CLOSING OF THE 800 ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF OUR FATHER ST. DOMINIC
On 6 January, 2022 the Dominican Family in Macau solemnly celebrated the closing Eucharist of the celebration of the 800 Anniversary of the death, dies natalis, of our Father St. Dominic. Representatives from the Dominican sisters joined the Friars at St Dominic’s Priory in giving thanks to God for the great gift of St. Dominic, the apostolic and evangelical man. The celebration of the anniversary started on January 6, 2021, and closed on January 6, 2022: the very significant day of the Epiphany or the manifestation of Jesus, the Son of God and Mary, to the world, He is lumen gentium; our Father Dominic, lumen Ecclesiae. “Preaching Christ, Dominic continues illuminating the world with the multitude of preachers: the Dominican Family,” said Fr Fausto Gómez in is homily. “May he bless us abundantly.”
The Order of Preachers is preparing for the Jubilee celebration on the occasion of the 800 years of its approval. As Dominicans, we know that prayer is essential to enter into the dynamics of renewal and metanoia to which the Jubilee celebration calls us. For this reason, we would like to invite all the Dominican family to join in the praying of the Jubilee prayer, which is translated in different languages on the Jubilee website. (http://www.op.org/en/jubilee/prayer).
God, Father of mercy,
who called your servant Dominic de Guzman to set out in faith
as an itinerant pilgrim and a preacher of grace,
as we prepare to celebrate the Jubilee of the Order
we ask you to pour again into us
the Spirit of the Risen Christ,
that we might faithfully and joyfully proclaim the Gospel of peace,
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
ANNIVERSARY OF THE APPROVAL OF THE ORDER OF PREACHERS
(Taken from the web page of the Order)
Seven hundred and ninety-two years ago today, Pope Honorius III gave official approval of the creation of the Order of Preachers by our Holy Father Dominic. Let us thank God for his blessings on the Order and pray that he will sustain and fortify us. Below is the text of the Bull of approval and an image of the original:
Honorius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to the beloved sons Dominic, prior of St. Romanus in Toulouse, and his brethren, both present and future, professed in the regular life. In perpetuum.
It is fitting that apostolic protection should be extended to those choosing the religious life, lest temerarious attacks should possibly turn them away from their purpose or, God forbid, destroy the vigour of the sacred religious institute. Wherefore, beloved sons in the Lord, we benevolently assent to your just requests. We take the Church of St. Romanus in Toulouse, where you have given yourselves to the service of God, under the protection of St. Peter and our own, and we secure it with the present written privilege.
In the first place, indeed, we decree that the canonical Order which is known to be established according to God and the Rule of St. Augustine in the said Church should be inviolably preserved forever.
Moreover, that whatever possessions and whatever goods the said church at present justly and canonically possesses or shall be able, the Lord granting, to acquire in the future through the concession of the popes, the liberality of kings or princes, the offerings of the faithful, or other just means, should belong firmly and inviolably to you and your successors. Among these goods, we have deemed it well to name the following: the place itself where the said church is situated, with its properties; the church of Prouille with its properties; the estate of Caussanel with its properties; the church of St. Mary of Lescure with its properties; the hospice in Toulouse, called the Hospice of Arnold Bernard, with its properties; the church of the Holy Trinity in Loubens, with its properties; and the tithes which, in his good and provident liberality, our venerable brother Foulques, the bishop of Toulouse, with the consent of his chapter, has given you, as this is more explicitly contained in his letters.
Also let no one presume to exact or extort from you tithes from the fruits of the lands which you cultivate with your own hands or at your own expense, or from the produce of your animals.
Moreover, you may receive and keep, without opposition from anyone, members of the clergy or the laity who are free men and unencumbered by debt, who flee from the world to enter the religious life.
Furthermore, we prohibit any of your brethren, after they have made profession in your church to depart from it without the permission of their prior, except for the purpose of entering a stricter religious institute. If one should leave, let no one dare to receive him without the authorization of a letter from your community.
In the parochial churches which you hold, you may select priests and present them to the bishop of the diocese, to whom, if they are worthy, the bishop shall entrust the care of souls, so that they may be responsible to him in spiritual matters and to you in temporal matters.
We decree further that no one may impose new and unjust exactions on your church, or promulgate sentences of excommunication or interdict on you or your church without a manifest and just cause. When, however, a general interdict shall be laid on the whole territory, it will be permitted to you to celebrate the divine office behind closed doors, chanting in a low voice, not ringing the bells, and excluding those under excommunication and interdict.
The sacred Chrism, holy oils, the consecration of altars or basilicas, and the ordination of clerics who are to be promoted to holy orders, you shall obtain from the bishop of the diocese, so long as he is a Catholic and in grace and communion with the most holy Roman See and is willing to impart these to you without any irregularity. Otherwise, you may approach any Catholic bishop you may choose, provided he be in grace and communion with the Apostolic See; and armed with our authority, he may impart to you what you petition.
Moreover, we grant this place freedom of burial. Let no one, then, place an obstacle to the devotion and last will of those who choose to be buried there, provided they are not excommunicated or under interdict. However, the just rights of the churches from which the corpses are taken must be safeguarded.
When you, who are now the Prior of this place, or any of your successors shall go out of office, no one shall be appointed by secret craftiness or violence; but only he whom the brethren, by common agreement, or whom those brethren who are of more mature and sound judgment shall choose to elect according to God and the Rule of St. Augustine.
Furthermore, the liberties, ancient immunities, and reasonable customs granted to your church and observed up to this time, we ratify and command that they shall endure inviolably for all future time. We decree, therefore, that no one may rashly disturb the aforementioned church, take away its possessions or, having removed, keep them, diminish them, or harass them by any kind of molestation, but all these goods shall be preserved intact entirely for the control, sustenance, and use of those for whom they have been granted, saving the authority of the Apostolic See and the canonical rights of the diocesan bishop.
If, therefore, in the future any ecclesiastical or secular person whosoever, having knowledge of this our document, shall rashly attempt to contravene it, and if, after a second or third admonition, he refuses to correct his fault by fitting satisfaction, let him forfeit the dignity of his power and honor; and let him know that he shall stand guilty of the perpetrated evil before God’s judgment and shall be denied the most sacred Body and Blood of our God and Lord, our Saviour Jesus Christ, and shall, at the last judgment, be delivered to strict vengeance. Nevertheless, may all those who uphold the rights of the said place have the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, receive the fruit of good action here on earth, and, before the Just Judge, receive the rewards of eternal peace. Amen, amen, amen. (I, Honorius, Bishop of the Catholic Church)
Given at Rome at St. Peter, by the hand of Ranerio, Prior of Santo Fridiano in Lucca, Vice-Chancellor of the holy Roman Church, on the eleventh of the kalends of January, the fifth indiction, the 1216th year of Our Lord Incarnation, the first year of the Lord Pope, Honorius III.
– See more at: http://www.op.org/en/content/anniversary-approval-order-preachers#sthash.xcN8V0Nh.dpuf
We celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. The Sacred Readings invite us to meditate on the meaning of the Family of Nazareth and on our own family. In Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14, God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons. In Colossians 3:12-21, “Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, and in the Holy Gospel of St. Luke ( 2:41-52), “Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom.
We meditate on the Holy Family, on our family.
The family is in crisis today: separation, divorce, abortion, domestic violence, children abuse, pornography; wounded families, broken families, no family. Even the concepts of marriage and family are often ambiguous with the growing reality of same-sex marriages, single parent families, and so on. The Christian family is also negatively affected by the secular views of man, gender ideology, family and society.
Still, for most people, the family is the number one value in their lives. For us Christians, in particular, the family is a sacred reality, a domestic Church, a community of life and love, the main school of our values and virtues, of prayer. The Old Testament writers recommend the practice of the virtues of obedience, piety, respect, compassion. The Fourth Commandment Honor your father and mother asks us to respect our parents. To respect them means to revere them, to esteem them to love them, care for them all their lives, particularly when they are old.
For us, the Holy Family of Nazareth continues to be the icon and inspiration of our families. On the day of the Feast of the Holy Family we are asked to contemplate, venerate and imitate the Sacred Family of Nazareth: Jesus (called the son of a carpenter), Mary (the Mother of Jesus, the wife of Joseph and housekeeper) and Joseph (the carpenter of the town, Jesus custodian and head of the Holy Family).
I remember the wonderful meditation of Blessed Paul VI on his visit to Nazareth on January 5, 1964. The Pope told us then to continue learning the lessons of Nazareth. What lessons? Nazareth teaches us first on family life: its meaning, its beauty, its core which is communion in love. Nazareth teaches us, secondon silence: on love of silence so an admirable and needed habit, particularly today when we are disturbed by so much noise, by so many different voices in the digital world. The silence of Nazareth teaches us on the need of recollection, of interior and peaceful space; on the need to listen to good teachers, to our parents and brothers and sisters and, above all, to God. Nazareth teaches us, in the third place on workand on the dignity of workers of all workers. The importance of work in our life (as in the life of Jesus and Mary and Joseph); its creative and redemptive dimension. We remember today the tragedy of unemployment and the terrible effects it causes in so many families!
Family is conjugal love, and parental and filial love. Its center is the children: we remember them here in this Eucharist with great love! We bring to our attention the vast number of children who are victims of violence, who are made objects of trade and trafficking, or forced to become soldiers and workers. We remember with sadness and hope infants killed in the womb, displaced, due to war and persecution. (Cf. Blessing Urbi et Orbi, December 25, 2014).
Bowing beforethe Crib we learn the lessons of genuine family life, silence and work. Above all, we learn the perennial lesson of love: we learn that we are loved and understood. After all, a house is where you live; a home, where they understand you.
A painter wanted to paint the most beautiful object in the world! He went to a big park to ask people: What is the most beautiful thing in the world for you? He asked a soldier: Nothing is more beautiful than peace: living together in peace! Then he asked a young couple: Love is the most beautiful thing: it makes the world go round. Then he asked a priest: Faith is the most beautiful thing: it moves mountains. The painter asked himself: How do I paint peace, and love, and faith? After a silent pause, he answered himself: I know what the most beautiful thing in the world is: my family, my home. It is here where I experience peace, love and faith. Jesus, God and man, found at Nazareth as a human being – peace, love and faith through the 30 years he lived at home with Mary and Joseph.
Indeed, the family, our family is the best thing in the world for each one of us. We thank God for the Holy Family, for our family. We offer this Eucharist for our families (for the members who have left us and those who remain with us), and also for broken families. We ask the Sacred Family of Nazareth to help us be ad become more good members of our respective families loving, caring, and sharing!
We give thanks to God for the unique, incomparable gift of family; of our family.
The Community of Friars Preachers in Macau gathered this morning to honor the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. A child is born in Bethlehem, alleluia; o come, rejoice Jerusalem, alleluia. Let grateful hearts now sing, a song of joy and holy praise, to Christ the newborn.
Following our community custom, which is the tradition in our Province, Brother Aloysius Thurein Htun, OP., on behalf of all the student Brothers greeted our Prior, Fr. Paul Fan, OP., followed by our Subprior Fr. Javier Gonzalez, OP., on behalf of the Fathers. It is important to mention that Fr. Paul is our new Prior, which fills us with joy and hopes because the new generation is taking offices of great responsibility; the example is palpable: the guidance of such a dynamic and complex community as our priory is. A community that as a family accepts and loves one another as brothers around our Prior.
Brother Aloysius reminded us that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year; that is the time for all of us to show gratitude and to acknowledge the presence of one another in our community. Addressing Fr, Paul, Br., Aloysius said that it is nice to have a Prior who, like a tender father, guides this community which is our home; this is particularly necessary since we are far away from our own families. To this idea, Fr. Javier added: As religious, far away from our native homes, we remember with affection our relatives and beloved ones. They continue to be in our hearts and prayers.
Fr. Paul, a prayer of this community for you: May God blessings of peace be upon you not only during this season, but also during the entire year (and years as Prior) enabling you to carry out those meaningful words you adopted as program on your taking of office: the Prior should not consider himself happy because of the power he exercises over the community, but because of the charity with which he serves (LCO, 299).
Peace and good health, strength and joy, happiness without alloy, is our prayer and wishes for you, Father Prior and for all the members of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Since 1914, when the Catholic Church established the World Day for Migrants and Refugees, every year it is celebrated throughout the world. This year 2019, upon the initiative of the Diocese coordinated by the Catholic Pastoral care for Philippine migrants, here in Macau the celebration took place on Sunday, 27th of October. The venue was Saint Paul School.
His Excellency Stephen Lee, the bishop of Macau, began the program of activities in the morning with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the school main auditorium. Ten priests from different nationalities, Orders and Congregations, concelebrated with him.
Before the Mass there was an entrance procession, led by migrants from several nationalities present in Macau, to the image of Our Lady placed near the stage, while a song was performed by a Philippines choir. It was a sign and expression of trust in our Mother Mary, our refuge. To our Lady we brought our worries, our difficulties and problems, trusting always in her. Then we proceeded with the Mass, which was attended by more than a thousand people from different nationalities who reside in Macau, as well as by local people. The main choir members for this Mass were the Dominican Brothers and Sisters.
During the homily, the Bishop talked about the challenges that migrants face in Macau. He said something like this: You may feel excluded and mistreated by the local people, and so forth, but remember you are Christians, children of God; therefore, you should not retaliate these things to them because God never excludes or mistreats you. Moreover, you may worry about your families or feel isolated and lonely because of being away from your family and from your own countries, but remember that you are here with a mission, working to support your family and help the local people to become more charitable. Bishop cited an example he had seen. A family started to be converted to the faith because the housemaid brought their children to Sunday school. The children shared their faith with their parents and eventually they were converted. If I am too exaggerated, the Bishop said, you are not only migrants: you are missionaries; therefore your role is to shine with your faith.
After the Mass, lunch break: an agape-fellowship was served with cuisines from Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines. Moreover, the Brazilian community also brought cakes for dessert.
At 1:30 pm we gathered again in Saint Paul School auditorium for the performances of the different artists in representation of 11 countries and communities, including Portugal, Brazil, East Timor and Venezuela. All in all there were 150 performers. Some nationalities performed some of their traditional dances, such as Burmese bamboo dancing, Indonesian dancing, etc. Other groups sang and danced, reflecting in their singing and dancing different life-styles of society nowadays. For instance, some people travel by air while others had to walk barefoot on the ground. Some people seem to be happy, while others are depressed with the difficulties and problems that they face in their lives; some people seem to be satisfied with what they have, while others are never satisfied, and so on.
In conclusion, the World Day for Migrants and refugees remind us that we may have many different cultures and languages but we all belong to one human race. Hence, we should not exclude anyone from our society, whether he or she is newly arrived or permanent resident, because God never excludes anyone. This day is not only for migrants but it is for all of us to come together and celebrate the day of our humanity.
