Bishop Emeritus Stephen Yang Xiangtai of Handan passed away in the Weixian Hospital of the Hebei province on October 13, 2021. Bishop Yang was hospitalized for several days due to serious health conditions. He was 99 years old.
"Monsignor Yang showed strong fidelity to the Lord, kindness to all, simplicity of life and constant dedication to his flock, and this for 72 years," read the announcement from the Diocese of Handan.
"Now that he has completed his journey, we invite clergy, nuns, and faithful to pray so that his soul may rest in peace and to intercede for his prompt entry into eternal rest," it added.
According to the obituary provided by the office of the Handan Diocese, Bishop Yang Xiangtai, whose scientific name is Jingshi. He was born on January 3, 1923, in a family of Catholics in Gao village, Wu'an County, Henan Province (now it's Hebei Province).
When he was young, he went to the classic school and private school in the village. In 1933, he went to primary school in the Catholic Church of Wu'an City. He entered the minor seminary of Weihui Diocese in 1935. In 1940, he entered the Henan Kaifeng General Seminary. He was ordained as a priest in the Cathedral of Kaifeng on August 27, 1949.
In July 1966, he was arrested after the start of China's Cultural Revolution and moved to the Wu'an Detention Center.
Bishop Yang was formally arrested for the counter-revolutionary crime and sentenced to 15 years in prison. In October 1970, he was rehabilitated and on March 15, 1980, he was acquitted.
Monsignor Yang was ordained as Coadjutor Bishop of Handan Diocese by Bishop Chen Bailu on November 30, 1996.
On September 17, 1999, Bishop Chen Bailu retired, and he took over as Bishop of the diocese of Handan.
Handan is an active diocese in China; as of 2018, it had at least 180,000 members.
Bishop Yang was a pious, kind, and simple man. He worked hard and has no complaints. For 72 years, he has been loyal and good at herding the sheep.
In addition, according to the notice of the Funeral Committee of Bishop Yang of the Diocese of Handan, the time of the funeral mass and the funeral will be notified by the diocese.
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