Rediscovery of the Chinese Lay Apostolate in China Mainland

Abstract

Before Vatican II, Chinese lay people were very active and well-organized in their apostolate, despite the clericalism prevailing in the pre-Vatican II era. From the time of Fr. Matteo Ricci in Beijing, Chinese lay people, both the learned and the ordinary faithful, were extremely active in evangelization. The lay people, guided by the missionaries and with their encouragement, played an important and fruitful role, especially during the absence of missionaries or clergy, caused by the persecution at the time. In today’s mainland China, in the author’s view, clericalism has still not totally disappeared. Because of this, the vision of Vatican II on the lay apostolate, especially emphasized by the Decree De Apostolatu Laicorum, is not actively promoted. This promotion or encouragement is absent, not only from Chinese theology but also from its practice. Chinese theology needs to incorporate the lay apostolate theology of Vatican II into its theology as well as its practice. The question is how to do this.