Shaoxing Catholic Church

Shaoxing Catholic Church

Shaoxing City Yuecheng District, Cathedral of St. Joseph

In the 14th year of the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era (1586), Italian Jesuit priests Michele Ruggieri (1543–1607) and António de Almeida (1556–1591) came to Shaoxing to conduct missionary work but left after only a few months.

In the 41st year of the Qing Dynasty’s Kangxi era (1702), French priest Cyrille Constantin (1670–1732) purchased property in Shaoxing, established a church, and carried out missionary work for over five years. In the 2nd year of the Tongzhi era (1863), Jean-Baptiste Bouvet tried to locate the original site from Ningbo but was unsuccessful; later Liu Anduo also searched but found no trace.

In the 3rd year of the Qing Dynasty’s Tongzhi era (1864), French priest Liu Anduo acquired 5.46 acres of land and established a church in the 10th year of Tongzhi. The church was dedicated to St. Joseph as its patron saint, hence it was named “Joseph’s Church,” commonly referred to as the “Old Joseph’s Church.” In the 28th year of the Guangxu era (1902), Italian priest Théodore Monbeig came to Shaoxing. At that time, Father Chen Ziyu was stationed in Shaoxing and purchased a site for the women's church within the city. In the 29th year, Zhao Baolu, the Vicar Apostolic of Zhejiang, commissioned Théodore Monbeig and French missionary Jean-Baptiste Mabile to use part of the Boxer Indemnity funds to expand the Baziqiao Catholic Church in Shaoxing Prefecture and to improve the affiliated school buildings. The church building covered an area of 380 square meters and could accommodate more than 700 people for Mass. It featured a St. Joseph altar of about 35 square meters, with 14 panels of paintings of Jesus Christ mounted on the left and right walls. The interior walls were milky white, bright, clean, and spacious.

The first parish priest was Liu Anduo. When foreign priests first arrived in Shaoxing, they wore traditional Chinese clothing, learned Chinese, socialized with local gentry and merchants, and built relationships with community leaders. They then adopted a “reward for faith” strategy—offering registered baptised believers a ticket entitling them to 2.5 kilograms of rice—resulting in a growing number of converts, peaking at 700 members. When the rice distribution stopped, membership sharply declined. In the 2nd year of the Xuantong era (1910), Théodore Monbeig was promoted to Vicar Delegate of the Western Zhejiang Mission, and Liu Huaidé became the parish priest of Shaoxing. In the 1st year of the Republic of China (1912), Liu passed away and was succeeded by Yi Bofeng. By that time, Shaoxing’s Joseph School had grown significantly, with 12 teachers and 6 classes, while the orphanage housed 47 infants. The following year, Jean-Baptiste Mabile took over as parish priest. In the 7th year, he was transferred, and Belgian priest Vincent Lebbe succeeded him. The next year, Vincent led over 20 young Shaoxing Catholic followers to France to study theology. Chinese priest Ying Heshan managed church affairs during this time, but pastoral administration, personnel, and finances remained under the control of foreign missionaries from the Ningbo Diocese. In the 21st year, Ying was transferred to Taizhou, and Shen Junchen succeeded him. In the 28th year, Shen died and was replaced by Father Chai Richang. In the 33rd year, Chai resigned and returned to Ningbo, and Father Chen Xiong took over. That year, there were 552 parishioners. In the 37th year, Chen Xiong was transferred from Shaoxing, and Father Wang Ruhai took charge of church affairs, assisted by Fang Dumo and Yao Duomin.

In the winter of 1948 (the 38th year of the Republic of China), Dai Ande, the French bishop of the Ningbo Diocese, assigned Shaoxing-born priest He Nianbo and the original parish priest to go to Taiwan. In August 1950, Wang Ruhai was transferred from Shaoxing, and Father Wang Ruoshui succeeded him.

In 1953, Father Shi Jiren took charge of church affairs, assisted by Father Jin Zhinan and two nuns. In 1958, Shaoxing Catholic Church had 45 Catholic families and 171 members. On ordinary days, around a hundred people usually attended Mass.

In 1979, the policy of religious freedom was implemented. Father Shi Jiren, who had been wronged during the Cultural Revolution, was vindicated. A sum of 130,000 yuan was allocated for the restoration of the church, supplemented by 10,000 yuan from the Ningbo Diocese. The church restoration project was completed in 1987. In July 1988, the church reopened with 158 worshippers attending.

Scenic Spot Location

No. 24 Baziqiao Straight Street, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province