The book ‘Sowers of Hope’, published by the Commission for the First Centenary of the Mission of the Augustinian Recollects in Shangqiu (1924-2024), brings together the fruits of the events, materials and publications on the occasion of this Centenary.
From December 5, 2023, the day of the Augustinian Recollection, until October 20, 2024, the day of World Mission Sunday, the Augustinian Recollect Family has wanted to celebrate the First Centenary of its presence in the Mission in Shangqiu (Henan, China).
The culmination of this celebration is the book Sowers of Hope, which is now available on this website in its digital version and is in the process of being distributed in paperback by the Recollect communities. 644 pages that condense the entire celebration of the Centenary in its most diverse areas:
- Texts for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Centenary;
- Materials for the celebration in the communities: official prayer and hymn, video, exhibition, missionary vigil, Stations of the Cross;
- Electronic publications of weekly articles on people and communities, events, evangelization, social works, the past and present of the Mission;
- Daily publications on the Social Networks of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine;
- Texts of the presentations of the Congress “One Hundred Years in Shangqiu: Past, Present and Future” (Madrid, October 18 and 19, 2024).
The volume is a choral work, in which around a dozen authors have participated. There are 72 separate articles, including the 55 publications of agustinosrecoletos.org that week by week described a specific aspect of the past, present and future of the mission.
There are also 304 paragraphs that correspond to as many ‘posts’ on Social Networks, which the team called “pills” and wanted to be the daily drop by drop that watered and kept the Centenary tied to daily news.
All this was already published electronically before being compiled in the book. But the final part, almost 200 pages, are unpublished and, in fact, were the first reason to think of this edition, which later took a more complete and complex direction. These are the complete presentations of the Congress, since their authors did not have time to present everything they had prepared.
We are talking about Esteban Aranaz, a priest of the Diocese of Tarazona (Saragossa, Spain) who has been carrying out his ministry in Shanghai (China) since 2015; Ángel Martínez Cuesta, historian par excellence of the Augustinian Recollect Family; and José Manuel Romero, an Augustinian Recollect with a PhD in Missiology and a good connoisseur of China.
Sowers of hope has been the motto of this First Centenary and is the title of this true tribute book that describes the meaning and reason of the Centenary, its protagonists, the world and the circumstances of their evangelizing work.
Sowers of hope were the first missionaries. From their poverty and simplicity they overcame limitations and circumstances of discouragement and conflict. They firmly believed that God touched hearts by giving them faith.
Sowers of hope were the Chinese Christians who remained faithful to the gift received despite isolation, especially those who felt the call to the priestly ministry or religious consecration. They suffered persecution, even lost their lives, but today they are witnesses of hope for their brothers.
Sowers of hope were those who survived the catastrophe and, 30 years after what seemed to be the end, revived the Church and raised new vocations.
Sowers of hope were the missionaries forced to leave China. Their heart and faith did not falter because they trusted that, through the work of God, the mission would continue.
Sowers of hope were those who did not stop praying for the mission and for their brothers; they did not know their fate, but maintained fraternal love and admiration.
New and more sowers of hope is what the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine has wanted to promote with this Centenary among its members, friends, acquaintances and faithful whom it serves. It was a song of thanksgiving “to the God of life for the many fruits gathered in the Shangqiu mission” and which revived “enthusiasm and generosity in evangelising action”, as stated in the official letter of the provincial prior with which the Centenary was opened, which has guided each and every page of the book presented today and which is the first document offered.
