Tempus fugit – “Time flies”. As we begin Academic Year 2014-2015, our Christian Studies program at the University of St. Joseph-Macau is now on its 8th year of existence.  After some 40 years since formal classes in philosophy and theology were held in the historically Seminario de São Jose, the doors of the seminary opened once again in the Academic Year 2007-2009 with ten (10) students, which included Frs. Edmond Eh, Christopher Chor, Isaiah Hong Seung Kook (all Dominicans), and Reginaldus Amleni, SVD.  The first Dean was the Australian Fr. Dennis Rochford, MSC, a position he held for two academic years. From Academic Year 2009-2010 onwards, Prof. João Eleuterio of the Faculty of Theology, Catholic University of Portugal took the helm as Dean for five years. In just few years of our existence as a Faculty, we have produced alumni priests working in Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, The Philippines, Taiwan, and Myanmar.  There are several alumni awaiting their ordination to the Diaconate this year.  One lay alumnus is pursuing a doctorate degree in Theology, with specialization in Old Testament Studies, in Belgium.

For this new academic year, 2014-2015, under a new Dean, Prof. Arnold Monera, and a new Coordinator for the Department of Catholic Theology, Prof. Franz Gassner, SVD, the Faculty of Religious Studies has 46 students mostly coming from Myanmar, Timor Leste, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, Macau, and the Philippines.  All these years, we have been witnesses to changes: from IIUM to USJ, from Faculty of Christian Studies to Faculty to Religious Studies, from the Seminary Campus to NAPE Campus, and now back to the Seminary.

As a young Faculty, we recognize the many rooms for improvement.  True to our mandate of preparing well-educated clergy, religious sisters, and lay leaders to serve the Church and society in their own countries and congregations, we envision to have a more participative, more engaging, more vibrant Faculty.  The Faculty believes that good theology is the backbone of re-evangelization and the guiding principle for relevant involvement in Church life and in the larger secular society.

At the Opening Day of the Academic Year held last 10 September 2014, the Dean exhorted the students to give their best in the studies citing that there is no place for mediocrity in our Church and society.  The Coordinator in his message emphasized the values the students of the Faculty should inculcate: punctuality, cooperation, time management, group studies.

Realizing that the present Pope has declared 2015 as the year dedicated to consecrated life, the Faculty invited two outstanding religious working in Macau to give inspirational words to the student assembly: Fr. Aidan Conroy of the Salesians of Don Bosco who has been working in Instituto Salesianum-Macau for 40 years; and the Religious of Good Shepherd Sr. Juliana Devoy for her tireless commitment to helping women and children in Macau.                                                                                                    

The Eurcharistic Celebration was presided by Fr. João Eleuterio, with Fr. Franz Gassner and Fr. Edmond Eh concelebrating.  The Dominican sisters rendered melodious songs during the Mass.

The Grand Opening Celebration ended with potluck lunch with every community bringing food that was shared to all.  At the end, the students still gathered several baskets of left-overs from the sharing of food.