On Pentecost Sunday, June 12, the significant ceremony of the Solemn Profession was held at the Chapel of St. Dominic’s Priory. It took place during the Eucharistic celebration. On this day, Brother Joseph Lee Taeyun, OP, made his final vows (for life) as a Dominican of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary. Bro. Joseph, from Korea, made his perpetual profession in the hands of Fr. Javier Gonzalez, OP, Prior Provincial of said Dominican Province. Fr Javier represented Fr. Bruno Cadoré, OP, Master of the Order of Preachers or of the Dominicans. The moving ritual of the Solemn Profession was done after the proclamation of the Pentecost Gospel. After asking for God’s mercy and that of the Dominican community, and expressing his intentions and formally promising obedience according to the Rule of St. Augustine and the Constitutions of the Dominican Order, Fr. Provincial accepted Brother Joseph as a full-fledged member of the Dominican Order.
Right after the Solemn Profession, Bro. Joseph also received the ministries of Lector and Acolyte, which enable him to read the Word of God and assist the ordained ministers in the altar. These ministries represent for Brother Joseph a step forward towards the Deaconate and the Priesthood.Before the final blessing, Brother Joseph expressed his humble and deep gratitude to all those who made his solemn profession and this celebration possible. For his part Fr. Alejandro Salcedo, OP, Prior of St. Dominic’s also gave thanks to all those present and invited them to share with us our table after the celebration. The celebration took place at 11 in the morning and the simple lunch about 1:30 PM. It was indeed a moving and joyful celebration of Pentecost, and obviously the Holy Spirit was in our midst and in our hearts!
On this august occasion, the chapel of the Priory was filled to capacity. Ten priests concelebrated with Fr. Provincial, including Fr José Lau, procurator of the Diocese of Macau who represented the Diocese, and seven Dominicans, among them Fr Bonifacio G. Solis, OP, former Prior Provincial of Our Lady of the Rosary Province and Fr. Jose Luis Miguel, OP, a member of this Province working now in the General Vicariate of Chile. Over eighty faithful attended the Pentecost Eucharist and the Solemn Profession: our Sunday Mass participants, sisters from different religious congregations and members of the Korean community. Brother Joseph Lee was born in Seoul on January 19, 1973. He made his first simple profession on June 16, 2007. At present, he is finishing his institutional studies at the Catholic University of Saint Joseph here in Macau.
The St. Dominic’s Priory is presently composed of twenty three members: six Dominican priests and seventeen simply professed theology students. The Dominican priests’ apostolate includes the following: formation of the simply professed brothers, administration of St. Paul’s School, and teaching philosophy and theology at the University of St. Joseph. For St. Dominic’s Priory this great celebration of Pentecost Sunday with the Solemn Profession was a meaningful and historical event. The Priory is proud of its tradition. By the way, the first Dominicans, also members of Our Lady of the Rosary Province arrived in Macau in 1587, the year of the foundation of the Missionary Province of the Dominican Order. (FGB)
By profession, we dedicate ourselves to God, following Christ to lead an evangelical life in the Order.
In this way, our baptismal consecration becomes more fully effective.
LCO # 189 § I.
The Brethren of the
Province of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Order of Preachers
would like to invite you to attend the Eucharistic celebration when our beloved
Brother Joseph Lee Tae Yun OP
shall make his final vows as a Dominican friar in the hands of our Prior Provincial
Rev. Fr. Javier Gonzalez Izquierdo OP.
He shall also be instituted into the Ministries of Lector and Acolyte.
The celebration shall be held on
12 June, 2011, the Solemnity of Pentecost at 11:00 am
at Saint Dominic’s Priory Chapel
Avenida Sidonio Pais no. 39-41, Macau
A fraternal agape shall follow after the liturgy.
CHRONICLE OF ST. DOMINIC’S PRIORY: January-April 2011
On January 8, after lunch, Fr Provincial Javier asked Fr. Prior Alejandro to read the appointment of Fr. Jarvis Sy Hao as the new Master of Students, and Fr. Xavier Lionel, our Sub-Prior, the letter of assignment of Fr. Jarvis to our community. Most welcome! (Our dear former master of Students, Fr. Lucio Gutierrez continues to be very sick at the St. Martin de Porres Hospital in San Juan, Metro Manila.) On this day, the Council of the Province met at our Priory. Fr Provincial also informed us that Fr. Ben (Peadar Beinidict MacCionaoith, OP), member of our community, was assigned to our House of St. Joseph in Kowloon Tong on December 28, 2010. Many thanks, Ben! On January 18, and at the end of the Mass, Fr. Alejandro read the letter of the new assignment of Fr. Fernando Muñoz, from our community to the new foundation of the Province in Yangun, Myanmar. Fernando, we will miss you and accompany you!
In the evening of January 18 the Master of the Order, Fr. Bruno Cadoré visited our community and stayed with us for three days. He conversed with the members of the community – the fathers and the students. He had a meeting with the members of the Provincial Council and of the Commission on Formation, another meeting with the bishop of Macau Joseph Lai and a third with the authorities of the University of Saint Joseph. It was a lovely fraternal visit: the MOP broke Bread with us, listened to us, laughed with us and showed a great interest in our Province and our mission, in particular the formation of our students.
On January 20, Fr Fausto Gomez went to Manila to participate in the Meeting of the Regents of Studies of the Asia Pacific Region, to attend the 400th Foundation Anniversary of the University of Santo Tomas, and give some lectures on bioethics at the Postgraduate Course of the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. He came back on February 7. Later on (February 17-27), Fr Gomez attended the annual Conference of the Pontifical Academy for Life in the Vatican.
On February 9, Fr. Alejandro presented to the Council/Chapter of the House new assignments of the Priory, with no objection from the members: Fr. Lionel was named archivist; Fr. Jarvis, sacristan and liturgist, Fr. Athanasius, assistant treasurer, and Fr. Fausto, chronicler.
Among the visitors through February, we had (on February 10-12) two Chinese postulants, who stayed with us for three days: Jordan Zhnag Dangbo and Martin Chen Guoxing. Later on (on February 23), we had with us Frs. Juan Lera and Ezequiel del Pino, from our community in San Juan, Manila. We were all happy for their kind visit.
Fr. Peter Yu Jong from our mission in Japan visited us on March 2 and stayed with us for two days. Fr. Yu is helping Fr. Provincial re-launch the webpage of the Province – and he is succeeding! He came to take some pictures of our Convent and community for possible use in said web page, which needs the collaboration of all – to succeed fully! Two other visitors (on March 2) were Chinese postulants Pio and Michael. They are on the way to our convent of Santa Cruz in San Juan, Metro Manila, where they will improve their English before they begin the Novitiate in Rosaryhill, Hong Kong next July 2011.
Fr Felicisimo Martinez, Prior of our Convent of the Most Holy Rosary in Madrid came to live with us on March 16 and will live on April 28. He came to teach the subject
“Doctrine of God†(De Trinitate) in the School of Christian Studies of the Catholic University of Saint Joseph, Macau. During his time with us, he also pronounced (on April 6) at the said University a well-attended and highly appreciated lecture on “Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ: Recent Developments in Christology.†He spent some days with our Novices in Hong Kong, teaching them on Dominican Life. Moreover, he gave a retreat to the community of Rosaryhill, joined also by the community in Kowloon Tong, during Holy Week.
Fr. Javier Arrazola, from our mission in Korea was with us on April 4-7. On April 4, Monday, I was attending a meeting of the Council of Formation in Rosaryhill, Hong Kong, presided by Fr. Provincial Javier. During the morning meeting I was happily surprised by the voices coming from the chapel singing the lovely Lenten Gregorian song Media Vita. I inquired who was teaching our Novices the Media Vita and was told that it was Fr. Arrazola. I remember with fondness the late Fr. Maximo Puertas, OP, who rests in God’s peace, who loved this song. We remembered it together in our Convent in Peñalver, when we were at the middle of our road – Media Vita! I hope Fr. Arrazola, or Fr. Rafael Carpintero, OP from our mission in the Philippines will visit us and teach our students some Gregorian chant.
Another visitor, who is like member at a distance of our community, was Fr. Secundino Vicente, from Rosaryhill. He visits us frequently to wash our souls from our sins and human miseries. This time he was with us on April 5-7.
Our most frequent visitor – well, truly a member of our Priory, where he has a permanent room -, is Fr Provincial Javier Gonzalez, who lives in our house in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. He stayed with us some weekends of March and April. He talked with all the members of the community, in particular with our students. He also taught a tutorial course in Canon Law to two of our graduating students of theology.
On April 6 we had the pleasure of receiving in our Priory Fr. Dionisio Cabezon, a member of our Province assigned to the University of Santo Tomas, Manila. He has chosen our Priory for his summer vacation time. He will be with us up to May 20. Fr Dionisio is available to our students for consultation and will talk to and with our graduating students on the way to prepare well for entrance exams in different schools and universities abroad.
On April 12, we were gladly surprised by the visit of Fr. Vincent Lu, Assistant to the Master of the Order for the Asia-Pacific Region. He was accompanied by Fr Javier Gonzalez, OP and stayed with us for two days. He wanted to know our life and work here in Macau, particularly on the Dominican and theological formation our students are presently receiving.
On April 20, Fr. Athanasius Chen presented his masteral thesis at the University of St. Joseph, Macau. The title of the thesis: “Moral Values in Education: A Case Study of One Catholic Secondary School in Macau.†Before a panel of three, including Professor Vincent Davis, his Supervisor, our brother Fr. Athanasius defended his thesis and passed the ordeal very well. Our warmest congratulations!
Let me wrap up our chronicle with some more good news this time concerning Saint Paul School, run by our Fathers Alejandro, Jose Angel, and Athanasius. Its pioneering project – top of the line – on the use of modern technology in the field of education is called “Classroom 2012 Project.†The innovative project is a bold application of the school’s education policy ESOS (Empowering Students for an Open School). Congratulations and more power to you, amigos!
I am sending this chronicle to Fr. Emiliano on the morning of a lovely and quiet Holy Saturday. Easter is closing in! To all our brothers, we joyfully say: Happy Easter ¡Felices Pascuas de Resurrección! We are Easter People and Alleluia is our song!
(For more information on some of the news mentioned above and other news, you may wish to visit our simple webpage: www.dominicansmacau.org Muchas gracias!) (FGB)
(Published in BoletÃn de Información de la Provincia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, No. 82, pp. 16-20: Rosaryhill, Hong Kong, January-April 2011)
St. Dominic’s Priory
Macau, April 29, 2011
AN ENLIGHTENING CONVERSATION ON
THE IQ TEST
Blessed John Paul II, quoting Aristotle, said: “all human beings desire to know†(Fides et Ratio, no. 25). We all long to know more and students in particular wish to know more on how to take different kinds of tests, including entrance exams.
Fr. Dionisio Cabezon OP
It is a great pleasure for us being with Fr. Dionisio Cabezon OP, who is staying with us at St. Dominic’s Priory in Macau. Fr Dionisio (Oteros de Boedo, Palencia 1930) is a retiring full Professor at the Dominican University of Santo Tomas, Manila. We are very happy to know that he came to live with us during his summer vacation in the Philippines. On May 10, 2011 he talked to us on “How to take an IQ Test?†An IQ test, he stressed to us, is really a time test, and therefore the important question is: How can we spend our time wisely when taking this specific kind of test?
The life of a student is full of tests. So, it is very good to know the different kinds of tests, and how to make a good test. We always have difficulties when taking a test, perhaps we feel nervous or perhaps we are scared. Our main fear may be that we do not know the specific procedure for a particular test, for instance, the IQ test or the verbal and non-verbal tests.
In his clear and simple lecture, Fr. Dionisio, a psychologist and professor of rational psychology and pastoral psychology, shared his thoughts on how to take an IQ test, on the importance of minding the time allotted to the test. He pointed out that when taking the IQ test we should not spend too much time with a question, but continue answering the other questions and, if there is time later, come back to that difficult question. He encouraged us to be prepared, and not to be afraid! Â In a test, there are procedures that we have to follow when we take it. We should read this procedure carefully and ask the questions we may have regarding this procedure before the test begins: during the test, we will not be able to ask questions anymore. Another important thing Fr Dionisio underlined was this: we have to prepare ourselves the best we can for a given test. Basically, our previous studies make us ready to take an intelligence test that will examine mainly our abilities to proceed with higher studies.
Usually, people including myself are worried when going to take a test.  After our fraternal sharing with Fr. Dionisio, I realized that my nervousness is due mainly to the fear of being alone facing the test! We don’t have to be nervous when going to take a test, or during the test. So let’s take a test with confidence!
We the students are very grateful to our brother Dominican Fr. Dionisio not only for being with us for over a month but also for sharing with us his wisdom and experience, and for offering himself to us for any personal consultation.
Dear Fr. Dionisio, may God bless you abundantly and keep you in his peace!
Bro. Matthew Shing Mang Tun
