Beijing, CHINA 15.10.08 – As a preparation for World Mission Sunday, Catholics from the parish of Tong Tang, dedicated to St. Joesph, in the Archdiocese of Beijing, made a pilgrimage to the tomb of the great missionary Fr. Matteo Ricci, in honour of this year of Saint Paul and the missionary month of October. Hundreds of faithful and catechists of the parish, led by their parish priest, travelled to the site of the tomb, where other famous missionaries are also buried, including Fr. J.A. Schall von Bell, Fr. Ferdinand Verbiest, 80 foreign missionaries and 14 Chinese priests.

Fr Matteo Ricci arrived in Macao in 1582 and died in Beijing on May 11, 1610. For the first time in Chinese history, the emperor paid tribute to a foreigner with a solemn burial. Scholars say that Ricci was a 'pioneer in inculturation', one of the few missionaries who gained an authentic Chinese sensibility, in terms of the local culture and the desire to establish missions in China.