St Michael the Archangel Church, Caojiadu

Caojiadu Catholic Church (曹家渡圣弥额尔总领天神堂, Cáojiādù Shèng Mí’é’ěr Zǒnglǐng Tiānshén Táng), at 1066 Wanhangdu Road, has moved and been rebuilt more than once. It began in 1921 with three donated cottages.

How did it start?

The Changning District Gazetteer says that in 1921 two nuns came from Xujiahui to Caojiadu, a French sister named Lui Si Pei (鲁依斯佩) and a Chinese sister named Jin Gui (金闺). A parishioner, Cao Maoyuan, gave three cottages and a plot of land. This became the first St Michael church, later replaced by a brick-and-timber building.

Why did it grow so quickly?

In 1930 Fr Tang Ruose (唐若瑟, Táng Ruòsè) led the work. A wealthy merchant from Nantong, Yu Jiansheng (郁建生), gave land for a temporary new church. In 1933 priests’ quarters were added and the church became a main parish under Fr Li Side (李思德, Lǐ Sīdé). A 1935 plan for a large church was put off when war broke out, and a statue of the Archangel Michael was set up beside the grape arbour in the garden instead.

Closure, reopening and rebuilding

The church closed in the Cultural Revolution. It reopened in 1985, served by a priest from Dongjiadu, with about 200 at Mass on feast days; from 1991 Fr Ai Zuzhang (艾祖章, Ài Zǔzhāng) of Xujiahui was in charge. In 2004 the old church at 108 Lane 140 Changning Road was demolished and rebuilt as part of the redevelopment of the old Caojiadu district. A stone records the foundation of the relocated church on 25 April 2009, the feast of St Mark the Evangelist.

What to look for

Look for the foundation stone dated 25 April 2009, which marks the start of the present building. The nameplate reads “St Michael the Archangel Church” in Chinese. The 2009 date is on the stone, but the gazetteers do not say when the new church opened.