Fr Dan Troy with Qiqi [third from left], her mother and grandmother. Photo: Fr Dan Troy SSC
Sitting at a familiar place with her mother and grandmother in Holy Family Church in Wuhan on a Sunday morning in early November, Qiqi extended an open hand of expectation towards me when we saw each other. Both she and I knew the meaning of her gentle facial expression and that open hand. Without using words, she was asking if the 2022 Columban Calendar had arrived.
Several weeks earlier, during a visit to the family's home, she asked me if it would be possible to receive a calendar for the year ahead. A small tradition has built up among us in recent years, with a calendar handed to her during the last few weeks of each year. In late 2020 the ongoing effects of Covid-19 disrupted our normal arrangement for calendars to travel from Melbourne to Wuhan. On this occasion, Qiqi was well prepared, encouraging me to find an alternative supply chain for what is obviously an important item for her.
Qiqi has a special place within her family in this huge city of 10 million people. Her family provides great care for her, which is well matched by the joy that she expresses so spontaneously. Each week she attends the Sunday morning Mass, paying great attention to all that happens in the liturgy. Sunday morning is also an important social experience for her because she meets many people who are friends with the family's three generations of women.
When Qiqi made her request for a calendar, I told her that I would ask if it were possible to have it sent directly to Wuhan rather than the previous arrangement that was vulnerable to disruption by the pandemic. When she noticed that I was willing to ask about an alternative arrangement, she saw the opportunity to adjust her request slightly. She suggested getting two calendars, the second one to be given to her grandparents who live near her home. Her cheerful way of asking implied that she knew that sending two calendars is almost as easy as just sending one.
A week later, when we met at the church, I enjoyed telling her that the calendars were about to depart Melbourne and that we would surely have them before January. Qiqi rubbed her hands with excitement, her skilful negotiations having successfully resulted in a number of people springing into action to find a way to ensure that the calendars were about to begin their long journey to China.
During the next three weeks, her mother reported that there were daily questions from Qiqi about whether or not the calendars had already arrived in Wuhan. If she had been able to track the journey of the envelope from Melbourne to Wuhan, it might well have been the most observed item in postal history.
When I did receive the calendars from the post office, I put them beside the door on Saturday evening to ensure that I would not forget to bring them to the church on Sunday morning. Within a few moments of the end of Mass that Sunday morning, Qiqi, followed closely by her mother, had arrived over to where I was in the church. Similar to her previous open-handed communication about the calendars, she just stood there smiling silently, clearly implying that I should know what the focus of her attention was. My initial attempt to suggest that I might have forgotten to bring the calendars was not accepted. Her weeks of perseverance came to fruition as the two calendars were handed over, the delight in her face bringing joy to all of us. She opened one calendar and leafed through the pages, carefully observing the artwork, colours having a unique way to hold her attention.
I also explained to the family that this was the 100th issue of the Columban Calendar, and I ventured to say that Qiqi was surely the first person among China's 1.5 billion people to receive the issue that commemorates the calendar's 100 years of printing.
The joy that a calendar has brought to one person's life in China was probably not in the overall plan of a few Columbans as they sat down 100 years ago to navigate their way through publishing and distributing their first calendar in a world where printing was so different. However, Qiqi and her family can certainly see God in all that has happened as various people responded with kindness to her friendly request.
Already Qiqi has written a letter to the Columban office in Melbourne to express her appreciation for what has been done for her. At a post office in Wuhan, her letter was carefully sent on its long journey by her mother and grandmother. In the days following this precious letter beginning its journey, Qiqi began asking a new question at home each day. That question is, "has my letter arrived there yet?"
Columban Fr Dan Troy lives and works in Wuhan, China.
Related links
- Read more from the current Columban eBulletin
Comments (0)