Family History My name is Shunsuke Hyodo. My Christian name is Joseph Gabriel. When I was a child, my friends called me Hyochin, and my family called me Shun. I was born on December 13, 1979, in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. My family is my father, my mother, my younger brother, and me. My father is a police officer and my mother is a housewife. My brother is self-employed, and he is already married and has one son. My family doesn’t have a specific religion. So I am the only Christian in my family. I hope that they will be baptized Catholic too. My hometown is located in the west of Japan, near Hiroshima. It is situated between the Sikoku Mountains and the Inland Sea of Japan. We can get a lot of food from the land and sea. My hometown has a hot spring that is named Dogo Hot Springs. It is a very famous place so many local and foreign tourists visit there, too. My father was a police officer, so my family had to move to another city several times. He sometimes worked in a police substation where the office was also our home so I could see my father’s work sometimes. I want to work for many people because I was brought up in this environment. My family doesn’t have a specific religion but I could see my father’s job up close. Police officers who are public servants work for many people. His job greatly influenced me on my vocation that I want to work for and help many people too. Childhood When I was a child, I liked to read books, biographies, and narrative literature. I was a curious child while I was growing up. I wanted to know how to do something, then I liked to read an encyclopedia. Its information filled my curiosity. When I was a child, I had infantile asthma. I often suffered from an asthma attack. Once I had pneumonia and rashes appeared on my skin after I had an asthma attack. Then I received treatment for two weeks in a hospital. Since then I didn’t have an asthma attack. My grandparents often came to my house and I often went to their house too. I visited our ancestor grave with my grandmother, and she took me to some Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Then I became increasingly interested in religion. My grandfather liked history. He and my great-grandmother often told me about old times. Then I also became increasingly interested in history. My great-grandmother and grandparents have a good effect on my curiosity and my vocation. School Days When I was a child between six to fifteen years old, I received compulsory education then I went to Nitta High School, which is a private school. After I graduated from high school, I went to “Tokushima Bunri University, which is a private school, too. And then I graduated from university and advanced to the master course. When I was a university student, I specialized in Japanese history. I learned in university about cultural treasures, education subjects, and museology. I got a teaching license and a curator license. I wished to become a historian. One of my classmates who was a Japan Self-Defense Force official was my favorite classmate. His name is Noguchi. We often went somewhere. Once we rode motorcycles to Noguchi hometown. My motorcycle slipped on the road and we got cold in the snow. It was a thoughtless plan. I was sorry about this trip, but I can’t forget this memory. When I was a graduate student, I went to a Buddhist temple for the investigation of treasures. I could examine much Buddhist scripture and many historical materials. It was a good experience for me, and I learned some Buddhist wordings. Interests and Hobbies I have an interest in history, especially in ancient Japan. I collected many toys, especially robot toys. Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger, Grendizer, and Voltes V. I like Japanese Robot Animation. I participated in a puppet show that was to promote volunteer activities. We visited some nursing homes, and sometimes we played puppet shows in Matsuyama Church for elderly parishioners. Matsuyama Church is in my hometown. It is where I saved and attended mass. Aside from doing charity shows for volunteers. I also worked for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake. In the place, I often made an appeal for contributions and I also visited Fukushima. Matsuyama Church has a Filipino community. When the Philippines had a terrible flood, we collected many clothes and sent them to the victims. I appealed to parishioners to bring many clothes and a lot of money. I thanked them for their help. I was in a church office when I was in Matsuyama Church. I worked for my church and the parishioners. This experience made a significant impact on my vocation. Young adult experiences It was my first time leaving my home when I entered Tokushima Bunri University. The university is in another prefecture far away from my hometown. After I graduated from graduate school, I went to Nagano, Japan, and I got a job at a computer spring factory. After I worked there for a short time, I got a job as a postman. I worked as a postman for about eight years. I got an award for outstanding post office branch manager. The post office launched a project to get postal service contracts with local companies. My branch was the most successful in the whole of Japan. I wasn’t afraid to try new ways to get business for the post office and this made me and the branch a success. I decided to become a Christian. I was baptized on 23 April 2011. This time, I thought that I want to change my life. At that time, I had doubts about my life. For example, I was a postman and earned enough money. I bought my car, motorcycle, etc. However, I wasn’t satisfied there. Actually, I want to buy new things more and more. I was afraid of my earthly desires. At the same time, my grandmother died, I broke up with my girlfriend, and I was busy with my job. I wasn’t able to get a holiday. Then I was running on nervous energy. I went to Matsuyama church Ehime, Japan in October 2010. Then I started to prepare for baptism. I already thought that I wat to enter a monastery. I was baptized and received the Sacrament of Confirmation on April 23, 2011. I became a leader of parishioners one year after I was baptized. It was a difficult duty for me because I had just become a Christian and I didn’t know anything, but the parish priest and parishioners helped me do everything. I was able to serve a four-year term. Then I was baptized after one year I joined the parish council in Matsuyama church. I perform my duties until the end of my term. While this term I had a meeting with the Salesians students about God’s mercy. They were able to talk about it but I wasn’t able to it. I was impressed them. Then I want to know about God, truth, and justice. One of The Orders of Preacher’s purposes is the pursuit of truth through study. This purpose fitted my purpose about I want to know about God well. So I chose The Order of preachers. So God already called me when I visited Matsuyama church. God called me when I visited Matsuyama church and he gave me some jobs in the church. For example, I played a puppet show for elder people with the church youth. We went around some care houses on Saturday or Sunday. Elsewhere I worked for victims of the Northeast Japan great earthquake. I appealed to parishioners after mass and I collected much money for them. Then I realized when I worked for many people, I felt satisfied. And when I talked with other Christians about God, my heart was satisfied. And my resolution which I want to join the Dominican was still going strong. I discovered it while I work in the church. Then I announced to the parish priest that I want to join the Dominican. So he called me, he gave me many jobs and through charity. At first, I didn’t know why I chose the Catholic Church but now I know that God called me and caught me. And I recognized these things: God called me through charity. God called me when I visited Matsuyama church in the beginning. God called me to Matsuyama church. Friends and family• When I decided to become a priest and to join the Dominicans, my parents agreed with my decision. My family and my siblings are looking forward to my profession and my ordination because when I invite them to my profession, they can travel to another country. Of course, this is a joke. They worry about me but they trust me, I guess they said that because they miss me. I am happy about their consideration. If they revealed their true feelings, I would have suffered inside. Now I know they didn’t say they’re true feelings so I could leave my home without regrets. I learned many things from my family and my relatives. I learned from my father to work for many people is a valuable thing. I learned from my grandmother to venerate our ancestors is important. The present Why did I choose to be a Dominican? I chose to be a Dominican because my church is a Dominican church. I can relate to the Dominicans easily. The Dominican fathers are kind to me and I often help them. I can have a good relationship with them. Once I had a meeting with some Salesian students. Our topic was mercy. I tried to talk to them but I couldn’t explain mercy. Since then I wanted to know more about God. Then I chose the Dominicans because to be a Dominican is to study the truth so it conforms to my purpose in life. I was baptized by Fr. Luis Gutierrez. O.P. was the parish priest of Matsuyama church. He taught me Catechism, how to pray, etc. I owe him my Christian life. My Dreams I told him that I want to join the Dominican to Fr. Luis Gutierrez, OP, who later wrote to his superiors so that I could enter the Dominican Order. I was also encouraged by some Catholics from the parish, who sent letters of recommendation to the Dominicans, generously praising my good qualities. On the day, I submitted my application to the Dominican Vicar of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary, residing in Matsuyama. Once approved by the admissions committee, through a previous examination, I was accepted as an Aspirant. In October 2016, I was sent to Manila to improve my English; and to Hong Kong on August 15, 2017, to begin my novitiate. After the novitiate, in 2018, I was assigned to the Dominican student house in Macau to pursue my studies in philosophy and theology. And here I am, happy in this international community, burning my eyebrows with metaphysics, Latins, and Greeks. My native logic is not the Greco-Roman logic of the University curriculum where I study, but I sense this is the logic of God who has brought me here. And the latter is the one I am learning for now. I have already started theology. I like to teach something to somebody. I want to talk about the knowledge that I got through studying. I can contribute to my ministry about teaching or preaching. And I want to acquire the talent to speak in English. Now I am studying English because it is important to me. I need to use English when I talk to other people. And when I become a priest, I need to speak in English. Because we now live in a global world so I have many chances to talk with foreigners. If I go back to Japan and I work in a Japanese Church, I need to say mass to foreigners so I need to study English. I want to become a parish priest because we need priests in Japan. I also want to study the history of the Church and Catholic dogma because I am a historian and I’m interested in Catholic dogma. If I have a chance as a Dominican, I will try to promote vocations in Japan. Now there are very few. For example, I am the only Japanese Dominican seminarian in our house. We need Japanese priests but the applicants are very few vocation candidates there. We need to try to increase vocations in my country. This is my challenge. At last It is said that the postman always rings twice. I, in the performance of my office, rung many more to the church-parish of the Dominicans. Until one day, I went in and nothing was the same anymore. This time I was the one called. God in his mercy did it and assigned me many tasks, all related to love. Now my goal is to fulfill His mandate. I have great desires to learn, to teach, and to preach; and a dream: to promote Dominican vocations in Japan.
Joseph Gabriel Shunsuke Hyodo Macao, 1 November 2020
Six of our Brothers graduated from their studies at the University of Saint Joseph, in Macau, last 12th of September 2020. They were the following: our Prior, Fr Paul Fan (Bachelor Business Administration), Fr Ignatius Ngo Van (Master in Education), Brothers Stephen Saw Lej, Marko Thoe Reh, and Francis Bu Ling (Bachelor in Philosophy and Theology), and Luke Jeon Seok Hoon (Master in Education). Congratulations to all of them.
The graduation ceremony and the giving of Diplomas were held at the Tower of Macau. It was a solemn, formal, colorful event, with speeches from the Chancellor of the University, the Rector, and the Government representative. Also rounded up by some words of gratitude, on behalf of the Graduates, by one of the Students.
The picturesque note was caused by the safety measures imposed by the current pandemic: On the stage were religious, civil, and academic authorities all dressed up in their gowns and regalia, but with their faces semi-covered with a mask So were the graduating students as they went up to receive their diplomas. No choice, no exception, it was protocol; the only choice allowed was the color of the mask, which was not regulated! What will the next generation think when they see those pictures? For sure, they will laugh at their rather comic appearance, only until someone may manage to have to explain to them that in 2020 an invisible guest, in a virus form, managed to leave its mark printed in our faces and in our souls.
September 2020 is here. And with it, the beginning of a new academic year. For us, students, time to think again of classes, textbooks, courses, activities; time to look forward with enthusiasm and hope. After all, life has to be lived forwards, even if it can only be understood backward.  Â
And it is precise because life can only be understood backward, that I cannot help but allow my memory flash for a few moments on the happenings of the past months. We are living in the year of the COVID. For the scientists, the COVID-19; but me, I would rather call it COVID-20, as it was this year 2020 when this unsolicited fellow became our traveling companion.
It was on the last days of January. Nothing made us yet presage what would soon come to us in the form of coronavirus. The festive preparations for the Lunar New Year were over; the customary red envelopes, plethoric of good wishes for the occasion, ready… when, suddenly, gloomy news from the Macau Government were in the air: everything had to come to a shutdown: airport, schools, offices, hotels, casinos, churches, borders, and everyone was to remain at home. In a matter of hours, the city of Macau became a ghost city, without the colors, life, and means of survival of this picturesque spot; its empty streets offered a surrealistic panorama. The glittering lights displayed for the Chinese New Year’s celebrations lost their audience.
Our Dominican priory, too, entered into seclusion, its community life turning into a semi-monastic mode. The window shutters of our chapel were rolled down; our religious services were close to the public, while inside we continued with our usual daily schedule. The first to be affected by this new situation was our very Dominican brother St Thomas Aquinas, whose feast-day we were about to celebrate and who this year could not receive the public honors we used to tribute him on previous occasions. And there were mornings, and there were evenings, days passed.
As students, however, our immediate concern was the classes. How could we now go on with the second semester since classes at the university could not be held? Modern technology came to our aid. Indeed, within a couple of weeks, the University of Saint Joseph readied an online learning/teaching platform for classes to be imparted and followed from home. It worked quite well, as a temporary solution: the semester went ahead. The virus had lost its first battle. What we could not imagine then was that the situation would persist until the end of the semester (and beyond!). Tests, exams, portfolios, assignments, grading… Survivors we were!
In the meantime, our ordinary life at home continued as usual; or almost, because nothing could be the same. Praying the Liturgy of the Hours and holding Masses, particularly on Sundays, Holy Week, etc., with doors closed to the public was something never seen before. The celebrations got a new, more intimate flavor. God speaking closely to the community!
The summer months of July and August came next. Vacation time? Sure, but a unique home confined summer vacation. All flights were canceled; nobody could travel to his home country; nor even for the noblest of reasons, like to attend his mother’s funeral. Many tourists would consider luxury being able to spend their summer holidays in Macau! But such is not our case, because we are not tourists but residents in Macau for many years. To spend more fruitfully these two months, some short courses were organized by our Center of Studies: Languages, Preaching, Music, etc. They fitted well into the formation program of this group of thirty young brothers, from different countries and cultures, who share the same call and mission: the preaching of the Gospel. Preparing ourselves for that mission is precisely the main purpose of our being in Macau.
Back to September, our today, and back to the opening of the new academic year 2020-2021. It is time indeed to move forward, with enthusiasm, hope, and also, let me add, with gratitude!
Gratitude, not for the coronavirus pandemic that has by now spread so much desolation and suffering all over the world; but gratitude if ever for the good lessons that such a pandemic has taught us: A lesson of humility, as it has shown how wrong we were every time we ignored our vulnerability by pretending that we are in control of our destinies. A lesson of solidarity, as it has revealed a vast sea of kindness and benevolence in hospitals, care homes, and communities around the world. A lesson of love, as ithas made us recognize the value in the people around us, honor the sacredness of life, and the need to accord our neighbor the respect, compassion, and love that they deserve. Perhaps we are indebted to the covid19 for having suddenly given, as collateral goodness, a new, inspiring meaning to our lives.
Finally, I would add, on behalf of our Dominican community in Macau, a personal reason for gratitude, to God and our Guardian Angels: Despite the big number brothers living in the same priory, which prevented us from keeping the due sanitary distance from one another, none has become sick during all the past months. Indeed, the so many guardian angels assigned to take care of this community have done, so far, a fine job! Praise the Lord.
By the religious profession in an institute of consecrated life, one dedicates himself or herself to God freely, without any force or fear, following Christ willingly to live out the evangelical counsels in an institute of consecrated life of one’s own choice. In this way, the baptismal consecration becomes more fully effective.
In every religious Order or Congregation, there are simple (temporary) profession and solemn (perpetual) profession. The former is made for one, two or three years, while the latter is made for life (until death). The length of the simple profession depends on each religious Order’s statutes and norms. For the Dominican Friars in the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary, the first profession is currently made for two years and then renewed either for one or two years until the solemn profession, which takes place within a maximum period of six years.
Saint Dominic’s Priory in Macau belongs to the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary, which welcomes brothers from the different countries or places where it is present: Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Myanmar, East Timor, Spain, and Venezuela. The Province’s international Novitiate is in Hong Kong; and its main Studentate is here in Macao, where the student brothers course their institutional studies of Philosophy and Theology. We currently are 40 brothers, of which 29 are simple professed. This is why we witness every year either the renewal of profession or the solemn profession of some of its members.
On the 21st of June of this year 2019, five Dominican Brothers, namely, Mannes John Kim, Gabriel Khun Ri, Benedito de Jesus, Francisco Sufa, and Luigi Yu Reh, renewed their profession for one year. Likewise, on the 8th of September, another group of seven, namely, Stephen Saw Lej, Marko Thoe Reh, Francis Bu Ling, Richard Htoo, Gabriel Ko Ko, Justin Saw Kaung, and Fermin Saw Simon, did the same for two years, that is, until 2021.
The Prior of the community, Fr Jose Luis de Miguel, OP, was the one who received the profession of both batches, during the conventual Mass presided over by him, concelebrated by the other member priests of the community, and witnessed by the student brothers and some lay faithful. In his homily, he congratulated the brothers who were about to renew their profession, and he also reminded them that “the renewal of the evangelical counsels is not mainly focused on the strict observance of the norms, but rather towards letting our hearts be opened to welcome Him whose love and mercy for his people we all are called to preach.”
After the Mass, there was picture-taking, and the brothers who had just renewed their vows signed the corresponding testimonial letter of renewal in the presence of the Prior, the Master of Students (Fr. Javier Gonzalez) and his Assistant (Fr. Lawrence The Reh). Our sincere congratulations to them all.
With joy we inform the members of the Province that today, Monday, 23 July 2018, at St. Dominic’s Priory, in Macau, three of our Dominican brothers: Ignatius Ngo Van (from Vietnam), Francis Nge Nge (from Myanmar) and Peter Zya Reh (from Myanmar) made their solemn profession in the Province. Thus they sealed their promise to dedicate themselves to the Lord until death.
The celebration was presided over by Fr Raymond M, OP who in his homily exalted the preaching work of St Mary Magdalene, Patroness of the Order and of the Province, and proposed her as a model to imitate in our life as preachers of the Gospel.
A welcome embrace and our warmest congratulations to the three Brothers Ignatius, Francis and Peter.
It has been a custom for the Faculty of Religious Studies (FRS) to commemorate the feast day of St. Francis Xavier as a thanksgiving day of the Faculty. It is also a Family Feast Day for the FRS, since St. Francis Xavier is considered the patron saint of the university students in Hong Kong, Macau and some provinces in China. This year, the FRS celebrated their thanksgiving Family Feast on the 1st of December instead of on the 3rd of December, because the feast of St. Francis Xavier happened on the first Sunday of Advent.
In previous years, the occasion begun with the Eucharistic celebration in the evening, then, followed by dinner and some indoor performances by the members of the Faculty. This year, the Family Feast was held in a different and well-organized way. Since the first week of November, all the members in the Faculty, including full time and visiting professors, and some benefactors of the Faculty, were grouped into families such as Matthean Family, Markan Family, Lukan Family and Johannine Family. Then, in the last week of November, before the day of the celebration, these families were asked to participate in some competitions such as singing, dancing, essay writing, spelling contest and Christmas postcard making. Singing and dancing were required to be done by groups in order that all the members of the different families would collaborate together and gain a sense of team spirit.
In the afternoon of the day of the celebration, the dean, Doctor Arnold Monera, together with the members of the Student Council of the Faculty, facilitated some light parlor games for all family members in Saint Joseph’s Seminary campus. All the family members cooperated enthusiastically in order to get high scores, because awards for overall scores of all competitions had been prepared beforehand. The parlor games were ended up with mini-football matches, played by female members of the Faculty. Every participant was happy and surprised when they saw that matches were fairly played and conducted in such a joyful and vigorous manner.
The Eucharistic celebration, presided by Fr. Javier González OP, began at 5:30 pm, at Saint Joseph’s Church. Fr. Peter Stilwell, rector of the university, some professor priests, all the members of the Faculty, some religious superiors and friends of the Faculty were present in the Mass. The holy Mass was accompanied by harmonious and beautiful songs interpreted by students of the Faculty. In his homily, Fr. Javier pointed out some important characteristics that St. Francis Xavier possessed, such as a zeal for mission and good attitudes to make known the Good News to all peoples in different walks of life.
