20year

Our community has more than twenty years of history in Dallas. What began as five or six families coming together to study the Bible and pray together, quickly became a community that regularly gathered at nearby churches for Masses and meetings. As the numbers grew, they requested that the Diocese of Dallas help establish a permanent Chinese Catholic community in 1990. In 1992, we put our money together and purchased a small office building in Richardson, Texas. By the end of 1993, we had renovated it to become our sanctuary and activity hall. With the guidance of priests seconded from Taiwan and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, our small community grew stronger in numbers and in faith.

Our History

Our community has more than twenty years of history in Dallas. What began as five or six families coming together to study the Bible and pray together, quickly became a community that regularly gathered at nearby churches for Masses and meetings. As the numbers grew, they requested that the Diocese of Dallas help establish a permanent Chinese Catholic community in 1990. In 1992, we put our money together and purchased a small office building in Richardson, Texas. By the end of 1993, we had renovated it to become our sanctuary and activity hall. With the guidance of priests seconded from Taiwan and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, our small community grew stronger in numbers and in faith.


In 2000, our little church could no longer sustain the quickly growing number of parishioners. After 5 years of planning and various fund raising activities, and with the help of our own parishioners and numerous generous benefactors from all over the world, we constructed a new multi-purpose building as Phase I of our new church. Finally on January 15, 2006, the building was blessed and inaugurated. Six months later, by the grace and blessings of our Lord, our church was elevated from a Mission to a canonically erected Parish. This is truly the pride and joy of all the community members. 

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宗教與文化如同血與水,在人生當中是不可分的。這幾年來不僅是華人有許多宗教組織的建立,其他的各個少數族裔也不例外,都有以他們的母語為主的組織和宗教活動。refl_51357f507d52b7c346ed520ffbbc3943_jesus_church_2雖然當代來自東方的北美第三波移民,人數大受限制,沒有像十九世紀來自歐洲的那麼多,但是相同的,東方人也把自己的信仰帶來了。即使基督宗教本來是歐洲人傳去的,現在卻難於脫離東方的母語。那些在城中區的老教堂,當年也都是各種歐洲族裔所蓋的,也曾經用他們自己的母語宣道和祭祀。語言是表達人們對真理之領會的工具。它必須能直接的,令人滿意的,傳達內心深處的感受。這種表達能力是在青少年時代就養成了。所以這一帶的東方人喜歡有自己的教堂,用自己的母語來論道和禮拜。每逢週末,打開中文報紙,基督宗教,包括各种福音教會和天主教會,主日崇拜和文字福傳比比皆是。佛教和回教也不例外。  

耶穌基督為了繼續聖化這個世界,祂在世時親自建立這一個教會,在祂升天後祂的聖refl_526118512306258709a5f52feb9b88a9_church2_edited靈又親臨於教會中。所以實質上教會是祂的奧体,祂自己是頭,教會的每個成員都是肢体。藉著人們看得見的有形教會和祂的僕人,祂的福音和救贖恩典得以廣揚。在教會的信仰團体中,她的每個成員對內彼此互助和包容,修習德行。在現世中,他們又好比世上的鹽,藉著自己的資質在生活和工作上發揚博愛與正義的精神。 換言之,教會是基督救贖的聖事,她像一位慈母提供給凡信基督的人修德之恩寵,以及在現世上伸張王道的力量。自從初期教會以來,基督宗教的教父和神學家們都一致同意﹕耶穌只立一個教會,並祈求天父讓祂的門徒合而為一﹔教會既是祂的奧体乃是至聖的﹔耶穌囑咐祂的門徒們把福音傳播到全世界去,並以入門的聖洗,使全人類歸於一棧,因此教會必然是普世而大公的﹔最後,教會應該是從耶穌的宗徒,一脈相傳下來的。 這些信德一直列在乃西尼信經 (Nicene Creed) 中, 至今仍為大多數基督徒所接受。                            

耶穌聖心堂的存在可以說是本地華人信德的累積。追尋溫馨的家本來就是人們嚮往的事,更何況是離鄉背井的這一代新移民者。在這物質文明高度發展和競爭激烈的北美洲,從赤手空拳到建立一個家,為新移民來說是奮鬥人生的高峰。站在這高峰上,他們看到了家是遊子的精神支柱和目的。然而有多少人會就此罷休呢﹖人在江湖,身不由己,不更上一層樓,怎能了人心願﹖可是也有些人領會到物質文明填不滿心願。眼見下一代漸漸長大,接著就一一離去,更是令人覺得想問蒼天,“人生僅就如此而已嗎﹖汝將歸去何處﹖”尋找精神食糧和寄託,對這些人就成為一呼即出的需求了。這就是十多年前,幾家華人天主教友組成聯誼會,尋找共同的精神食糧和寄託之時代背景。天主的仁慈和基督的許諾,總不讓呼求祂的人落空。所以今天這個教堂已是達拉斯地區許多華人家庭的生活中心,心靈的泉源。有信仰的生活不僅給人永生的希望,更讓人能領悟天上人間的境界,因為天道與人心本當歸於一。                                           

我們這個團體前前後後已經有二十多年的歷史。由開始時只是五、六家的教友聚在一起,讀經、祈禱。接著借用本地的聖堂,一起參與主日感恩祭。慢慢教友數目增加。於一九九零年開始要求教區,准予成立一個華人小團體。於一九九二年集資購買了一座像辦公室的建築物。於一九九三年完成改建成聖堂及活動大廳 。 這也是本堂教友的榮耀和喜樂. 此後十三年的時間教友都在這裡領受了天主無數的恩寵.

藉著台灣先後分派數位神父的帶領,使這個團體的成長,在天主特殊的恩寵光照之下,蓬勃茁壯。終於在二零零零年時,漸感不敷使用,再次為建堂而籌款。願能為天主建造一座美輪美奐的聖殿。這個願望經過五年的策劃,教友們及海內外無數恩友的慷慨解囊相助,工程在一年內便興建完成了這座建築堂煌,多項用途的綜合大樓。並於二零零六年一月十五日祝聖落成。接著半年後,教區正式將我們這團體升格為一正式堂區。這是我們華人在達拉斯艱辛奮鬥而值得驕傲的成就。

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