Faculty Day of Religious Studies – University of St. Joseph, Macau
On the 3rd of December 2015, the Feast day of St. Francis Xavier, the University of St. Joseph, Macau, Faculty of Religious studies (FRS), celebrated its faculty day. The act was opened with the Eucharistic celebration, presided by Fr. Franz Gassner, SVD, and took place at St. Joseph’s Seminary Chapel at 9:30am. Some guests, professors and students from the Faculty of Religious Studies attended the Mass.
  
A talk followed at 11:00am, given by a Sister, RC, under the title “Called to be Ambassadors of Mercyâ€. There was an entertaining and formative dialogue between her and the audience after the talk, and then all participants had lunch together, prepared by the students. Afterwards we all spent some time in an animated recreation.
After lunch and recreation there was a second part of the program, activities and performances, at 1:30pm. Students from different academic years took part joyfully by singing and dancing.
   
  
 
Some games were also played during the activity, and awards were given to those who had performed well and won the first prize in games. The students also distributed souvenirs to the guests and professors in recognition for their presence and support. The joyous celebration was closed at 03:00 pm.
Bro. Stephen Saw Lej, O.P.
The Province’s Annual Asian Formators’ Council Meeting was held in our Priory of St. Dominic on April 7, 2015. Presided over by our Provincial,  fr. Javier González, OP, it was attended by the following brothers: From Hong Kong, Hyacinth He, Timoteo Merino and Fernando Muñoz; from China, Paul Fan; from Korea, John Kim; from Myanmar, Hilario Plureth; from the Philippines, Raymond Mi; from Japan, Mariano González. Moreover, the brothers of the Formation Commission of St. Dominic’s Priory, Macau, were also present: Jarvis Sy, José Luis de Miguel, Edmond Eh and Fausto Gómez. As the secretary of the Province, fr. Fernando Muñoz acted as secretary for the meeting.
It was very interesting and hopeful to come to know well the reality of initial formation in the different vicariates, priories and houses and centers of formation of the Province in Asia. We have at present a good number of pre-novices (aspirants and postulants), novices, and students in the different stages of formation. The beauty of the meeting was the rich input coming from our brothers working with our formandi in the different places of work and mission of the Province, in particular in Asia.
The community, including in particular our student brothers, was very happy to invite them for lunch and supper. It was a joyful occasion to sharing ideas on and concerns for initial and permanent formation.
The members of the Formators’ Council of the Province were asked by fr. Javier to send to him comments on the draft of the new Ratio Formationis Generalis of the Order. He will then send comments and suggestions to the Dominican curia in Santa Sabina, Rome.
The brothers representing East Timor, Taiwan, Venezuela, Spain and Italy were not able to make it to the annual meeting this time. We missed them and their enriching contribution to the annual meeting on formation. They were with us in spirit and hopefully will be able to attend and participate next time.
On March 25, 2015, the Religious Associations of Men & Women in Macau organized a special lecture, which was part of the series of lectures taking place through the Year of Consecrated Life. The interesting topic was Quality of Life in Religious Life. The speaker was the well-known theologian, lecturer and writer fr. FelicÃsimo MartÃnez, OP, who is at present a visiting professor at the Faculty of Religious Studies of the University of Saint Joseph, Macau. The lecture, attended by about eighty religious women and men, was held in the evening at the Bishop’s House Conference Hall.
In the context of religious life, quality of life refers to a meaningful life, to happy life, to personal satisfaction in religious life – a life faithful to the Gospel and satisfied with the religious vocation. This satisfaction or happiness is manifested in enthusiasm, optimism, joy and apostolic zeal.
The quality of life of the religious is grounded first on an authentic experience of faith; which is strengthened by cultivating silence, solitude and a contemplative life. It is based, second, on a good community or fraternal life, which is fed by the facts that religious life is the common vocation of all the members of the community, a common Christian faith (a common Creed), a common celebration of faith, and the practice of fraternal correction and communitarian reconciliation. The third column of a good quality life or a happy religious life is an evangelical mission motivated by working for the community, showing apostolic zeal and responsible witnessing of the Gospel. A happy religious life is shown in enjoying our mission, our community and our Christian faith.
Fr. FelicÃsimo’s spiritual lecture was indeed good food for the soul to be ruminated by all religious women and men, who are called by God to love him, all neighbors and in particular the poor and marginalized brothers and sisters in the world.
As I close this brief report I remember the words of God the Father to St. Catherine of Siena: “The religion of Dominic is joyful and lightsome.†And also the words of Pope Francis, the author of the Gospel of Joy, who said that the first thing he expects from the consecrated women and men in this Year of Consecrated Life is:
That the old saying will always be true: “Where there are religious, there is joy.†We are called to know and show that God is able to fill our hearts to the brim with happiness; that we need not seek our happiness elsewhere; that the authentic fraternity found in our communities increases our joy; and that our total self-giving in service to the Church, to families and young people, to the elderly and the poor, brings us life-long personal fulfillment†(Pope Francis, Message for the Year of Consecrated Life, The Vatican: November 21, 2014, II, 1). (FGB)
Dominican students from the communities of Hong Kong and Macau gathered together at Saint Dominic’s Priory in Macau to attend a one week course on “Dominican Preaching.†The interesting and enlightening mini-course was given by a Korean Dominican priest, Fr. John Kim Sang Tae on February 22 – 27, 2015. Fr. Kim is at present the Regent of Studies of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Based on the book “De Eruditione Preadicatorum†by Humbert of Romans, who was the fifth Master of the Order, Fr. Kim shared his knowledge of preaching the Word of God in today’s world. Taking advantage of the holidays in celebration of the Lunar New Year, about twenty simply professed students participated in the course.
The speaker started the course on preaching by explaining the definition of preaching as a mode of communication comprising multiple ministries. He distinguishes five kinds of preaching, namely: Evangelical preaching designed for non-believers; Catechetical preaching aimed at catechumens; Didactical preaching directed to those who are already Christians; Liturgical preaching focused on the homily during the Mass or assembly of worship; and Witnessing of life preaching by living a good Christian life.
Based on classical work “De Eruditione Preadicatorum†of Humbert of Romans, Fr. Kim dealt with the following six major questions for the preachers: why preach, what to preach, how to preach, what effects from preaching, what preachers should consider concerning the listeners, and who are the preachers.
Indeed, preachers are the instruments of God for the salvation of humanity and for spreading the kingdom of God throughout the world. In a profound sense, a preacher is a true prophet who brings God’s message to the people. In doing so, prayer and contemplation are urgently necessary. Above all, a preacher is a witness in the Church. He has to live what he preaches as Jesus told the apostles: “You are my witnesses†(Acts 1:8; Luke 24:48). Being a member of the Order of Preachers, a Dominican preacher like his Father Dominic is an itinerant preacher: “St. Dominic discovered his mission ‘on the road’, and sent his brothers to preach ‘on the road’.†However, Fr. Kim reminded us not to have a wrong motivation for travelling for worldly affairs in order to escape the community life, which is one of the Dominican four pillars.
Throughout the course, the young students were urged to study well the Sacred Scriptures and the teachings of the Church. Humbert of Romans writes: “The two Testaments are like rocks for preachers.†Likewise, another major important element is prayer. In this context, the Fundamental Constitution of the Order states: “Preaching and teaching should issue from contemplation.†The motto of the Order coined by St. Thomas Aquinas says it well: “Contemplata Aliis Tradere.†In the end, Humbert says, a preacher is a messenger who receives a message from God and delivers it to the people.
Let me close with a few data on our speaker. Fr. John Kim Sang Tae is the second ordained priest from South Korea of the Dominican Province of Our Lady of the Rosary. He made his first profession on the 4th of February 2001, and finished his bachelor’s degree in Theology at the Catholic Seminary in Seoul, Korea. He received his Licentiate and Master of Arts in Religious Life from the Institute of Consecrated Life in Asia (ICLA), Quezon City, Metro Manila. (The institute is affiliated to the Dominican University of Santo Tomas in Manila) Fr. Kim received his Doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical University of Santo Tomás (Angelicum), Rome. At present, he is assigned at the Dominican community in Ansan, South Korea, and is the Director of the Confraternity of the Rosary.
Bro. Paul Win Aung Myint, OP
St. Dominic’s Priory, Macau
(Macau, February 2, 2015): The celebration of the Day of Consecrated Life took place at the Fatima Church, especially adorned for the occasion, where some two hundred religious, women and men, old and young, from far and near, belonging to a rich variety of cultures, speaking different languages, etc., but sharing the same Spirit, gathered on the second of February, day of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple and Day of the Consecrated Life.
Under the motto “Consecrated Life brings joy and hope to Peopleâ€, faithfully reflecting the atmosphere of the weeks previous to the celebration, and at the rhythm of the Hymn “Wake the World with Dawning Joyâ€, written ‘ad hoc’ by Steven C. Warner, and interpreted by our young brothers and sisters, eventually joined by the whole assembly present, the Paraliturgy began with a Solemn procession with the Book of Holy Scriptures, accompanied by a representative of every Congregation/Institute present in Macau, holding a small lit candle. Then, the Enthronement of the Holy Bible and a Prayer led by the Right Reverent José Lai, Bishop of Macau, followed.
 
Next we listened to some words, in Chinese and English, from Saint Paul (1Th 5: 16-18), and the Hole Father (from his Letter to Religious Life), alternating with some religious songs suitable for the moment.
One of the aspects that was meant to be highlighted during the celebration was the prophetic, testimonial dimension of the Consecrated Life, so frequently mentioned by Pope Francis. This was the moment to let two lay voices be heard: that of Jorge, a Macau historian who talked briefly to us (in English) about how Religious Life has brought joy and hope to the people of Macau from its very beginnings; and that of a young man, Chiu Heung Sing, (in Chinese), witness of a very touching recent incident, where a consecrated person has brought joy and hope to people very close to him.Â
After a few words by the Bishop, the ceremony contemplated to have the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, which ended with the Prayer of the year of Consecrated Life (Chinese and English) and the concluding Hymn.
The fraternal dinner that ensued, livened up by the choir members, was a present from people who wanted to manifest their acknowledgement and gratefulness to the Religious of Macau. To them our most sincere and heart-felt thanks and God’s blessings.
St. Dominic’s Priory. Macau.
  
   
