12/05/2026
Auntie Luz was one of the most active Chinese-Filipino Apostolate (CFA) members of Mary the Queen Parish. She was deeply involved in inviting Chinese-Filipinos to be more involved in the church, encouraging many to come to mass and be more active in church activities. She tried her best to have many varied activities that would bring people to attend our parish.
In honor of Luz Lim, who passed away last May 7, 2026.
Luz Lim was one of the most active Chinese-Filipino Apostolate (CFA) members of Mary the Queen Parish. She was deeply involved in inviting Chinese-Filipinos to be more involved in the church, encouraging many to come to mass and be more active in church activities. She tried her best to have many varied activities that would bring people to attend our parish.
This was her reflection on Venerable Matteo Ricci back in October of 2010. As we celebrated the life and legacy of Venerable Matteo Ricci yesterday, May 11, and also the life of Luz Lim, we share to you this beautiful and meaningful reflection.
๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ ๐๐ข๐ฆ - ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐จ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ข ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐
There had been many pilgrimages that I had taken in the past but none can compare to the one that I joined recently in honor of Fr. Matteo Ricci.
First of all he has not been declared a saint, and he has been dead for four centuries, yet his name is still very much revered by the Chinese people, his work leaving very remarkable results for the Church in China. This trip reconfirmed all that one can read about his life. He certainly was a very talented man, with his knowledge not only of the faith but also the sciences which were put to good use in his missionary work. But more than that is the fact of how he would search for ways to reach the people in the work of evangelization. He would try all means, never hesitating to give up one method in order to try other ways. But for me his greatest accomplishment is his ability to tap the scholars in China who then acted as his partners in his missionary work.
Visiting the various places where he had done his work, one can feel the fruits of his tasks. This is particularly felt in the cathedral of Xujiahui, the place where his most precious student Xu Guangqi was able to establish the roots of the Catholic religion in China.
What great foresight he had in reaching the multitude of scholars who came to Beijing for their examination into the government service, from whom the converts were instrumental in spreading the Word of God to the people of China.
The deep faith instilled among the Chinese people was severely tested during the ten years of Cultural Revolution when the Church was shut down and practically completely subdued.
But today the Church has again gained its foothold. Among all the churches we visited, people had flocked back. The number of locally ordained priests has increased, the seminaries now have more students.
Reflecting on the work that Fr. Mateo Ricci had done in his short life span in China, we can feel that for us blessed so much with religious freedom in our land, do have a deep responsibility to help spread the Word of the Lord in whatever manner we can.
This brought back my thoughts to what the Chinese Filipino Apostolate has been trying to do. While at the beginning we tried so much to answer the question of who should be the target of our apostolate, I would now conclude that it should start with oneself. We need to deepen the faith of each individual, but more than that we should make use of the Chinese language education that we had to improve our speaking ability, especially in the area of the Chinese prayers and religious terms, so that when occasion arises we will be able to communicate our faith to the Chinese we encounter, and spread the Great LOVE that God has for all of us.
I shall continue to pray for the beatification and canonization of Fr. Matteo Ricci, keeping in my heart the intentions of the projects of the Chinese Apostolate, that he may bless us with his wisdom on how to proceed with our work.
