Visitation of the Prior Provincial

Visitation of the Prior Provincial

The Prior Provincial of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary, fr Ruben Martinez, visited Saint Dominic’s Priory during the month of November. He saw this visit as an opportunity to connect with his fellow brothers. He met with the brothers individually and shared in the life that they lived here in Macau. He also listened to their thoughts on the state of their own lives as well as of the community as a whole. The brothers were quite happy to see him and he himself was happy to see them as well. As a whole, his entire visit was a pleasant experience for everybody.

Lecture in Honour of St Thomas Aquinas

Lecture in Honour of St Thomas Aquinas

In honour of St Thomas Aquinas, Fr Franz Gassner, SVD, the Dean of the Faculty of Religious Studies and Philosophy of the University of St Joseph, delivered a lecture entitled Quinque Viae Ethicae Oecologiae: Five Ways to Care for Our Common Home – Ecological Ethics at St Dominic’s Convent in Macao.

The lecture outlined five different ways to explain how the relationship between humanity and the rest of creation should be using St Thomas’ thought. It gives us an opportunity to rethink how we should treat creation especially with the different environmental issues in our world today.

The Dominican Family in Macao, composed of the friars, sisters, and lay Dominicans, was in attendance. Some friars outside Macao also followed it online. After the lecture, Holy Mass was celebrated for the Feast of St Thomas Aquinas and lunch followed afterwards. It was a great day not only because it was the feast of our brother St Thomas but also that the whole Dominican Family was with us throughout.

New Prior in Macao

New Prior in Macao

On 24 November 2021 Fr Javier Gonzalez accepted his office as Prior of St Dominic’s Priory in Macao. Three days later, he took the office during the community prayer of Vespers. It was a simple, meaningful ceremony, which consisted in the profession of faith and the oath of fidelity. Afterwards, Fr Javier addressed a few words to the community. He first explained that the public profession of faith and the oath taking indicated that he was accepting the office of Prior in the name of the Church. Then he welcomed the newly arrived student brothers from Hong Kong, inviting them to feel at home. He further thanked the former Prior, Fr Paul Fan, for his services to the community during the previous years and wished him success now in his new position as Master of Students. Finally, Fr Javier thanked the members of the community for their trust and evoked those words of St Augustine saying that the superior should strive to be loved by the brothers rather than feared, ever mindful that he must give an account of them to God.  In closing, as the moment marked the very beginning of Advent, he encouraged everyone to let the new liturgical season be also the beginning of a new life, while he placed himself at the service of the community.

Solemn Religious Profession

Solemn Religious Profession

On July 25, 2021, the three Dominican Brothers Richard HTOO, Gabriel Robinson KYAW KO KO and Justin SAW KAUNG HBOWN MYINT, made their solemn religious profession into the Order of Preachers. They had just finished their institutional studies of Philosophy and Theology at the University of Saint Joseph in Macau.

By making their solemn profession, our three brothers culminated a five-year-long process of formation, counting from the moment they completed their Novitiate, in July 2016. It was on that day when they made their first simple (temporary) religious profession, taking upon themselves the three evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience to God, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order. Now, after five years, they did the same until death: A sort of matrimonial covenant with God, the religious profession seen in spousal terms. The ceremony of the religious profession takes place normally within the Mass. At the end of the proclamation of the Gospel, the brothers are called by their names and asked to affirm their willingness to live according to the evangelical counsels. Then, one by one, the brothers kneel before the altar, place their hands in their Provincial hands atop the Book of Constitutions of the Order of Preachers, and pronounce the formula of the profession.

In our missionary Province of Our Lady of the Rosary, with an additional promise, namely, to go to Missio ad gentes, if so decided by their Superiors. In the formula of profession used in the Dominican Order, only the evangelical counsel of obedience is mentioned. Everything else, even the other two vows of poverty and chastity, is included there, as the Book of Constitutions of the Friar Preachers explains: By obedience, a person dedicates himself totally to God, and his actions approximate to the goal of the profession, which is the perfection of charity. Everything else too in the apostolic life is included under obedience (LCO, 19). The act of obedience, in which one gives his entire self in service to God, is what brings unity to a brother’s life, and it is what enables him to grow in charity and love. Poverty and chastity go hand in hand with obedience.

In the Dominican culture, a life of evangelical poverty frees the friar of the desire for material wealth. Furthermore, it allows a brother to grow in his dependence on the Lord and his trust in God’s providence and care. Likewise, a life of chastity is manifested through religious celibacy. It enables a friar to devote himself ceaselessly to preaching and to the proclamation of the Gospel for the salvation of souls without the responsibilities of married family life. In addition, they support themselves in this endeavor, through a fraternal life in common, working, praying, and studying together.

Through the solemn religious profession, a brother acquires certain responsibilities, like voting rights in the community Chapter and the capacity to serve in different offices. More importantly though, complete, permanent religious consecration allows the brothers to be dedicated to God, who is supremely loved, and to seek the perfection of charity in the service of God Kingdom, for the honor of God, the building up of the Church and the salvation of the world (c. 573). Our sincerest congratulations to the three solemnly professed brothers!

Religious Profession Renewal

Religious Profession Renewal

 

On 21 June 2021, a group of 13 Dominican Student Brothers had their profession renewal in Macau. They promised obedience, chastity, and poverty to God, although only one of the three evangelical counsels Obedience is mentioned in the Dominican Order. This event has brought home to my mind a few thoughts that I wish to share in these lines.

Promising obedience to God means submitting ourselves to Him, listening to Him. In fact, the word “obedience  [from the Latin ob-audire] means, in the theological reflection, listening. Listening to God is a way to express our intimate relationship with Him who has spoken and keeps calling to each of us through our hearts and minds. The Lord has called to follow Him in a special way; that is why we name it vocation and it is a privilege, a divine gift.

In promising obedience to God, we do not lose our freedom; rather we regain it! Why? Because we say yes to Him freely, without force or fear. Truly, there are renunciations in it, like other people (for instance, in marriage, in social duties) or like in the case of Jesus, who sought the will of his Father as the food who nourished his life; even in the difficult moments of the cross, he kept bedient until death seeing in such obedience a loving gift. Our religious renunciation does not mean losing our freedom? On the contrary, in the Christian understanding, religious obedience to God implies an intimate relationship with God.

God calls us since we were born: You did not choose me but I chose you (John 15:16); each of us has received from birth a special gift from God. He already knew what we were going to be in the future, while we when we are only dreaming to become someone as we grow old. Our parents may choose to have us, but they cannot choose what we are to be.

So, our Profession Renewal or Vows renewal simply means looking forward to our solemn profession, which is made until death. Religious life is a radical following of Jesus’ poor, chaste, and obedient. All things were done by Jesus according to His Father’s will. In the Garden of Gethsemane, His obedience was demonstrated by His acceptance of the cup of suffering. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus seeks the will of His Father in prayer. Obeying for him did not mean submission to tyrannical power, as it is the connotation in contemporary society. Obedience for Jesus was really an act of trust in His Father. Proportionally in our case, when we obey our religious superiors do so because we trust that, as legitimate authorities, they have our best interests at heart – leading us to what we could not or would not otherwise pick by ourselves.

For instance; I may be unwilling to obey traffic laws, but I trust they exist to protect me and people. This statement is indeed true because, in my driving, I could be so selfishly speeding toward my destination that I might not think of the safety of other people. To remind me that this should not be the case, the trusted authorities enact laws. In the same way, Jesus obedience was an expression of love and active trust. It is exactly the same love and trust that the religious profess when taking their solemn vow of obedience. Indeed, their vow of obedience is really a vow of trust in God first and foremost, even if they promise it also to their constituted religious superiors. The freedom they have regained is their full dedication to God’s service.

Bro. Cesar De Sousa OP.

 

 

 

Establishment Of The Dominican Lay Fraternity

Establishment Of The Dominican Lay Fraternity

 

TORCH OF MACAU

As a Dominican, I would say that I am always instigated by the dream of St. Dominic’s mother before she had him; a dog jumped from her womb holding a torch and set everything around them on fire. This kind of vision is not only impressive but also awesome! Given the Order charism for zealous preaching of the Gospel, the story and the play on words seemed fitting!

 But I never had such an illusion to initiate a Confraternity of lay Dominicans anywhere, much less a head trip in Macau. And yet, we say that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways, either. And I want to figure out that the God of surprise was in cahoots with our Father St. Dominic de Guzman’s wish in augmenting the members of the Order.

This is my simple story:

 A Dominican lay from Hong Kong, who was unfamiliar to me, approached me after the mass suggesting if we could start a lay Dominican group here in Macau. I was not only astounded but I could not give her a reply. On my way home, I thought: Is this not a God-given design? It was then that I started discerning about this matter, and truly I have thought This is not a joke. And so I proposed this matter to Fr. Jose Luis de Miguel, Prior of Macau to which he made some dubious comments since the participants are not residents of Macau and because of the unstable work they might be touch-and-go members.

I was working in the Pastoral Center for Migrant Filipino Workers and was in charge of their Christian Formation. And so, I thought of inviting young men and women regardless of their status to lay eyes on our Dominican style of life. The response was not spontaneous, given the fact that they didn’t know what I was up to. I did not give up the ship; rather I leave no stone without any compromise. And so, to my surprise, and maybe for curiosity’s sake, 15 members came, but 8 hung loose, and 7 persevered. As they went along in formation, they were all enticed by the way our Dominican life as a family lives. The Dominican Family is where we all feel at home. That means we do not have to justify being there but feel at ease. We feel accepted just the way we are, was their general comment.

The first batch after a period of three years decided to make their first commitment with the consent of Fr. Provincial, Fr. Javier Gonzalez, O.P. They are Ana Francia de Guzman, O.P., France de Guzman, O.P., Miriam Zingapan, O.P., and Selina Ebora, O.P.

 Thinking of how to name the group, I did not hesitate since the dream was prescient due to a play of words in Latin: although Father Dominic named it Order of Preachers, it would later come to be known as the Dominicans; in Latin, that Dominican, which is very similar to Domini Canis, or dog/hound of the Lord. Timely, Macau is drenched in materialism because of the presence of casinos all around. And so I have thought of a name suitable to what will become the mission of our Lay in Macau, to be faithful like our Father Dominic de Guzman in proclaiming the Gospel and guarding the faith and the truth from modern heresy; and to rouse people from today’s blind adherence to an ephemeral world; undoubtedly my brother priests agreed with me.

Indeed, this time was magnificent because the Lord’s preaching hounds unleashed a force meant to further fire up an already splendid 800-year-old service to the Catholic faith when the Order Our Lady of the Rosary Province celebrated a solemn mass in the Cathedral with the presence of the bishop, priests, religious, Lay Dominicans (from Hong Kong and Macau), the faithful, in this momentous event of the Order. That was a superb celebration!

Last April 29, the feast of our Sister Catherine of Siena, our Dominican Family was blessed by 4 Professed Lay Sisters who renewed their promise for a year, 4 Novices and 6 Postulants seeking a richer, deeper spiritual life while living in the world in personal and liturgical prayer, especially the Eucharist, in the common study and in everyday life experiences. They discern ways, with the help of a Spiritual guide and community of believers, to deliver the Word according to their abilities and the urging of the Holy Spirit.  Although they are OFW workers, they are living a positive response to the Gospel message, sharing their faith to their families and even the family of their employers and friends, trying to combat the evil of the age by preaching the Truth of Christ. They are aware that Lay Dominican life is all about having a passion for the Word of God. It is about committing oneself to a community of like-minded brothers and sisters that immerse themselves in the Word of God. If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (St. John 8:31-32).

 Lastly, they are here with us now not only to enrich the Order, the Church, and the World around us through the richness of their vocation but to journey with us through the path that our Father Dominic had trudged.

We pray for these new members of our Order, the Lay Dominican- Torch of Macau, for their zeal and enthusiasm in illuminating at least this little corner of the world- Macau as faithful hounds of the Lord.

 Father Dominic, pray for your sons and daughters, pray!

 Sr. Maria Lourdes Blanca, O.P.

Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary