Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Wushe

Our Lady of the Rosary Church (五厍玫瑰圣母堂, Wǔshè Méiguī Shèngmǔ Táng) in Maogang, Songjiang, is a 1996 rebuild. The church it replaced had been modelled on the basilica at Sheshan.

The Zhijihui church

The first church was built in 1851 at Zhijihui (雉鸡汇, Zhìjīhuì) and named Rosary Church. In 1932 the parish started a larger church for over 600 people to the south, following the pattern of the Sheshan church. It was finished in 1935 and Bishop Haouisée said the opening Mass.

Why did it vanish?

The parish priest left in 1949 and services ended. During the Cultural Revolution a new water channel was cut through the site, and the church and its outbuildings were taken down.

A new church in 1996

In spring 1994 the local government gave 0.34 ha of land free, and the diocese paid 700,000 yuan for a new church, finished in June 1996. Bishop Jin Luxian led the reopening Mass on 1 December 1996, with more than 800 people. In April 2000 he confirmed 272 Catholics here.

What to look for

Today’s church is modern. Its worth is as a successor to the 1935 church and the Zhijihui parish. Check on site whether a tablet or photograph records the lost building.