OUR FIRST TEN DAYS IN TIMOR LESTE

OUR FIRST TEN DAYS IN TIMOR LESTE

Our arrival at the capital Dili on 19 of January was with a greatreception by the Dominican Sisters in Timor and by the Secretary of the Bishop at the Airport. There were also some other priests and Sisters.

 On the same day of our arrival, the Bishop welcomed us in his residence and invited us to collaborate with the Diocese of Dili in the quasi-Parish of Hatudo, in the southern part of the Island, about 120 kilometers from Dili and a 5 hour trip by car. He provided us transportation (his own car and driver) to go and see the Mission for us to know firsthand about the people and the state of the Mission.

The Parish Priest of Same (the parish under which our Mission is) welcomed us into his home, where we stayed overnight, and gave us a presentation of our Mission of Hatudo; the following day he accompanied us personally there.  It is a district with about 11,000 inhabitants, with a territory that is quite big and comprises 5 chapels. In the centre of the Mission (Leo Lima), beside the main chapel, there is a community of Timorese Canossian Sisters and a house for the priests, which is currently being remodeled to accommodate us.

We were told that by the end of the month, they will finish it and then we can enter to live in it.  There is electricity but not running water. The Mission also has a new kindergarten, various primary and secondary schools.  But some are in a very poor state.

IMG_1635Mission in Hatudo received us well. They are very amiable, simple and they like to tell us what they do. They seem to be well dedicated to their ministry.On the roads one can see children walking kilometers every day (an average of 5 or 6) to go to schools, some of them of the government, which were recently built while others are still under construction. The landscape is beautiful but the land seems to be very poor as it is rocky thus being not apt for planting. The climate is very warm and many trees had just been cut down along the roads to give way to the light posts. It is a Mission that is in great need and it will demand much sacrifice and great apostolic zeal. The people are simple, happy and receptive. For them the priest is almost a “god” whom they respect and admire.  The clergy of the mountainous places which we passed through in our trip towards theThe people live in small settlements not very dispersed but always beside the principal roads, which are all in bad state.  There are many typical Timorese houses which are built over some tree logs, with the domestic animals living under them in the open; the houses are made of bamboo and of thatched straw roofs.  The people principally dedicate themselves to agriculture and they work in the mountains which are about a few kilometers away from the villages. They all go to work on their feet.

During these 10 first days, aside from trying to get to know all the members of the Dominican Family in Timor Leste, which is composed of the Dominican Sisters of the Rosary and the Portuguese Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena, we also took the opportunity toknow the other religious in Dili, the Major and Minor seminaries, the Nuncio and those in charge of the Spanish collaboration in Timor Leste. Everyone intimated to us their vision of the Church and of her concern for making Timor Leste a place that is more humane and moredignified.

We have only been here for a few days. The arrival always causes a great impact for the cultural change, but little by little we have already started to adjust ourselves to this new form of life and especially to its people. The good reception which we have received everywhere makes us feel more and more integrated in this country, where almost five hundred years ago, our Dominican Portuguese brethren sowed the seeds of faith.IMG_1634

                                                                        Fr.Ruben

DOMINICAN SUPERIORS OF THE ASIA/PACIFIC REGION VISIT OUR PRIORY

DOMINICAN SUPERIORS OF THE ASIA/PACIFIC REGION VISIT OUR PRIORY

On February 3, 2013, Sunday, our Priory was graced by an unusual group of visitors: Provincials and Vicars of the Dominican Provinces and Vicariates of the Asia/Pacific Region, who were accompanied by the Assistant to the Master of the Order for this Region and the Assistant to the Master for the Apostolic Life.

The group of Dominican superiors, who are in Hong Kong for their annual meeting, was headed by Fr. Vincent Lu, O. P., Assistant to the Master of the Order Fr. Bruno Cadoré, O. P. The other members of the group were: Fr. Prakash Lohale, O. P., Assistant for the Apostolic Life; Fr. Kevin Saunders, O. P., Provincial of the Province of Australia and New Zealand; Fr. Gerard Timoner III, O. P., Provincial of the Philippine Province; Fr. John Kusumanalayan, O. P., Provincial of the Indian Province; Fr. Vincent Li, O. P., Vicar of the Chinese General Vicariate of Taiwan; Fr. Hiroshige Watanabe, O. P., representative of the Vicar of the Canadian Vicariate in Japan; and Fr. Javier Gonzalez, O. P., Provincial of Our Lady of the Rosary Province and host of the meeting. The Provincial of the Vietnamese Province, Fr. Ngo Si Dinh, O. P., was not able to make it to Macau while the Vice-Provincial of Pakistan Vice-Province, Fr. Paulus Pascal, O. P., could not make it to the meeting in Hong Kong.

Our brothers celebrated the Sunday Eucharist with us. The concelebrated Holy Mass was presided by Fr. Vincent Lu, who spoke in his homily of the exemplary life of the first missionaries to Asia and of our responsibility to follow in their footsteps by proclaiming God’s Kingdom and serving our peoples, especially the needy. After the celebration of the Eucharist, the brothers from the different Provinces and Vicariates conversed with us and then had lunch in a restaurant with some members of our Priory. After lunch, they visited the emblematic places of beautiful Macau. In the evening, they went back to Rosaryhill, Hong Kong, where their meeting continued for a few more days.

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In their 2013 yearly encounter, the superiors of the Dominicans in this part of the world talked of the current situation of their respective Province or Vicariate, of other possibilities of collaboration among them, and of new challenges, including the New Evangelization. Fr. Jose Luis de Miguel, O. P., our Moderator of St. Dominic Center of Studies, spoke to them in Rosaryhill of the New Evangelization ant its challenges.

Our brother and major superior Fr. Javier Gonzalez, the gracious host of the gathering of Provincial and Vicars expressed his fraternal gratitude to our Priory for the generous and kind hospitality of the brothers. (FGB)

Dominicans open new mission in East Timor

Dominicans open new mission in East Timor

Lord, You looked at me; smiling you have pronounced

my name; in the sand I have left my boat, at your side,

I will seek other shores (“Fisher of Men”)

On January 16, 2013 the Dominican Province of Our Lady of the Rosary celebrated with solemn simplicity the traditional “Sending Off” of two missionaries to East Timor. The meaningful ceremony took place at St. Dominic’s Priory, Macau and was attended by the twenty three simply professed brothers of our Studentate, and twelve priests from the Priory St. Dominic and from our Dominican communities in Hong Kong, Zhu Hai and Myanmar. The Prior Provincial of the Province, Fr. Javier González, OP, led the concelebrated Eucharist and, within the Mass, the Order of Blessing and Sending of Missionaries.

The Eucharist began with the moving song Pescador de hombres (Fisher of Men). The Responsorial Psalm continued with another inspiring song, Here I Am Lord, which introduced us to the first reading. The first reading was taken from the prophet Jeremiah (1:4-10), and the second reading, from the Gospel of Matthew (28:16-20).

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Before I formed you I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you… Lord, I said, ‘I do not know how to speak, I am only a child!’ Yahweh replied: You must go to all to whom I send you… Do not be afraid, for I am with you (Jr)

Jesus appeared to the disciples and spoke to them: ‘Go, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. I am with you always; yes, to the end of time’ (Mt)

 After the proclamation of the Gospel, Fr. Javier introduced the two brothers to be sent to East Timor: Fr. Ruben Martínez, OP, from Spain who was working in our mission in Taiwan, and Fr. Gerson Javier Nieto, OP, from Venezuela who was ministering in Spain. Fr. Javier focused his homily first on the two readings – so appropriate for the occasion! – and second on the itinerary that the Province has followed to reach this historic day. He recalled for us that on November 28, 2011, the Master of the Order, Fr. Bruno Cadoré, OP, wrote a letter asking him to please “take the responsibility of bringing the presence of the Order to this land of East Timor”; other Dominican Provinces present in Asia will help. With the approval of the Council of the Province, Fr. Javier accompanied by Fr. Fausto Gomez, OP went to Dili, the capital city of East Timor, and expressed to him the desire of the Order to open a mission in his diocese. The Bishop of Dili, the Most Rev. Alberto Ricardo, DD accepted gladly the request of the Province and gave his blessings and a place in the south to begin the mission. Afterwards, Fr. Provincial Javier invited the members of the Province to volunteer for the new mission. A good number offered themselves to go. Two were chosen (one more will go there later). He mentioned with joy the email just sent to him by Fr. Master Cadoré, who blessed the project and assured us of his fraternal communion and constant prayers. All of us, Fr. Javier said, must be ready to go: “we are all missionaries.” May this ceremony of the “Sending Off” – he added – strengthen our missionary spirit!

Dominican mission in East Timor1

 Fr. Provincial expressed his deep gratitude to Frs. Ruben and Gerson Javier for accepting the invitation to start the mission in East Timor and assured them of the continuing prayers and help of the Province. In East Timor everybody knows that the Portuguese Dominicans were the first missionaries there. With the opening of this mission, the Dominican friars of our Province will re-open and renew our significant historical presence in that part of Southeast Asia. By the way, at Present two congregations of Dominican Sisters work for the Lord in East Timor: The Congregation of Dominican Missionaries of the Rosary and the Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena of Portugal. After the homily, the ceremony of the Blessing and Sending of Missionaries followed, and the Blessing and Imposition of the Missionary Cross. Our two brothers Ruben and Gerson Javier were blessed and prayed over and given the Missionary Cross.

After communion, the new missionaries of East Timor were given two special gifts: the statues of our Lady and of St. Dominic. On behalf of the two, Fr. Ruben expressed his gratitude to Fr. Provincial for choosing and trusting them. He spoke humbly of their new adventure for the Kingdom: “Certainly, we are not better than others who could have been chosen instead of us. Still, he added, “we believe that God is and will always be with us. This is not our mission but the mission of the Province and of the Order. I have to say candidly that God was with me in my previous missions – I felt his presence -, and He will be with us in East Timor. We are in his hands.”

DSC_7186 (2)The joyful celebration was closed,  following the old tradition of our Province, with the singing of the Salve Regina to Our Lady of the Rosary and the O Spem Miram to our Father St. Dominic. East Timor, or Timor Leste, the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste is a member of the United Nations, a developing country in Southeast Asia with great material and spiritual resources. With the Philippines, East Timor is the other predominantly Catholic country in Asia. The small country with nearly one million and two hundred thousand people has three dioceses: Dili, Baucau and Maliana. Our new Dominican mission is located in the Diocese of Dili. The main three languages spoken in East Timor are Portuguese, Tetum and Bahasa. Before coming here to Hong Kong and Macau, our brothers Ruben and Gerson Javier spent months in Lisbon learning Portuguese. Up to the present, there are strong historical links between East Timor and Macao – both former Portuguese colonies –, and between the Dioceses of Macao and East Timor.

Accompanied by Fr. Provincial, Frs. Ruben and Gerson Javier flew to Dili on January 18, 2013. From Dili the three will proceed to the parish of Hatudo, a town located in the region of Ainaro.  In this town, south of East Timor, the Dominicans will start their pastoral work and serve the local Church and preach the Good News that is Jesus Christ.

East Timor is calling!May Our Lady of the Rosary and our Father Saint Dominic be always with the new missionaries in East Timor – and with us all!

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night.

I will go, Lord, if You lead me. I will hold your people in my heart

(“Here I Am Lord”)