Mrs. MARY ISABEL CHOW was dearly beloved and much appreciated by the Fathers and Brothers of the Dominican Community of Kowloon Tong. She was a good friend and a loyal supporter of our chapel where she worshipped over the course of many decades.
As her home is only a short walking distance from us, she would usually be among the first arrivals for morning devotions. Every day she joined the community for the Rosary, the Morning Prayer of the Church and Holy Mass. She took an active part in the liturgy, especially as reader, and joined in the singing with enthusiasm as she had a beautiful voice and loved to sing.
If the occasion arose she would attend the liturgy later in the day and she was most assiduous on special occasions such as the ceremonies of Holy Week.
Mary was a firm believer in the efficacy of prayer and she loved to spend long periods in private devotion before the Blessed Sacrament after the liturgy had ended.
Her love of God found practical expression in her concern for others as shown by her involvement with the Catholic Women’s League and Caritas. She was a generous benefactor of our Dominican Community and often we enjoyed the cakes, pies and other treats that she loved to provide on feast days, birthdays and other special times.
Since our community hosted the Novitiate and later became a Postulancy house, Mary took a keen interest in the welfare of the young men preparing to enter the Order and she frequently showed a motherly concern for them. If she spotted someone coughing or limping she would soon return with medicine or some other comfort. Many young Dominicans remember her with real affection.
Mary loved our oratory and over the course of many years she provided flowers and anything else that was needed.
She had a warm devotion to Jesus Christ and his Mother and she did much to propagate her faith which she studied with care and never ceased to deepen by her reading and prayer. She had a particular attachment to the Divine Mercy and made every effort to spread this devotion.
Shortly before her death, Mary addressed, after Mass, the little congregation in our chapel, most of whom if not all, knew and loved her. She told us that her illness was very advanced and was in fact terminal. She asked for our prayers and everyone was deeply impressed by her courage and calm strength.
To the end, by work and example, she bore witness to the faith that sustained her throughout her life.
We remember Mary with fondness and will miss her bright smile and loving heart.
May she rest in peace!
On behalf of the Fathers and Brothers of the Dominican Community of Kowloon Tong.
Fr. Javier González, OP
Superior.
Hong Kong, 24 May 2017
ENGLISH:
The first group of members of the Lay Fraternity of Saint Dominic “Antorcha de Macau” made their first commitment last 7 May, 2017, which was Vocation Sunday.
Fr. Provincial received their promises during a simple ceremony at the Priory Chapel in the presence of close friends as well as Fr. Jose Luis de Miguel, Prior of S. Dominic’s, Fr. Jarvis Sy, the Spiritual Director and Sister Maria Lourdes Blanca of the Misioneras Dominicas del Rosario, the animator and spiritual adviser.
The members who made their commitment are: Sisters Francisca Anna Guzman, Francia Guzman, Rosie Pae Alcantara, Miriam Zingapan and Selina Ebora. Another member, Sister Anne Marie Paroy made the commitment a few days earlier as she had to return to the Philippines.
The act of commitment culminated the long years of preparation and formation to consolidate the group and to make it relevant in the Church and Society of Macau. The fraternity was established by Fr. Provincial on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Order last year 1 May, 2016 hoping that it would be a tool for evangelization and the deepening of the faith for the members.
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ESPAÑOL:​
El primer grupo de la Fraternidad Dominicana de Santo Domingo “Antorcha de Macao” hizo sus promesas el pasado 7 de mayo, domingo de las Vocaciones.
El Prior Provincial recibió dichas promesas durante una sencilla ceremonia en la capilla de nuestro Convento de Santo Domingo en Macao, en presencia de algunos amigos (futuros miembros) y de los Padres Jose Luis de Miguel (Prior del Convento de Santo Domingo), de Fr. Jarvis Sy, Director Espiritual de la Fraternidad, y de la Hermana Maria Lourdes Blanca, de las Misioneras Dominicas del Rosario, que es la animadora y alma del grupo.
​Quienes hicieron las promesas fueron las siguientes Hermanas: Francisca Anna Guzman, Francia Guzman, Rosie Pae Alcantara, Miriam Zingapan and Selina Ebora. ​Otra, Anne Marie Paroy ​habÃa hecho la promesa unos dÃas antes porque tuvo que volver a Filipinas.
La celebración fue el colofón de varios años de preparación y de formación para consolidar el grupo and hacerlo significativo en la Iglesia y en la Sociedad de Macao. La Fraternidad fue establecida por el Prior Proivncial con motivo del Jubileo de la Orden el año pasado, el dÃa 1 de mayo, con la esperanza de que sea un instrumento de evangelización y de profundización de la fe en sus miembros.
Fray Fernando, O.P.
Secretario Provincial
El dÃa 8 de mayo, 2017, en la memoria del patrocinio de la Bienaventurada Virgen MarÃa sobre la Orden de Predicadores, el Prior Provincial presidió la Misa conventual en el Convento de Santo Domingo en Macao y dió los Ministerios de Lector y de Acólito a varios de nuestros estudiantes.
On 8 May, 2017, the memoria of the patronage of the BVM over the Dominican Order, Fr Provincial presided at the Conventual mass at Saint Dominic Priory Macau and instituted the ministries of Lector and Acolyte to some of the student brothers.
ACÓLITOS / ACOYTES:
Bro​.  Ignatius Ngo Van Thu Giang, OP
Bro​.  Francis Nge Nge, OP
Bro​.  Francis Naw San, OP
Bro​.  Peter Zya Reh, OP
​LECTORES / LECTORS: 
Bro​.  Stephen Saw Lej Kapaw Htoo, OP
Bro​.  Markho Thoe Reh, OP
Bro​.  San Ti No, OP
Bro​.  Francis Bu Ling, OP
Fray Fernando, O.P.
Secretario Provincial
On the occasion of Good Shepherd Sunday (7 May, 2017) Saint Dominic Priory in Macau witnessed the solemn profession of our Brother Joseph Tran Van Huong during the Sunday Mass presided by Fr. Provincial.
Among those who attended the celebration were the Fathers from the communities of Saint Joseph House and Saint Albert Priory, in Hong Kong, professors from the University of Saint Joseph, the Dominican family and friends of the community.
A good representation from the local Vietnamese community was also present during the liturgical event.
Although the profession ceremony was simple, its solemnity was not diminished despite the space; and was further enhanced by the beautiful songs and tasteful selections of the repertoire during the Mass. At the end Brother Joseph had some beautiful words of gratitude.
After the celebration, a simple agape was prepared at the social hall the all the friars, sisters, and guests in attendance.
 
Coincidiendo con el Domingo del Buen Pastor (7 de mayo, 2017) nuestro convento de Santo Domingo en Macao fue testigo de la profesión solemne de nuestro hermano vietnamita Joseph Tran Van Huong, durante la Misa presidida por el Prior Provincial.
Entre los presentes en la celebración estaban los Padres de las comunidades de San José y de San Alberto, de Hong Kong, algunos profesores de la Universidad de San José, la Familia dominicana y amigos de la comunidad.
También estaba presente en la celebración una buena representación de la comunidad vietnamita local.
Aunque la ceremonia de la profesión fue sencilla, sin embargo, su solemnidad estuvo enmarcada dentro de la Misa por la buena selección de canciones hecha por nuestros estudiantes. Al final, fray Joseph tuvo unas bonitas palabras de agradecimiento, con un recuerdo especial para sus padres.
Después de la celebración, hubo un ágape en la casa al que asistieron todos los asistentes a la Misa, los hermanos y las hermanas dominicas.
ENHORABUENA A NUESTRO HERMANO JOSÉ.
(This article is taken from the web-page of the Order of Preachers: http://www.op.org/en)
The Master of the Order Father Bruno Cadoré, and his Socius for Asia-Pacific Fr. Gerald Francis Timoner, visited the friars of Our Lady of the Rosary Province that that are working in the missions of Myanmar, Timor Leste, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau during the period of 27 March to 7 April 2017.
They started the visit in Myanmar and they visited the brothers that are working in the areas of Loikaw, Mandalay and Yangon. They appreciated the new developments done during the last four years with the building of the new church in the parish of St. Gemma Galgani in Yangon and the new chapel and churches in the house of St. Thomas Aquinas in Nawalawo Village   in Loikaw, Kayah State. In Mandalay they visited the social centre and educational supplementary centre of St. Martin de Porres where special supplementary education is given to about 150 high school children. The last stage was the House of St. Dominic of Yangon where they talked with the pre-novices and in the company of the three Fathers visited the parish of St. Gemma Galgani.
From Yangon they flight to Dili, Timor Leste. They travelled by car to Hatudo to visit the mission, the church and the schools of the mission. They returned to Dili and had a meeting with the Fathers, with the aspirants and with the Dominican Family working in Timor Leste.
And from Dili they flight to Hong Kong with stopover in Singapore where they visited the two Fathers working in the House of St. Francis Capillas. They took a late flight for Hong Kong that landed in Hong Kong’s airport at midnight and they arrived at St. Albert’ Priory in the early hours of 5 April. They joined the community in the morning prayers and mass and after breakfast, Father Bruno Cadoré started talking with different groups of brothers in formation. Master Bruno Cadoré held talks with the Chinese student brothers, with the Chinese priests and deacons and with all the Chinese priests working in the mission of China. After lunch, Master Bruno Cadoré held a meeting with the group of novices.
At 5:00 pm Fr. Bruno Cadoré and Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner left for Macau to conduct de second canonical visitation to the Studentate. Fr. Provincial accompanied them arriving in the evening to have dinner with the community and they held a group meeting with the student brothers. On the morning of April 6, Fr. Bruno presided and preached at the Conventual Mass. They left for Hong Kong after having breakfast with the community.
Back in Hong Kong and after lunch at St. Albert Priory, Fr. Bruno and Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner held a fruitful meeting with the Formation Council of the Province. Â Later on in the late afternoon, they went to the Provincial House of St. Joseph in Kowloon to meet the postulants and have dinner with the community. They came back to St. Albert Priory and in the morning of 7 April, Fr. Bruno presided and preached at the Conventual Mass. After the mass there was time to have a historical photo with all the members of the community of St. Albert.
After breakfast, Fr. Bruno met first Fr. Provincial. Afterwards Fr. Bruno and Fr. Gerald held a working meeting with the Provincial Council and the representatives of the missions of the Province in Hong Kong and Macau, Manila, Taiwan and Japan. After the meeting it was time for lunch and friendly sharing with the community. In the midafternoon Fr. Bruno and Fr. Gerard left for the airport and took the plane back to Rome.
(3 May 2017)
Jarvis Sy Hao, O.P.
The 800 jubilee celebrations in the Hong Kong Macau-China Area will formally end on 22 December 2016, with a Solemn Thanksgiving Mass at the historic Church of São Domingos in Macau. The Eucharistic celebration will be presided by His Excellency, Stephen Lee Bun San, Bishop of Macau as the Dominican men and women in the region will gather to celebrate, to thank God for the gift of preaching, and to beg strength from  Him, to face the new challenges ahead. At the same time, it wants to be a manifestation of gratitude of the Order to the Church in Macau for her continued support and hospitality to the brethren.
On 7 November 2015, the inauguration of the Jubilee year began the year long celebrations worldwide and at the local level.  The choice of Macau to culminate the celebrations in the region and in the Church of São Domingos, is not only to relive the fact of the many challenges faced by the founders when they came to the Far East, but also our commitment to serve the Church in the missions, specifically the Church in China which is intimately linked in the long and glorious history of the Dominican Province of Our Lady of the Rosary.
The project of Dominic de Guzmán
It should be recalled that a providential trip to Southern France enabled S. Dominic de Guzmán (1170-1221), then a Canon Regular of the Diocese of Osma (Castille), to open his horizon to contemplate the challenge of the Church in his time: the threat of heresy and error, the reform of the clergy and the need of revitalizing the Church through preaching and instruction. Though he collaborated with the preaching work with Papal legates and other clerics, in the end, he was left alone to assume the responsibility in continuing the work of preaching and reconciling sinners and heretics. Thus the idea of a religious institution fully dedicated to the work of preaching. He first organized a community of contemplative women who supported the work of the preachers through their prayers and sacrifices. This would later evolved into the contemplative nuns of the Order. Then he organized the clerics and recruited new members into his project, organizing themselves as clerics living in common and sharing the same mission of preaching. Lastly, lay persons who continue to live in their particular states of life, support and collaborate in the work of the Order. This would later become what is known as the “Lay Dominicansâ€.
On the occasion of the IV Lateran Council (1215), Dominic was able to present his project to the Pontiff, Innocent III, who though giving tacit permission for the foundation, demanded some clarifications and requirements as stipulated by the recently concluded Council.
The official written confirmation of the foundation of the Order was published by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216, entitled “Religiosam Vitamâ€, recognizing the establishment of Dominic and his companions as a religious Order with all the rights and privileges it shall assume. Further bulls and Papal letters published henceforth would begin to delineate the charism, specificity and mission of the “new†Order of Preachers. By the Summer of 1217, as he gathered the friars to celebrate the great Marian feast of the Assumption, he dispersed the brethren throughout Christendom, sending them to urban centers and university cities as well as locales of frontier mission. This not only facilitated the friars in the preaching ministry, but also their access to formal education and formation and seek sources for vocational recruitment. And since then, throughout eight hundred years, the Order continues to serve the Church around the world.
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Dominicans in Macau
The Order of Preachers arrived in Macau on 1 September, 1587; the founders were part of the first group of Friars who were tasked to found a Province in the Far East in order to evangelize the “Empire of China and surrounding kingdomsâ€.  The three founders were Castillians who came by way of México. On the basis of a donation of some properties near the Chinese bazar, the friars were able to begin conventual life and ministry on 23 October 1587, and the community was officially known as the House of Our Lady of the Rosary, the first house of the Order in Chinese soil. Due to the political climate and the animosity between Spain and Portugal, the founders were ordered to leave the enclave and sent home via Portuguese India; and in their place, the Portuguese Dominicans from India came to assume the foundation and presence till the suppression of the religious Orders in 1835. The beautiful Church of São Domingos (rebuilt few years before the suppression) stands as the mute testament of a florid presence of the friars in Macau.
Macau had to wait till the 1950’s, specifically after the “Liberation†of China, that the Dominican Missionaries of the Holy Rosary came to Macau to work in the Diocese. The sisters began their presence as housekeepers for the Diocesan Seminary and later assumed work in medical aid, education and care for orphans. They were followed by the American Maryknoll Sisters who began to assume interesting ministries in the territory a tradition they continue till this day.
At the invitation of Msgr. Domingos Lam, Bishop of Macau, the Dominican friars returned to the territory a few years prior to the handover. The brethren came to assume the work of administering the Diocesan owned “Escola São Paulo†and collaborate in some parochial ministries. By 2006, it was decided that the Students’ Community and House of Studies be established in Macau and by 2008, the House was raised into the category of a Convent. Today the Macau community is one of the biggest communities of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary in the Far East where future missionaries are being formed.
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Looking forward
Despite the many challenges, the Order continues to be optimistic with the future. While various missions in the area need new blood to continue the missionary work as well as reorganization, new presences in other emerging Churches continue: in Myanmar where the Order has three communities and in the recently established presence at Timor Leste.
