In the late 1980s, the Comboni Missionaries extended their service and missionary activity to the continent of Asia. With an initial team of four missionaries, they established the Comboni Missionary Centre in Manila, Philippines, and have since developed a missionary awareness program.
Following this orientation, the Comboni Missionaries made a commitment for the initial evangelization among the Chinese people in Macao, with the arrival of the first members of the institute to Chinese lands to study Cantonese, and in 1997 Fr. Paolo Consonni (Italy) and Fr. Daniel Cerezo (Spain) arrived in Taipei, Taiwan, to study Mandarin. With the arrival of Fr. Victor Mejia (Mexico) in 2002, the first Comboni missionary community was established in the Catholic Church of Ren Ai in Taipei, Taiwan.
Taiwan is an island in East Asia, known for its vibrant technological economy, rich and diverse culture, and unique political history. It is an autonomous region with its own government, a democratic political system, and an economy that is one of the most advanced in the world, excelling in the manufacture of semiconductors essential for global technological products. Its capital, Taipei, is a modern urban center with a mix of traditional and contemporary influences.
CATHOLICS, A MINORITY
The Catholic Church in Taiwan has a minority but significant presence within a society largely influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and other traditional Chinese religions. Since the 17th century, Catholic missionaries have attempted to establish themselves in Taiwan, but political conflicts and power shifts on the island limited their expansion.
It was in the mid-20th century, with the arrival of foreign missionaries and the migration of Catholics from mainland China after the Chinese Civil War, that the Catholic Church consolidated its presence.
According to the 2005 census, Christianity in Taiwan constituted 3.9% of the population; this included approximately 300,000 Catholics. Estimates in 2020 suggested that the portion had risen to 4% or 6%, with Catholics making up 1% of the country’s population.
Despite being a minority, the Catholic Church in Taiwan has focused on social and educational activities, standing out in the fields of health and education. The Church runs hospitals, social welfare centers, and several prestigious schools and universities.
In addition, it has played an active role in defending human rights and promoting social justice in Taiwanese society. Although it faces challenges due to secularization and a decline in vocations, the Catholic Church in Taiwan continues to be quite significant for Taiwanese society.
The Catholic Church runs seven large hospitals and about 100 nursing homes that offer affordable healthcare services and provides pastoral care for immigrants from various countries
The Comboni missionaries are currently in the periphery of New Taipei City. We arrived in the Wugu district, on the outskirts of the city, in 2010 to serve in a peripheral context, helping the local church and pastoral ministry among the indigenous people and migrants in the area and attending to the needs of the parishes where we are located.
From our residence in Wugu, we serve three missionary parishes. The first is Wugu where we live and have been present since we moved here. We also serve the Huilong parish, located on the city’s outskirts and attached to a leper colony. We have been serving in this parish since 2014. In addition, since 2022 we have also been entrusted with helping the parish community of Yilan where we carry out our pastoral ministry. They are all small parishes with a tiny but significant group of Christians. This is similar to the first Christian communities since they are fervent and always ready to witness to their faith.
FIRST EVANGELIZATION
Our Comboni community is international and missionary, dedicated to the first evangelization. Currently, we are three Comboni missionaries who form a small cenacle, and we try to bring missionary charisma to these beautiful Taiwanese lands where we live. Father Adam Szpara, a Pole who has been serving in these lands for more than 15 years; Father Margarito Garrido from the Philippines and with almost 10 years of service here; and finally, Father Eduardo Revolledo, Peruvian who has only been serving in Taiwan for five years and was the last to join the community.
We Comboni Missionaries have been present in Taiwan for 27 years as missionaries, and since then many missionaries of different nationalities have passed through our community. They have always been very excited to share their faith and to be living and visible witnesses of the mission of the Church in this country. The years we have spent in these lands that God has placed before us have been memorable and full of experiences and blessings that have marked and enriched our missionary nature. I think all the missionaries who have passed through here carry in their hearts the faces of so many people they have accompanied and who have shared simply and sincerely their faith in God, God who is love and who is ever present among His people.
