Quadricentennial of Matteo Ricci

Next year is the 400th anniversary of the death of Matteo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit missionary who brought the Faith to China in a most remarkable way. During the 30 years he spent in China, Ricci learned to read, write and speak Chinese and even wrote a book in Chinese on the art of memory, an art he had obviously mastered. He was a strong proponent of what today we would call inculturation, and had he been listened to, I have no doubt that Christianity would be a much stronger presence in China and throughout the rest of Asia.

I first encountered Ricci over 20 years ago when I picked up a copy of Jonathan Spence's fascinating book, The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci, a book I heartily recommend.

Pope Benedict XVI recently praised Ricci and his remarkable missionary work in anticipation of next year's celebration. Click here to read a report on the Holy Father's comments. If you would like to watch a video describing a new documentary on Ricci -- a film commissioned by the Vatican -- click here. I trust the documentary will be available in English at some point. I've also embedded a brief (very brief) video (below) that provides a little background on Ricci.