NEW MEMBER IN OUR COMMUNITY
On January 17, 2014 the Priory joyfully received a new member: Brother Peter Zya Reh, OP from Myanmar. After completing one year novitiate, Bro. Peter made his first simple profession as a Dominican of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary on December 15, 2013 at St. Albert’s Priory, Rosaryhill, Hong Kong.
All the twenty seven members of the Dominican community in Macau warmly and joyfully welcomed Brother Peter. Our Brother Peter will continue his philosophical and theological studies at the Faculty of Christian Studies of the University of Saint Joseph.
Indeed, “people come and people go.†One new brother arrived in our community and another brother went out. We have to add here that a student brother left our Priory: Brother Christopher Max decided to leave the Order. He left for Myanmar on January 18, 2014. He was grateful to the community, which wished the best for him and a good future. Christopher was a first year theology student.
FACULTY OF CHRISTIAN STUDIES, USJ AND ST. DOMINIC CENTER OF STUDIES
Second semester began officially on January 19, although for some students it started two weeks earlier. These had to attend classes in Eschatology imparted by a visiting professor from Portugal.
An important development this semester is the transfer of the library of theological sciences from the USJ location at NAPE 1 to the Seminary of Saint Joseph, where our students pursue their studies.
The series of academic lectures 2013-2014 of the Faculty of Christian Studies began the year with a lecture on January 16, 2014.
The St. Dominic Center of Studies continued offering the special courses. The monthly Saturday Lectures started the New Year with lectures on January 4, 2014.
EXAMINATION FOR PRIESTHOOD AND HEARING CONFESSIONS
The exam took place on January 14, 2014 at the Council Room of St. Dominic’s Priory, Macau. The Panel of Examiners appointed by Fr. Javier González, OP, Prior Provincial was composed of the following: Fr. Fausto Gomez, OP, Chairman, and Fathers José Luis de Miguel, OP and Edmond Eh, OP, members.
Bro. Sebastian passed both oral tests unanimously. He will be ordained priest with Fr. Paul F., OP, on February 9, 2014 at the Chapel of Rosaryhill. Bro, Sebastian is a member of the Vicariate of Taiwan and Bro. Paul, of the Convent of Saint Albert, Rosaryhill, Hong Kong.
MIGRANTS DAY IN MACAU: January 19, 2014
The World Day of Migrants was celebrated in Macau, and in the whole world, on Sunday, January 19, 2014. Hundreds of migrants from many different parts of the world working in Macau celebrated the 100th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The joyful celebration consisted of a Solemn Mass, an agape for all, and a cultural program. Our Dominican brothers and sisters from Myanmar, Korea, Vietnam and China took part in all the activities.
The migrants in Macau filled up St. Augustine Church for the celebration of the Solemn Mass. Many of them were dressed up in the colorful and beautiful costumes of their respective country. The Holy Eucharist was presided by the Bishop of Macau Most Rev. Jose Lai, DD and concelebrated by eleven priests from different religious congregations, including the Order of Preachers.
After the Eucharist, the celebration continued with a sumptuous lunch at St. Joseph’s Auditorium and closed with a cultural program of dances and songs from different countries.
ESCOLA SAO PAULO CELEBRATES ST. PAUL
St. Paul’s School celebrated its feast, the solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul, which this year was held on January 24, Friday. The multi-faceted commemoration consisted of the celebration of the Eucharist, presentation of a cultural program, and a family banquet.
The celebration of the holy Mass was presided by the Bishop of Macau, the Most Rev. Jose Lai, DD, and concelebrated by nine Dominican priests from the communities of Macau and Hong Kong, and two other priests close to the Dominicans. Held at the main auditorium of the school, it was attended by about nine hundred students, and academic and administrative staff.
The short and entertaining cultural program of songs and dances was opened by Fr. Alejandro Salcedo, OP, Director of the Escola Sao Paulo, who expressed the deep gratitude of the school to all the teaching staff and students, his Dominican brothers, and the benefactors and friends of the school.
The banquet at a well-known restaurant and convention center was a family affair with good food, and spontaneous and excellent singing by some teachers, students and alumni, including our brother Fr. Athanasius, OP, Director of the school’s Campus Ministry and of the radio station “Saint Paul.â€
Escola Sao Paulo or Saint Paul’s School is a Catholic school of the Diocese of Macau run by our Dominican brothers. It is a leading school among the thirty four Catholic schools of Macau. About two hundred and eighty (full or part time) teachers impart lessons to and walk with over three thousand students of kinder, primary and secondary schools as they pursue their studies at St. Paul’s.
CHINESE NEW YEAR: JANUARY 31, 2014.
The Priory, the University of Saint Joseph and St. Paul’s School celebrated the New Year, the Year of the Horse on different days and with different activities.
St. Dominic’s Priory celebrated it on its proper day with a solemn Mass of Our Lady of China. The family celebration with familiar agape, and bingo was held the night before, that is the last night of the previous Lunar New Year. As it is customary, all the brothers receive from the Prior a red envelope. The elegant and brave horse symbolizes for us excellence in studies, teaching, preaching and school administration, fraternal and prayerful community life, and committed and joyful apostolate. We hope and pray it will be so! (Fausto Gomez, OP)
The Priory celebrated the Feast of Our Lady, Queen of China on the first day of the Chinese Lunar Year, this year of 2014 the Year of the Horse. Our brother Fr. Edmond presided the concelebrated Mass of the community and gave us a beautiful homily. Hereafter, Fr. Edmond’s summary.
 This feast commemorates events which took place in April 1900. During the Boxer rebellion, a great number of soldiers attacked the village of Donglu, Hebei. The village consisted of a small community of Christians founded by the Vincentian Fathers.
The Virgin Mary appeared in white, and a fiery horseman (believed to be St Michael) chased away the soldiers.
The pastor, Fr Wu, commissioned a painting of Mary with Christ child dressed in golden imperial robes. This painting became the image of Our Lady, Queen of China.
Donglu became a place of pilgrimage in 1924. The image was blessed and promulgated by Pope Pius XI in 1928.
Happy feast day,
FR. EDMOND EH KIM CHEW, OP
St. Dominic’s Priory
Brother Peter Zya Reh, OP is the newest member of our community, of St. Dominic’s Priory in Macau. Bro. Peter is from Myanmar. After completing one year novitiate, Bro. Peter made his first simple profession as a Dominican of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary on December 15, 2013 at St. Albert’s Priory, Rosaryhill, Hong Kong.
Brother Peter Zya Reh, now assigned to the Studentate in St. Dominic’s Priory, took up three years of philosophical studies at St. Francis Xavier Major Seminary in Singapore. After taking a short vacation in his hometown, Loikaw, Myanmar, he arrived in Macau on the 17th of January 2014.
All the twenty eight members of the Dominican community in Macau warmly and joyfully welcomed Brother Peter. We all pray and hope that he will enjoy the new environment and the new community. We assure him of our help and support, as we continue to support each other and face together good and bad times. Now, our new brother will continue his philosophical and theological studies at the Faculty of Christian Studies of the University of Saint Joseph.
May the good Lord bless him and guide him in his community life and studies, and may he be faithful to his Dominican vocation.
Brother Peter Zya Reh, you are most welcomed!
(Bro. Francis Nge, Nge, OP)
The World Day of Migrants was celebrated in Macau, and in the whole world, on Sunday, January 19, 2014. Hundreds of migrants from many different parts of the world working in Macau celebrated the 100th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The joyful celebration consisted of a Solemn Mass, an agape for all, and a cultural program. Our Dominican brothers and sisters from Myanmar, Korea and Vietnam took part in all the activities.
The migrants in Macau filled up St. Augustine Church for the celebration of the Solemn Mass. Many of them were dressed up in the colorful and beautiful costumes of their respective country. The Holy Eucharist was presided by the Bishop of Macau Most Rev. Jose Lai, DD and concelebrated by eleven priests from different religious congregations, including the Order of Preachers.
The theme for the centennial of the World Day celebration is “Migrants and Refugees: Towards a Better World.†Bishop Jose Lai developed the theme in his homily. The good Bishop said that the Church cares for the migrants, and the migrants themselves contribute very positively to the development of the small city of Macau. In a real sense, in this world we all are migrants journeying towards a better world – the house of our Father in Heaven. We prepare for the new city of God by loving one another as brothers and sisters. The petitions of the Prayer of the Faithful in the Mass were very appropriate:  they included petitions in the languages of the different countries from where the migrants come from. Out of different cultures and languages, one common treasure was found in the celebration: the smile of all the participants that could easily be interpreted as the universal language of love and hospitality.
After the Eucharist, the celebration continued with a sumptuous lunch at St. Joseph’s Auditorium. Different kinds of food from the various national communities highly pleased the participants’ tastes. After lunch, the celebration went on in the same auditorium with the cultural performances of different groups that showcased the rich culture of their respective country. Among the performances, our Dominican brothers from Myanmar also performed a grand number of their beautiful ethnicity and likewise the Dominican sisters from Myanmar and from East-Timor. A song sung by all, “We are the world,†highlighted the message of the 2014 Migrants’ World Day.
The program ended with the words of gratitude of the organizers of the great affair. A representative of the Apostolate with Migrants in Macau gave praise and thanks to God, to the Church of Macau, to Bishop Jose Lai and to all participants as well as the performers. He cheered all for the successful celebration of the centennial of World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Copies of the interesting and informative book “Crossing the Borders†were given to all participants as an unforgettable souvenir of the event. We now look forward to next year’s celebration of the 101st World Day of Migrants and Refugees in Macau.
Bro. Paul Aung Myint Win O.P
St. Dominic Priory, Macau
On December 21, 2013, Fr. Lucio Gutiérrez was taken by the Lord from this life. He was seventy five years old (1938-2013), including his fifty years as a Dominican priest, which were spent for the Kingdom almost exclusively in Manila except nearly one year in Macau.
Fr. Lucio was born in Caleruega, Spain, on October 25, 1938. By the way, Caleruega is the birthplace of St. Dominic of Guzman, the founder and father of the Order of Preachers (OP) or Dominicans. He was ordained a Dominican Priest on June 30, 1963 in Valladolid, Spain. Besides finishing the courses in philosophy in Spain (Avila and Madrid) and of theology in England (Oxford), he pursued postgraduate studies at the Gregorian University (Rome), where he obtained his licentiate and doctorate in Church History.
Through his life, Fr. Lucio was a great teacher of Church History and preacher of the Word. He spent the greatest part of his Dominican life at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, where he held various administrative positions, including Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Editor of Philippiniana Sacra and Regent of different colleges. He authored many books on history of the Philippine Church and had an incredible memory. Fr. Lucio taught Church History at the Faculty of Christian Studies of the University of Saint Joseph Macau, the academic year 2009-2010, where he came to be the Master of Students at our Priory in Macau. As requested, he continued teaching Church History at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila for the school years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.
He was a good teacher, particularly of Church History. His students loved him. In November-December, 2009, he taught at UST Faculty of Theology. His first year students for the Bachelor’s degree in theology put together his written notes and bound them. They wrote on first page: “’Every good deed and charitable deed lasts forever.’ For the good and charitable deeds you have done to us Father, rest assured, they will remain in our hearts and you will be always in our prayers.†His Manila students called him “the smiling priest,†and “the dancing priest.â€
When he came back from Manila in August 2010, he appeared very tired. We began to doubt his health. He had a persistent problem with apnea. I asked him: “Lucio, have a checkup.†He answered me: “No need. I am a servant of the Lord; He will take care of me.†He did have a checkup the result of which was not good. Still in Macau, on September 10, 2010, he told a friend: “I feel lost in the forest.†A few days after, he began to lose his mind and memory. He was taken to the UST Hospital, Manila on September 17, 2010, where he was hospitalized for three months. Little by little he became worse: the mental moments of lucidity began to decrease until he lost completely his mind and became semi-conscious or semi-comatose. The last day he recognized me was September 27, 2010, when he greeted me, “Hola Fausto,†and said good bye with the words “adios Fausto.†The doctors did not know what he really had: at first, they suspected a stroke, and afterwards: cerebral viral infection, encephalitis, herpes simplex, heart attacks… Nothing totally sure! After some days in the UST Hospital, Fr. Lucio was intubated: ventilator and nasogastric tube. On December 14, 2010, he was transferred to the Saint Martin de Porres Hospital in San Juan, Metro Manila, where he was bedridden for three years. This hospital of the Dominican Lay Fraternities had all the facilities Fr. Lucio needed and was a few meters away from our Convent of the Holy Cross there. Our brothers took excellent care of him until the good Lord took him to his Kingdom on December 21, 2013; just four years after his Macau journey properly began.
On his first monthly lecture as Master of Students (December 16, 2010), Fr. Lucio tells them: “I am your Master, but I have not come here to command you, nor to keep vigil over you, nor to be with you all the time, but to walk with you, to journey with you. At most I am here to facilitate your full development as Dominicans, to allow you your free space, your freedom to act responsibly, to make decisions of your own.†He was fascinated by Jesus, his first love. In a lecture to the students he says: “Preaching, teaching, the apostolate… if not in communion with Jesus, we are walking in the wilderness. Whom do we preach? We preach Jesus and only Jesus – with love and joy and zest!†He was in love with Dominic whom he knew very well and also with our missionaries in Asia.
Besides being a great teacher and writer, Fr. Lucio was above all, a man of God – prayerful and compassionate. He was a prayerful priest and Dominican. He recited the complete Divine Office every day, celebrated Mass daily, prayed the five mysteries of the Rosary of Mary at least once a day, went for his individual confession frequently (after receiving absolution, he always states in his agenda the date and time and commented: “I was reconciled; Lord, thank you,†or “Señor, graciasâ€), read the whole Bible once a year (some chapters every day), and celebrated at least one Mass in a parish every Sunday and day of obligation. He could not say no to invitations to say one more Mass to the point that some Sundays he celebrated five Masses. We told him: “Lucio, that is too much!†He just laughed and continued doing it.
People in Manila remember Fr. Lucio for two special traits: his love for the sick and his concern for the poor. He was the infirmarian of the Saint Thomas Aquinas Priory, where the Dominican brothers ministering in the University of Santo Tomas reside. When a brother or priest was sick, he visited them every day. He extended this custom to many other patients in the hospital. Always a preacher, he could not escape any occasion to preach. Once, a brother Dominican priest was at the end of his earthly life, and conscious. So Fr. Lucio sat on his hospital bed and began to preach to him about Christ, the Cross and the Resurrection. When he had finished, the father looked at him smiling and said: “How well you have learned the lesson!â€
He was a friend of many poor families and persons, including lepers, street children and old people living in the Metro Manila area. Even after being semi-comatose in the hospitals, people came to ask him for their monthly allowance from Fr. Lucio. He helped a family of lepers to build a house. In his agenda, he put the amount spent in cement, bricks, wood… Lovely! Where did he get the money? Mainly he got it, with the permission of the superiors, from donations and his extra work in parishes, his royalties from the publication of books, and the allowed individual Mass intentions.
He was a great long-distance walker. He knew well all the streets of Manila (and the name of thousand towns in the Philippines). He also knew Macau well: it took him three hours to walk around the whole Macau. Even while walking (in Manila), he tried to be helpful, at times with danger to his life. Once he saw two men fighting in a street in Manila. He approached them and tried to separate them, but both resented his help and became very angry at him – even threatening to punch him!
Fr. Lucio was a joyful friar. He loved to tell, and re-tell stories and jokes. One close friend told him at times:  “Lucio, again? Never mind, say it again†and Lucio consented joyfully and narrated the repeated story once more – as if it were the first time.
I am not trying to make Fr. Lucio a saint. He would not like that, I am sure. I am just a close friend who knows him a little and owes him much gratitude for his generosity, for being there when the going was a bit rough. After knowing that Fr. Lucio had passed away, a common friend told me: “This will be the first Christmas of Fr. Lucio in heaven.†I do think so. He was a good man of God, a joyful friar, a dedicated Dominican, a friend of the sick and the poor , He would tell me, for sure, “ That is not true, Fausto,†and add, “I am a great sinner!â€
When St. Clare was dying she says: “Thank you, Lord, for creating me.†Thank you, Lord, many, many thanks for creating Fr. Lucio and giving him the Dominican and missionary vocation! Lucio hermano, may you rest in God’s peace! Requiescat in pace!
Fausto Gomez, OP
St. Dominic’s Priory
Macau, December 27, 2013.