The Community of Friars Preachers in Macau gathered this morning to honor the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. A child is born in Bethlehem, alleluia; o come, rejoice Jerusalem, alleluia. Let grateful hearts now sing, a song of joy and holy praise, to Christ the newborn.
Following our community custom, which is the tradition in our Province, Brother Aloysius Thurein Htun, OP., on behalf of all the student Brothers greeted our Prior, Fr. Paul Fan, OP., followed by our Subprior Fr. Javier Gonzalez, OP., on behalf of the Fathers. It is important to mention that Fr. Paul is our new Prior, which fills us with joy and hopes because the new generation is taking offices of great responsibility; the example is palpable: the guidance of such a dynamic and complex community as our priory is. A community that as a family accepts and loves one another as brothers around our Prior.
Brother Aloysius reminded us that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year; that is the time for all of us to show gratitude and to acknowledge the presence of one another in our community. Addressing Fr, Paul, Br., Aloysius said that it is nice to have a Prior who, like a tender father, guides this community which is our home; this is particularly necessary since we are far away from our own families. To this idea, Fr. Javier added: As religious, far away from our native homes, we remember with affection our relatives and beloved ones. They continue to be in our hearts and prayers.
Fr. Paul, a prayer of this community for you: May God blessings of peace be upon you not only during this season, but also during the entire year (and years as Prior) enabling you to carry out those meaningful words you adopted as program on your taking of office: the Prior should not consider himself happy because of the power he exercises over the community, but because of the charity with which he serves (LCO, 299).
Peace and good health, strength and joy, happiness without alloy, is our prayer and wishes for you, Father Prior and for all the members of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Since 1914, when the Catholic Church established the World Day for Migrants and Refugees, every year it is celebrated throughout the world. This year 2019, upon the initiative of the Diocese coordinated by the Catholic Pastoral care for Philippine migrants, here in Macau the celebration took place on Sunday, 27th of October. The venue was Saint Paul School.
His Excellency Stephen Lee, the bishop of Macau, began the program of activities in the morning with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the school main auditorium. Ten priests from different nationalities, Orders and Congregations, concelebrated with him.
Before the Mass there was an entrance procession, led by migrants from several nationalities present in Macau, to the image of Our Lady placed near the stage, while a song was performed by a Philippines choir. It was a sign and expression of trust in our Mother Mary, our refuge. To our Lady we brought our worries, our difficulties and problems, trusting always in her. Then we proceeded with the Mass, which was attended by more than a thousand people from different nationalities who reside in Macau, as well as by local people. The main choir members for this Mass were the Dominican Brothers and Sisters.
During the homily, the Bishop talked about the challenges that migrants face in Macau. He said something like this: You may feel excluded and mistreated by the local people, and so forth, but remember you are Christians, children of God; therefore, you should not retaliate these things to them because God never excludes or mistreats you. Moreover, you may worry about your families or feel isolated and lonely because of being away from your family and from your own countries, but remember that you are here with a mission, working to support your family and help the local people to become more charitable. Bishop cited an example he had seen. A family started to be converted to the faith because the housemaid brought their children to Sunday school. The children shared their faith with their parents and eventually they were converted. If I am too exaggerated, the Bishop said, you are not only migrants: you are missionaries; therefore your role is to shine with your faith.
After the Mass, lunch break: an agape-fellowship was served with cuisines from Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines. Moreover, the Brazilian community also brought cakes for dessert.
At 1:30 pm we gathered again in Saint Paul School auditorium for the performances of the different artists in representation of 11 countries and communities, including Portugal, Brazil, East Timor and Venezuela. All in all there were 150 performers. Some nationalities performed some of their traditional dances, such as Burmese bamboo dancing, Indonesian dancing, etc. Other groups sang and danced, reflecting in their singing and dancing different life-styles of society nowadays. For instance, some people travel by air while others had to walk barefoot on the ground. Some people seem to be happy, while others are depressed with the difficulties and problems that they face in their lives; some people seem to be satisfied with what they have, while others are never satisfied, and so on.
In conclusion, the World Day for Migrants and refugees remind us that we may have many different cultures and languages but we all belong to one human race. Hence, we should not exclude anyone from our society, whether he or she is newly arrived or permanent resident, because God never excludes anyone. This day is not only for migrants but it is for all of us to come together and celebrate the day of our humanity.
The Dominican Family, composed of clerical and cooperator brothers, nuns, sister, members of secular institutes, and fraternities of priests and lay members, as defined by the Constitution of the Order, share a common vocation, each serving the mission of the Order in its own distinctive ways.
Here in Macau, there are Dominican Fathers and Sisters and for the last three years, there is a lay Fraternity of Saint Dominic, The torch of Macau. As for the fathers, some are dedicated to their permanent tasks as formators of the Dominican Students, their brothers; several of them are teaching at the University of Saint Joseph. Some are following superior studies at the University, and others are fully involved in different offices of the Province, etc. Aside from that, some of our fathers are doing their ministry at the service of the Diocese of Macau. The sisters do more or less the same, fully involved in their own apostolates.
Our lay Confraternity, The Torch of Macau, founded in 2016, is presently composed of thirteen members, practically all of them from the Philippines.
As lay people and working, they have their different tasks to attend to, and different schedules to carry out. Therefore, it is not easy to have their activities and meetings as a group in formation needs to. However, as part of their formation, they meet together twice a month with their spiritual councilors Father Jose Luis de Miguel Fernandez and one of the sisters, to pray, to become more familiar with one another and with the Dominican saints and most prominent representatives of the Lay Dominicans in the history of the Order. And above all, to receive an initial formation on the spirit of the Dominican Family, and an initial formation regarding the Word of God. From time to time, other members of the community are invited to give a talk or a retreat to our Lay members of the Dominican Family.
On the occasion of welcoming the five aspirants to join the Confraternity as novices, and simultaneously, for the celebration of the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, OP(29 OF April), patroness of the Dominican Laity, we took advantage of the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, to celebrate this Joyous event. At the same time, the other batch of four Novices made their first promises with the presence of the other four who professed two years ago.
It was indeed a blessed, meaningful day for them and a very fraternal and joyous day for us. As the members of the fraternity, the novices will come to experience together with the professed ones and if it is what they look and long for, they will be making their first promise in one year. However, for the ones who just made their first promise, they have decided and they are willingly dedicated themselves to live according to the profession of the evangelical way of life, adopted by the Order to their secular status and by this they are drawn together by a special gift of God in the apostolic spirit of Saint Dominic, to announce the Good News to this present World, and to seek their own salvation and that of others.
We thank God for all the blessings that He has bestowed on our Sister; for being chosen to form a Lay Fraternity of Saint Dominic; for the gift of the Dominican vocation; for the loving-kindness and mercy which He has bestowed on them, to be His witnesses, and to bring His Good News to others by what they preach and by what they are. Dear Sisters, welcome to the Dominican Family!
Every year, towards the end of
December, the group of men religious residing in Macau gather together to have
some moments of prayer, partake a meal and sing some carols in the spirit of
Christmas. This year 2018 the gathering took place on the 26th of
December at Saint Joseph the Worker Parish, run by the Comboni Fathers. Around
50 religious men from different Institutes and ages were present. Some of them,
veterans in religious life; others, still in the stage of institutional
formation.
To
begin with, at 6:30 pm and following the program outline, the local parish
priest, Fr. Manuel Machado MCCJ, gave to everyone a warm, fraternal welcome.
Then, the evening Prayer began, led by Fr. Fausto Gómez OP. The psalms and the
gospel canticle were chanted. During the intercessory prayer, there was also a
short moment to pray for those who had entrusted themselves to our prayers, for
the poor and for the victims of the recent natural disaster in Indonesia. The Vespers
ended with the singing of “Salve Reginaâ€.
Afterwards,
all present there proceeded to the parish hall for communal gathering and the
singing of some Christmas songs together before the fraternal agape. It was
beautiful indeed seeing people from different countries in the world together
in the name of the One who came to redeem the world. Time to share with others
one’s life as religious, one’s experiences in the mission and spending some
moments listening to one another.
After
the meal, the program continued with the singing of the most renowned Christmas
song, the “Silent Nightâ€, in the different
languages of those present. The very occasion was closed with the powerful singing
of “Gloria in Excelsis Deo†by our
Dominican brothers, and the final blessing by Fr. Mario Bonfaini CMF. An
evening to remember in our journey’s life.
With the main purpose of meeting the Students, Fr. Pablo Sicouly, Socius of the Master of the Order for the Intellectual Life, paid a three-day visit (5 to 7 of January) to our Priory in Macau. The occasion was also propitious for him to meet the entire Dominican Family in Macau (Friars, Sisters and Laity). And so it happened: An extraordinary gathering was convoked at St Paul School in the afternoon of January 6, Epiphany Sunday.
           The program consisted of three parts. In the first one, we listened to a lecture on “The Challenges of Dominican Study†delivered by Fr Pablo. He based the talk on the first part of the Ratio Studiorum Generalis. Then a friendly dialogue followed between the Socius and the participants. Some student brothers and some Sisters, too, had the opportunity to share with the socius about their institutional study. Fr Pablo answered from his own experience and current position, to the points in questions; and he ended up encouraging all the Students to cultivate the habit of study, something essential for a Dominican.
           After the academic part, the participants moved to the School Chapel where we prayed Vespers together. It was indeed meaningful that the Dominican Family in Macau prayed together. The singing of the Salve Regina and the O Lumen was the crowned those liturgical moments.
           The last part of the program took the form of agape. Having dinner together is another way of sharing. In blessing the food we prayed that “partaking from the same table may help us grow always in brotherhood.†Indeed the agape dinner was the way for us, Dominicans, to share our brotherly and sisterly love as one family in Christ Jesus.
Fr Pablo left for Hong Kong in the afternoon of January 7. Since it was his first time in Macau, he treasured a lot of memories of persons and places. One thing that impressed him was the joyful and harmonious community life lived at St Dominic’s Priory. He enjoyed also his visit to the University of St Joseph, to St Dominic’s church and the other emblematic places Macau offers to visitors. We thanked Fr Pablo for his visit
By:Brs Stehen Saw Lej Kapaw Htoo and Andre Pereira
The Faculty day is an annual commemorative event held by the Faculty of Religious Studies of Saint Joseph University, in Macau. It takes place normally around the feast of St Francis Xavier in the first week of December, and it usually brings together all the members of the Faculty i.e. professors, students, staff, alumni, and friends to join in a whole day program of activities. This year, in 2018, the event took place on the 4th of December at Saint Joseph’s Seminary campus.
With the advanced invitation, the Rector of the University, some other Deans and professors from the different faculties, officers of the University, and Superiors of Religious Congregations were also present. The program began at 10:00 am with a morning coffee and friendly conversation among the participants. It was followed by a Lecture delivered by Reverend Dr. Stephen Morgan, the new Dean of the Faculty. In his lecture, entitled The Word was made flesh, the Dean zeroed in mostly on the Mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Right after the lecture, the participants proceeded to Saint Joseph’s Church for the Eucharistic celebration. Some professors and guest priests concelebrated with the Bishop, who was also assisted by the newly ordained Deacons Ignatius Ngo and Francis Nge Nge. In his homily, Bishop Stephen Lee emphasized the importance of prayer for the sake of enhancing a better relationship with God. Furthermore, he also encouraged the students to study seriously with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the source of all understanding. After the homily, Reverend Dr. Stephen Morgan made his profession of faith and oath of fidelity in the presence of the bishop and of the faithful, as he took the office of Dean of the Faculty of Religious Study of the University of Saint Joseph.
Once the Mass was ended, the participants gathered together again in the seminary hall for the partaking of lunch, by now readily set on the table. Since it was also the birthdays of the Rector of the University, Fr. Peter Stilwell, and of our Dominican brother Fr. Fausto Gomez, we all shared a birthday cake jointly cut by both of them after blowing the customary candles and the singing of “Happy Birthday by all those present. The lunch, graced by the bishop, was a great moment in which we continued sharing from the Eucharistic table of the Lord to the daily material food received from His Providence, which keeps us united in brotherhood. In our prayer, we expressed our gratitude to God and remembered those who had prepared the meal for us.
In the afternoon, the program continued with outdoor activities organized by the students of the Faculty consisting of games and soccer competitions. We all took part in them with enthusiasm and indeed, it was very enjoyable. The whole activity was great for the interaction between the professors and students and among the students themselves, for all worked together in groups competing to achieve one goal: to win.
The Faculty Day closed with the awarding of prizes to the winners and lots of picture taking.
