As China marks the Double Ninth Festival on October 29 this year, Catholic communities across the country turned the occasion into a day of pastoral love and service, blending cultural heritage with Gospel values.
The Double Ninth Festival, also known as the Chongyang Festival, is one of China’s ancient traditional festivals that emphasizes respect, care, and gratitude for the elderly.
According to Fides, Catholic parishes and religious communities in various dioceses organized outreach activities, visits to nursing homes, and special liturgical celebrations to honor and care for senior citizens.
In Beijing, young seminarians and parish volunteers from South Hall Parish visited Tianyi Nursing Home, where they sang, prayed, and cleaned the facilities alongside elderly residents. Their simple gestures of friendship and care reflected the Church’s enduring commitment to “passing on the faith and caring for the elderly.”
In Shanghai, Fr. He Yonghui, director of the Guangqi Social Service Center, led a delegation of parishioners and nuns to the Guangqi and Nanzhang Nursing Homes, representing Bishop Shen Bin of Shanghai. He conveyed the bishop’s greetings and prayers for the elderly, thanking them for their witness of faith and lifelong example of perseverance. Together, they prayed that God would grant peace and health to all senior faithful and inspire the younger generation to continue acts of love and service.
In Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, the local Church held Sunday Masses on Oct 26 dedicated to elderly parishioners. Rev. Pang Ruisi, a deacon, anointed the elderly and prayed for their healing and peace. Meanwhile, in Hangzhou, Fr. Wang Shengjun led a Double Ninth celebration with Mass, anointing of the sick, and a communal meal, symbolizing fellowship, gratitude, and joy.
Similar acts of pastoral outreach were held in Tangshan Linxi, and in the Diocese of Zhouzhi, Shaanxi, where Fr. Ma Junxiao and his parish team visited two elderly, bedridden priests, offering prayer, companionship, and care to the families of clergy.
As Fides reported, these initiatives across China highlighted the Church’s unique witness: preserving traditional values while living out the Gospel’s call to love. The Double Ninth celebrations this year reminded all that honoring the elderly is not only a cultural duty, but also a sacred act of Christian faith.
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