BEIJING (Fides): “Be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Be like a ‘city set on a hilltop’,” Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing told 36 superiors general of women’s religious congregations who took part in the third 2026 Formation Course, held from July 6 to 11 at the National Seminary in Beijing.
Participants came from 31 dioceses across 19 provinces of mainland China. During the formation sessions, they shared insights dedicated, among other things, to the rules of the various religious institutes, figures of guidance and leadership in scripture, and issues relating to bioethics.
During his visit on July 8, Bishop Li reflected on “the mission and witness of women religious in today’s society,” encouraging the sisters “to courageously embrace their responsibilities and to live out their charism through service to others and the promotion of the common good.”
He urged them to be “builders of a harmonious society, being today the salt of the earth and the light of the world, a ‘city set on a mountain’.”
The National Seminary of Philosophy and Theology in Beijing regularly hosts ongoing formation sessions for Chinese women religious. These courses combine solid theological formation with practical aspects of evangelisation.
The programme was designed to strengthen the sisters’ biblical formation and deepen their spiritual life. It also included thematic seminars on canon law, missionary spirituality, moral theology, and other disciplines.
Participants are encouraged to share what they have learned with the other sisters in their respective congregations and dioceses, thereby contributing to the apostolic work of the Church in China.
