macau bulletin

Welcome to the China-Macau Bulletin, February 2012

2012-01-28T00:25:00.008+08:00

Legend behind the New Year Story

In Chinese, Chinese New Year Eve is called Chu-Xi or Guo-Nihn . Chu means removal. Xi means night. Gwo means passing. Nihn means year. Original meaning of Nihn is related to farmer's harvest. Chinese Farmers celebrated their achievement for the past year, appreciated the gracious reward given from the god, and prayed for the same luck for the coming year.

Nobody knows when the legendary story about Nihn began. Nihn was a ferocious beast. It had lion-type head with elephant-type body. Nihn couldn't find the food in the cold winter time, because many animals hibernated in the mountains. Hence, it had go down from the mountain to find the livestock. Later, It become a man-eater.

Nihn was too strong to kill. For the fear of Nihn, every winter night, people kept themselves locked-up inside the house. Years later, people found out that Nihn was afraid of red, fire and noisy sound. So they cut red-color peach wood hanging on the door, made a campfire in the front of the door. When Nihn approached the village, then people put the bamboo into the fire to make cracking sound. They also beat the metal kitchen and farming utensils to make noisy sound to scare Nihn away.

Those who survived the passing night, celebrated congratulated each other on the next day. People felt like a restarting point after passing the disaster. Then, they called Guo-Nihn (passing Nihn) as the day before the new starting day. [Does the story sound a bit too familiar? Going back to the book of Exodus and reading the Pass-over story might help!]

The Chinese New Year is for sure the most colourful celebration among the whole of Chinese population. Every year, the new year is welcomed with cleaning up the households, family reunion meals, prayers, greetings, exchange of gifts, fireworks, and cultural events. The Following clip shows this year's New Year Parade in Hong Kong.

- Courtesy: TVB

International colloquium on “Asian Cultures in Dialogue”

2012-01-28T00:10:00.000+08:00

Fifty experts, scholars of culture and religions of Asia, from Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism and Taoism - from ten countries and regions in Asia and Western countries met in Thailand to address some issues and respond to urgent needs of modern society.

Among the most important issues discussed at the meeting include the violence, economic crisis, corruption, conflicts between cultures, environmental damage, destruction of cultures and values and good governance.

The meeting was held at the Catholic University of the Assumption of Bangkok, with the theme: "Dialogue between cultures of Asia." The event was an initiative of Archbishop of Guwahati Thomas Menamparampil, the office responsible for the Evangelization at the Federation of Asia Bishops' Conferences (FABC).

Fr. Jojo [left] with Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil [Middle]

The purpose of the meeting was to highlight the rich religious and cultural diversity of different countries, to promote positive attitudes toward other religious traditions and highlight the contents of goodness, truth and beauty as well as promote cooperation with other faiths in pursuit of a mutual understanding and sharing of common concerns. Fr. Jojo Ancheril, cmf., was Special guest for this event.

Bishop Tong becomes the 7th Chinese Cardinal in history

2012-01-28T00:06:00.001+08:00

As they celebrate the New Year and enter the Year of the Dragon, Chinese Catholics have additional reasons for rejoicing: Pope Benedict XVI will make Hong Kong’s Bishop John Tong Hon a cardinal on February 18 and, for the first time in history, there will be three Chinese in the College of Cardinals.

Cardinal-elect Bishop John Tong Hon

Bishop Tong is the seventh Chinese cardinal in the history of the Church, and the first to be born in Hong Kong. A quiet, scholarly, reserved, spiritual man, he spent ten of the first twelve years of his life in mainland China.

He holds a Master's degree in Chinese philosophy. Since 1980 he has been Director of the Holy Spirit Study Centre in Hong Kong, the leading Catholic research centre on the Church in China, and is one of the most informed people on this subject. He is also a member of the China Commission established by Pope Benedict.Bishop John Tong Hon [in the middle] with Frs. Josep Abella, Superior General [left], Mario [second from right] and Marcel-li Fonts, Delegate Superior [right] in 2010

He firmly believes that “only dialogue and negotiation can resolve conflicts”. At the same time he insists that Beijing has to “allow complete religious freedom and human rights to all our brothers and sisters in the Church”, if it wants normal relations with the Catholic Church. As cardinal, he can play a significant role by helping bridge the gap between the Holy See and the Chinese authorities.

Bishop Tong considers himself “unworthy and privileged” to be named cardinal, he told Hong Kong’s Sunday Examiner, January 9. He regards this honor as “a sign of the Pope’s great love and concern for the Catholic Church in China, and an encouragement for the efforts of the Hong Kong diocese in its efforts to promote reconciliation and full communion between the China Church and the Universal Church.”

Claretians of China region seen with Bishop John Tong Hon
at the Maryknolls House in Hong Kong

Bishop Tong was born to non-Catholic parents on 31 July 1939 as the first of three children (two boys and one girl). When he was two years old the Japanese invaded Hong Kong and his family had to move to Macau (his mother’s birthplace). Soon after, however, to ensure his safety, his parents sent him to stay with his paternal grandmother in a village in Guangdong province, mainland China (where his father was born). He remained there until the age of six. After the war ended on 15 August 1945, he was reunited with his family in Canton, and started primary school. But then his father, an accountant, fell ill with tuberculosis, and his mother had to work as a teacher to support the family.

After the war, his mother, who had studied in a Catholic school, decided to become a Catholic and was baptized. In the following years the whole family followed suit.

In those years, the Communists and the Nationalists engaged in fierce fighting in northern and central China, and many wounded, destitute soldiers sought refuge in Canton where the Tong family lived. The young John witnessed the compassion and love shown by the Catholic missionaries (American Maryknollers) in Canton to these people, and was greatly impressed. His parish priest, who introduced him to Catholic primary school, was among them and his example inspired him to become a priest.

Macau celebrates 98th International Day of Migrants

2012-01-28T00:05:00.003+08:00

The Pastoral Centre of the Diocese of Macau has taken the leadership in organizing the 98th International Day of the Migrants in Macau on Sunday, 15 January. A few thousand people got together for a celebration of the Eucharist and then shared a meal with people from different countries, culture and religion. Fr. Jojo was one of the organizers of the event. Local television channels (in Chinese, English and Portuguese) echoed the voice of immigrants and the displaced, to share their views and claim their rights. The clipping from the English News bulletin shows a short interview with Fr. Alberto on the event.

Underground Christians must learn to forgive as does the Pope

2012-01-28T00:05:00.002+08:00

AsiaNews published an interview with the Secretary of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, Chinese Msgr. Savio Hon Tai-Fai. The last question was dedicated to the accusation made by those who argue that the Vatican has somehow "forgotten" Chinese underground community.

Msgr. Savio Hon Tai-Fai

This is the answer of the archbishop:

"It is often said that the Vatican has forgotten about them, but it is not true. The Holy See can not publicise all the help it gives and its closeness to them. We help the whole Church and do not distinguish between official and underground, and take into account what is important for evangelization. It is also important that the underground communities learn to forgive: the martyr, like St. Stephen, is also one who forgives. For example, in the case of illicit Episcopal ordinations of months ago, many official bishops were obliged to attend. After this many of them asked for forgiveness from the Holy Father. And the Pope granted it. They also must be magnanimous and rebuild unity in reconciliation"

"The art of living together" - Fr. Cristo Rey

2012-01-28T00:04:00.000+08:00

Fr. José Cristo Rey García Paredes, cmf

On the feast of the Holy Family on 30 December, the P. José Cristo Rey García Paredes, Well known Claretian Theologian, writer and lecturer, offered Claretian priests and religious of Macau, a reflection in English on the theme: "The Art of Living Together".

We were joined by about 80 persons including Bishop Jose Lai, the Bishop of Macao. The sharing of a family meal, where everyone had something to contribute reinforced the theme of the day: "The art of living together"

"One Hundred Years of Grace" for the Diocese of Tian Jin

2012-01-28T00:03:00.001+08:00

Tianjin diocese has begun a year-long series of special celebrations marking 100 years of a permanent Catholic presence in the northern Chinese city. The opening Mass took place at the Charity Mansion, one of the oldest Catholic buildings in Tianjin. During the Holy Mass, the founding of the Apostolic Vicariate of Coastal Chi-Li in 1912 was commemorated. The Vicariate was renamed Tianjin in 1924. It was later elevated to a diocese in 1946 when the Holy See established the Church hierarchy in China.

In 1866, when Catholicism was first introduced to Tianjin, nuns from the French Sisters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul order opened the Charity Mansion to serve the sick and orphans. 10 nuns were killed here by an anti-Catholic crowd during the Tianjin Massacre in 1870. The diocese, which covers Tianjin municipality, has two bishops, around 40 priests and more than 100,000 Catholics.

Our publications

2012-01-28T00:02:00.002+08:00

Throughout our monthly newsletters we used to let you know of our editorial work done at the Claretian Publications, Macau. An important part of our work to China and the rest of the world is done online. We have been regularly updating our website www.bibleclaret.org

It is so heartening when we get emails like this from the remotest corners of the world:

-------

"Thank you for the wonderful page of" Liturgy Alive. " The Holy Spirit speaks clearly through you and feeds me each and every day. That love and peace of Christ be with you today and always. "

-------
Our website has content in English, Chinese and Spanish .... You can 'click' here:In addition we introduce the latest arrival: "The Catholic Study Bible", that has just arrived in our hands. A hardcover edition and a deluxe edition are available.
The Catholic Study Bible is best presented and most complete, we have published to date. Copies of the first edition have been sold prior to publication. We have the rights to publish this Bible study in Asia and Africa.

The Winter Wonderland

2012-01-28T00:01:00.000+08:00

Colorful ice sculptures and winter activities can be found at the International Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in China’s northern Heilongjiang province, on Jan. 5, 2012. Visitors from all over the world brave sub zero temperatures to view the beautiful works of art and participate in winter activities like sledding.

Yet another clip, celebrating the human skills! The message is simple - sky is the limit for one who has a will to go! Enjoy!!

Welcome to the Macau-China Bulletin. January 2012

2012-01-02T01:28:00.005+08:00

Welcome 2012 !!

Tracing the foot steps of a great missionary: Francis Xavier

2012-01-01T00:07:00.000+08:00

St. Francis Xavier died at the gates of China, on the island of Sancian. His relics are in India and Macau. His example continues to attract Christians all over the world. In the place of his death now stands a chapel, a pilgrimage center. To get there, one needs to venture out to the sea for an hour ride from Macau.

His feast is celebrated on 3 December. This year, Fr. Jojo organized a mission trip to the island on this day and took more than 50 pilgrims from Hong Kong, Macao and China. Foreign priests cannot preside at the Mass in China, but this time the Fr. Jojo got the permission. Here are a couple of memories:

Group of pilgrims in the small chapel in Sancian Island, where
St. Francis Xavier died at the age of 44 .

Latest Publications

2012-01-01T00:06:00.001+08:00

Following the rhythm of biblical literature, the month of January will receive 33 000 copies of the New American Bible, Revised Edition [NABRE]

Of these, 13000 is a study edition of a book of 2600 pages with ample material for personal and group study of the Word of God, printed in two colors. We have the rights from the Publishers in the US for distribution in Asia and Africa. While maintaining the original material quality [read 'with an improved quality'!] we sell the copies for five times cheaper than the original price of the Bible.

Cover of the new Catholic Study Bible (English).

Spiritual Retreat to the priests of Guangzhou

2012-01-01T00:05:00.001+08:00

Fr. Peter Chao, CMF (seated 4th from left) with the participants of the Retreat in Guangzhou

Claretian Father Peter Chao directed a spiritual retreat for all the priests of the Diocese of Guangzhou.

Guangzhou is one of the most important cities in China, capital of the Province of Guangdong;
A very modern city with more than 11 million inhabitants in which stands the Cathedral dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Nine-Day Preparatory Mass for Christmas

2012-01-01T00:05:00.000+08:00

Following the tradition of the first missionaries arrived in the Philippines, the country celebrates the 9 days of preparatory Mass before Christmas between 4 and 5 in the morning."The time we opted for a group of Filipino Catholics in Macau was 'more decent'" says Fr. Rossa, the Celebrant! Around 20 Philippinos attended the nine-day Mass celebrated at 5 in the morning in our House Chappel in Macau... some of them returning directly from their work.

"We brought the Gospel outside the church door": 270 baptisms in the cathedral of Xi Kai of the Diocese of Tian Jin

2012-01-01T00:04:00.000+08:00

During the solemn celebration on December 17th which was held in the Cathedral of Xi Kai, the Diocese of Tian Jin, 270 catechumens were baptized. During the Eucharist on the fourth Sunday of Advent, on December 18, the parish priest officially welcomed them in the parish.

"We have always stressed that evangelization is the duty and right of every baptized person", said the parish priest. We are happy to see that our parishioners have applied this principle in their lives, creating an atmosphere of fellowship and missionary awareness inside and outside the parish. We brought the Gospel outside the church door". In addition, the parish priest announced the next course of catechism which opens on February 12, 2012.
Kai Xi's Cathedral, dedicated to St. Joseph of the Diocese of Tian Jin, was built in 1914 in Romanesque style and can accommodate over 2,000 people. The mission of the Vincentians, was called "the French church" by locals. The parish now has more than 30,000 faithful, it is very lively and also uses modern technology and mass media to promote evangelism. It was among the first parishes to open a website and, recently, has also opened a blog on evangelization. The Diocese of Tian Jing is a large Catholic community, where Catholicism has had a remarkable development. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 20/12/2011)

HK Diocese Celebrates Jubilee of Religious Commitment

2012-01-01T00:03:00.000+08:00

The diocese celebrated the silver, gold and diamond jubilees of 38 brothers, sisters and priests, as well as two sisters who have reached 70 years in religious life, one 75 and another 80, at a reception and Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.

Bishop John Tong [4th from left] with Cardinal Zen and other Jubilarians

Speaking at the reception in the Caritas Community Hall, which was attended by around 150 people, Bishop John Tong Hon congratulated the jubilarians on reaching the significant milestones in their lives as priests or religious. He described the celebration as an opportunity for the people of the diocese to express their gratitude for the many years of service and sacrifice that have been lived out by the jubilarians.

Media Explosion in China!

2012-01-01T00:02:00.000+08:00

The beginning of the year invites us to look ahead. Here we share a recent statistics on the use of social media network (internet) in China and the challenges and the possibilities this offers to our mission:

--- 25% of users of social media in the world are Chinese.
--- Population of China: 1,340 million. Internet users: 500 million (36% of the population, more than the total population in Western Europe).
--- Cellphone users: 917 000 000 (67% of the population).
--- New internet users per month: 10 million.
--- 77% use the Internet and watch TV at a time.
--- In an average daily usage of 3 hours: 58% use the Internet while 17% of television.
--- Population between 18 and 27 years average use of 5 hours a day for email and web.
--- 40% of the users are creators of web-content (more than double the U.S.).
--- 66% of Internet access via mobile.

Challenge for a 'new evangelization' in China

These data urge us to use these new means of evangelization for our service depending on what is most urgent, timely and effective.

From our Mission Centre in Macau we upload all of our evangelisation materials in our website : www.bibleclaret.org All of our evangelistic material, including translations of the Bible into different languages, Bible courses, pastoral programs in English, Chinese and Spanish are offered free for anyone interested.

We need help to make these materials accessible in the new systems of tablets, iPods, iPhones, Mac and so on. Those who wish to join us in this endeavour please get back to us through email.

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000+08:00

An Awesome piece of acrobatic show by the Chinese artists to wish you an
awesome and grace-filled New Year 2012

Welcome to the Macau-China Bulletin, December 2011

2011-12-01T00:50:00.001+08:00

Heritage Mission in China

In 1927 the Claretian Missionaries came to the beautiful city of Huangshan, next to the famous Yellow Mountains in China . There grew a small Christian community. Although the missionaries were expelled from China in 1950, the seed of faith continued to grow and today there is still a group of Christians linked to that heritage.

Bishop laying the foundations of the new Church.

The Missionaries traced back the village some 20 years ago and helped the faithful to build a small Church. But the expansion of the city forced the relocation of the Church and hence, build a new one. Here are recent photos during the laying of the foundation of the new Church:

The new Church will be completed by the end of 2012

The Gospel According to St. Mathew

2011-12-01T00:45:00.001+08:00

Yes, that is the Title of the latest work from the Claretian Publications, Macau, done in Simplified Chinese for the benefit of the faithful of the Mainland. The simplified characters are used only in the Mainland China, while in the other areas like Hong Kong and Macau the traditional characters are used.

The Gospel According to St. Mathew is the first in the series of the Chinese Bible project, Fr. Rossa and his team are working on. The Gospel According to St. Mark has also gone into the press for the print.

Our visitor:

2011-12-01T00:40:00.000+08:00

Fr. Felix visits Macau and Hong Kong

Fr. Felix Martinez, the Provincial Econome for the East Asian Delegation paid a short visit to Macau and Hong Kong from 22 - 24 November.

Caritas Bazaars raise over $4 million in Hong Kong

2011-12-01T00:35:00.000+08:00

Fun-filled events at Cheung Chau, Shatin and Tsuen Wan closed out the Caritas Bazaar season for 2011. As at November 21, over $4 million had been raised. Over 100,000 people dropped in at the six bazaars—including those at Victoria Park and Tuen Mun on November 6, and Fa Hui Park, Kowloon on November 11.

Fr. Tony Brennan, MM, who celebrates his 5o years of
Ordination this year,
at the Caritas Bazaar at Boundary Street

“The Caritas Bazaar is made possible through the efforts of many different sectors in our Church and society,” Bishop John Tong Hon said at the opening of the bazaar season in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, on November 6. “The fund raising is evidence of a deep love and care in our society," he added.

Groups from various schools showed off their talent on stage, giving people a taste of their abilities in song, music, dance and gymnastics. The happy-go-lucky atmosphere generated in the park is a reflection of what people can do together when good will and care for neighbour are at the heart of any gathering of people.

Understanding the new English translation of the Mass

2011-12-01T00:30:00.000+08:00

Renowned liturgist Father Anscar Chupungco, Filipino Benedictine, helped a gathering of round 300 people in Hong Kong on November 18 to understand the the new translation of the English Mass.Speaking on the occasion, he said it was more important for the faithful to "understand what it [the new traslation] is not, as it is to understand what it is,”

Father Chupungco pointed out that the new translation has departed from the concept of vernacular, which is understood as language that is self-explanatory and communicates its meaning without much explanation. However, this is not true of the new translation, which seeks to introduce concepts that do not exist in English-speaking cultures and, consequently, the words or grammatical constructions to express them do not exist either.

Fr Anscar Chupungco

Father Chupungco pointed to the controversial response to the greeting, “The Lord be with you,” as being a prime example. The liturgist noted that the response, “And with your spirit,” makes no sense in English, as it is a concept that is non-existent in the language. However, he said that the original Latin is referring to a distinction in ancient Roman and Greek culture that differentiated between soul, body and spirit in a person, and by addressing the spirit, it was referring to what is most fundamental and noble.

However, the Diocese of Hong Kong has decided that it would be better to take a little more time to prepare the faithful for the new text in terms of catechesis, and so the faithful of Hong Kong will need to wait until December 2012 before being able to say "And with your spirit".

He spoke of other areas, which need clarification, noting that without detailed explanation they will be problematic also, but with proper catechesis can help people to gain a greater appreciation of the Mass.

He added that while the new rubric demands strict reading from the prescribed text, he is sure that God would forgive a priest for expressing something of himself within the celebration. Nevertheless, he concluded that it does introduce concepts, which if unearthed, can reveal liturgical treasures that can help to give us a deeper appreciation of the liturgy of the Mass.

Hong Kong receives relics of Blessed John Paul II

2011-12-01T00:29:00.006+08:00

In the end, this is another one of his small "miracles". If the Blessed John Paul II had expressed his desire to visit China several times during his pontificate, always clashing with the snarling refusals of the Government, now Pope John Paul II has found another way to land in the "Celestial Empire". The Relics of of Pope Blessed John Paul II were welcomed into the diocese of Hong Kong at a special Mass celebrated in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on November 12 by Bishop John Tong Hon.

He explained that the lock of hair of the blessed pope can at least be housed on Chinese soil and he will have a connection with the country in death that he could never have in life. “Although it is not convenient for mainland Chinese to visit the Vatican, millions of them now come to Hong Kong every year for shopping and sightseeing,” Bishop Tong pointed out. “During these days, they will have every chance to pray in the presence of his relic.”

Monsignor Paul Russell, Vatican's chargé d’affaires in Taiwan,
handing over the relic of
Bl. Pope John Paul II to Bishop John Tong Hon

The bishop thanked the chargé d’affaires from the Taiwan apostolic delegation, Monsignor Paul Russell, for carrying the precious relics of the late pope to Hong Kong. Handing over the relic to Bishop Tong, Monsignor Paul Russell said, "Our late Pope longed to come to China, but could not; and now he is here"!

During his homily he made a strong appeal to all young people in the diocese to be inspired by Blessed John Paul and respond to the call to priesthood and religious life. “Through his intercession, may you answer the call to follow me,” he said, explaining that the diocese is currently in great need of religious vocations, as there are only 15 students in the Holy Spirit Seminary. “Our diocese is facing a serious vocation shortage,” he explained. “Please pray for that number to increase from 15 to five-zero (50).”

Interview with Fr. Jojo in the weekly newspaper "O Clarim"

2011-12-01T00:15:00.000+08:00

Fr. Jojo was interviewed by the weekly newspaper "O Clarim" after his recent visit to Indonesia. He is already popular in Macau with his well appreciated magical tricks and with his selfless ministry among the poor, the sick and suffering and the youth.

In the interview, he recognises the need for reopening of the Diocesan Seminary to cater to the aspiring youth to pursue their studies to priesthood.

To put the brakes ...!

2011-12-01T00:08:00.001+08:00

We had our share of anxiety too in the earlier part of November! Fr. Rossa had a bacterial infection which appeared a bit dangerous. He had to fly to Manila to meet his personal doctor and was admitted int the hospital for a couple of days. But, as Ms. Divine of the Claretian Publications says, "the only way to keep him from being restless was to get the Wi-fi and keep him connected"!

No wonder, he contined his job from the hospital room, giving instructions to the editors and printers in China and Macau! Our good frined from Bangalore send him a "Get wll soon" message with a difference! When the Pastoral Bible replaces the IV fluids, no wonder why he had a speedy recovery!

Fr. Jose bgins his ministry in the diocese of Hong Kong

2011-12-01T00:05:00.000+08:00

After a couple years of Chinese language - Cantonese - studies, our colleague Fr. José Cherukara has begun his new ministry on November 1 in the parish of St. Benedict. He himself writes:

The Parish

It's a new parish, with a history of 25 years. Parish has a multiple use building with 5 floors. Out of 300 Catholics in 1987 the number has increased to 3000 today.
We are 4 priests in the parish, one of whom is now retired. We have six Masses on Sunday, including one on Saturday evening.

My new ministry:

Only a month ago I'm in this parish. This is a very active parish and offers great opportunities for a new priest like me. As I begin the ministry in the Parish, I am given the responsibility for the care of the English Speaking community of the Parish.

Altar Servers' Gathering

Within the parish territory, there are four major hospitals and we take care of the pastoral needs of the patients by regular visits to these hospitals.

Besides working in the parish, I have also a couple of responsibilities in the Diocesan Commission for Youth and in the Commission for the Catholic Communication.

My hopes and challenges:

The parish provides a an extensive scope for the ministry, and I'm glad to be pretty busy at the service of the Church. This is my belief: If the Lord has brought me to this ministry, He will give me the strength to carry it out. Hence, no fears!

The main hurdle is language. After two years of intensive study, I realize I do not know to speak the language!! .... But I must say that the parishioners are so helpful and understanding. Two of them help me three days a week with the intonations, Character reading, preparation of the homily, and so on.

During the welcome party I had to talk about what were my expectations and hopes for this parish. This is my wish: May God's grace be there to respond to the expectations of those who assigned me to this ministry.

Construction of a mountain trail in China

2011-12-01T00:03:00.004+08:00

Mt. Hua is located in the south of Huayin City, 75 miles due east of Xian. From the map, this mountain is located close to Himalayas of Tibet. 'Shan' means 'mountain' in Chinese, thus the name 'Hua Shan'. Huashan means 'Mount Hua' or 'Hua Mountain'.

According to Travel China Guide, Mt. Huashan is definitely not some neglected little spot in the middle of nowhere. Quite the contrary! Mt Huashan is one of the five sacred mountains in China.

Mt. Hua is home to several influential Taoist temples where emperors of past dynasties made pilgrimages, making this mountain the holy land of Taoism. Many emperors came to pray and sacrifice to the God of Mt. Huashan.

It is said that Lao Zi (Lao Tze), the founder and patriarch of Taoism, once lived and gave sermons here. Today many Taoism temples are located on Mr. Huashan which helps explain why this area is visited by thousands of people.

Impressive? Read further here:
http://www.ssqq.com/archive/vinlin27d.htm

Welcome to the Macau-China Bulletin, November 2011

2011-11-01T13:45:00.002+08:00

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

Parish Ministries

2011-11-01T13:42:00.000+08:00

On Sunday October 30, a Catholic group of the parish of San Lorenzo, organized by our Fr. Jojo, spent the whole day to visit a lepers Colony in China served by a priest and several nuns. Just 60 kilometers from the border with Macau is the home for the lepers. It was a 'mission trip' to spent some time with these patients. They were 92 pilgrims of all ages.

The midday meal was prepared by the same patients

The Gospels in Chinese

2011-11-01T13:40:00.000+08:00

The Cover of the Four Gospels

We have announced the preparation of this book of 792 pages: The Four Gospels, with Lectio Divina and commentaries. An entirely new translation of the Gospels to modern Chinese. It is the first step in translating the entire Bible project in which we work. Finally we get the first books printed and distribution can now begin.

Our partner and friend from Hong Kong

2011-11-01T13:35:00.001+08:00

Hong Kong, Macau, China ... all part of our mission and in all these places we have excellent friends and collaborators.

What an example: Our friend Jessica.

Business woman, mother, missionary ...
Her office is her BMW through the streets of Hong Kong to serve her customers of ergonomic furniture. She joined our mission and has become our representative in Hong Kong - promoting all our publications.
She says: "Poor BMW"
Jessica with our books in Hong Kong ...

But Jessica is a missionary in contrast to the hectic life of Hong Kong. She finds time to join to pay visits to the lepers' homes

She tells us after her last visit a few days ago:

Dear All,

Isn't it beautiful?

She says this is her favourite picture!

I learned a lot from this place, and now I understand why Father said this is heaven.

From there, you learn how to view something with your heart and not your eyes, so if you see something beautiful then it is good, because you have a beautiful heart. If not, it's you have the problem.

Everyone has angel and devil inside, so make friend with his/her angel ...., so her angel will grow bigger and bigger la because with your love ga ma...

Not to hate and not to judge, because everyone is different but still the beloved one of God ga ma, right!!!

Ha! Ha ! x 1000000000000

Let's have a peaceful weekend!

God Bless!!

Fr. Jojo attends the Young Claretians Meet in Indonesia

2011-11-01T13:30:00.004+08:00

Fr. Jojo participated in the Quinquennium programme for the Asian Claretians -[ASCLA] East held in Indonesia in the fourth week of September. He was impressed with the growth of the Congregation and the diversity of the Mission in this region. Jojo speaks:

"Well one of the things that touched me is the growth of our congregation in Indonesia. We have lot of vocations and our missionaries are really doing well. And the Young Claretians Meet helped us to understand and appreciate different cultures and different circumstances. Well here are some pictures from Indonesia" .

Indonesia is located between Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises about 17,508 islands, where more than 237 million people, making Indonesia the fourth most populous country. In addition, Indonesia is the country with more Muslims in the world. Although the country is largely endowed with natural resources, poverty is a defining feature of contemporary Indonesia to. The Claretians come to Indonesia recently as 25 years. Today Indonesia is one of the countries with more priestly and religious vocations to our Congregation. The seminarians are over 100 and now have 29 priests.

Priestly ordinations in various dioceses at the end of missionary month

2011-11-01T13:25:00.000+08:00

Several Catholic communities wanted to end the missionary month of October with priestly ordinations, which represent the Church's vitality and continuity of the mission. In fact "the conclusion of the missionary month is a new departure for the mission of evangelization, as the end of the life of a deacon is the beginning of priestly life, which requires full awareness and missionary commitment in our context", this is what the Bishops who presided at the ordinations said with more or less the same words.

Province of Shan Dong in China

Over one thousand faithful attended the solemn priestly ordination of the diocese of Yan Zhou, in the Shan Dong province, presided by the Bishop Ordinary on October 26. About thirty priests concelebrated and about the same number of religious women welcomed the new priest, according to which "priesthood is a new beginning of the mission to be a good worker in the vineyard of the Lord by imitating the example of Christ".

Province of Hebei where The Diocese of Heng Shui is located

The Diocese of Heng Shui (originally Jing Xian) lived the ordination of two new priests with joy on October 28, the feast of SS. Apostles Simon and Jude. Mgr. Pietro Feng, Diocesan Bishop, concelebrated the ceremony presided by about sixty priests. About thirty nuns of the Congregation of Our Lady of Good Counsel, forty representatives of the Major Seminary, and Minor diocesan, along with 700 followers, enthusiastically welcomed the new priests, that are local vocations. Mgr. Feng encouraged them to be "the Lord’s instrument and to fulfill all the duties of a priest". Finally, the new priests shared their vocational experience thanking their parents and all those who supported them in their spiritual journey

- Courtesy: Agenzia Fides

Claretian Mission Expands in Macau and Hong Kong

2011-11-01T13:20:00.003+08:00

Claretian Missionaries formally begin their missionary activity in the Diocese of Hong Kong with the Agreement signed between Bishop Johng Tong Hon, the Bishop of Hong Kong and Fr. Marcelli Fonts, Major Superior of the East Asian Delegation of the Congregation.

Fr. Simon Lee, the Parish Priest with Fr. Jose Cherukara at the Church of St Benedict

Fr. Jose Cherukara, on completion of two years of Chinese language studies, is appointed Assistant Parish Priest of St. Benedict Parish, Shatin Wai in Hong Kong. In addition to the assignment in the Parish, he is also a member of the Diocesan Commission for Youth and of the Catholic Board of Communications in the Diocese. Fr. Jose begins his ministry in the Parish on 1 November.

Fr. Peter Chao

The Claretian Community of Macau - Hong Kong is expanding both in Ministry and in Personnel. Now we have two more new members - Frs. Peter Chao and Piotr. Hearty welcome to both and wish them a fruitful and satisfying time in their respective ministries in this part of the world.

The "Claret Publishing Group" is born

2011-11-01T13:10:00.003+08:00

At the International Book Fair in Frankfurt, the Claretian Publishing Houses had their periodic encounter of Editors, convoked by The General Prefect of the Apostolate, Fr. Miguel Ángel Velasco, who was present for the meeting. The meeting took place two days before the fair from the 7 – 11th of October at the Claretiner Seminar (Frankfurt).

The birth of the “Claret Publishing Group” will, without a doubt, provide a greater force and identity to the Claretian publishing imprint, and at the same time will be a stimulus to continue advancing in collaboration and in the creation of common projects at the service of the Congregation, the Church, and in evangelization.

The group of Claretian Editors before the monument to Johann Gutenberg in Mainz.

Though the publishing activity in the Congregation is very rich and varied (books, magazines, pamphlets, bulletins, web pages…), the meetings for the encounters have been exclusively for the publishing houses that print books. In spite of various publishers who were excused, the participating group was rich and geographically diverse. Among the publishers present was Claretian Publications Macau, represented by Fr. Alberto Rossa. At the end of the encounter the Claretian editors participated, as usual, in the International Book Fair in Frankfurt.

- Courtesy: http://www.claret.org

Priests bring message of hope to TV

2011-11-01T13:05:00.004+08:00

Two priests nominated to appear on the television program “Hong Kong Loving Hearts Campaign 2011” say they hope their participation will help spread Church values. ‘Hong Kong Loving Hearts Campaign’, sponsored by ATV acknowledges people doing good things in their communities. Ten recipients are selected from over 220 applicants.

Fr Alfred Deignan and Fr Franco Mella
The program presents a series of documentaries highlighting the humanitarian works of nominated individuals and aimed at encouraging viewers to embrace positive social values. Irish Fr Alfred Deignan, an educator, and Italian Fr Franco Mella, a veteran activist for grassroots human rights groups, both of whom have served in Hong Kong for decades, are among 26 candidates nominated this year for the show produced by Asia Television.

“Sometimes what we preach from the Gospel is very abstract, whereas with the TV program showing actual footage of what we do, it can guide people to think,” said Fr Mella. “We need to explain, discuss and analyze social justice issues to let people understand the values held by Jesus.”

Cardinal fasts over court ruling

2011-11-01T13:00:00.000+08:00

Cardinal Zen of Hong Kong observed a 72 hours abstinence from food after an appeals court rejected a diocesan objection to new regulations governing the appointment of teachers and the management of educational administrators in the third week of October.

The cardinal’s fast stems from an amended education ordinance in 2004 that requires all government-aided schools to form an incorporated management committee to replace the current management board. After six years of litigation brought by the diocese seeking an exemption, the Court of Final Appeal last week rejected the case.

Supporters visit the fasting Cardinal Zen

Cardinal Zen has said the new ordinance contradicts the Basic Law, which guarantees religious organizations’ right to run schools according to practices in place prior to the handover of Hong Kong by the UK in 1997. The issue in question, the Cardinal said, was more about the right to govern schools. “The content of religious and moral education is far more important than some concrete religious activities,” he said.

Cardinal Zen said today that the Church would not easily give up its right to run schools but might be forced to do so if it can no longer manage education according to its vision and mission.

A Hong Kong way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Aviation

2011-11-01T12:55:00.002+08:00

Aviation activities in Hong Kong began with some balloon flights in the 19th Century.

In 1911, a pioneer aviator from Belgium, Charles Van den Born, arrived in Hong Kong with three Henry Farman biplanes. He flew from the beach in Sha Tin on 18 March 1911. This became the first powered flight ever in Hong Kong.

Year 2011 marks the centenary of powered flight in Hong Kong. The aviation industry is jointly organising a series of events to commemorate this important milestone.

Welcome to Our October Bulletin

2011-10-01T14:23:00.001+08:00

October 1st is China National Day, one of the most important Chinese festivals. We join the festive spirit and share with you some news and events at the beginning of this month newsletter.

October 1: China National Day

October 1st is a festival of great importance to the people nationwide and they celebrate it with great felicitation. In 1999, the Chinese government decided that the three days designated for the National Day celebration be combined with the two weekends on either side, thus giving people a seven-day vacation. Also because of the great indulgences during the week, it is regarded as another Golden Week for the Chinese people when they can go out to visit some long-cherished tourist attractions or doing other things people like to do.

Holidays in China

Chinese people legally enjoy over 115 days off including 104 days of weekends and 11 days of festivals. Employees have 5 to 15 days of paid annual leave. Students and teachers have summer and winter vacations for about three months. The summer vacation in China generally starts around July 1st and ends around August 31st, and the winter vacation usually falls on January or February according to the date of the Spring Festival.

China launches space module

2011-10-01T14:11:00.002+08:00

China took its first step towards building a space station on Thursday September 29 when it launched an experimental module ahead of National Day celebrations.Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace", took off on schedule from the Gobi desert in China's northwest, ahead of China's National Day on October 1.

A carrier rocket loaded with an unmanned space lab

module blasts off from the launch pad

at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

in northwest China's Gansu Province.

________________________________________

Now let's go to the news

about the Church in China

Catholic university students launch a new website dedicated to their peers to deepen the meaning of life, values and faith

2011-10-01T14:07:00.000+08:00

A group of Catholic university students of the diocese of Handan, in Hebei province, Mainland China, launched a new website for evangelization titled "The Choir of Angels", to offer their peers necessary elements to deepen the meaning of life, values and faith. The initiative has had great support from the priests, especially those working in the field of evangelization online. According to the creator and founder of the website, "today's university campuses sharing the meaning of life, values and faith is widespread. It is a phenomenon that demonstrates the thirst for spiritual life in the secular world our peers live in. What books offer us is not enough to meet this need. So the creation of this site helps us to enrich ourselves". Also according to reports from Faith, the site has many topics and texts and the biblical quotations that relate to the proposed topics".

In Mainland China today there are dozens of Catholic evangelization sites, many are diocesan and parish, confirming that the Internet is increasingly becoming a leading tool for evangelization, especially among young people.

The Claretian Missionaries in China and the Pastoral Bible Foundation are also offering free internet content with pastoral resources in several languages, including Chinese. We have now subscribed to Applestore and very soon we shall add more content for tablets, IPads, etc. And everything will be offered for free download as part of our missionary contribution for the formation of Chinese Christians and sympathizers. You can check our website: www.bibleclaret.org

God in China

2011-10-01T14:06:00.000+08:00

Christians in China: Is the country in spiritual crisis?

There is an excellent radio program by the BBC that we would like to recommend.
Here is the link:

This is how the report begins…

More people go to church on Sunday in China than in the whole of Europe.

Many of China's churches are overflowing, as the number of Christians in the country multiplies. In the past, repression drove people to convert - is the cause now rampant capitalism?

It is impossible to say how many Christians there are in China today, but no-one denies the numbers are exploding.

The government says 25 million, 18 million Protestants and six million Catholics. Independent estimates all agree this is a vast underestimate. A conservative figure is 60 million. There are already more Chinese at church on a Sunday than in the whole of Europe.

The new converts can be found from peasants in the remote rural villages to the sophisticated young middle class in the booming cities.x

Driven underground

There is a complexity in the structures of Chinese Christianity which is little understood in the West. To start with, Catholicism and Protestantism are designated by the state as two separate religions.

The Haidian Christian Church in Beijing was completely re-built to cope with rising numbers

Throughout the 20th Century, Christianity was associated with Western imperialism. After the Communist victory in 1948, the missionaries were expelled, but Christianity was permitted in state-sanctioned churches, so long as they gave their primary allegiance to the Communist Party. Mao, on the other hand, described religion as "poison", and the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 70s attempted to eradicate it. Driven underground, Christianity not only survived, but with its own Chinese martyrs, it grew in strength. Since the 1980s, when religious belief was again permitted, the official Churches have gradually created more space for themselves. They report to the State Administration for Religious Affairs. They are forbidden to take part in any religious activity outside their places of worship and sign up to the slogan, "Love the country - love your religion." In return the Party promotes atheism in schools but undertakes "to protect and respect religion until such time as religion itself will disappear".House Churches Protestants and Catholics are both divided into official and unofficial Churches.
Click here:

and listen to the fascinating report.

HONG KONG. The Year of the Laity has been extended: commitment of the lay within the basic ecclesial communities

2011-10-01T14:05:00.000+08:00

After a year of positive experience the bishop of Hong Kong has extended the celebration of the Year of the Laity until December 31, 2012, "because with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the numbers of conversions of our diocese continue to grow and our faith continues to mature". After the first year devoted to formation, the second Year of the Laity, which the diocese celebrates in 2012, will stress above all the implementation of the commitments on behalf of the lay in the basic ecclesial communities.

After a year of experience focused on the formation of the lay, the diocese now encourages the faithful to participate in the life of the basic ecclesial communities, thus creating a network of lay and parish faith formation.Among the proposals: the recitation of the prayer composed for the Year of the Laity and Liturgy of the Hours; daily meditation of the Gospel of the day and the Word of God; the participation in solidarity and charity work; sharing faith with the non-Christians, and the utmost attention to respecting human rights, starting from the district where you live to the whole society of Hong Kong.

Inauguration of the largest square in the inner Mongolian steppe dedicated to "Our Lady of Mongolia"

2011-10-01T14:04:00.000+08:00

Inner Mongolia is one Province of China (not to be confused with the country of Mongolia – to the north).Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation. Its capital is Hohhot and the largest city is Baotou.Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was established in 1947. It is the third-largest subdivision of China spanning about 1,200,000 km² (463,000 sq mi) or 12% of China's total land area. Just to give you an idea, this Province is about the size of Mexico. It has a population of about 25 million.

Our Lady of Mongolia

The largest and the most beautiful square in the inner Mongolian steppe, in the diocese of Baotou, was inaugurated a few days ago and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Over three thousand faithful attended the inauguration and blessing of the square and the statue, depicting Our Lady of Mongolia, presided by three diocesan Bishops and concelebrated by about thirty priests.

According to what was reported to Fides by Faith of He Bei, the square, which has an area of 7,488 square meters with 4,000 square meters of green belt, is located in front of the ancient church of Ershisiqingdi, which was built in 1904 and is historically considered the starting point of the last phase of the evangelization of the current diocese of Baotou. The church was also the Cathedral of the diocese. The statue of Our Lady is 8.42 meters high and is dressed in the traditional Mongolian clothes, holding baby Jesus in her arms, this is why she has been called with great devotion by the faithful "Our Lady of Mongolia".

The inauguration of the square completes the reconstruction and restoration of the parish complex, which began in July 2009 with the financial help of local authorities - three million Yuan (about 400,000 Euros), in order to give life to a "Cultural and Religious Tourism Area" around the church.

Asian Bishops

2011-10-01T11:01:00.000+08:00

"Religious fundamentalism is the greatest danger in the continent"

The phenomenon of secularization and the growth of religious fundamentalism are "the two greatest challenges of evangelization in Asia", says Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, Archbishop of Guwahati (India) and President of the Evangelization office in the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC). The Archbishop points out that the main themes of the meeting between Bishops, theologians, experts on the continent, that the Office of the FABC will hold in the coming days in Bangkok, on the theme "Evangelization in Asia, in the context of secularism and fundamentalism".

In the meeting, explains the Archbishop, "we will try to delve into the allegations contained in the essay 'Secularization' by Steve Bruce (Oxford 2011), in which the expert considers secularization an irreversible phenomenon of modern era". "His data are based, above all, on the low number of people who go to churches - observes the Archbishop - but this cannot be the sole criterion". There is no doubt that secularization "is felt also in Asia, especially among young people or families", the Archbishop continues, noting that "fundamentalism flourishes on secularization, which exploits the emotions and needs of people".

"In Asia, the greatest danger is precisely religious fundamentalism: on the one hand, Pentecostalism, which attracts and takes away the Catholic faithful from the Church; on the other hand Islamic fundamentalism, which disturbs social and religious harmony". To this phenomenon the Church "cannot respond with an aggressive approach" but "investigating and understanding the social and psychological reasons which make them bloom." The Asian Bishops will study the modalities and appropriate responses: "We object to secularization by helping to build secular values universally valid; the answer to fundamentalism is, however, authentic religion".

Macau Priest’s Meeting

2011-10-01T10:59:00.001+08:00

The monthly priest’s meeting of Macau was held across the border in the city of Zhuhai where we have a residence. The group, presided by bishop Jose Lai, was interested in knowing about the Claretians, our presence and ministry in China and, especially the work of publication of Chinese books.

Bishop Jose Lai and priests working

in Macau at the Claretian house in Zhuhai.

Claret Feast Day – Claretian Mission Day – 75th anniversary of the Barbastro Martyrs

2011-10-01T10:55:00.000+08:00

We have united the three events into three day celebration.

Here is the program in English and Chinese:

New Publications

2011-10-01T10:50:00.000+08:00

The Pastoral Bible Foundation and Claretian Publications have reached an agreement with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the United States and with Liturgical Press to acquire the printing and distribution rights of the new NABRE Bible (New American Bible Revised Edition) for Asia and Africa.

At the same time, negotiations are ongoing with Catholic Book Publishing for the printing and distribution of a cheaper edition of the NABRE Bible aso for distribution in Asia and Africa.

Open the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible and feel at home with the Word of God. Through accessibly written information and engaging visuals that highlight and clarify significant areas of Scripture, readers will easily gain an understanding of these ancient texts that can be carried into today’s world. Using the authorized translation in the New American Bible Revised Edition, this lasting volume is ideal for both personal use and group Bible study.The valuable information in the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible is offered in small notes and inserts that accompany the Bible texts as well as in expanded essays, articles, and graphics. Key symbols help readers quickly identify the type of information they need, such as explanations, definitions, dates, character and author profiles, archaeological insights, personal prayer starters, and insights connecting Scripture and its use in today’s church. Colorful maps, timelines, photographs, and charts further enhance the study experience. Longer articles are dedicated to explaining study Bible fundamentals, the Catholic Church’s use of the Bible, and the people and places of the biblical world.

Chinese Daily Gospel 2012

2011-10-01T10:45:00.000+08:00

This book with the daily liturgical readings for 2012

and short commentaries

has gone out of print already…twice.

We are printing it for the third time.

Meanwhile, the edition for Mainland China,

has jumped from 20,000 copies last year, to 65,000 copies this year.

Our Chinese editors continue with the preparation
of the new translation

of the New Testament in Chinese.

Our target date is to have it ready for printing
by the end of 2011.

Graduation at the National Seminary

2011-10-01T10:33:00.000+08:00

Claretian Fr. Peter Chao spent several months this year teaching at the National Seminary in Beijing. He was also the spiritual director of a group of priests who were doing renewal courses at the seminary.

Graduation ceremony

Our Friend the Cardinal…

2011-10-01T10:31:00.000+08:00

Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, Archbishop of Manila

is a goodfriend of the Claretians…

but especially of Divine de Leon, ourpartner in Macau

for Pastoral Bible Foundation and Claretian Publications.

Dear Friend: We want to see you in Macau… and China!

Divine de Leon during her recent visit to Manila,

with CardinalGaudencio Rosales.

China launches space module

2011-09-30T14:30:00.001+08:00

China took its first step towards building a space station on Thursday September 29 when it launched an experimental module ahead of National Day celebrations. Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace", took off on schedule from the Gobi desert in China's northwest, ahead of China's National Day on October 1.

A carrier rocket loaded with an unmanned space lab module blasts off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province.

Welcome to the Macau - China Bulletin, September 2011

2011-09-01T00:12:00.003+08:00

If you are one of our readers interested in reading
some in-depth articles about China,
then this free magazine is for you:

Free Magazine
Religions & Christianity in Today’s China

E-Journal RCTC
Religions & Christianity in Today’s China
is an English language e-journal.

The China-Zentrum e.V.
The China-Zentrum e.V. was established in 1988.
The aim of this officially recognized nonprofit organization
is to foster encounters and exchange between cultures
and religions in the West and in China.
The members of the China Center
are Catholic aid organizations,
religious orders, and dioceses
in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

Our main tasks
The Center’s aims as laid out in its Statutes
in the following sectors:
Information and Conscientization
about Religions in China
 Research on Christianity and its history in China
as well as on the other religions present
in the Chinese cultural sphere

Taiwan Catholic University sets up recruiting office in Beijing

2011-09-01T00:10:00.002+08:00

Taiwan's Fu Jen Catholic University opened an office in Beijing to recruit more students from the Chinese mainland. As one of the island's most prestigious universities, Fu Jen has recruited 99 mainland students so far this year, exceeding its planned number of 40, said Liu Zhaoming, head of the university's office of academic affairs. The university plans to offer scholarships and give primary admission to students selected from prestigious high schools on the mainland starting from next year, according to a statement issued by the university on Saturday. This year, Taiwan began allowing students from six mainland provinces and municipalities - Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian and Guangdong - to study at the island's 100-plus universities and colleges. "The scholarship program is specifically designed for mainland students," said Liu, adding that the program provides not only a fellowship, but also includes guidance for the students' studies, internships and employment.

China vows to convert 10 million illiterate people in five years

2011-09-01T00:09:00.004+08:00

China plans to reduce the number of illiterate people by 2 million each year over the next five years, according to an outline issued Wednesday by the Ministry of Education. "There are still 50 million illiterate people in China, most of whom live in remote and rural areas with poor transportation and telecommunications," an official with the ministry said. The illiteracy ratio on the Chinese mainland declined to 4.08 percent in 2010 from 6.72 percent in 2000, according to the data from China's sixth national census released earlier this year. To better help these people learn how to read and write, the ministry has issued a set of guidelines on creating reading courses and compiling teaching materials especially for illiteracy eradication. In the guidelines, one course was designed to teach illiterate people how to correctly read, pronounce, write, and use 592 of the most frequently used Chinese characters. When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the illiterate population accounted for 80 percent of its 600 million people.

Sparcs of Church’s Life in China

2011-09-01T00:09:00.003+08:00

Training lay leaders

Shanxi Province

A Training conference for the Leaders of the Catholic Church of Fenyang Diocese, Shanxi, China, was held from August 3-6th. During this training conference, the speakers were the selected leaders of the Church from Jiaokou and Shilou parishes, Sisters and priests, all the participants were actively involved in interaction, and were aware of their important mission and responsibility.

A parish that sets example

Zhejiang Province

On the day the Church celebrates the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Yongqiang Parish in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province celebrated the new life of over 100 people, among them 41 were newly baptized Catholics, and 71 who received confirmation. All of them are from Yongqiang. It is reported that there are at least 300 baptisms every year. There are more than 10,000 Catholics in the parish of Yongqiang.

Yongqiang Parish in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province

Undoing 5,000 years of patriarchy

2011-09-01T00:08:00.001+08:00

China’s State Council recently issued the National Program on the Development of Chinese Women (2011-2020), which sets targets for greater women’s participation in decision-making and management in the next 10 years.

It also proposes that governments above the county level have more than one female cadre in the leadership and the proportion to be increased gradually.

As of 2010, according to government statistics, there were 28 female vice governors in 26 provincial and regional governments.

Patriarchy has been the dominating social system in 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. In Chinese tradition, men are the head of the family and the society. Women have little say in the families. Some girls, who are born to poor families, are prevented from getting education to give way to their brothers. Today, there is progress for women to be able to enjoy such social status in China.

The largest WYD delegation from the diocese of Hong Kong

2011-09-01T00:07:00.002+08:00

Bishop John Tong Commissioning the 800 strong
Hong Kong Delegation for the WYD

Over 800 young people and 21 priests from Hong Kong left on August 5, for Madrid to attend World Youth Day (WYD). The participation in the WYD has a larger delegation of young people compared to the previous World Youth Day

Some of the Youth from Hong Kong with the Chinese flag at the WYD, in Madrid

On July 31, Mgr. John Tong, Bishop of Hong Kong, officially gave the mandate to the participants with a Mass in the Chapel of Christ the King at St. Paul’s School, concelebrated by 21 priests of the delegation.

The Hong Kong - China Delegation

Hong Kong was represented by more than 200 young people from the diocese under the direction of the Diocesan Youth Pastoral Commission and were joined by 600 other young people from 14 local youth communities, parishes, religious institutions, Catholic schools and ecclesial movements.

Bro. CJ [extreme left], Fr. Arturo [second from left] and Winnie [extreme right] were part of the Chinese, Taiwan, Japan Claretian delegation the WYD

Reflection of a Chinese seminarian who participated in the WJD

2011-09-01T00:06:00.001+08:00

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?” This was the first sentence that deeply touched me in the opening mass of WJD though I was far from the altar. And when asked, Peter did not even think about it as he immediately responded, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus continually asked him three times and he answered the same. This question could be Jesus’ asking everyone, especially those present at the opening mass.

We must have been asked this question several times in our lives, most probably by our friends or girlfriend, and by those whom we love. I clearly remember my past girlfriends asking me this question and I was like Peter as I replied, “Yes, of course, you know how much I love you,” but I actually did not. Now, probably because of my age and my relationship with Jesus Christ, I know the weight this question carries because once you answer this question, you will have to carry a heavy responsibility. Love needs sacrifice, love needs offering, it needs action, and the courage to overcome a lot of difficulties one has never imagined. I believe that when Peter answered Jesus’ question, he never thought he would sacrifice his life and even die on the cross.

The Gospel in the opening mass of WJD made me deeply reflect on this. I thought that perhaps John Paul II began this WJD for the youth of the world to wake their hearts up, and I for one has truly benefited from it.

Another moment that deeply touched me most was our vigil with the Holy Father on August 21. It was very hot that afternoon and then, it got very cold in the evening, and I was very hungry, even as many of us really suffered a lot that night. We slept in our wet sleeping sacks, which felt awfully uncomfortable, but everyone stayed and did not leave. I do not know why. Maybe because many others did not leave, or because of the Pope, or because of the love of God, or the power of the Spirit of God. No matter what the reason was, it was an amazing experience for me. …
Although the WJD 2011 had finished, I think it is just beginning, and I have to bring this experience to my real life. In everything that happened, I know that God was there, and he is very close with me. I thank God for giving me my vocation to be a Claretian missionary, which is truly a very good gift from him.
Amen!

Fr. Jose completes two years of Chinese Classes

2011-09-01T00:05:00.001+08:00

Fr. Jose [Extreme right] together with some of his Chinese Classmates

This August, I have completed two years of Cantonese classes at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Although no where near an average speaker of this version of Chinese, I still feel excited with the fact that I am through with the numerous assignments, talks, quizzes and tests in the University.

However, the two years in the University was indeed a welcome-break from all the other assignments. Its true: being with the students keeps one young! After years of lecturing, it was fun to be at the 'receiving end'!

 Having said that, the inability to understand, respond, read and write Chinese still poses the 'great wall' to be scaled to enter into the hearts of the Chinese! Hope and pray that the same Spirit which enabled the listeners of St. Peter to understand everything what he said on the day of the Pentecost, may work in all who listen to my Chinese!

40 years in "the Service of the Word"

2011-09-01T00:04:00.001+08:00

August 15 is a special day for Catholics all over the world. The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven. But for all of us at Macau, we had more reasons than one to make it a solemnity: It was the 87th birthday of late Fr. Bernardo Hurault, the man behind the concept of "the Christian Community Bible". And as an icing on the cake, this was also the 40th anniversary of the Priestly Ordination of Fr. Rossa. Wow! What a day to celebrate! We thank God for the gifts of Persons such as late Fr. Bernardo and Fr. Rossa to the Church, to the Claretian Community and specially to the Church in China! Thank you Fr. Rossa for the witness of life you share!

We received a beautiful felicitation on the occasion from a very significant person - Mr. Li Chunnong, the one who handles all our printing works at the Amity Press at Nanjing, China. To the lines of Mr. Chunnong:

Dear All,

It is a joyful time for us to join the triple celebration, especially the celebration of 40th year of Fr. Rossa in the priesthood and his ministry.

We have been working together for more than 13 years since 1998 if I am correct. Through so many years experiences of working together, from business relationship to partner relationship and now the friendship has been built upon on the trust and the experiences of bad and good and the time of sad and joy that we always being together to face.

Amity's today, if we still could be proud of it, cannot forget about this very important person, his kind, tolerance, encouragement and other good human characteristics gave us confidence which was very important at the early stage when Amity doing export business.

We do believe this relationship will continue and last forever and it is very lucky for all of us that he is in good health shape. We can enjoy time together to see the Bibles been printed and distributed worldwide.

Take care my Friend!

Chunnong

Barbastro House – China and the 75th anniversary

2011-09-01T00:03:00.002+08:00

On Sunday August 14
our “Barbastro” house in Zhuhai (China)

was the venue to celebrate
our Barbastro Martyr’s 75th anniversary
and the 40th anniversary
of Alberto’s ordination to the priesthood.

Our publications

2011-09-01T00:01:00.007+08:00

Most of the work done as a publishing house in China resembles an iceberg. Only a tiny part of it is visible.

The main work of translating the complete Bible into modern Chinese keeps a team of about 15 Chinese scholars and editors busy. As we write this month’s blog, the Four Gospels, including a new translation of the text, introductions, commentaries and Lectio Divina guide is going to the press in Chinese traditional characters. A book of 800 pages. Here is the cover:

First page of the Gospel of Mark in traditional characters (Gospel text on the left and commentaries on the right)

At the same time we are also sending to the press the simplified Chinese version that is to be distributed inside China. For mainland China we are printing the four Gospels separately. Here is the cover of the Gospel of Matthew, also with new commentaries and a guide for Lectio Divina.

First page of the Gospel of Matthew in simplified characters

(Of course you saw the difference between traditional

and simplified characters, right?)

As you can see (!), on the left is the bible text, and on the right is the Lectio Divina guide and commentaries.

There are, at the moment, some 12 more Chinese titles (besides the Bible) in preparation for publication.

We, missionaries, are foreigners. The evangelization in China has to be done by the Chinese. Through publications, especially on the Bible, and internet materials available free online we help in the formation of evangelizers and grassroots people. Take a look at: www.bibleclaret.org

Life is a mirror

2011-09-01T00:00:00.001+08:00

Mahatma Gandhi was asked,
what are the factors that destroy a person.

He replied:
Politics without principles,  
Pleasure without obligation,  
Wealth without work,  
Wisdom without character,  
Business without morality,  
Science without humanity
and  Prayer without charity.

Life has taught me that the people are friendly,
if I am kind;  people are sad, if I’m sad;  they are all bad,
if I hate them;  there are smiling faces,
if I were to smile;  sour faces there,
if I’m bitter;  the world is happy,
if I’m happy;  that people are angry,
if I’m grumpy;  that people are grateful, if I am grateful!

Life is like a mirror:
If I smile, the mirror smiles back at me!
Whoever wants to be loved, has to love!!!

Welcome to the Macau - China Bulletin, August 2011

2011-08-01T00:08:00.001+08:00

Macau bids farewell to the ‘Father of the Poor’

Father Luis Ruiz Suarez, who dedicated his entire life to needy people in Macau and mainland China, died on 26 July 2011 at the age of 97. The Spanish Jesuit, whose Cantonese name was “Luk Ngai,” was the founder of Caritas Macau.

Paul Pun Chi-meng, secretary general of Caritas Macau, remembered Father Ruiz’s selfless service, saying that “He was a pragmatic man. He never spread the Gospel with words, but I saw Jesus whenever I saw him.”

Father Ruiz, SJ seen with Fr. Tom Peyton, MM [extreme right]
in one of the Leprosy Treatment centers in China

The obituary prepared by Caritas honored his lifelong contribution while urging people from all walks of life to emulate his spirit to serve the needy in the community.

Born in 1913, Father Ruiz joined the Jesuits in 1930. His missionary work in China began in 1941. It was interrupted by the Second Sino-Japanese War, and resumed after the war ended in 1945. When the Communists took control of China in 1949, he was imprisoned briefly and expelled from the country.

He was told by his Jesuit provincial to stay in Macau, at the time a Portuguese colony, to recover from typhoid, which he contracted in prison, but within a month he was already working with refugees.

This picture with Father Ruiz was taken
on 29 June this year, at the Centenary Year
Celebrations of the Maryknolls in Stanly, Hong Kong

Later he founded the Casa Ricci Social Service in Macau. It was later turned into Caritas Macau, which he began to operate in the 1970s and established five centers for the aged and for young men and women with mental disabilities.

He also enlisted the Sisters of Charity of St. Anne to help caring for the people with leprosy. He began his service for people with leprosy in neighboring Guangdong province in 1984. Ten years later, this service had grown so much that he handed the Caritas operation back to Macau diocese.

He had helped more than 8,000 patients and their children in about 140 leprosaria in various Chinese provinces. In 2005, Father Luis, in his 90s, accepted invitation from the Hunan provincial government to set up a caring center for HIV/AIDS patients.

- UCA News

The Following clipping is the first part of the Video "Source of Joy...story of Fr. Luis Ruiz of Macao" availbale in the Youtube

The Vatican's new blog for China: "Being Catholic in China"

2011-08-01T00:06:00.000+08:00

The Vatican, through the Fides news agency, has started a blog aimed at Chinese Catholics, hoping to provide a space for information, dialogue, exchange and educational material, said reports on Fides and the Vatican Insider.

The Being Catholic in China blog was created in “order to facilitate an exchange between the brothers and sisters of the Roman Catholic Church in China”, its subheading states.

The first issue discussed in both Chinese and English, regards the latest illegal Episcopal ordination, meaning without a papal mandate, approved by Beijing’s authorities, the Vatican Insider states. This blog will also be an instrument of unity of the Church in China with all the Churches in the world and the Universal Church, according to Fides.

Faith Press, China, is 20 years old!

2011-08-01T00:05:00.000+08:00

Faith Press, the largest Catholic publishing house in China, is celebrating 20 years of service to the Church in China. In addition to publishing books, the Faith Press has a newspaper, with a circulation of 60,000 copies every ten days and reaches all corners of the country.

The Claretian Publications' editorial work in China is connected to the Faith Press. "The Daily Gospel 2012", published in Chinese is published in China in association with the Faith Press. The book, prepared by our Chinese editorial team, is distributed throughout China by Faith Press. This year 55,000 copies have been printed for distribution within China. In addition, there have been special editions for Chinese living in other countries.

To the Summit!

2011-08-01T00:04:00.000+08:00

During this summer vacation, our Chinese editors visited Hua-Shan (Flowery mountain), one of the most scenic mountains in 陝西 Shǎnxī, China. It’s breath-taking for the grandeur mountain ranges floating in the clouds like a great lotus and the tourists cannot resist but to climb up to the highest summit of 2160m (The South-Mount).

Shǎnxī, in China

On the way to the mountain is a village where there are Catholics for the past 300 years. These are simple people who have maintained their faith in the midst of immense difficulties. With great effort they managed to build a Church and now they have a priest who accompanies them. People are very poor and it is common for children to leave school to help in the field.

With the help of the pastor and the help from scholarships the village is giving importance to giving education to its children. They are ecstatic that for the first time they manage to give collegiate education for eight of its students this year. These guys told us that their secret is discipline and good example and with the help they receive from the priest, they mature in their faith.

To enjoy the scenery up the mountain of Hua-Shan takes 4 hours of hazardous trekking! These young people need lots of love, support, opportunities (and "discipline" ... as they say), to climb the mountain of their lives. They are the 'rock' upon which the Church is built.

To assist in their training, we will install in this village a "parish library." Click here to know more about the "Parish Library" Project

In the (Middle) Kingdom of God

2011-08-01T00:03:00.006+08:00

The editors of US Catholic magazine interview
Claretian Fr. Francisco Carin in their August issue.

Please click the picture to enlarge and read.

Mission partners

2011-08-01T00:02:00.000+08:00

We are also privileged to have Frs. José Ornelas Carvalho, Superior General and P. Aquilino Mielgo, General Treasurer of the Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians) as our Mission partners. China is a magnet for missionaries as we look forward to take the Good News to the remotest frontiers.

Our Chinese Team

2011-08-01T00:01:00.003+08:00

Fr. John Miao

Our collaborators are scattered in several countries.
We comunícate via Internet. Today we present to you one of them,
Fr. John Miao, who visited us recently.

Our Special Guest!

2011-08-01T00:01:00.001+08:00

Mr. Chunnong Li is our main contact in the Amity Printing (Nanjing, China). It is 12 years since we are aassociated with Mr. Li. He is a man of professionalism coupled with great friendship. We consider him "part of our family". Mr. Chunnong Li [in the middle] with Fr. Rossa and Divine

Mr. Li handles all our work in print - this year we have already printed more than half a million books in Amity. We maintain direct communication day in and day out, and indeed members of the "family" are always such!

The Majestic Tianmen Mountain

2011-07-31T23:54:00.001+08:00

Tinamen mountains1

View more presentations from josecheru

Welcome to the Macau - China Bulletin - July 2011

2011-07-08T23:28:00.005+08:00

Lay missionary mandate for 305 : A sign of the vitality of the Diocese of Liaoning China
About 305 lay missionaries of the Parish of Fu Shun in the Diocese of Liaoning, have received the missionary mandate on the feast of Pentecost, confirming their desire to be faithful to the service of evangelization and the pastoral care during the next two years.

Fushun – Liaoning - China

A certificate of the mandate and the Cross were delivered to the 305 lay people, to carry out its mission in the basic Christian communities. It is a sign of vitality of the Diocese of Liaoning, led by the young Archbishop Paul Pei Junmin.

Archbishop Paul Pei Junmin,  The Diocese of Liaoning

Evangelisation, pastoral care and Formation are the main priorities of the diocese. On 5 and 6 July, the diocese has organized a seminar on "Current development and future of the Church in China, according to the Ecclesiology of Vatican II" to help priests to know the reality of the Church and the conciliar magisterium.

Graduate seminary of Shijiazhuang - Hebei

2011-07-05T00:15:00.001+08:00

The seminary in Shijiazhuang is the largest in China.

On 21 June 26 seminarians graduated from the seminary in Hebei. For the first time parents, relatives and friends of the seminarians were invited to participate in the ceremony.

This year 110 have graduated from seven seminaries in China: 26 from the seminary in Hebei, Four from the seminary in Beijing, 14 from Shanghai, 14 from Shaanxi, Sichuan - 24 seminarians, 19 seminarians from Zhongnan and nine from the seminary at Shenyang.

243 Baptisms at the Cathedral of Tianjin

2011-07-04T23:52:00.003+08:00

Tianjin - 130 klms. Beijing ...and just a half hour by train!

The Cathedral Church at Tianjin

After months of preparation, 243 catechumens were baptized on 28 May. The average age of the baptized is 30 years.

The new Christians of Tianjin

Adventures of Fr. Jojo for three weeks in China

2011-07-04T21:35:00.005+08:00

It was a journey thousands of miles visiting Beijing, Tianjin and Huangshan, where the Claretian Missionaries worked in China since 1927 until they were expelled in 1950.

Let the pictures speak ...

In Bejing
Jojo in Tiananmen

Fr. Peter Chao in the National Seminary, Beijing
Paco at the Beijing Seminary
Jojo and Friends at the "Great Wall"
Fr. Joseph in Beijing

This was once a Claretian Mission ... Huangshan

Eucharistic Celebration at Huangshan
Fr. Mario with Nicolas ... an old friend of the Claretians
Jojo & Nicolas... He was an Altar Boy, when Claretians were
Serving at Huangshan

Jojo Speaks:
My experience in this journey through the interior of China is that I have been evangelized by the treatment and the generosity of our bishops, priests, religious and laity whom I met in China. I was impressed by their immense hospitality, culture and tolerance. I feel really happy and proud of our Chinese brothers and sisters because through them I experienced the love, peace and joy of Jesus. My prayer is that openness and dialogue bring genuine love, peace and joy for all.

100 years of the Maryknoll missionaries: their first foundation was in China

2011-07-04T01:45:00.004+08:00

Fr. Brian Barrons M.M. presiding over the
Eucharistic Celebration at Stanly

Catholics in China's mainland, which was the first foundation of the Maryknoll missionaries abroad, participate with great joy and gratitude to the Lord in the celebration of 100 years of the Society for Foreign Missions of the United States of America, whose members are known just as "the Maryknoll Missionaries" MM (29 June 1911-29 June 2011).

Fr. Luis Ruiz S.J (98) [seated on the right] was a special
guest at the Centenary Celebrations

The Society for Foreign Missions of the United States of America, or Maryknoll MM, is the first American missionary congregation, which was founded by Father James Anthony Walsh (1867-1936) and Fr Thomas Frederick Price (1860-1919) in 1911 in New York, USA, and approved by Propaganda Fide, on June 29 of that year.

From the Eucharistic Celebration

The Maryknoll missionaries arrived in Hong Kong in 1918. Today the community has 25 priests, 3 religious brothers, who have always worked in education, pastoral and missionary field.

Chat time...!

The Maryknoll Missionary Society has more than 30 houses with 550 members, priests and religious, active in Africa, America, Asia, with a house in Rome. The mother house is in New York. In addition to priests and religious, nuns and lay people are also part of the religious family of Maryknoll. - Courtesy: Agenzia Fides, 30 June 2011

Fr. Tony Brennan's 50th Anniversary of Ordination

2011-07-04T01:16:00.006+08:00

Fr. Anthony Vincent Brennan, MM

Fr. Tony Brennan is a Maryknoll priest and good friend of the Claretians, ever since our priests began their stay in his parish at Ngau Tau Kok, Hong Kong for their Cantonese classes in the Chinese University in 2007. Earlier Fr. Jojo and now Frs. Ezakias and Jose stay in Christ the Worker Parish at Ngau Tau Kok, where Fr. Tony serves as the Assistant Parish Priest. He is also in-charge of one of the Maryknoll Schools in Hong Kong.

From the Jubilee Celebrations at Ngau Tau Kok:
Fr. Tony cuts the cake

He was ordained a priest June 10, 1961. Fr. Anthony Vincent Brennan was born on March 25, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Patrick and Margaret Doogan Brennan. He graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, New York in 1952 and entered Maryknoll in September or that same year.Tony was ordained a Maryknoll priest on June 10, 1961.

Fr. Tony with a Memento, presented by the Parishioners

We sincerely thank Fr. Tony for his great support and encouragement he offers us. With his great sense of humour, he brings cheer to all around him. Congratulations and Prayerful wishes, dear Fr. Tony on your Jubilee

The solemnity of Corpus Christi: An opportunity for evangelization

2011-07-04T00:33:00.003+08:00

More than 2,000 faithful attended the solemn Eucharistic procession from the parish of Fan Ga Da, of the diocese of Xian Xian (today Cang Zhou), in the province of He Bei.

Faithful carry the statue of Our Lady at the beginning of the
Eucharistic Procession in Hong Kong

His Excellancy. Mgr. Joseph Li Lian Gui, Bishop of the diocese of Xian Xian, presided over the celebration of the Holy Mass in the parish of Zhao Lin An, concelebrated by 12 diocesan priests. Four altars in the four main points of the village were set up, where many of the faithful gathered for the prolonged Eucharistic adoration.

A Scene of the Eucharistic Procession at Pokfulahm Road, Hong Kong

Mgr. Li also led the solemn Eucharistic procession along the whole village. Many non-Christian farmers attended the religious event, which was thus transformed into an opportunity for evangelization.

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B. leading the Eucharistic Procession in Hong Kong

The parish of Gao Shan Lu of the Diocese of Liao Ning, dedicated to the Body and Blood of Christ, celebrated on this occasion its first year of life. In fact, the parish church was consecrated and opened just a year ago. During the solemn celebration, the pastor gave the mandate to 19 lay volunteers so "they help priests and religious women to improve the structure of the parish, to promote Eucharistic spirituality of the parishioners with the Eucharistic adoration and the reading of the Word of God, to put into practice evangelism in everyday life through the testimony of love and service".

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B. leading the Eucharistic Procession

In Hong Kong, the Celebration of the Solemnity began with the Eucharistic Adoration and Confessions at 2 pm at the Sacred Heart Canossian College, Pokfulam.

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at Our Lady of the Rosary Church

The Eucharistic Celebration at 3 pm., presided over by His Excellancy Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B. was attended by over 800 faithful. The Eucharistic Procession from the Sacred Heart College to Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Kennedy Town was indeed an instance of one's own profession of faith and an act of evangelization.

Fr. Francois Barriquand joins our Chinese Bible Project

2011-07-04T00:13:00.004+08:00

We are very happy to have Fr. Francois Barriquand helping the Chinese Bible projects. Fr. Francois Barriquand is a MEP, a Scientist and Biblical Scholar, with fluent Mandarin and Cantonese, had been conducting researches in the Centre for Catholic Studies in the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Fr. Francois Barriquand

Fr. Francois is very happy to associate with us in spreading the Word of God for Chinese people in the contemporary world. The MEPs have the great history of starting a very early Chinese translation of the New testament in Sichuan, China around the year 1700.

Fr. Francois with our Chinese Editor Winnie Wong [Right]

Currently, he is in Paris, pursuing his research in Physics and Philosophy on the topic: The New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy. We wish Fr. Francois the very best in his research.

The Nobel Peace Prize for Archbishop Menamparampil? Why not!

2011-07-03T20:44:00.005+08:00

The Claretian Community of Macau had a special visitor in the Month of June 2011. Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, President of the Conference of Bishops of North East India and of the Commission for Education and Culture of the Indian Bishops’ Conference (CBCI) was in Macau last Month.

Fr. Rossa with Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, SDB

We have the following news from the ANS - Rome:

(ANS – Rome) – In recent days the numbers of voices being raised for the candidature of the Salesian Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, for the Nobel Peace Prize has been increasing. Official confirmation of this comes from the spokesperson of the Indian Bishops’ Conference (CBCI), Fr Joseph Babu Karakombil, as quoted by the Fides Agency.

“It would be a fitting recognition of his commitment and dedication for over 25 years to the building of peace and harmony” “For decades Archbishop Menamparampil has worked tirelessly for peace, reconciliation and stability in north east India, a region marked by constant territorial conflicts and tribal warfare. His work is recognized by religious and civil leaders at local level and is known and appreciated throughout India and Asia. Peace and reconciliation, in the name of the Gospel, are the mission to which he has dedicated his whole life. For this reason the Indian Bishops support whole-heartedly his candidature for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

At present, Bishop Menamparampil chairs the Commission for Evangelization of Peoples at the Federation of Asian Bishop's Conference (FABC)

Enjoy an amazing piece of Chinese Dance!

2011-07-03T20:35:00.001+08:00

Welcome to the Macau-China Bulletin, June 2011

2011-06-01T00:14:00.002+08:00

Dear Friends, you know that China is a large and very complex country; and it is considered to be the final frontier for the Church. Perhaps you may have already learned, for example, that China has one of the greatest networks of rail lines in the whole world…; recently, they have inaugurated a special route between Shanghai and Beiging (1300 klms.) and the speed train covers the distance in 5 hours, and such other news of the sort. These and the similar news reach you by other means and Media.

We, through this blog, want to share also 'the small news' of our Christian communities in this large and great land. They are drops in the ocean, but they are ferment of the transformation of the Christian communities in the Mainland. And these are the news that you will not have access to through the regular news Media. Welcome to the June 2011 issue of the Macau Bulletin:-

The explosion… of the Word

2011-06-01T00:13:00.001+08:00

This happened in Datong, but before a little history...

Datong is situated in northern Shanxi Province. It is bordered by Inner Mongolia to the North and Hebei Province to the east. Covering an area of 14,176 square kilometers (5473 square miles), Datong has four districts and seven counties under its prefecture.
It is the second largest city in Shanxi Province with a population of 2.99 million.

Known as the 'City of the Coal', Datong has developed into the second largest industrial city in Shanxi due to its advantage in energy. Its large reserves of coal make it a very important energy base for China. Datong is one of the 24 famous historical and cultural cities in China due to its ever prosperous history.

The Hanging Gardens, Datong

By the end of March, 2011, the diocese of Datong, China organized a Bible Study seminar. About 160 participants between 20 to 60 years, including university students attended the seminar. This was the first time the Diocese organize a Bible study seminar of this sort. By the end of the seminar, they promised that they would read the Bible everyday by following the methods taught during the sessions.

The Budha Caves

The Religious Sister who conducted the Bible seminar had this to say: "To proclaim the Gospel of Jesus is like throwing a bomb. Wherever the first Christians threw the bomb, it exploded and many were converted to Christianity, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, 3000 people were baptized after the speech of St. Peter (3:37-41), and another 5000 were added later. Today I see the bomb is exploding among you, since all of you are so attentively studying the Bible, I see hope in all of you! ”

Towards the New Evangelization

2011-06-01T00:12:00.002+08:00

Jinzhong in the Province of Zhanxi. The City has
about 100,000 inhabitants

Participants of the Evangelizers' Training Program

In the Month of April this year, the diocese of Jinzhong in the province of Zhanxi has organized for the tenth time 'The evangelizers' training program. The training camp was held for eight days attended by 148 participants including priests, nuns and the lay leaders. The training session was organized with the theme: “How to be and evangelizer in today's China”

150 Roses

2011-06-01T00:11:00.001+08:00

On 8 May 2011, the second Sunday of Easter, was also the Mother’s Day. The Haikou parish priest celebrated special Mass for all the mothers of the parish. In his homily, the parish priest, Fr. Yang praised the mothers who dedicate their life to their families, and encouraged them to continue to live a life after the example of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and to take the great responsibility of being mothers.

From the Celebration of the Mothers' Day

After the Mass, the priest greeted all the mothers with a rose. There are about 150 roses were given to the mothers together with the blessing of God.

Hǎikǒu (Chinese: 海口), is the capital city of Hainan Province, People's Republic of China. It is situated on the north east coast of Hainan island, and had an estimated population of 1.8 million in 2010, making it by far the largest city on the island. Hainan is formed by different islands.

Pilgrimage in Cangzhou diocese

2011-06-01T00:10:00.001+08:00

Cangzhou (simplified Chinese: 沧州; traditional Chinese: 滄州;) is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China. Cangzhou's urban center has a population of approximately 488,600 (2004), while the prefecture-level administrative region in total has a population of 6.8 million. It lies 180 km from Beijing, China's capital, and 90 km from the major port city of Tianjin.

The city has historically been known in China for its wushu–or martial arts–and acrobatics (specifically, the Wu Qiao school). Cangzhou is also famed for its historic thousand-year-old 40-ton sculpture, the Iron Lion of Cangzhou. The sculpture is reportedly the largest cast-iron sculpture in the world, cast in 953 in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The famed lion has even given its name to a locally-brewed beer and is a symbol of the city

On May 8th, 2011, there was a great pilgrimage in Cangzhou diocese, Hebei. Faithful from the surrounding regions attended the special Mass. A Scene from the Marian Procession

Bishop Li Liangui presided over the Eucharistic Celebration with over 40 priests concelebrating. During his homily, Bishop Li encouraged people to develop the devotion to Our Blessed Virgin Mary, and to follow her example, and to seek always Her intercession for our needs.

Formation of Evangelizers

2011-06-01T00:09:00.001+08:00

In another corner of the province of Hebei a group of 700 Christians have met in an evangelisation forum. The photos speak….

Our friend and collaborator P. Huang Yu Tao during a training session

lots of people… lack of space!

Time to listen...

...and time to pray

A jam-packed Church

The Good Shepherds in the classrooms

2011-06-01T00:08:00.001+08:00

The Catholic Education Office scheduled an in-service day for all 12,000 teachers working in Catholic schools in the diocese of Hong Kong on May 20, under the theme, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:14).

The Chief Executive of Hong Kong Sir Donald Tsang Yam-Kuen [third from left] and Bishop John Tong Hon arriving at the gathering of Catholic School Teachers

Education is one of the highly valued services offered by the Hong Kong diocese. Over the past century-and-a-half, the diocese has become one of the major school sponsoring bodies and providers of education in the territory, with 278 schools serving more than 200,000 students. While there is no argument over the innate value of education, the diocese does have concerns over the quality of the service it is offering. Quality education does not come about simply as a result of high ideals. Good teachers are needed to make it happen. Teachers are important role models for our young people.

While knowledge and teaching skill is a basic necessity, a more important aspect of their work involves their attitude towards life and their work. This has a profound effect on the culture and atmosphere on the campuses of Catholic schools. Teachers are expected to be more than just classroom instructors. They are also expected to have a sense of mission in the spirit and teaching of the gospels.

A still from the program

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me,” was a well-chosen topic for the teachers’ gathering. The metaphor of a shepherd is inspirational. Teachers are challenged to follow the example of Christ in identifying the members of their flocks, walking with them and guiding them with care and love.
The most effective way to win the respect of young people and to influence their lives is through the type of loving care that Jesus talks about in the parable of the Good Shepherd.

- The Sunday Examiner

Former Vatican representative in Hong Kong to head Evangelization of Peoples

2011-06-01T00:07:00.002+08:00

The former representative of the Vatican study mission in Hong Kong, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, who is currently the deputy secretary of state in the Vatican, has been named as the new prefect of the Congregation for Evangelisation.

The Italian-born diplomat has a lot of experience in dealing with China. In his position in the study mission in Hong Kong from 1992 to 2001, he acted as a link between the Holy See and the official and unofficial Church communities in the Mainland. Several Church observers believe he is a highly suitable choice to head the Vatican congregation, which oversees and coordinates the worldwide mission activities of the Church.

Archbishop Filoni 'knows China and understands the Vatican well. At this very important moment, we are expecting many things from him' UCA news quoted an observer. “His study mission experience has made him familiar with the difficulties in political and Church matters and he knows many Chinese bishops and priests personally.

As prefect of the Congregation for Evangelisation, he will supervise the work of the Church in mission territories. The prefect of this pivotal congregation is sometimes known as the Red Pope, because of the enormous influence he has over the appointment of bishops, particularly in Asia and Africa.

A Pilgrimage to Medjugorje

2011-06-01T00:06:00.003+08:00

The Statue of our Lady on the Apparition Hill

During the semester vacation in May Fr. Jose accompanied a group of pilgrims from the Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to Medjugorje, in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Chinese flag fluttering in Bosnia!

A view from the Apparition Hill

The sixteen member group with four from the Mainland, four from Macau and the rest from Hong Kong reached Medjugorje for a ten-days pilgrimage on 1 May. Medjugorje is about 3 hours by bus south of Sarajevo Airport.

Pilgrims on the Cross Mountain, after praying
the "Way of the Cross"

Medjugorje

Međugorje or Medjugorje (Croatian pronunciation: [ˈmɛdʑuɡɔːrjɛ]) is a town located in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Herzegovina region around 25 km southwest of Mostar and close to the border of Croatia. Since 1981, it has become a popular site of religious pilgrimage due to reports of apparitions of the Virgin Mary to six local Catholics.

The name Međugorje literally means "an area between mountains". At an altitude of 200 meters above sea level it has a mild Mediterranean climate. The town consists of an ethnically-homogeneous Croat population of over 4,000. The Roman Catholic parish (local administrative and religious area) consists of five neighboring villages, Međugorje, Bijakovići, Vionica, Miletina and Šurmanci.

In March 2010, the Holy See announced that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was forming an investigative commission, composed of bishops, theologians, and other experts, under the leadership of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's former Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome.

While a large number of faithful believe that the apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje to six "visionaries" from 24 June 1981 are true and the messages of Peace for the world for the past 30 long years are indeed from our Lady, there are also skeptics who doubt its truthfulness.

Fr. Jose and two of his companions with Bishop
Everhardus Johannes de Jong of the Diocese of Roermond,
Netherlands on the Cross Mountain

The one important argument they put forward is that the Vatican has not yet approved the developments in Medjugorje. An Irish priest whom I met in Medjugorje phrased it well when he said, "if Medjugorje were a work of the devil, he has done a big mistake, because people come here to pray the Rosary, go to confession, participate in the Eucharist and adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. They go home, with a conversion of heart and a spiritual renewal. If it were the work of devil, he had huge miscalculation!"

During a Eucharistic Celebration in Chinese,
in the Adoration Chapel

I found a blog, answering most of the oft-repeated questions on Medjugorje.

Click the link for further reading: http://www.markmallett.com/blog/2008/06/medjugorje-just-the-facts-maam/

The Official webpage of Medjugorje is available in the following link: http://www.medjugorje.ws/

The Parish Church of St. James, Medjugorje

What impressed me most in Medjugorje was the spiritual renewal that takes place in the Parish of St. James. To be frank, my primary intention of going there was to see the place and to "know" what is happening there! But once you are there, you realize that there is nothing much that fascinates the tourists there.

The place of Apparition. See the number stones around!

Except for the Apparition Hill and the Cross Mountain, both of which are 'nothing but heaps of stones', tourists will have nothing to see there. If the purpose of visit is tourism, one can finish seeing the whole area in less than a day's time. But what is amazing is, people who come here, stays here for four to five days or even more!

Statue of the Risen Christ

The focal point of the parish of St. James is to promote the devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin. Thousands of people attend the three-hour long liturgy in the parish, every day. A couple of dozens of priests concelebrate the Eucharist everyday. And hundreds of people come to the confessional everyday. When we realize the peculiar socio-political background of Bosnia and the struggles of the faithful for the sake of their faith in this part of the world, the very life of the Church, so active and lively, itself is a big miracle. Indeed, I had a beautiful pilgrimage!
On return, I visited the Claretian Communities in Wurzburg and Frankfurt, Germany. Here, with Fr. James Patteril, CMF [in the left] in Wurzburg...

and with my brother Fr. Tomy Cherukara [in the middle row], in Aschaffenburg

Fr. Jojo meets the new Bishop of Jiangmen

2011-06-01T00:05:00.001+08:00

Jiāngmén( 江門) is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong province in southern China with a population of about 3.8 million. Msgr. Liang counts with the approval of the Chinese government and the Vatican.

Bishop Liang Jiansen [left] with Fr. Jojo

Fr. Jojo, CMF recently paid a visit to the newly appointed bishop Msgr. Liang Jiansen of Jiangmen. The city of Zhuhai, where we have a couple of apartments, belongs to this new diocese. Zhuhai with a population of over 2 million people does not even have a church building. There are less than 10 priests in this diocese. Msgr. Liang has been approved by the Vatican and by the Chinese government.

China is 1.34 Billion Strong, but graying too

2011-06-01T00:04:00.001+08:00

China’s population is aging and increasingly urban, according to the 2010 government census released on April 28. Almost half of the population of 1.34 billion (49.7 per cent) now lives in cities, up from about 36 per cent 10 years ago.

The proportion of people aged 14 or under came out at 16.6 per cent, down by 6.29 percentage points from the last census in 2000. The number aged 60 or older grew to 13.26 per cent, up almost three percentage points. The rapid rise in average age is raising concerns about the capacity of the nation to sustain the high levels of growth it has achieved in the past 30 years.

The government one-child policy is seen as one reason for the graying population. The average household now numbers 3.1 people, down from 3.44 a decade ago. Increasingly, Chinese media are calling for a halt to the one-child policy, which was introduced in the 1980s to manage population growth at a time of slow economic development and widespread poverty. Speaking at a recent meeting of Communist Party leaders, the president, Hu Jintao, backed the continuation of the current policy in order to keep population growth low.

Some analysts believe that the same policy has undermined China’s traditional extended family system, giving rise to a generation of single-child families, leaving the problem of caring for aging parents up in the air.

Pope makes appeal for Church in China

2011-06-01T00:03:00.001+08:00

24 May is the day dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, who is venerated with great devotion at the Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai. The Pope took this opportunity to invite the faithful everywhere to join in prayer with and for the Church in China.

While the Church in China is growing, Christ there, as in other places around the world is still rejected, ignored, or persecuted. The Holy Father asked "all Chinese Catholics to continue and to deepen their own prayers, especially to Mary, the powerful Virgin. At the same time all Catholics throughout the world have a duty to pray for the Church in China: those members of the faithful have a right to our prayers, they need our prayers".
"Chinese Catholics, as they have said many times, want unity with the universal Church, with the Supreme Pastor, with the Successor of Peter. By our prayers we can obtain for the Church in China that it remains one, holy and Catholic, faithful and steadfast in doctrine and in ecclesial discipline".
Although many Chinese bishops, priests, and faithful encounter difficulties in freely professing their faith, with our prayers, the Pope emphasized that "we can help them to find the path to keep their faith alive, to keep their hope strong, to keep their love for all people ardent, and to maintain in its integrity the ecclesiology that we have received from the Lord and the Apostles ".
In conclusion, the Holy Father asked Mary "to enlighten those who are in doubt, to call back the straying, to console the afflicted, and to strengthen those who are ensnared by the allure of opportunism".

PRAYER OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO OUR LADY OF SHESHAN ON THE OCCASION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH IN CHINA (24 MAY 2008)

Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title "Help of Christians", the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection. We come before you today to implore your protection. Look upon the People of God and, with a mother’s care, guide them along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens. When you obediently said "yes" in the house of Nazareth, you allowed God’s eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption. You willingly and generously cooperated in that work, allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul, until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary, standing beside your Son, who died that we might live. From that moment, you became, in a new way, the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith and choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross. Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter. Grant that your children may discern at all times, even those that are darkest, the signs of God’s loving presence. Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China, who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love. May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world, and of the world to Jesus. In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high, offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love. Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love, ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built. Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen!

The Shrine Cathedral at Sheshan, China

Every year, on 24 May, people come from all over China to Sheshan, Shanghai, for pilgrimage, to pray to Our Lady of Help. This year too, with the message from the Pope “pray for the Church in China, for those oppressed and those tempted by opportunism”, pilgrims gathered in large numbers at the shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan.

The Procession during the Feast Day celebrations on 24 May

According to the reports, there were about over 10,000 people together praying and celebrating the Feast instituted by the Pope.

Bible Diary 2012

2011-06-01T00:02:00.001+08:00

Besides working in China and for China, we also followed with our ministry of Publications. We have already completed the printing of "Diario Biblico 2012" - the Bible Diary 2012 in Spanish. We have printed 90,000 copies that are leaving already for 25 international ports…

Truly, `from China to the world' - taking the Word of God to the world, in collaboration with the Claretians of Latin America. Other publications in Chinese and English are already in preparation at the press.

Hong Kong

2011-06-01T00:01:00.001+08:00

Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港; ) is one of two special administrative regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau. Situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a land mass of 1,104 km2 (426 sq mi) and a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Hong Kong's population is 95 percent ethnic Chinese and 5 percent from other groups.

As one of the world's leading international financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade, and the currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the ninth most traded currency in the world. The lack of space caused demand for denser constructions, which developed the city to a centre for modern architecture and the world's most vertical city. The dense space also led to a highly developed transportation network with public transport travelling rate exceeding 90 percent, the highest in the world. Hong Kong has numerous high international rankings in various aspects. For instance, its economic freedom, financial and economic competitiveness, quality of life, corruption perception, Human Development Index, etc., are all ranked highly. Enjoy the slides for a quick look at the land and culture of Hong Kong.

Welcome to the Macau-China Bulletin, May 2011

2011-05-01T00:07:00.000+08:00

Holy Week and Easter Celebrations in Macau and Hong Kong

Beijing Diocese starts the year of evangelization

2011-05-01T00:06:00.000+08:00

Bishop 'sends forth' his first batch of 50 catechists to spread the Good News

Beijing diocese has sent forth its first batch of 50 catechists at the start of a special year for evangelization.

Hundreds of Catholics recently attended the opening ceremony in the courtyard of the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, or the South Church, where a large white banner with the words “How beautiful are the feet of the messenger of Good News” hung on one wall.

“After six months of preparatory work and prayers, our diocese begins the Year for Evangelization by the Laity today,” Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing announced. The special year runs from April 9, 2011 to April 8, 2012. He invited Catholics to become involved in “this holy mission” before pushing open the church door, symbolizing the opening of the yearlong event.

Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing and his priests sign their
names to show their commitment to the special year

In his homily, the 46-year-old prelate reminded Catholics to pray, attend Mass, do charity work and read the Bible every day. They should be a witness for Christ to influence friends from other religions, he told them. “All catechists should complete formation courses in a serious manner to acquire Church knowledge and then spread the Gospel bravely under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,” he said.

After receiving formation for several months, 50 catechists from various parishes were sent forth by Bishop Li in a special ceremony during the opening Mass. “We know this is a gift, an honor, a blessing and most importantly a mission,” a catechist said. The diocese has called on Catholics to “donate a Bible.” The catechists have already responded to the bishop’s appeal to donate more than 400 Bibles to give to catechumens or those being instructed in the faith.

After the Mass, Bishop Li led his priests, nuns, the catechists and other attendees in signing their names on the banner to express their commitment to spreading the Good News. Beijing diocese currently has 60 priests serving more than 60,000 laypeople.

- UCA News