On 21 June 2021, a group of 13 Dominican Student Brothers had their profession renewal in Macau. They promised obedience, chastity, and poverty to God, although only one of the three evangelical counsels Obedience is mentioned in the Dominican Order. This event has brought home to my mind a few thoughts that I wish to share in these lines.
Promising obedience to God means submitting ourselves to Him, listening to Him. In fact, the word “obedience [from the Latin ob-audire] means, in the theological reflection, listening. Listening to God is a way to express our intimate relationship with Him who has spoken and keeps calling to each of us through our hearts and minds. The Lord has called to follow Him in a special way; that is why we name it vocation and it is a privilege, a divine gift.
In promising obedience to God, we do not lose our freedom; rather we regain it! Why? Because we say yes to Him freely, without force or fear. Truly, there are renunciations in it, like other people (for instance, in marriage, in social duties) or like in the case of Jesus, who sought the will of his Father as the food who nourished his life; even in the difficult moments of the cross, he kept bedient until death seeing in such obedience a loving gift. Our religious renunciation does not mean losing our freedom? On the contrary, in the Christian understanding, religious obedience to God implies an intimate relationship with God.
God calls us since we were born: You did not choose me but I chose you (John 15:16); each of us has received from birth a special gift from God. He already knew what we were going to be in the future, while we when we are only dreaming to become someone as we grow old. Our parents may choose to have us, but they cannot choose what we are to be.
So, our Profession Renewal or Vows renewal simply means looking forward to our solemn profession, which is made until death. Religious life is a radical following of Jesus’ poor, chaste, and obedient. All things were done by Jesus according to His Father’s will. In the Garden of Gethsemane, His obedience was demonstrated by His acceptance of the cup of suffering. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus seeks the will of His Father in prayer. Obeying for him did not mean submission to tyrannical power, as it is the connotation in contemporary society. Obedience for Jesus was really an act of trust in His Father. Proportionally in our case, when we obey our religious superiors do so because we trust that, as legitimate authorities, they have our best interests at heart – leading us to what we could not or would not otherwise pick by ourselves.
For instance; I may be unwilling to obey traffic laws, but I trust they exist to protect me and people. This statement is indeed true because, in my driving, I could be so selfishly speeding toward my destination that I might not think of the safety of other people. To remind me that this should not be the case, the trusted authorities enact laws. In the same way, Jesus obedience was an expression of love and active trust. It is exactly the same love and trust that the religious profess when taking their solemn vow of obedience. Indeed, their vow of obedience is really a vow of trust in God first and foremost, even if they promise it also to their constituted religious superiors. The freedom they have regained is their full dedication to God’s service.
As a Dominican, I would say that I am always instigated by the dream of St. Dominic’s mother before she had him; a dog jumped from her womb holding a torch and set everything around them on fire. This kind of vision is not only impressive but also awesome! Given the Order charism for zealous preaching of the Gospel, the story and the play on words seemed fitting!
But I never had such an illusion to initiate a Confraternity of lay Dominicans anywhere, much less a head trip in Macau. And yet, we say that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways, either. And I want to figure out that the God of surprise was in cahoots with our Father St. Dominic de Guzman’s wish in augmenting the members of the Order.
This is my simple story:
 A Dominican lay from Hong Kong, who was unfamiliar to me, approached me after the mass suggesting if we could start a lay Dominican group here in Macau. I was not only astounded but I could not give her a reply. On my way home, I thought: Is this not a God-given design? It was then that I started discerning about this matter, and truly I have thought This is not a joke. And so I proposed this matter to Fr. Jose Luis de Miguel, Prior of Macau to which he made some dubious comments since the participants are not residents of Macau and because of the unstable work they might be touch-and-go members.
I was working in the Pastoral Center for Migrant Filipino Workers and was in charge of their Christian Formation. And so, I thought of inviting young men and women regardless of their status to lay eyes on our Dominican style of life. The response was not spontaneous, given the fact that they didn’t know what I was up to. I did not give up the ship; rather I leave no stone without any compromise. And so, to my surprise, and maybe for curiosity’s sake, 15 members came, but 8 hung loose, and 7 persevered. As they went along in formation, they were all enticed by the way our Dominican life as a family lives. The Dominican Family is where we all feel at home. That means we do not have to justify being there but feel at ease. We feel accepted just the way we are, was their general comment.
The first batch after a period of three years decided to make their first commitment with the consent of Fr. Provincial, Fr. Javier Gonzalez, O.P. They are Ana Francia de Guzman, O.P., France de Guzman, O.P., Miriam Zingapan, O.P., and Selina Ebora, O.P.
Thinking of how to name the group, I did not hesitate since the dream was prescient due to a play of words in Latin: although Father Dominic named it Order of Preachers, it would later come to be known as the Dominicans; in Latin, that Dominican, which is very similar to Domini Canis, or dog/hound of the Lord. Timely, Macau is drenched in materialism because of the presence of casinos all around. And so I have thought of a name suitable to what will become the mission of our Lay in Macau, to be faithful like our Father Dominic de Guzman in proclaiming the Gospel and guarding the faith and the truth from modern heresy; and to rouse people from today’s blind adherence to an ephemeral world; undoubtedly my brother priests agreed with me.
Indeed, this time was magnificent because the Lord’s preaching hounds unleashed a force meant to further fire up an already splendid 800-year-old service to the Catholic faith when the Order Our Lady of the Rosary Province celebrated a solemn mass in the Cathedral with the presence of the bishop, priests, religious, Lay Dominicans (from Hong Kong and Macau), the faithful, in this momentous event of the Order. That was a superb celebration!
Last April 29, the feast of our Sister Catherine of Siena, our Dominican Family was blessed by 4 Professed Lay Sisters who renewed their promise for a year, 4 Novices and 6 Postulants seeking a richer, deeper spiritual life while living in the world in personal and liturgical prayer, especially the Eucharist, in the common study and in everyday life experiences. They discern ways, with the help of a Spiritual guide and community of believers, to deliver the Word according to their abilities and the urging of the Holy Spirit. Although they are OFW workers, they are living a positive response to the Gospel message, sharing their faith to their families and even the family of their employers and friends, trying to combat the evil of the age by preaching the Truth of Christ. They are aware that Lay Dominican life is all about having a passion for the Word of God. It is about committing oneself to a community of like-minded brothers and sisters that immerse themselves in the Word of God. If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (St. John 8:31-32).
Lastly, they are here with us now not only to enrich the Order, the Church, and the World around us through the richness of their vocation but to journey with us through the path that our Father Dominic had trudged.
We pray for these new members of our Order, the Lay Dominican- Torch of Macau, for their zeal and enthusiasm in illuminating at least this little corner of the world- Macau as faithful hounds of the Lord.
Father Dominic, pray for your sons and daughters, pray!
The Community of Friars Preachers in Macau gathered this morning to honor the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. A child is born in Bethlehem, alleluia; o come, rejoice Jerusalem, alleluia. Let grateful hearts now sing, a song of joy and holy praise, to Christ the newborn.
Following our community custom, which is the tradition in our Province, Brother Aloysius Thurein Htun, OP., on behalf of all the student Brothers greeted our Prior, Fr. Paul Fan, OP., followed by our Subprior Fr. Javier Gonzalez, OP., on behalf of the Fathers. It is important to mention that Fr. Paul is our new Prior, which fills us with joy and hopes because the new generation is taking offices of great responsibility; the example is palpable: the guidance of such a dynamic and complex community as our priory is. A community that as a family accepts and loves one another as brothers around our Prior.
Brother Aloysius reminded us that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year; that is the time for all of us to show gratitude and to acknowledge the presence of one another in our community. Addressing Fr, Paul, Br., Aloysius said that it is nice to have a Prior who, like a tender father, guides this community which is our home; this is particularly necessary since we are far away from our own families. To this idea, Fr. Javier added: As religious, far away from our native homes, we remember with affection our relatives and beloved ones. They continue to be in our hearts and prayers.
Fr. Paul, a prayer of this community for you: May God blessings of peace be upon you not only during this season, but also during the entire year (and years as Prior) enabling you to carry out those meaningful words you adopted as program on your taking of office: the Prior should not consider himself happy because of the power he exercises over the community, but because of the charity with which he serves (LCO, 299).
Peace and good health, strength and joy, happiness without alloy, is our prayer and wishes for you, Father Prior and for all the members of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Since 1914, when the Catholic Church established the World Day for Migrants and Refugees, every year it is celebrated throughout the world. This year 2019, upon the initiative of the Diocese coordinated by the Catholic Pastoral care for Philippine migrants, here in Macau the celebration took place on Sunday, 27th of October. The venue was Saint Paul School.
His Excellency Stephen Lee, the bishop of Macau, began the program of activities in the morning with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the school main auditorium. Ten priests from different nationalities, Orders and Congregations, concelebrated with him.
Before the Mass there was an entrance procession, led by migrants from several nationalities present in Macau, to the image of Our Lady placed near the stage, while a song was performed by a Philippines choir. It was a sign and expression of trust in our Mother Mary, our refuge. To our Lady we brought our worries, our difficulties and problems, trusting always in her. Then we proceeded with the Mass, which was attended by more than a thousand people from different nationalities who reside in Macau, as well as by local people. The main choir members for this Mass were the Dominican Brothers and Sisters.
During the homily, the Bishop talked about the challenges that migrants face in Macau. He said something like this: You may feel excluded and mistreated by the local people, and so forth, but remember you are Christians, children of God; therefore, you should not retaliate these things to them because God never excludes or mistreats you. Moreover, you may worry about your families or feel isolated and lonely because of being away from your family and from your own countries, but remember that you are here with a mission, working to support your family and help the local people to become more charitable. Bishop cited an example he had seen. A family started to be converted to the faith because the housemaid brought their children to Sunday school. The children shared their faith with their parents and eventually they were converted. If I am too exaggerated, the Bishop said, you are not only migrants: you are missionaries; therefore your role is to shine with your faith.
After the Mass, lunch break: an agape-fellowship was served with cuisines from Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines. Moreover, the Brazilian community also brought cakes for dessert.
At 1:30 pm we gathered again in Saint Paul School auditorium for the performances of the different artists in representation of 11 countries and communities, including Portugal, Brazil, East Timor and Venezuela. All in all there were 150 performers. Some nationalities performed some of their traditional dances, such as Burmese bamboo dancing, Indonesian dancing, etc. Other groups sang and danced, reflecting in their singing and dancing different life-styles of society nowadays. For instance, some people travel by air while others had to walk barefoot on the ground. Some people seem to be happy, while others are depressed with the difficulties and problems that they face in their lives; some people seem to be satisfied with what they have, while others are never satisfied, and so on.
In conclusion, the World Day for Migrants and refugees remind us that we may have many different cultures and languages but we all belong to one human race. Hence, we should not exclude anyone from our society, whether he or she is newly arrived or permanent resident, because God never excludes anyone. This day is not only for migrants but it is for all of us to come together and celebrate the day of our humanity.
The Dominican Family, composed of clerical and cooperator brothers, nuns, sister, members of secular institutes, and fraternities of priests and lay members, as defined by the Constitution of the Order, share a common vocation, each serving the mission of the Order in its own distinctive ways.
Here in Macau, there are Dominican Fathers and Sisters and for the last three years, there is a lay Fraternity of Saint Dominic, The torch of Macau. As for the fathers, some are dedicated to their permanent tasks as formators of the Dominican Students, their brothers; several of them are teaching at the University of Saint Joseph. Some are following superior studies at the University, and others are fully involved in different offices of the Province, etc. Aside from that, some of our fathers are doing their ministry at the service of the Diocese of Macau. The sisters do more or less the same, fully involved in their own apostolates.
Our lay Confraternity, The Torch of Macau, founded in 2016, is presently composed of thirteen members, practically all of them from the Philippines.
As lay people and working, they have their different tasks to attend to, and different schedules to carry out. Therefore, it is not easy to have their activities and meetings as a group in formation needs to. However, as part of their formation, they meet together twice a month with their spiritual councilors Father Jose Luis de Miguel Fernandez and one of the sisters, to pray, to become more familiar with one another and with the Dominican saints and most prominent representatives of the Lay Dominicans in the history of the Order. And above all, to receive an initial formation on the spirit of the Dominican Family, and an initial formation regarding the Word of God. From time to time, other members of the community are invited to give a talk or a retreat to our Lay members of the Dominican Family.
On the occasion of welcoming the five aspirants to join the Confraternity as novices, and simultaneously, for the celebration of the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, OP(29 OF April), patroness of the Dominican Laity, we took advantage of the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, to celebrate this Joyous event. At the same time, the other batch of four Novices made their first promises with the presence of the other four who professed two years ago.
It was indeed a blessed, meaningful day for them and a very fraternal and joyous day for us. As the members of the fraternity, the novices will come to experience together with the professed ones and if it is what they look and long for, they will be making their first promise in one year. However, for the ones who just made their first promise, they have decided and they are willingly dedicated themselves to live according to the profession of the evangelical way of life, adopted by the Order to their secular status and by this they are drawn together by a special gift of God in the apostolic spirit of Saint Dominic, to announce the Good News to this present World, and to seek their own salvation and that of others.
We thank God for all the blessings that He has bestowed on our Sister; for being chosen to form a Lay Fraternity of Saint Dominic; for the gift of the Dominican vocation; for the loving-kindness and mercy which He has bestowed on them, to be His witnesses, and to bring His Good News to others by what they preach and by what they are. Dear Sisters, welcome to the Dominican Family!
Every year, towards the end of
December, the group of men religious residing in Macau gather together to have
some moments of prayer, partake a meal and sing some carols in the spirit of
Christmas. This year 2018 the gathering took place on the 26th of
December at Saint Joseph the Worker Parish, run by the Comboni Fathers. Around
50 religious men from different Institutes and ages were present. Some of them,
veterans in religious life; others, still in the stage of institutional
formation.
To
begin with, at 6:30 pm and following the program outline, the local parish
priest, Fr. Manuel Machado MCCJ, gave to everyone a warm, fraternal welcome.
Then, the evening Prayer began, led by Fr. Fausto Gómez OP. The psalms and the
gospel canticle were chanted. During the intercessory prayer, there was also a
short moment to pray for those who had entrusted themselves to our prayers, for
the poor and for the victims of the recent natural disaster in Indonesia. The Vespers
ended with the singing of “Salve Reginaâ€.
Afterwards,
all present there proceeded to the parish hall for communal gathering and the
singing of some Christmas songs together before the fraternal agape. It was
beautiful indeed seeing people from different countries in the world together
in the name of the One who came to redeem the world. Time to share with others
one’s life as religious, one’s experiences in the mission and spending some
moments listening to one another.
After
the meal, the program continued with the singing of the most renowned Christmas
song, the “Silent Nightâ€, in the different
languages of those present. The very occasion was closed with the powerful singing
of “Gloria in Excelsis Deo†by our
Dominican brothers, and the final blessing by Fr. Mario Bonfaini CMF. An
evening to remember in our journey’s life.
