Welcome to the Macau-China Bulletin, November 2011

Claretian Mission Day
October marks the Universal Mission Day and the Feast Day of St. Claret, our Founder. And also the 75 anniversary of the Claretian Martyrs during the Spanish Civil War.

The Claretian Community of Macau with Fr. Pedro Chung, VG, [3rd from left] Macau

In the words of Claretian Bishop Pedro Casaldaliga: "A Church which forgets its martyrs, has no right to survive."
Our martyrs of 1936, were young people who gave up their lives to be faithful to Jesus and his Church. Their memory helps us carry the message of the Gospel in these regions of the World.

One of these martyrs, Rafael Briega, 24, studied Chinese and wrote in Chinese to the missionaries in China in 1936. He wrote:Chinese writings of the Martyrs of Barbastro

"I cannot go to China as I would have liked, but I am willing to offer my blood for the China mission, and when I get to heaven I will never forget to pray for this mission."

Another Claretian martyr, Flavian Martinez, 24, wrote to his family:
"Maybe one day you hear that Flavian is in China ... then he has forgiven his 'enemies' and that he gave his life for Christ. If this happens, it is to be my greatest joy. "

Also published in Chinese and distributed to all the people who accompanied us was a booklet of 36 pages entitled (in Chinese) "Barbastro Mártyres"

The celebration in memory of the martyrs included a pilgrimage for Macau to the very border of China, to demonstrate our commitment and missionary availability especially for the mission in China. Following are a few stills from the pilgrimage:

Pilgrims at the Border Gate