Ongoing Renewal Experience for Filipino Migrants in Macau

More than 100 Filipinos working in Macau gathered the last Sunday of March for a whole day seminar. It is called: CREM - Catholic Renewal Experience for Migrants.

CREM Batch 3 Participants

Seminar Session

Dynamic Worship Songs of the participants

There are about 13,000 Filipinos working in Macau. During this time of financial crisis many lost their job. The life of a migrant could be very lonely and difficult. The Catholic Pastoral Center gathers them every month for an experience of togetherness centered on the Word of God.

Participants are invited to renew their faith and become active in different ministries. Every month the group increases. Community building and fellowship is encouraged and a follow up program is developing.

The Center published a monthly newsletter in full color: Magkalakbay (Co-Journeyer). It reaches already to more than 2000 Filipinos in Macau. You can browse it below... The newsletter is prepared with the help of Ian and Divine, the co-workers in our Macau office.

Our visitors from Claretian Publications Philippines

The three us working in Macau: Divine, Ian and I -

we all come from Claretian Publications in Manila.

We are very pleased to have some of former co-workers
with us these days:
Nitz and daughter Nica, Chiqui, Connie and Marlon.

WELCOME TO CHINA!

Welcome to our February newsletter from China, Macau, Taiwan and Hong Kong

February has not been an easy month for China and for the rest of the world… we all suffer the consequences of greed and fear and its result: the collapse of the world economy.

In China alone, about 20 million people are estimated to have become unemployed as a result of this crisis.

This month, together with “news” on China we share some resources, especially on the Word of God, as this is one of our main ministries.

With these English resources, we also share important biblical material in our Spanish newsletter – resources that are only available – as far as we know – in Spanish. So if you are interested and you can understand language of Cervantes, click here: www.noticiasdemacau.blogspot.com

A Buddhist message for this Lenten days

Let me begin today with
a Buddhist and Lenten
thought called
“Double perception”

Take a very good look at this drawing:A frog?

Now turn it around and here is what you see:
There is always another side to a story.

(And this also applies to the “news” that we listen to
or read about even what we share with you monthly…
and certain “news” may not be apt for print…
– but you can always “turn the picture around”
and read between lines…)

This could well be a Lenten message too:
the invitation to respect other people’s opinion
and be able to look at the same “truth”
from different angles;
to be vulnerable to the truth of the other.
Amen.

Now some recent news about China

In the midst of world financial crisis: Shanghai Expo

Two hundred and thirty-one countries and international organizations have confirmed participation in the Shanghai World Expo 2010 as of February 23.

The 231 participants include 185 countries and 46 international organizations. The expo will feature two highlights: a showcase of the best examples and ideas of how cities can be developed, and an online expo that will allow people around the world access to the expo's offerings. More than 100 cultural activities will be held during the six months and a summit will be held to discuss urban sustainable development.

Shanghai World Expo's organizers launched ticket sales for the global gala to be held in the Chinese economic hub from May 1 to October 31, 2010. Each visitor can enter the area of Expo 2010 Shanghai China for only 160 yuan (US$23.40) per visit during the 184-day grand show, according to an official speaking at a press conference in Beijing.

Shanghai is anticipating around 70 million visitors from home and abroad next year, with an estimated daily number of 400,000 visitors.

Are you coming?

An artist's rendition of China Pavillion at Shanghai Expo.

Macau Pavillion

Looted Chinese relics sold for 14 million euros each

You have probably heard it on the news these past days:

Two controversial ancient Chinese relics were auctioned off on February 25 for 14 million euros ($17.92 million) each by anonymous telephone bidders in Christie's sale of the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge in the Grand Palace of Paris.

But did you know that these are Jesuit-designed sculptures?

Here is a note from UCANews:

Some Catholics sad over auction of Jesuit-designed sculptures


BEIJING (UCAN) -- Chinese Catholics have expressed sadness that two bronze animal-head sculptures, designed by a Jesuit missioner for Beijing's Summer Palace in the 18th century, were auctioned off in Paris.

Ruins of the fountain area in Yuanmingyuan where the two bronze scuptures were looted.
They say they are disappointed that the law court in the French capital rejected an appeal to ban the auction. Mainland Chinese lawyers filed their appeal through a France-based Chinese cultural group. Each of the sculptures, used as waterspouts in the Summer Palace, was sold for 14 million euros (US$17.8 million) on Feb. 25.

Italian Jesuit Brother Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), known as Lang Shining to the Chinese, designed the sculptures for the Yuanmingyuan, a royal garden at the Summer Palace. They were plundered by British and French forces in 1860.

A priest rejected the demand of Pierre Berge, former owner of the sculptures, who had said he wanted China to observe human rights, give liberty to the Tibetan people and welcome the Dalai Lama in exchange for the sculptures.

The priest said that using religion and human rights to obscure the thefts of the past "reminds me of a similar pretext the Anglo-French forces used for their colonial aggression – to protect Church missioners." According to him, the ultimate victims of colonialism were the helpless missioners, unarmed Catholics and the "innocent Church that was branded an accomplice of the foreign forces."

These historical episodes had thus prevented the Chinese people from accepting Christianity, unlike the way they have embraced Buddhism, he observed.

A Catholic layman in eastern China has a different view. Even though the Chinese sculptures are overseas, he said, they are nevertheless well preserved. He noted that many Catholic monuments and buildings in China were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), and wondered whether anyone has been held accountable for this.

The Yuanmingyuan, one of three royal gardens of the Qing emperors' Summer Palace, was designed and constructed under the supervision of Brother Castiglione, under the imperial edict of Emperor Qianlong, who reigned from 1736 to 1795. Inside the garden, 12 waterspouts in the shape of bronze animal heads with human bodies adorned a fountain. The auctioned animal heads were two of the artifacts.

Brother Castiglione came to China in 1715. He served as a court painter for 51 years until he died.

The apparent winning bidder for two prized Chinese sculptures in a Paris auction surfaced Monday March 2, a Chinese collector and auctioneer who said it was his patriotic duty to refuse to pay the $40 million he had pledged.

China declares drought emergency

The prolonged drought has added to the misery in rural areas

Nearly half of China's winter crop – some 10m hectares (24m acres) of wheat and rape seed – are also under threat. China's drought relief office called it an event "rarely seen in history." China faces droughts and floods annually but has seen a recent increase in extreme weather conditions. The Chinese authorities say the current drought is expected to continue as no rain has been forecast in the affected areas for at least 10 days.

The official China Daily newspaper, citing meteorological authorities, said Henan had recorded its worst drought since 1951, going 105 consecutive days without rain. Much of China's farming still relies on rainfall as many of its farming communities have a poor irrigation system.

The BBC's China analyst Shirong Chen says the prolonged drought has added to the misery in rural areas where millions of migrant workers have lost their jobs as a result of the global economic downturn.


The current drought is crippling not only the country’s best wheat farmland, but also the wells that provide clean water to industry and to millions of people.

-----------------------------------------------

Catholic farmers worry as drought hits northern China


GAOCHENG, China (UCAN) -- Catholics in Hebei province, northern China, have been busy irrigating their farms as the Year of the Ox began with an unusual winter drought threatening to destroy their crops.

Lack of water has ruined this year’s harvest in Xiaochang'an village of Hebei province in China.

Xiaochang'an villagers say the drought is "very serious" and their wheat fields now look "sparse and desolate." The village lies near the provincial capital of Shijiazhuang. Xiaochang'an parish, part of Zhengding diocese, has 1,800 Catholics.

Li pointed out that in years of good harvests, villagers are able to live off their crops and even have extra to sell.

The central government announced on February 5 that it would earmark 300 million yuan in emergency relief funds for local governments, in addition to 100 million yuan previously allocated, according to a China Daily report on February 7.

Help unemployed migrant workers, Shanghai bishop urges

SHANGHAI, China (UCAN) -- The Church in Shanghai, China's financial center, will make it a priority to reach out to unemployed migrant workers this year, says Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian of Shanghai.

Shanghai municipality, home to 22 million people, has more than 10 million migrant workers from other provinces.

The 92-year-old Jesuit prelate in his Lenten pastoral letter noted that these people have no local residential permits and cannot organize themselves because of their transitory nature.

The city has thousands of skyscrapers built from the "perspiration of migrant workers," he said in the document. After they complete a building, "the white-collar employees, the middle class and intellectuals then move in while the workers pick up their belongings and head for another construction site."

Bishop Jin accused some businesspeople of spending lavishly on meals or bribes but not paying their migrant workers wages.

He urged Catholics not to "turn a blind eye and a deaf ear" to the workers, and called on priests and nuns to organize Catholics to take action in their neighborhoods. After getting to know the number of unemployed migrants, they should come up with an action plan, and then in small groups visit the affected workers to get to know their grievances and urgent needs.

He also asked Church workers to be patient and attentive, noting some migrant workers may refuse to talk to them. "We should open their hearts with our love," he urged. During home visits, priests may even find Catholics among migrant workers who might want to continue their faith life after leaving their hometown, he added.

He reminded Catholics that evangelization is not the main objective of the home visits. Rather, it is to strengthen the migrant workers' self-confidence, encourage them to make efforts to improve themselves, and remind them to keep off excessive drinking and gambling.

Bishop Jin also asked parishes to provide opportunities for unemployed people to learn and improve skills so that they might have more chances of finding jobs. Each parish should also have a library with newspapers, magazines and books for people to borrow, he added.

Once migrant workers are familiar with Church people, they may ask about the meaning and value of life and the afterlife. "Then we can share Jesus' words and deeds and give them the New Testament and other books on the Catholic faith."

According to media reports, there are now about 20 million unemployed domestic migrant workers nationwide. The problem is worsening because of the global financial crisis.

About our work…

China Leprosy Service

This month we received the visit of Fr. Luis Gutheinz, S.J. and his team of China Leprosy Service, of which Fr. Luis is the director. He presented a 40-page report for the year 2008 on the work being done in China and Taiwan with leprosy patients.

What is very interesting is that Fr. Luis is one of the most distinguished theologians and professors in China and Taiwan. He is Austrian but speaks perfect Chinese! Let me just mention that he and his team are now finishing the Chinese translation of Denzinger.

What is Denzinger?

Denzinger is a handbook containing a collection of the chief decrees and definitions of councils, list of condemned propositions, etc., beginning with the oldest forms of the Apostles' Creed.

The latest editions have added doctrinal statements of the second half of the twentieth century, including the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and recent Popes.

By no means all the entries are conciliar or papal ex cathedra definitions, but they are all considered to be of high authority for knowing the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.

This famous theologian and good friend, who also has a very important role in the preparation of the new Chinese Pastoral Bible, is equally committed with the China Leprosy Center.

This is what he tells us:
“… We cherish the sincere hope that more religious
congregations and volunteers will join us
in this ‘beautiful thing,’
i.e. in the service of our leprosy friends
in Taiwan and China Mainland.

These are our special goals
for the YEAR 2009:

• to have a new community of Sisters
in Ganduo leprosy village (Jiangsu Province)
and in Hiudong (Sichuan Province);

• to enlarge the service area of the “Mobile Team,”
including leprosy patients in Xichang city
and in the earthquake area of Sichuan Province;

• to arrange a regular spiritual service
to the Sisters in the various leprosaria.

Indeed, united and together
– always affirming the creative presence of the Triune God
– we can move mountains!”

Claretian assisting Sisters in the service of Hansen patients

ollowing the call of our good friend,
Fr. Luis, our own Fr. Peter Chao, CMF (center)
generously accepted to be available
to accompany spiritually the Sisters working
with Hansen patients.

A few weeks ago Fr. Peter
returned from one of these trips.