A brief history of the church:
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church is one of the three Catholic churches located in Suzhou. The church building sits on a lovely scenic park which overlooks the beautiful Yancheng lake, west of SIP. The construction of the church began in May of 2012 and was completed in 2014. That very same year the English Congregation moved from the church of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows to St. Francis Xavier, alongside Bishop Joseph. Within the diocese there are eighteen priests and fourteen nuns, St. Francis Xavier is blessed to have two priests and one nun serving the church. We have quite a large community boasting 500-1000 parishioners, both Suzhou locals and foreign nationals, and our English mass is incredibly vibrant, warm and welcoming. The church has a leadership with a thinking approach, appreciated by its congregation. They have profound respect for the Bible in their own lives and knows how to communicate that well to others.They inspire, challenge, encourage and work innovatively with the whole church to move us forward together into the future that God has prepared for us.
The English congregation is blessed to have Eric C as the director of the band and choir (comprised of Filipino parishioners as well as international students). Our church also provides first holy communion and catechism classes for both children and adults.
This small expat congregation encourages, inspires and equips church members to use and develop their God-given gifs both inside and outside the church.
They have the experience and passion to effectively integrate the people we have connected with, into the church community.
Please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs Rodrigues (135 8482 4947) if you have any queries about our church or getting involved in church life.
Getting to know our Bishop:
Bishop Joseph Xu is the primary celebrant of English Mass. He is a Suzhou local and has three brothers. He was called to priesthood in 1984 and was ordained as a priest in 1990. He has served as a priest for sixteen years between 1990-2006, and has been the bishop of the Suzhou diocese since 2006.