Golden Jubilee of Fr. Mario and Feast of St. Claret
Courtesy: O'Clarim
 |
| Fr. Francisco Carin, Msgr Javier Herrera Corona, Fr. Mario Bonfaini, Fr. Agustine Takenobu and Fr. Jojo Ancheril during the Golden Jubilee and Founder's day Celebrations in St. Lawrence Church, Macau on 5 October |
 |
| Fr. Mario Bonfaini, CMF |
Former Superior General Fr
Joseph Abella and the Delegation Superior Fr Francisco Carin gave the homily in
English and Mandarin respectively. In his homily, Fr Abella reminded the
faithful, using the teaching of St Claret as a missionary, about the meaning of
joy. “Joy is something that deepens and multiplies when it is shared. God
distributes generously His gifts in the church,” said Fr Abella.
 |
| Fr. Joseph Abella, former Superior General |
 |
| Msgr Javier Herrera Corona, (left) the Vatican representative to Hong Kong, exchanging peace with Fr. Mario |
He further explained that these
given gifts with charisms are given with two purposes: 1. To help each other to
follow Christ more faithfully; 2. to help the Church to fulfil the mission that
has been entrusted to her by Jesus with joy and with hope in any part of the
world.
 |
| Fr. Mario Bonfaini, CMF with the concelebrants after the Jubilee Eucharistic Celebration |
Fr Abella explained the meaning
and charism of being a missionary. “St Anthony Mary Claret is one of the
persons who received these gifts from the love [of God]. His charism was to be
a missionary, not only to bring the good news to the people, but to be with the
people and responding to the real needs of the people. Like what Pope Francis
said, we went “to reach out to the people.”
He added that 109 Claretian
martyrs will be beatified on Oct 21st, at the Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family
Basilica) in Barcelona. Among the martyrs, 50 were priests, 30 missionary
brothers, and 29 students who were still in the formation process, one of them
was only 16 years old.
“Being beatified is not just an honor, but it is the
Church that is telling us to look at them (the beatified), to know the way to
be faithful to Christ and to be faithful to your missionary vocation as
Christian,” said Fr Abella.
 |
| The Official icon for the martyrs: Surrounded by a starry sky, the Virgin appears in a
prayerful attitude, interceding for her children. |
 |
| Fr Francisco Carin, Superior, East Asia Delegation |
In the Mandarin homily, Fr
Francisco Carin said the Mass was celebrated with three ends in mind. First of
all, it is the feast of St Anthony Mary Claret, the founder of the
Congregation. Fr Carin said the feast was not to celebrate St Anthony Mary
himself, “but to celebrate [the fact] that he had received graces and gifts
from God. He did not keep these graces in his heart, but used them to serve the
Church and all people.”
 |
| Fr. Mario flanked by Msgr Javier Herrera Corona and Bishop Stephen Lee of Macau during the felicitation gathering |
The second end was the
beatification of the martyrs, who did not turned their backs on Christ in the
face of trial, giving up their lives because of their love towards Christ.
 |
| Fr. Mario with Bishop Stephen Lee |
The third was the Golden Jubilee
of Fr Mario. He stressed that the three ends of the celebration converged on
one theme: to be a witness for Christ.
“To witness is not just the job
of a saint, of martyrs and of a priest (Fr Mario), but it is [the
responsibility] of every single Christian. At the moment of our baptism, we
became disciples and ambassadors of Christ, we have the mission of being a
bonfire,” said Fr Carin.
 |
| Children dancing to the tunes of a Bollywood song during the Agape Gathering after the Eucharistic celebration |
Fr Carin went on to say that we
need to become ambassadors and witnesses of Christ, because we need to spread
the Gospel, and to tell others what is the meaning of God’s love. “Spreading
the Good News means we would like to establish a world according to God’s will.
A world that lets everyone become a child of God, and understands the meaning
of living under God’s love.”
 |
| The front-page coverage on the Jubilee Celebrations by O' Clarim, the newspaper of the Diocese of Macau |
Fr Carin concluded that every
baptised Catholic has a story and has an anniversary of his/her vocation. “We
can ask ourselves today, how much and how many years have I given to Christ, to
serve the Church and His people? Can we celebrate our Golden Jubilee, like Fr
Mario, in our vocation as a Christian?”
At the end of the Holy Mass, Fr.
Mario thanked God for the graces that He had entrusted to him. He also thanked
all brothers from different regions and con-celebrating priests, as well as all
faithful who had attended and prayed for him in the mass.
--------------------------
Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel in Pengchau Island celebrated the Chapel feast day on 1 October, Sunday. Rev. Fr. Gabriel Altamirano, MG, the Dean of Hong Kong South and Outlying Islands Deanery, officiated the celebrations.
Peng Chau - A brief history:
Our Lady, Queen of Peace is the patron saint of the Catholic Community of Peng Chau. Although no priest resides in the island, priests from Mui Wo comes to the Chapel three days of the week to celebrate the Eucharist and conduct Bible Classes.
From
October 2 to 6 the Claretians from East Asia Delegation gathered in the the
Choc Van Convention Center in Macau to hold their Assembly. 26 Claretians working in
Japan, Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong and China met to share their life and mission.
It was a time for coming together as one family under the same Spirit of our
Founder, St. Anthony Mary Claret.
Releasing the new title, Msgr Corona emphasised the significance of the daily reading and reflection of the Word of God in the life of every believer. He was addressing the gathering during the Feast of St. Claret and Jubilee of Fr. Mario in St. Lawrence Church, Macau.
During the occasion he also released a booklet on the life and witnessing of the 109 Claretian martyrs of Spain. The Blessed Martyrs were beatified in a solemn Eucharistic celebration held in the Holy Family Cathedral, Barcelona on 21 October.
每日聖言 2018 is printed both in simplified characters for the readers in the Mainland, Singapore and Malaysia and in traditional characters for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. The copies are already available for grab in all the leading religious bookstalls of Macau and Hong Kong.
Frankfurt Book Fair
--------------------------
Pengchau Chapel Feast
 |
| Marian Procession during the Feast Day celebrations on 1 October |
In the autumn of 1958, Madam Chan On Don, a lady who worked as a maid, donated her only property located at 21, Wing Hing Street, in Peng Chau to the Diocese for evangelisation. Bishop Bianchi and the General Secretary Rev. MENCARINI, Lido PIME accepted the offer and handed the premises over to Fatima Parish of Cheung Chau.
The parish rector REV. NICOLA RUGGIERO, PIME refurbished the property, turning it into a church and commenced religious services for the locals. On 15.8.1958 (feast day of ascension of holy mother), the first batch of 30 catechumens were baptized in the chapel. By 1995, the chapel was placed under the care of Epiphany Parish of Mui Wo. Since 2015, the Claretian Missionaries take care of the parish.
Every year, the first Sunday of October is observed as the feast day of the Peng Chau Chapel, bringing together the small Catholic community to proclaim their faith and to share the peace and joy of their faith. This year the first Sunday of October was on 1 October. Incidentally, 1 October is the most important day in the History of Modern China as it Celebrates the foundation of the Republic. 2017 is the 68th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Hence, it was also an occasion to pray for the Nation and pray for the Church in this land.
Fr. Fr. Gabriel Altamirano and Fr. Ezakias Anthony Swamy lead the faithful in a Marian Procession through the streets of this small Island, praying the Rosary. The procession was followed by the solemn Eucharistic celebration. In his homily Fr. Gabriel deliberated on the gift of peace that the Lord offers to all his faithful and the role of Blessed Mother in bringing us to this peace of the Lord.
A variety of cultural performances by the parishioners and the students of the Holy Family School provided a colourful finale to the celebrations.
------------------------------
East Asia Assembly of the Claretians
It
was a fruitful time for evaluation, discussion and sharing based on the present
situation of our Delegation, especially in the light of the last XXV General
Chapter and the letter of the General: Called to Radiate the Joy of the Gospel.
All the participants were actively involved in all the sessions throughout
these four days of get-together.
It
was a great opportunity to reflect on and review as a community the various
ministries of our Delegation in these regions. The sharing session on the
Church in Mainland China by the Nuncio, Msgr. Ante Jozic helped us to better
understand the possibilities and the challenges of the China Mission for the Congregation.
 |
| Assembly Participants with the "Candle Light" team |
Some of the friends and collaborators of Claretians in Macau and Hong Kong came to share their “Candlelight” ministry, a Charity group involved in the social welfare projects in China and Nepal.
------------------------------
From the Editor's Desk:
The Claretian Publications, Macau had it's flagship title 每日聖言 2018 (Daily Gospel 2018) officially released on 5 October by Msgr Javier Herrera Corona, the Vatican Delegate in Hong Kong. |
| Msgr Javier Herrera Corona releases the 每日聖言 2018 in Macau as Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy, Director, Claretian Publications, Macau looks on |
 |
| A booklet on the life and witnessing of the 109 Claretian Martyrs of Spain was also released on the same occasion |
 |
| 每日聖言 2018 |
Frankfurt Book Fair
For
the past 25 years the Claretians have participated in a stand at the Frankfurt
Book Fair, the most important book fair in the world and a meeting point for
publishing houses. This year's Book Fair, held from the 11th to the 15th of
October, was participated by eight editorials of the fifteen-member Claretian
Publishing group of our Congregation.
In the photo from left to right are Fr.
Denis Tamayo (Philippines), Fr. Alonso Sanchez (Argentina), Fr. Luis Erlin (Brazil),
Fr. Alberto Rossa (Hong Kong), Fernando Prado (Madrid), Fr. Henry Omonisaye,
Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy (China), Fr. Manoj Kandathinkara (India), and Mr.
Marcel·lí López, editor of Editorial Claret de Catalunya.
 |
| Fr. Rossa with the Officials of Amity Printing |
For Fr. Rossa and Fr. Jijo who represented Hong Kong, Macau and China, it was also a time for meeting up with some of the best business and mission partners in the ministry:
 |
| With Fr. Luis of Ave Maria Publications, Brazil |
 |
|
Fr. Rossa with Mike Roberts of the Redemptorist Publications, UK
|
 |
| Fr. Rossa and Fr. Jijo with the Amity officials |
Meeting with Bob Byrns of Paulist Press, our long time
partner in ministry and Ms Kathy of Amity. We will soon publish the Paulist Press
Biblical Commentary done by several bible scholars, after the NJBC! It's a
result of 15 years of hard work.
---------------------------Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn festival is also called "the moon festival" as it is celebrated when the moon is believed to be the biggest and fullest
Mid-Autumn
Festival is a harvest festival, celebrated in most East Asian countries, such
as China and Vietnam. The festival takes places on month 8 day 15 of the
Chinese calendar. In 2017 it was celebrated on October 4th.
Moon Cakes
It
is the second most important festival in China after Chinese New Year. To the
Chinese, the festival means family reunion and peace.
Family Reunion in China
means a mass exodus of people from the cities to their hometown. As a result,
Chinese travellers have made about 710 million trips to domestic destinations
over the holiday break, a 10 per cent increase on last year’s total, according
to the China Tourism Academy, a government think tank.
The mass movement,
second in scale only to the Lunar New Year exodus, is again putting the transport
system under great pressure.
Lantern Decorations in Hong Kong during the Mid-Autumn Festival
In
other countries, such as Japan and Vietnam, which have also been influenced
deeply by Chinese culture, new celebrations have been derived from their unique
cultures.
------------------------------
Encounter with Claret: Fr. Rossa
It will certainly be an inspiration for anyone to listen to a man of age and wisdom. But here, he speaks not of himself, rather about the amazing ways of God that that lead him guided him to what he is today. Are you interested in knowing more?! Scroll down to have a glimpse on the vocational journey of Fr. Alberto Rossa as he shares about it:
Daring to take the plunge!
It
was the year 1951. My six-month-old brother had swallowed a small metal cross
with 8 tips, a wick holder for the oil lamp used at night. The doctors had
given up hope on him. They gave him back to my mother to die at home because
there was no way a baby could excrete that metal without it cutting its
intestines. My mother, feeling desolate, embarked on a journey back to the
village. A woman approached her on the train when she saw her crying. My mother
told her the terrible drama. The woman comforted her and gave her a picture
with a relic as she said, “Pray to this saint with devotion and you will see
that everything will be well.” My mother, a woman of deep faith, made a novena
to this new saint. A few days later, my brother passed the metal without any
problem. The doctors could not explain how it happened. My brother, Victor, is
now 66 years old and lives in Argentina.
Audience with Pope Francis, bringing
along his latest project: The New
Chinese Translation of
the New Testament
A
few years later, a bashful missionary came to town and asked me if I wanted to
go to the seminary. I was 11 years old.
He
spoke with my parents and my mother related to him what had happened to my
little brother. Yes, the newly canonized saint was Anthony Mary Claret and the
missionary was a Claretian, a very timid newly ordained priest who was doing
his first mission.
My
life in the seminary was a happy experience. We went through many hardships,
even hunger, but we were happy. The years went by and I finished my theological
studies in Washington, D.C, in the United States and returned to Argentina to
work with university students for 6 years. One day I received an invitation
from Father General asking if I was willing to serve in the Philippines since I
knew English.
I
arrived in the Philippines in early 1978 with a 5-year agreement that later
turned into 27 years.
he reality of this country, socially very similar to our
Latin American countries, launched me into a totally new ministry: sharing in
the Philippines the experience of a new model of Church, inspired by Vatican
II, vibrant at that time in Latin America.
I
gradually learned the job of “publications” and it was there that I had a
strong encounter with Father Claret. I remembered all the editorial work of
Father Claret, with the poor means of the 19th century, especially the “Bible
with little hands.” The obstacles were great, but as it was written in one of
the first books I published, “If you know where you are going, the world will
stop and let you pass.” It was not easy. When I asked the Provincial permission
to dedicate myself to publications to bridge the Church of Latin American with
the Philippines, he told me, “Remember that you are a parish priest and that is
your first obligation; what you do with your free time is up to you. And
second, never ask us for money because we do not have.” Thus was born Claretian
Publications in the Philippines.
In Amity Printing Co. with his pet project: The Christian Community Bible
After a couple of years I was already
full-time dedicated to publications. I have always been enlightened by the
intuition of Father Claret: “Use all possible means for evangelization.”
Publications was a new ministry for me in which I had no experience; I learned
by doing! I remember that when we had published 160 titles we looked at Father
Claret again, remembering that with the poor means of his time he had also come
to publish a similar number of books and booklets. But we kept going and now we
already have more than a thousand titles published. Then came the Bible:
“servants of the Word,” another feature where Father Claret served as an
inspiration and model. That “Bible with the little hands” inspired us to bring
the Word of God to the ordinary people. We had published the Bible in 12
languages and are currently completing a new translation into modern Chinese,
with comments and a guide to Lectio Divina for each chapter of the Bible. In
2006 I left the Philippines for a new assignment and the work of publication
there continued with the local Claretians. My new assignment brought me to
Macao for a work focused also on publications, but directed especially to
Mainland China. I asked myself many times: What would Father Claret do in this
immense frontier? The definition of a missionary that Father Claret gave us in
his autobiography inspired me—a great manifesto!
With his old friend, Cardinal Emeritus Gaudencio Rosales, on 20 February 2017 in Macau
Father
Claret made use of the help of assistants to carry out his mission. Over the
years, a group of highly selected people who felt the same passion for this
ministry joined me. They are a group of lay people inspired by the Claretian
charism and have dedicated their lives to this work and are consecrated for the
mission. A saying from Confucius comes to mind: “Find the work you love and
that will be the last day of your life in which you work.” These collaborators
live for the mission. Also, over the years, some co-workers discovered their
missionary vocation and today they are Claretian Missionaries. China was and is
a unique experience. It is something unheard of for a foreigner to publish
books in China, however, a voice in my ear reminded me: “Nothing daunts him….”
What was done in the Philippines—to foster a new model of being Church through
publications, we now do in China—with all the necessary permissions, of course.
An experience beyond all expectations was the contact with a printing press in
China, where for 20 years we have been printing our books, especially the
Bibles that we send to different countries. In February 2017, there was an act
of recognition in Macao for the work done and was attended by several leaders
of Amity Press (a company with 600 employees and only 3% are Christians—it is
the largest Bible printing company in the world). This is what Mr. Li, the
former Director said:
Ready for a plunge into the unknown!
An Act of Faith!
“If
I have done something, it has been through the influence of Christians, people
like you and others who contribute their energy, time and money for the
missionary work. Although I am not yet a Christian, it gives me great joy to
see the Bibles coming from the printing press because I know that people are
waiting for them and they will bring peace to their hearts which is good for a
harmonious society.” These days mark the 60th anniversary of that encounter
with a young Claretian priest who asked me if I wanted to be a missionary. The
evangelizing dream and the missionary zeal of Father Claret have accompanied me
in all the stages of my life, and in God’s plans, even as my little brother was
miraculously healed through the intercession of that newly canonized saint.
Fr.
Alberto Rossa CMF
 |
| Moon Cakes |
------------------------------
Encounter with Claret: Fr. Rossa
It will certainly be an inspiration for anyone to listen to a man of age and wisdom. But here, he speaks not of himself, rather about the amazing ways of God that that lead him guided him to what he is today. Are you interested in knowing more?! Scroll down to have a glimpse on the vocational journey of Fr. Alberto Rossa as he shares about it:
 |
| Daring to take the plunge! |
It
was the year 1951. My six-month-old brother had swallowed a small metal cross
with 8 tips, a wick holder for the oil lamp used at night. The doctors had
given up hope on him. They gave him back to my mother to die at home because
there was no way a baby could excrete that metal without it cutting its
intestines. My mother, feeling desolate, embarked on a journey back to the
village. A woman approached her on the train when she saw her crying. My mother
told her the terrible drama. The woman comforted her and gave her a picture
with a relic as she said, “Pray to this saint with devotion and you will see
that everything will be well.” My mother, a woman of deep faith, made a novena
to this new saint. A few days later, my brother passed the metal without any
problem. The doctors could not explain how it happened. My brother, Victor, is
now 66 years old and lives in Argentina.
 |
| Audience with Pope Francis, bringing along his latest project: The New Chinese Translation of the New Testament |
A
few years later, a bashful missionary came to town and asked me if I wanted to
go to the seminary. I was 11 years old.
He
spoke with my parents and my mother related to him what had happened to my
little brother. Yes, the newly canonized saint was Anthony Mary Claret and the
missionary was a Claretian, a very timid newly ordained priest who was doing
his first mission.
My
life in the seminary was a happy experience. We went through many hardships,
even hunger, but we were happy. The years went by and I finished my theological
studies in Washington, D.C, in the United States and returned to Argentina to
work with university students for 6 years. One day I received an invitation
from Father General asking if I was willing to serve in the Philippines since I
knew English.
I
arrived in the Philippines in early 1978 with a 5-year agreement that later
turned into 27 years.
he reality of this country, socially very similar to our
Latin American countries, launched me into a totally new ministry: sharing in
the Philippines the experience of a new model of Church, inspired by Vatican
II, vibrant at that time in Latin America.
I
gradually learned the job of “publications” and it was there that I had a
strong encounter with Father Claret. I remembered all the editorial work of
Father Claret, with the poor means of the 19th century, especially the “Bible
with little hands.” The obstacles were great, but as it was written in one of
the first books I published, “If you know where you are going, the world will
stop and let you pass.” It was not easy. When I asked the Provincial permission
to dedicate myself to publications to bridge the Church of Latin American with
the Philippines, he told me, “Remember that you are a parish priest and that is
your first obligation; what you do with your free time is up to you. And
second, never ask us for money because we do not have.” Thus was born Claretian
Publications in the Philippines.
 |
| In Amity Printing Co. with his pet project: The Christian Community Bible |
After a couple of years I was already
full-time dedicated to publications. I have always been enlightened by the
intuition of Father Claret: “Use all possible means for evangelization.”
Publications was a new ministry for me in which I had no experience; I learned
by doing! I remember that when we had published 160 titles we looked at Father
Claret again, remembering that with the poor means of his time he had also come
to publish a similar number of books and booklets. But we kept going and now we
already have more than a thousand titles published. Then came the Bible:
“servants of the Word,” another feature where Father Claret served as an
inspiration and model. That “Bible with the little hands” inspired us to bring
the Word of God to the ordinary people. We had published the Bible in 12
languages and are currently completing a new translation into modern Chinese,
with comments and a guide to Lectio Divina for each chapter of the Bible. In
2006 I left the Philippines for a new assignment and the work of publication
there continued with the local Claretians. My new assignment brought me to
Macao for a work focused also on publications, but directed especially to
Mainland China. I asked myself many times: What would Father Claret do in this
immense frontier? The definition of a missionary that Father Claret gave us in
his autobiography inspired me—a great manifesto!
 |
| With his old friend, Cardinal Emeritus Gaudencio Rosales, on 20 February 2017 in Macau |
Father
Claret made use of the help of assistants to carry out his mission. Over the
years, a group of highly selected people who felt the same passion for this
ministry joined me. They are a group of lay people inspired by the Claretian
charism and have dedicated their lives to this work and are consecrated for the
mission. A saying from Confucius comes to mind: “Find the work you love and
that will be the last day of your life in which you work.” These collaborators
live for the mission. Also, over the years, some co-workers discovered their
missionary vocation and today they are Claretian Missionaries. China was and is
a unique experience. It is something unheard of for a foreigner to publish
books in China, however, a voice in my ear reminded me: “Nothing daunts him….”
What was done in the Philippines—to foster a new model of being Church through
publications, we now do in China—with all the necessary permissions, of course.
An experience beyond all expectations was the contact with a printing press in
China, where for 20 years we have been printing our books, especially the
Bibles that we send to different countries. In February 2017, there was an act
of recognition in Macao for the work done and was attended by several leaders
of Amity Press (a company with 600 employees and only 3% are Christians—it is
the largest Bible printing company in the world). This is what Mr. Li, the
former Director said:
 |
| Ready for a plunge into the unknown! An Act of Faith! |
“If
I have done something, it has been through the influence of Christians, people
like you and others who contribute their energy, time and money for the
missionary work. Although I am not yet a Christian, it gives me great joy to
see the Bibles coming from the printing press because I know that people are
waiting for them and they will bring peace to their hearts which is good for a
harmonious society.” These days mark the 60th anniversary of that encounter
with a young Claretian priest who asked me if I wanted to be a missionary. The
evangelizing dream and the missionary zeal of Father Claret have accompanied me
in all the stages of my life, and in God’s plans, even as my little brother was
miraculously healed through the intercession of that newly canonized saint.
Fr.
Alberto Rossa CMF
