The Catholic Church in China is young --- again. The contrasts are everywhere, and they are striking.

While in Shanghai I met with the two Bishops there: Bishop Aloysius Jin Lu Xian, S.J., who is 89 years of age and ordained a Bishop in 1985; and Bishop Joseph Xing Wenzhi, who is 44 years old and ordained a Bishop five months ago. Bishop Aloysius represents many chapters of the Church's history during the tumultuous 1900s, including the Maoist era, the Cultural Revolution, and the many historical transitions which took place those years. Bishop Joseph represents the latest chapter in the Church's history here in China, and is a great sign of hope for the future.

Bishop Aloysius is simply amazing. At age 89 he speaks fluent Chinese, English, German, French and Italian; he is presently learning Spanish because he said that "one grows old when one stops learning." His Spanish is quite good, too. But more than that, he has positioned the Church for a bright future. He completed a new Diocesan office building next to their historic Cathedral, and he has opened a publishing house, instructional materials offices, and other forms of modern communication to bring the Catholic faith to the people.

The Cathedral itself is a great place for conversions to the Faith. Many young people stop in to see what the building is, look around, find the peacefulness there, and make inquiry about joining the Church. Some 100 young people become Catholics this way each year simply because the Cathedral is there, and because it offers something new and different for the people.

Bishop Joseph is remarkable in that his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop was approved publicly both by the Holy See and the Chinese Government --- the first such appointment in many decades to be made with the dual and public approval. He was ordained a Bishop with the proper Apostolic Mandate, signed by Pope John Paul II.

There are some 70 priests in the Diocese of Shanghai, and 61 of them are under the age of 40 years. The Seminary has 88 students, representing Shanghai and several neighboring Dioceses. They are bright, eager, and filled with zeal. All of the priests in leadership roles in the various Seminaries in China have received advanced degrees outside China --- many in the colleges and universities of the United States. They are not only fluent in English, but well trained in the Church's teachings and pastoral methods.

With most of China's Bishops in their 80s and 90s, these younger priests will become the next era of Bishops --- and they will be great signs of promise and of hope for the Church here. I can well imagine that in ten years, all of China's Bishops will be in their 40s and 50s.

Among the priests and Bishops, there are really just two groupings --- affectionately referred to in China as "grandfathers and sons," but with no "fathers" in between. That missing era reflects the most repressive of the various persecutions suffered by Catholics over the centuries, and is the reason for few middle-aged priests and Bishops.

The Shanghai Seminary is located on the highest place in the area --- about 1,500 feet high. Atop the small mountain is a great Church, but during the Cultural Revolution, the statue of Mary atop the cupola was destroyed, as were the stained glass windows. Just recently, a new statue of Mary holding up the infant Jesus to the world was installed, and she looks out across the great expanse of this growing city. Young Chinese artists are busy planning the fabrication of new stained glass windows, and they intend to give the Church a greater splendor than even before the destruction.

These signs of new life and of faith abound everywhere. At the same time, Catholics realize that a new type of cultural collision is beginning to take place: the values of the Gospel and of Jesus Christ are in sharp contrast to the new Chinese values of making money and having more and more possessions.

Monetary prosperity is the overarching goal of so many, and there is great competition to achieve material success. This modern frenzy of materialism is fed by the commercialization that is evident on television, in the newspapers, and the many advertisements. So much of this quest for material goods reflects what we have experienced in our country for so many decades now.

But among the Catholic community I see no signs of despair. On the contrary, they are filled with a deep zeal and a new energy to bring a fuller evangelization to their people. Their approach reminds me of the way in which Father Matteo Ricci, the great Italian Jesuit priest, brought respect for the Gospel and the Church back in the early 17th century --- he learned well the Chinese culture and values, and helped intermingle the two. For example, he called God the "Lord of Heaven" in Chinese since that title resonated with the Chinese understanding of God being present in heaven.

As the Church emerges once again in the life and culture of China, it is obvious that the youthful leadership now in place will also seek to allow the Gospel to permeate the rich and enduring values of the culture here, blending the two in the spirit of John Paul II's "new evangelization."

In Cardinal Mahony's next reflection on China, he assesses the formidable ethical and societal challenges the Chinese Catholic Church faces.