I send you Easter greetings in the spirit of Mark’s Gospel. Just as, for Mark’s Gospel, Christ’s Resurrection is inseparable from his cross, for us, Easter cannot be celebrated apart from remembering that the underground Catholic Church in China continues to bear the cross of persecution. Please join me in praying both for our brothers’ and sisters’ perseverance in bearing this cross, and for the day when this perseverance will lead to the "resurrection" of true religious freedom in China.

THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY MASS FOR THE LATE IGNATIUS CARDINAL KUNG

On March 11, the first anniversary solemn traditional Latin Mass for the late Ignatius Cardinal Kung was celebrated at St. John the Evangelist Church in Stamford, Connecticut. The Mass was attended by approximately 750 priests, brothers, religious, and laity, some of whom journeyed from as far as California to honor the Cardinal. They came because they believed that Cardinal Kung not only continues to be a friend of ours, but also a special friend of God, interceding for us and working hard for us before the throne of God and in front of Holy Mother to whom he had great devotion.

Msgr. John Horgan-Kung, 85, was the main celebrant. Msgr. Horgan-Kung became the Cardinal’s confessor shortly after he met the Cardinal in 1988. He was the first priest the Cardinal met upon his arrival in America and the last one to be with the Cardinal before he died. After the death of Cardinal Kung, Msgr. Horgan, in honoring the Cardinal, changed his name to Horgan-Kung.

The homily at the Mass was delivered by Msgr. William V. Clark, P.A., Rector of St. Patrick Cathedral in New York and a member of the Board of Directors of the Cardinal Kung Foundation. Msgr. Clark noted that Cardinal Kung was "one man in a cell leading an uncountable number of people with courage and strength. He was an example of one man’s interior life shining bright and offering us spiritual consolation in our day." He pointed out that "Cardinal Kung knew, in his cell, that nothing less than the presence of the Lord could sustain him. And it did. The power that sustained him also sustains us on a more local level as we receive the sacrament of Holy Communion." Msgr. Clark added that the Cardinal had perfect trust in the power of the Lord and called him "a kind and gentle priest."

CHRISTIANITY OR COMMUNISM: WHICH IS THE REAL "IMPERIALIST FOREIGN IMPORT?"

Ignored for centuries, a crumbling 1,200-year-old pagoda on the windswept hillside of a Tao monastery near the ancient capital city of Xian has yielded remarkable evidence of a thriving Christian community during the Tang dynasty in the 8^th century, suggesting that East and West came together in China earlier and much more intimately than has been recognized. As reported recently in the Chicago Tribune, found on a shadowy wall of the leaning tower, the proof is the remnant of a nativity scene, made from wood and plaster circa A.D. 780, that combines Chinese landscape imagery with the reclining figure of the Madonna, according to the British scholar who found it.

The discovery of what would be by far the oldest Christian site in China opens a window on religious and art history, confirming what had only been known by analyzing ancient texts: that Christian missionaries first came along the Silk Road to China more than a millennium ago. The nativity scene also raises a provocative question about Christianity’s roots in China and the troubled relationship between the Church and the Communist Party today.

"What it means in religious and political terms is this: Christianity can no longer be labeled as an imperialist, foreign import never ever taken seriously in China," said Martin Palmer, the British scholar who found the site. "The old claims of Christianity as an alien religion will have to be modified," he said. "Although it will have only mild impact at first, it means that contemporary Christianity has a pedigree, whereas before it was nothing more than a running dog of imperialism."

"COAST TO COAST" ANNUAL MASSES FOR THE UNDERGROUND CHURCH IN CHINA
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EVANGELIZING BY EMAIL

May I remind you of two efforts as announced in our March 2001 Newsletter? 1) to establish the last Sunday of September of each year, beginning this coming Sept. 30, as the annual date for the celebration of Masses for the underground Roman Catholic Church in China. I urge you to send a stipend to your local pastors to reserve the date for this Mass. 2) to evangelize by email. If you are interested in helping us spread the message about the continued persecution of the underground Roman Catholic Church in China, please email us at the Cardinal Kung Foundation (jmkung@aol.com). Please refer to our March 2001 Newsletter for further details for both of these new efforts.

SECOND CLASS RELICS FOR CARDINAL KUNG AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Second Class relics for Cardinal Kung, consisting of a tiny piece of the Cardinal’s garment, his picture, and a prayer for his intercession, all laminated, are available upon request. Any requests must be sent to us in writing, as we shall not distribute the relics indiscriminately. Relics are important and powerful instruments of intercessory prayer to and communion with the saints. Thus, God willing, they can assist our prayers for the Cardinal’s canonization.

THE FOUNDATION'S WORK FOR CARDINAL KUNG'S CANONIZATION

We are grateful for the reports of favors received through the intercession of Cardinal Kung, and we urge you to continue to send us these reports, as they assist us in strengthening support for establishing an official cause for Cardinal Kung’s canonization.

RECENT ACTIVITIES TO ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF THE UNDERGROUND CHURCH IN CHINA

In recent months, I have had several opportunities to speak about the underground Catholic Church in China. On Jan. 5, I spoke at the Mission Congress in Minneapolis; on Jan. 14, at St. Michael’s Sword in Fairfield, Connecticut; and on Feb. 20, to the Fairfield Chapter of the Legatus. Moreover, I was interviewed by the Fatima Crusader of Buffalo, NY, on March 15, and by Paulist Productions of California on March 16. I have also spoken at a number of churches: at Good Shepherd Church, Rhinebeck, NY, on March 20; at Saints Cyril & Methodius Church at Sterling Heights, MI, on March 24-25; and at the Church of the Nativity in Fair Haven, NJ, on April 2. Also, on June 9-10 I will be speaking at the National Marian Congress (Father Robert Fox, Spiritual Director) in Alexandria, SD. We are most grateful for all these opportunities to spread the word about and gain support for the underground Catholic Church in China.

On March 14, on behalf of the Cardinal Kung Foundation, I received an award from the Center for Religious Freedom of the Freedom House in Washington, D.C. At the ceremony, I not only thanked for the award and but also for the supporters of the Cardinal Kung Foundation, without whose support the work of the Foundation would have been impossible. Founded in 1941, the Freedom House works to stop religious repression by documenting and publicizing restrictions on religious and other human rights, and by mobilizing public support in defense of those who are persecuted for religious reasons.

As you prepare for Easter, please be generous to the underground Church, who is the living witness of the Christ’s journey to Calvary. Wishing you a very prayerful and happy Easter,

Sincerely yours in Christ

Joseph Kung, President

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Thank You.