One more collaborator: Divine de Leon

Divine has been working with Claretian Communications in Manila for many years. Her talents are a plenty, especially in organizing marketing programs and her ability at the computer makes the work of preparing internet pages look easy. You can see her work at www.bible.claret.org.

She is now here for a full time commitment to our China mission. And her main work is… well, marketing and Web pages. We are now placing the accelerator on some projects that have been in the making for a long time. May we invite you to take a short tour to one of these projects? It is the Concise Bible in English and Chinese, and in English mp3. So far, only the New Testament is posted and you can find it at www.bible.claret.org/bibles (go to Concise Bible). There will be much more to come.

Chinese Pastoral Resources on the Web

With our limited access for the formation of evangelizers in China we wonder all the time how we can be more relevant…
what is possible for us to do…

One project for 2007 is to gather on a web page an easily accessible index where all available pastoral resources for China can be found. Fr. Paco Carín will be the main coordinator of this project.

Donation of Books for the National Seminary in Beijing

Four hundred titles, which are about a thousand books, are already on the way to the Beijing National Catholic Seminary.

We have selected the best English books published and distributed by Claretian Publications in the Philippines and the cargo is finally on the way to Beijing today. A number of seminarians can already read English, so this is another way to contribute for the formation of seminarians and pastoral agents.

More on PARISH LIBRARIES

You will remember that we presented this project before www.macauclaret.org/. These past days we helped two more parishes to start their parish library. Fr. Huang Yudao, the coordinator of the project, writes:

Two parishes: one is Nanguan Church in Gaoyi County, and Yifeng Church in Longyao County bought some books from Faith Press, the books of Nanguan Church cost ￥2,578.64, and Yifeng bought ￥2,450.64. We are trying to buy books from Guangqi Press and Sophia Press now.


For those interested to help, we are accepting donations for this project. We have contacted Missio München and they are accepting donations for this particular project. If you want to help this project you can do it by writing to us or by using a special Missio Bank account; here is the Bank address:

Auch Spenden sind nötig:
MISSIO - München
Konto 2144069
BLZ 75090300
Kennwort: Bibeln für China 57285

Yuletide Greetings

With joy and affection we send you the greetings
of the peace of the new born babe,
source of all peace and joy.

Christmas has a message of great meaning to the earth.

In Love.
He came to teach the world…

In Hope.
He gave us all a chance to renew our faith…

In Joy.
He used His holiness.

In Peace.
He walked on the earth.

Happy Christmas
And Happy New Year!

With warm wishes and prayers!

"Simbang Gabi" (Mass at Dawn)

SIMBANG GABI is one of the longest and most popular among the Filipino traditions. It is when Catholic churches across the nation start to open their doors shortly before the break of dawn to welcome the faithful to the Simbang Gabi mass.

Simbang Gabi or Mass at Dawn is a nine-day novena to the Blessed Mother. The novena begins December 16 as early as 4 in the morning and culminates with the “Misa de Gallo” on Christmas Eve to welcome the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

English and the Word of God

Meanwhile he continues his work in Beijing.
You have here the cover of the English course he is preparing:

“The Word Made Flesh” A new way to learn English for those who believe.

More Bibles and books

While rushing with the corrections of the new Chinese Pastoral Bible, we continue printing and publishing the new Spanish Edition La Biblia de Nuestro Pueblo. We have completed eight printing this year and now the press in China has just finished the last two editions: 57,000 copies of the large edition and 64,000 copies of the small edition. The Claretian Missionaries co-publish this Pastoral Bible with Mensajero of Spain. The Bibles are distributed in Spanish speaking countries.

This year we have printed more than 500,000 books in Nanjing, China, at Amity Press: Bibles, Bible Diaries and other books. That is, perhaps, another reason why we are so well received in China.

Visitors

Here they are: Chiqui, Nitz and Iyam.

They have been working with us in the Philippines for many years and have become closely associated with our charism and mission.

Chiqui as my assistant for everything related to foreign orders and as my personal secretary.

Nitz is our accountant for Claretian Publications and for the Pastoral Bible Foundation… and now also for our Macau and China mission.

Iyam is our typesetter. She has done the layout for our bibles in different languages and in many different editions. She worked very closely with our “saintly protector”, Fr. Bernardo Hurault – who went to the Father’s house two years ago this December.


It was just appropriate that we invite them to spend a few days with us in Macau… not only for relaxation, but indeed to work! Oh, yes, they also had time to relax.

Martin and Queenie

Two friends who received us with open hearts in Macau when we first came at the beginning of the year were Martin and Queenie. Both are born in Macau, both are Catholics. I baptized Martin –a former student of Bro. Sid in Macau– some years back when he was studying in Manila. He even wrote his thesis on “An Integrated Marketing Communication Program for the Chinese Christian Community Bible” – a proposed Advocacy Program for the Pastoral Bible Formation. In other words: how to make the Chinese Bible known and available in Mainland China.

Here are some of Martin's work:

HOME POSTER BLESSING

Click images to view closely