A year of stay in Hong Kong
On August 29 I completed a year of stay in Hong Kong with the Maryknoll Fathers at Christ the Worker parish. When I look back to the past year I feel happy and proud about myself and the people of Hong Kong. When I came here I did not know anyone and everything was new for me. I did not know their culture, language, attitude, life style, etc. But with the help of God, the support of my community and through the guidance of the Maryknoll priests, I was able to survive with joy and satisfaction. My first duty in being here is to learn the Cantonese language, and at the same time, to minister as a priest. I am not yet very fluent in Cantonese, but I can understand and communicate fairly well.
Our limitations can be a blessing for others. Sometimes people come for confession because they know of my limitation in Cantonese. I think God does not look at our language, but at our hearts, even as he makes up for our shortcomings. As Claretian Missionaries we play an important role in the life of the local church and the church in China. I think we need more missionaries who are willing to work in this promised land.
A Journey through the Promised Land of Taiwan
The Claretian China Mission includes China, Macau and Taiwan. Fr. Jojo has just come from his first visit to the island and shares his experience.
During this summer vacation I had the opportunity to visit Taiwan. I was so happy to meet six Claretians over there: Fathers Mario, Peter, Paco, Arturo, and Joshy and Biju, the Claretians who recently came from India. After a year living in Hong Kong it is good to be with my brothers in the community to see and share with them their missionary life. The Church in Taiwan is very active and vibrant, where the Claretian presence plays a small but important role. I was impressed by the way our missionaries work there and are able to go deep into the heart of the local people. They identify themselves as one among them; I even heard some say that "the Claretians are part of our family."
To help others is deeply rooted in the people of Taiwan. I was alone at the National Palace Museum when a man approached me and explained to me the history of China and the Chinese people, which made me feel very much at home. After a while I met a Chinese couple, who shared a lot of their experiences in Taiwan with me. When I was at the airport I met another Taiwanese friend who helped me a lot. He even took me to a Taiwanese restaurant for a meal. I learned from all these that the people of Taiwan are very generous, and will even go out of their way to help others, especially foreigners.
They have a very deeply rooted spirituality, which our presence and service help them to put into practice. As servants of the Word of God we have to be more open and generous to the present needs of the society.
Two New Missionaries in the China Mission
These are two "Father Thomases" so we were told to call them Fr. Joshy and Fr. Biju. Their full names: Fr.Thomas (Joshy) Chirayilparampil and Fr. Thomas (Biju) Parackkathottiyil. They come from the Claretian Province of St. Thomas, India, and now share their first experiences in this Mission. At present they are enrolled at Fu Jen University, studying Mandarin.
We arrived in Taiwan on June 12. From our two months’ experience we can frankly say we are at home here. Fr. Arturo and Fr. Mario came and welcomed us warmly at the airport. The very next day we received a phone call from Fr. Rossa in Macau and then the next day from Fr. Jojo in Hong Kong. They gave us a feeling that we are in a caring community. As soon as we got our ARC number we went and enrolled for the language studies at Fu Jen University. We were solemnly welcomed by Fr. Marcelino, the Claretian Major Superior of the East Asian Delegation to which Taiwan and the China Mission belong. With paternal advice he explained to us the situation here in Taiwan and China. He shared with us the expectations of the congregation about the mission in China. Now we are immersed in the language study and we are slowly moving forward. We are really thankful to those who pray for us that we may become faithful ministers of the Congregation and the Church.
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