On the morning of Thursday, 2nd September 2021, at the Jesuit residence "San Pietro Canisio", Fr Joseph Shih S.J. returned to the house of the Father. He was 95 years old and had been a member of the Society of Jesus for 77 years. As a professor for 35 years at the Pontifical Gregorian University, he had become emeritus at the Faculty of Missiology, where he held courses in Missionary Catechesis, Chinese Philosophies and Religions. He had worked for 25 years at the Chinese section of Radio Vaticana, also collaborating with the Holy See on many issues concerning China. One of his last interviews is available on La Civiltà Cattolica.

Fr Shih's funeral will be celebrated on Saturday 4 September, at 10am, in the "San Francesco Borgia" Chapel of the General Curia of the Society of Jesus. Vatican News has published the homily given by Fr Federico Lombardi, S.J.