On the 8th of December, 2014, the Good Shepherd Sisters of “Good Shepherd Center†community organized a significant social activity in Macau. Called “Walk for Women,†the social activity was sponsored by “JML Properties International Ladies’ Club of Macauâ€. The people taking part in the event gathered together at the Park called “Garden of Vasco Da Gama,†which is near “Royal Hotel†and not far from our Priory of St. Dominic. The walk began at 2:30 in the afternoon and ended half an hour later at about four in “Sintra Square.â€
The theme of this social activity was “to raise the voice or conscience of society to respect the dignity of women, to ask for equal rights for women in society and to stop all types of violence against women.â€
There were around 200 people who participated in this activity. They were women and men belonging to different associations, institutions and religious congregations, including the majority of our Dominican Brothers and Sisters. After the walk, a two-hour program followed at “Sintra Square.†The main speech was pronounced by the Mother Superior of the Good Shepherd Sisters, Sr. Mary Juliana Suzanne Devoy, who runs the Good Shepherd Center for Women. There is a need to raise awareness on the social issue of discrimination against women. As human beings, as Christians, we are all asked to denounce any kind of discrimination and to be on the side of the victims and help them. After the inspiring talk, other numbers of the simple program followed: an interesting skit, some songs, dances and games. The whole program was conducted in Cantonese.
The social activity “Walk for Women†was indeed an important and relevant social activity in Macau. As human beings, as believers in Jesus, we are all social beings and belong to the human and/or Christian family and therefore concerned with the well-being of one another, in particular the needy and marginalized like the victims of discrimination, including women who are the group most discriminated against in our world. Let us close this brief report with the words of Pope Francis on a kind of discrimination against children and women, which is human trafficking: “Human trafficking is a crime against humanity… Our efforts must be accompanied and reinforced by the mercy of the Gospel, by closeness to the men and women who are victims of this crime.â€
Bro. Francis Nge Nge, OP
St. Dominic’s Priory, Macau
PREPARING FOR THE ORDER’S JUBILEE 800
On November 30, 2014, the Jubilee Promoter of the Province
suggests in a letter to the brothers two possible
activities that highligh the continuing
preparation for the Jubilee 800
JUB 800/2
November 30, 2014
Dear Brothers in St. Dominic:
Fraternal greetings to all and happy day of the inauguration of the Year of Consecrated Life! With my second email, I wish to continue our conversation on the Order’s Jubilee 800 and on possible future activities.
Most of our communities started to pray the Jubilee Prayer on the Feast of All the Saints of the Order, November 7, 2014. On this day, the one-year preparation of the eighth centenary of the Order began officially in our Province. As you know, the Jubilee 800 shall start on November 7, 2015. The daily recitation of the Jubilee Prayer is putting us on the “Jubilee Mode,†the mode of personal and communitarian renewal. Hopefully, the common prayer will strengthen our determined resolve to begin earnestly the dynamic process of renewal: the renewal of the Order is aim of the Jubilee. We do not forget that the main protagonist of the renewal is each one of us. Let us pray for one another so that we all may be truly motivated to walk on the path of personal and communitarian renewal.
The Order is asking each Province, Vicariate and community to plan different activities. Our superiors with the help of brothers in charge of study, formation, mission, justice and peace, etc. will guide us to plan together specific activities. Among the activities recommended by the Order’s Jubilee Committee are “Special Liturgical Celebrations.†Our communities may wish to invite to the liturgical celebration other members of the Dominican Family – when possible. The first liturgical celebration recommended to all communities is on December 22, 2014, which commemorates the 798 Anniversary of the first Confirmation of the Order by Pope Honorius III.
Another significant activity that our communities could perhaps plan during Advent 2014: the common reading of Chapters II and III of the Acts of the General Chapter of Trogir (2013) on the Celebration of the Jubilee: II, nos. 40-49; III, nos. 50-62.
Let us recall that the theme of reflection of the Order for the year 2015 is the following: “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:31-32); “For freedom Christ set us free” (Gal 5:1) – Dominic: Government, Spirituality and Freedom.
(For resources and more information, kindly see the web page of the Order on the Jubilee 800)
Your brother,
Fray Fausto Gomez, OP
St. Dominic’s Priory, Macau
faustogomezb@yahoo.com
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On November 2, 2014, the new Prior of St. Dominic’s Priory, Macau, started officially his three-year term of office. He was elected, approved and confirmed a few days earlier, on October 28.
Fr. José Luis de Miguel Fernández, OP, made the required Profession of Faith as the new Prior within the Mass of November 2, All Sous Day, which was presided by Fr. Javier González, OP, Prior Provincial, and concelebrated by the eight Dominican priests of St. Dominic’s. The Eucharistic celebration was animated by the songs of the twenty student-brothers and the faithful participating in the Eucharistic celebration.
After the reading of the official letter of the Prior Provincial approving and confirming the election of the new Prior, Fr. José Luis spoke of his gratitude and his hopes. He underlined the Dominican call to fraternity, freedom, solidarity, service and cooperation. Before the end of the Mass, Fr. Javier expressed the deep gratitude of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary to the new Prior for accepting the office, and to the previous Prior, Fr. Alejandro Salcedo, OP, who ended his second term as St. Dominic’s Prior on October 19, 2014.
Born in Renedo de Valdetuéjar (Leon), Fr. José Luis was ordained a priest in Valladolid on June 30, 1963. He crowned his ecclesiastical studies with a Licentiate and a Doctorate in Oriental Ecclesiastical Sciences at the Oriental Institute in Rome in 1968. Thereafter, he was a professor of theological subjects in the Philippines, Chile and Spain. The new Prior was earlier Prior In San Juan, Metro Manila, and in Santiago de Chile. He has been widely  involved in formation and publications, particularly in the Philippines and in Chile, where he ministered for  25 years. At present he is a member of the Council of the Dominican Province, Assistant Master of Students at St. Dominic’s and visiting professor at St. Joseph University, Macau.
After the November 2 Sunday Eucharist, the concelebrants, the student-brothers and the faithful attending the Mass of All Souls Day shared together a simple meal offered by the Dominican community.
Fr. José Luis, fraternal congratulations!Â
Fr. Alex, many, many thanks!
We praise the Lord!
May the Holy Spirit accompany us all
to walk by the path of Dominic, our dear Father!
Jubileo 800 (in diversas lenguas)
Macau, October 19, 2014
Dear Brothers:
Fraternal greetings!
As Provincial Promoter of the Jubilee 800 of the Order (2016), it is my duty to suggest some possible activities for our Province and communities.  My suggestions shall be properly cleared out with our Prior Provincial, Javier González, OP.
In my first email to you all, I suggest to starting to pray daily the Jubilee Prayer and thus join our voices, minds and hearts to our Dominican brothers and sisters throughout the world. Some of the communities of our Province in Asia are already reciting daily said prayer. Considering that November 7 is an important Dominican Feast (All Saints of the Order) and that the Jubilee Year will start on November 7, 2015 (and end on January 21, 2017), it would seem appropriate that all  communities begin to recite the Jubilee Prayer on this coming November 7.
I am attaching hereto the Jubilee Prayer and the explanatory text from the Jubilee Central Committee of the Order. Taking into account that the celebration of the Jubilee is of the whole Dominican Family, you may share it with other branches of our Family. I am also attaching the “estampita†we made in Macao that is being currently used also in our communities in Hong Kong and the Philippines.
Let me thank in advance the brothers who will kindly send suggestions and comments directed to make of our celebration a path to joyful renewal for each one of us and for our communities. Â Moreover, I will also appreciate information on the programs for the preparation of the Jubilee (from November 7, 2014 to November 6, 2015) of the different communities.
I am certain our superiors will lead our communities in carrying out appropriate activities and programs according to the different places and cultures where we evangelize. Of these activities and other related matters we hope to speak in future emails.
Meanwhile, let us pray the Jubilee Prayer every day at the most convenient time.
Your brother, vuestro hermano
Fray Fausto Gómez, OP
“Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.†These were the words the ordaining Bishop said to each one of our five Brothers being ordained deacons while presenting to them the Book of the Gospels. This moment had been preceded by the laying on of hands on them and a prayer of consecration.
The ordination ceremony took place in the evening of 7 October, 2014, on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, in a cozy church of Tsimshatsui, in the heart of the tourist belt of Kowloon, Hong Kong. Our brother Deacons were Peter (Vietnamese), Matthew and Alfonso (Burmese), Antonio (Korean), and John Vianney (Chinese). The ordaining Bishop was the Most Rev. Joseph Ha, Chi-Shing, OFM, Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong.
Witnessing the solemn occasion were a crowd of about 200 persons, among them 40 concelebrants and a significant number of our young Dominicans in formation (students, novices, postulants) from our three communities in Hong Kong and Macau. The Dominican laity of Hong Kong and representatives of our communities in Korea, Japan and Mainland were also present. The Apostolic Delegate in Hong Kong graced the occasion also with his presence.
It was an intense moment of gratitude to God for the increasing number of vocations that He is giving us. It was a marvelous opportunity to give thanks also to Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, as expressed in the canticle of the Magnificat and in the concluding song, the Salve Regina.
A festive agape in the adjacent parish hall crowned the occasion. As we share this news with all the members of the Province let us pray for the newly ordained brothers, heralds of the Gospel, so that they may indeed believe what they read, teach what they believe and practice what they teach.
Fray Fernando Muñoz, OP
Secretay of the Province
