Sunday, July 01, 2018

Claretian House in Hong Kong

Inauguration of the Claretian House in Hong Kong 

Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”  - 2 Sam 7:29








19 June 2018 would remain a day of thanksgiving for the Claretian Community in Hong Kong. It saw our dreams come true when Superior General, Fr. Mathew Vattamattam blessed its community house in Shatin, Hong Kong and celebrated Mass together with the members of the Claretian communities of Hong Kong and Macau and our friends and associates. 

The purpose of the House is to serve as the Community House of the Claretians in Hong Kong; we hope that more members will join the community in Hong Kong in the coming years.

While maintaining its identity and specific mission, the House integrates itself into the pastoral projects and mission of the parish of St. Benedict. It will be utilized in support of the mission of the Church and serve as the centre for the Congregation’s China Mission.

It will also be the Centre for the Claretian Youth Ministry and service to migrants.
The House is also the office of the Pastoral Bible Foundation and its ministry of the Word of God – Promotion of the Word of God through biblical literature and Bibles through media – print, online, audio and video. 

Fr Mathew Vattamattam, Superior General of the Claretians, presided over the Mass after blessing the Claretian Residence in Hong Kong 

The House will work as the centre for social projects of the Congregation in Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China. A lay-movement called Candle Light is a charity organisation established in 2016 under the aegis of the Claretians in Hong Kong and Macau and this group takes care of the social welfare projects in China and rest of Asia: Some of the major projects already being handled by this charity group are: 
Help for the leprosy affected in China
Sponsoring the educational needs of over 200 poor children in Nepal
Assisting several projects of the Claretians and the Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth in the Philippines. 

Thursday, May 31, 2018

A Fresh start !

Mission China 

Looking for a fresh start after a break for almost two years! Of course, this does not mean that the missionaries had a break for two years! A lot have happened since the end of 2017 and my previous entry in this page was in the beginning of 2018, wishing you New Year blessings. The reasons for the long break could be mere excuses, so wouldn't want to list them!

To have a recap of what had happened with the Missionaries here would be a way to keep you abreast with your beloved friends and their mission in this region.

January 2018 
1. Fr. Jose is appointed the Deputy Editor in Chief of Sunday Examiner, the Catholic Newspaper of the Diocese of Hong Kong

7. Epiphany Parish in Mui Wo celebrated the Solemnity of Epiphany with Cardinal John Tong officiating the liturgy and Celebrations. Fr. Jojo from Macau together with a group of pilgrims joined the celebrations

11.  Hiking expeditions with the youth group, covering 14kms.


28. Celebration of the Feast of Santonino - but in a much subdued fashion. The celebration was held in the Mui Wo chapel instead of having it in Bui O


February 

9- Fr. Rossa leaves for Bangalore for the Claretian Editors Meet. Jijo from Macau is representing Claretian Publications, Macau. The meeting is scheduled for a week from 10-17 February.
www.facebook.com/claretianmissionaries.macau/videos/1635202859879364/

14 Ash Wednesday
16 Chinese New Year

19-20 Hong Kong - Macau Youth Gathering in Macau

www.facebook.com/josecheru/videos/10156329143797189/

March 


Tuesday, January 02, 2018

Welcome to China Bulletin - January 2018

May words of strength, courage and hope accompany our journey through the year opening up before us. “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Wish you a joyous and prosperous 
New Year 2018 

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CANTATA MACAU-2017  

The 2nd Edition of the international Choral Festival was celebrated on  6 - 10 December in Macau. “Macau has a rich and ancient Catholic tradition. In the last quarter of a century, however, it has come to be designated as the haven of gamblers, unholy wealth and even as ‘the sin city’,” Fr Jijo Kandamkulathy, the Director of the Claretian Publications and one of the coordinators of the event.


“Unfortunately, this designation does not suit most people living here, Catholics or otherwise who are in general God fearing. So, the intention of holding this event is to begin reinstating our territory for its Catholic traditions and regain its appreciation for what is holy and sublime,” he added. 
The opening ceremony was held on December 6, Wednesday, with a concert in St Dominic’s Church at 7:30 PM. Eight teams from five nationalities participated in the four-day Catholic Music Festival. Cathedral Schola, Fundação Rui Cunha Chorale (Macau), Bishop Hall Jubilee School Choir (Hong Kong), Chorus Vocales Philippines, Parañaque National High School Glee Club (Philippines), Medan Community Male Choir (Indonesia) and Noche Lirica (Mexico) were the performing groups.

On December 7, a solemn Mass was celebrated at the Nativity of Our Lady Cathedral, Macau at 7:15 PM, followed by the sacred concert in the same venue at 8:30 PM. The grand concert on December 8, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, was held in the Cineteatro Macau.
 
On December 9, the friendship concert was be held at St Joseph’s Seminary and Church at 5:00 PM. On the last day the closing concert was conducted at the Cathedral of Macau. The Music Festival was also made available for the public through live streaming of the events through social media networks.

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Christmas 

Christmas was a time of celebrations as usual but this time with a difference. A few pictures from our mission centers to share the story with you. 

 Fr. Jojo and his parishioners began to provide food for needy in the parish premises every evening. It all began when a couple of poor people came to Fr. Jojo asking for alms. He took them to a nearby shop to buy them dinner. Next evening there were more people at the door. In a couple of days time, he began to get 20-30 people every evening. During the Christmas eve, there were around 100 people at the parish premises for the free meal. 
 Pictures from Nepal: The "Candle Light" charity group that take care of a school in Nepal was also involved in providing food for the poor in the Christmas season. These visuals show the gleaming faces of kids in the Nepalese village when they had their "catch"! 
From Nepal 
Getting their meals ready! 
Bro. Sid spent the Advent and Christmas season in Indonesia with a few aspirants from the Mainland, training them in English. 
Fr. John who hails from Inner Mongolia and his friends were involved in bringing electric light to one of the poorest villages in Yun Nan province in the Mainland. By 24 december, they had the electric lines reaching the village. "A festival of lights" in the season of the birth of Jesus, the Light! 
Fr. John was also involved in food distribution to the homeless. On the Christmas Eve, he gathered the kids in the parish in Yokohama in Japan and set out in search of the homeless, bringing them food packets. They met over 70 homeless on the streets. 

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Our Visitor

Fr. Manuel Ezhaparampil from India, a Claretian Missionary working in South Korea for over 20 years has visited the Claretian Communities of Hong Kong and Macau. Fr. Manuel serves as a professor at the Incheon Catholic University.