On February 21, a group of four Chinese secondary students from Escola São Paulo came to St. Dominic’s Priory and made a short interview with some of our student brothers about religious vocation and Dominican life. Five of our Brothers, from different countries, welcomed the group and gave friendly responses to their inquiries. Each brother explained to them his vocational journey and the reason why and how he decided to join the Dominicans.
The youngsters were not only interested in our religious vocation and life but also wanted to hear the Brothers’ opinions on other contemporary issues, like the possibility of accepting same-sex marriage by the Church, of having married priests due to the shortage of vocations, etc. They showed interest likewise in knowing about our daily schedule, our prayers, meals, organization, and lifestyle. So towards the end of the interview, to satisfy their curiosity, we showed them the chapel, the refectory, the library, the community room and even one private room. While going around, we explained to them about St Dominic, the founder of our Order, and the significance of the Dominican symbols which they saw. They took plenty of pictures for their records.
The interview ended with words of gratitude on both sides. And since their visit coincided with the Lunar New Year’s holidays, the community gave each of them a red envelope, in keeping with the Chinese customs. It was a pleasant event.