by Simeiqi He, Ph.D.
Having spent over two decades in China seeking to understand the Chinese soul, the Jesuit scientist and theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote on September 8, 1949, “[w]e wonder…why so few deep conversions are effected in China despite the flood of missionaries.” To such a question, he gave a simple answer, “it is because…our magnificent Christian charity lacks what it needs to make it decisively effective, the sensitizing ingredient of Human faith and hope without which, in reason and in fact, no religion can henceforth appear…other than colorless, cold, and inassimilable.”
For Teilhard, China is more than simply a place of exile and misfortune, but a call and a benediction. It served as a source of inspiration and the principal locale for the inception of his most important writings, including The Mass on the World, The Divine Milieu, and The Human Phenomenon. The key ideas of these writings, among others, played a dominate role in shaping the agenda of the Second Vatican Council, especially the drafting of Gaudium et Spes. As the American theologian John F. Haught points out in his Commonweal article, Teilhard has proved in most respects to be a decidedly postconciliar interpreter of the Christian faith.
Teilhard’s encounter with Chinese people, landscape, geology, and material cultures opened for him a universal horizon. His life in China demonstrated his profound obedience – and sometimes a painful one – to what he called a “mysterious Affection of the World to serve and to make serve.” What inspired him was the impetus “to discover the new spirit that is struggling to emerge from the ruins of the old … to recognize and reveal that specific and essential element which the East must bring to the West so the Earth will be complete.”
Another Jesuit, Pope Francis, is deeply influenced by Teilhard, and has appealed to the latter both in his social encyclical Laudato Si and his homily during his apostolic journey to Mongolia. As part of his message for the World Mission Day, Pope Francis spoke of mission as “a tireless going out to all men and women, in order to invite them to encounter God and enter into communion with him.” The call to encounter and communion is a constant theme in the teachings of Pope Francis, who has been building on the efforts of his predecessors to enliven a civilization of love. In Laudato Si, Pope Francis has evoked a universal horizon of love that invites everyone into a deep communion with all creation, a vision inspired by Teilhard. Further, in Fratelli Tutti, he called for the growth of a culture of encounter fostered through love and capable of building a new world.
Thus, the Church must set her missionary gaze on the transformation of the world toward a culture of encounter and civilization of love. It can only be achieved if the Church is continuously transformed by the love of God. More fundamental than “to go out” and “to invite,” there is also a return to what Pope Francis called as the most central, essential, indispensable, beautiful, grand, appealing, and necessary message, that is love, who is God, the beginning and ultimate horizon of mission. This return is a process of absolute openness toward both God and the world, the fruit of which is the creation of an open society and a new culture with inexhaustible creativity and is set ablaze by a living flame. Such is the new civilization of love — so central to Catholic social teaching — whose living core is capable of withstanding even the bitterest of winters.
Simeiqi He 何斯美琪 is a theological ethicist and Catholic laywoman from mainland China. She holds a Ph.D. in Christian ethics from Drew University.
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Our MISSION
Inspired by the Gospel, the mission of the US-China Catholic Association is to build bridges of friendship and dialogue
between the people of China and the United States by offering educational, service, and cultural programs supporting the Church and the larger society.
Our VISION
The US-China Catholic Association was founded in 1989 by concerned U.S. bishops Maryknoll, the Jesuits, and representatives of other religious orders to promote mutual support and fraternal ties between the Church in China and the U.S. Church.
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As USCCA looks forward to 2025 -- and our next 35 years -- we remain dedicated to our mission of building bridges, fostering friendship, dialogue, and accompaniment through our core initiatives of :
Chinese and American Friendship Ministry, for college and university students
The Book Circle, meets monthly
30th International Biennial Conference (Summer 2026 - Houston, TX)
Study Tours to China
Speaker Series
Mission Appeal
The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you. Please give to the USSCA's 2024 Annual Appeal.
If you have enjoyed reading the USCCA website and want to learn more about our mission, please get in touch with Gerald Doyle, Interim Chief Administrative Officer, at director@uschinacatholic.org.