By Rita McInerney

Chinese Catholics in the Atlanta area now share their faith at monthly gatherings at All Saints Church in Dunwoody.

The group has grown to about 35 families, from four or five families meeting for home Bible study when the idea took shape in February. When the group grew too large, Jean Farrell, director of adult Christian enrichment at All Saints, was approached. Since June, meeting space has been provided for the Chinese Catholics on the fourth Saturday evening of each month.

Dominic Yang is president of this newly formed apostolate. He said the group spans three generations. The first to arrive in the U.S. are from 25 to 40. Most came here to study, stayed and in time brought their parents from their homelands. Now this younger generation's children are growing up speaking both English and Chinese.

That this youngest generation be instructed in their faith is of utmost concern to apostolate leaders. They encourage parents to enroll their youngsters in religious education classes at their home parishes, Yang said.

All of the Chinese Catholics are encouraged to attend Mass in their own parishes, he pointed out. There is "a need to communicate with both (American and Chinese) about what we are doing."

With the first generation to arrive here, while their English is good enough for job situations most do not feel confident about joining in the adult Bible study in their parishes, Yang said. For them and older family members Bible study is held at the monthly gatherings.

"We have Bible study on a VCR with cassettes in the Chinese language obtained from Taiwan," he said. Already the group has started collecting a library of books, video cassettes and audio tapes to enhance the study of their religion.

Eventually, Dominic Yang hopes, these Chinese Catholics will become a distinctive part of their parish life. He sees groups getting together in their parishes to provide coffee and doughnuts after Mass, mingling and socializing with other parishioners.

"We are very interested in getting into the U.S. Church," he said. "We have to come together. We don't like to isolate ourselves."

Father Joseph Chiang, director of the National Center for the Chinese Apostolate, came to Atlanta for a September weekend with his people. Families and singles came to All Saints from all around Atlanta to celebrate the sacraments of reconciliation and Eucharist with him and to socialize afterwards at a potluck dinner of Chinese specialties.

"All Saints parish is blessed to have this smaller community in our midst. The universality of our Catholic faith was made poignantly clear when Father Chiang sang the 'Our Father' in Mandarin Chinese at the Sunday liturgy," Mrs. Farrell commented.

The apostolate was formally established during Father Chiang's visit. Yang was chosen president and an eight-member committee set up for programs, telephone and mail communications, finances, and a manager responsible for setting up program locations.

The apostolate will welcome another priest, Father Bernard Chu, SJ, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3. The eight members of the apostolate committee will be required to attend a Renewal-type program, according to Father Chu. The priest from Oakland, CA, also will celebrate two Liturgies at All Saints for the Chinese Catholics in the Atlanta area.

He also will give a talk at the Chinese Community Center in Chamblee, discussing how Chinese couples can handle their marriages and relationships with their children in a new culture.

This is another effort of the apostolate to avoid being seen as isolated. "We want to let everyone know we Catholics are doing something for the public," Yang remarked.

Future plans include more Bible study programs and a weekend retreat. The group will continue reaching out to the larger community of Chinese in Atlanta, estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000. There is a need for evangelization, Yang believes, among those who were baptized and given early instruction in their faith and then neglected it when they came to a new land.

For this reason, the apostolate continues to place notices of meetings in the national Chinese daily paper, World Journal, which carries several pages dedicated to Atlanta and the Southeast. Notices of special programs also are sent to students enrolled at Emory, the University of Georgia, and Auburn University in Alabama.

About 90 percent of the Chinese Catholics meeting at All Saints are from Taiwan. The others are from Hong King, the Philippines and mainland China.

Yang and his wife, Irene, came to the U.S. five years ago from Taiwan where his parents and brothers and sisters still live. He is quick to point out that the small island of 14,000 square miles is overcrowded with a population of 20 million. But unlike mainland China, its people enjoy the same freedoms as people in the U.S.

The young couple remained in the U.S. after concluding teaching assistantships at the University of south Carolina in Columbia; he in math and Mrs. Yang in computer science. He works for Equifax and his wife at Bell South Enterprises. Both have gained permanent residency and are expecting their first child.