all." From an underground nun studying in Europe.

16. "…On my desk is a copy of the picture of Cardinal Kung. Everyday, I pray for/to Cardinal Kung, as well as for the Cardinal Kung Foundation and its benefactors. I recite each day once the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father for the intentions of all the benefactors. I pray for them for helping the Roman Catholic Church in China…" From an underground seminarian studying in Europe.

17. "…Although we have not left any words in your Prayer Room, and although we have not visited your Prayer Room as often as we should, please be assured that each and every benefactor of the Cardinal Kung Foundation is remembered in my daily prayers. May God forever reward their generosity…"
    From an underground priest studying in Europe.

Please Remember The Cardinal Kung Foundation In Your Will.
Thank You.