Facility named after Bishop Domingos Lam: St Paul’s School Inaugurates Memorial Building

27/11/2012 08:37:00 Viviana Seguí

St Paul’s School yesterday inaugurated its new “BishopDomingos Lam Memorial Building”. The school’s principal, Alejandro Salcedo, declared: “A new school building does not just happen. It takes months of planning and organization, optimism and perseverance, and unfortunately, some frustration also.” He thanked the Education Department and the Macau Foundation for providing the MOP 56,796,000 and MOP 37,660,000 funding respectively.

“I must say that without your funding this project would not have seen the light.” The new building    comprises five floors, where classrooms for the youngest students of the kindergarten section as well as for the high school pupils are located. These include laboratories, communitarian rooms, where the students can do homework on their “tablet pcs”, and craft corners for the youngest.

St Paul’s School is a diocesan school run by the Dominican fathers, which according to the director, Mr Salcedo, provides “the beautiful experience of a Catholic education”. The director also explained that the school is committed to “modern teaching and learning for the twenty-first century” and will therefore certainly be aided by the new building’s facilities. “We are proud of our past but it is a must for us to detach ourselves from it and embark on a new educational dimension”, he stated, adding: “St Paul’s School is well known for the immersion of technology in our educational programs. However, for us to “tech” or not to “tech” education is not the question. The real question and the real aim for us is to harvest the power of technology to meet the the challenges of the 21st century and make education relevant, responsive, and effective for anyone, anywhere, anytime.”

Mr Salcedo then revechallenges of the 21st century and make education relevant, responsive, and effective for anyone, anywhere, anytime.” escribe him I would say that he was an ascetic, joyful, wise, actively involved with the physical and spiritual welfare of his people, and he was a dedicated and effective teacher. Bishop Lam was very fond of St Paul’s School. On many occasioaled the reason behind the name of the building. “Bishop Domingos Lam was one of a kind. I was very close to him and if I had to describe him I would say that he was an ascetic, joyful, wise, actively involved with the physical and spiritual welfare of his people, and he was a dedicated and effective teacher. Bishop Lam was very fond of St Paul’s School. On many occasions he used to drop by or call just to see how we were doing.”

ST. PAUL SCHOOL OPENS NEW ACADEMIC YEAR

On Monday 3^rd. the doors of Saint Paul School opened again to welcome students and parents to the 2012-2013 Scholastic Year. Students, parents, faculty and administration gathered together in the school hall, like a big family. Thanks and praises were lifted to the Father Almighty for the blessings during the summer holidays. Likewise prayers were presented to God the Father asking for His continuous protection and guidance.

 After the new staff was introduced and welcomed to join the Saint Paul family and the new guidelines for the school year were given, the whole community of the school (2,898 students and 237 members of the staff) were invited to have a tour to the facilities of the newly constructed Bishop Domingos Lam Memorial building. The new building houses 36 classrooms and 6 rooms for special services, such as the chapel, canteen, labs, etc.

 Likewise, and after the great success of the pilot project called “Classroom 2012 Project”, the School is implementing this new academic year the second stage of the project in which about 650 students are receiving their education in a more technological and interactive way. (ASG)

USJ 2012 GRADUATION

On October 13, 2012, the Graduation of the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) for Class 2011-2012 was held at the Grand Hall of the emblematic Macau Tower. The Hall was packed with the graduating students, the professors, the support staff and administration of the University. It was presided by Bishop Joseph Lai, DD, the head of the Diocese of Macao and USJ Vice-Chancellor

Nearly three hundred students from different specialties received their doctorate, master’s, Licentiate Degree from Fr. Peter Stilwell, the USJ Rector. The majors with the greatest number of graduates were: Master and Licentiate in Business Administration, Licentiate in Government Studies, Licentiate in Social Work and Licentiate in Psychology. Only one student received the doctorate, Cindia Lam who graduated with the Doctorate in Business Administration. Four students graduated with the degree of Licentiate in Christian Studies (Bachelor in Theology), the degree pursued by our students doing their institutional studies at USJ. One of them is our brother Anthony Lee Hyojun, OP, who is now pursuing a Master’s in Psychology in the same University of Saint Joseph.

The 2012 Commencement Exercises were very well organized, orderly – and elegant.

 The Graduation Mass was held the next day, October 14, 2012, at the Macau Cathedral with the USJ Rector, Fr. Peter Stilwell presiding the concelebrated Mass. It was attended mostly by Catholic graduates: about forty in number. Our Dominican students with the postulants of the Dominican Sisters provided the sacred songs for the Mass. (FGB)

FIRST SUMMER VACATION TO TAIWAN WRAPPED UP WITH CHINESE LANGUAGE, CULTURAL AND PASTORAL EXPOSURE

TAINAN, SEPT. 20, 2012 – The two Students Brothers spending summer holidays in Taiwan, Sebastian Lee and Peter Thoai, are heading back to Macao today. Their nearly-three-month-long trip was filled with a ten-week Chinese language course, then few days of self-exploring, and finished off with six days of annual retreat. This year is the first time ever since the establishment of the House of Studies in Macao the Brothers were, making use of their vacation, exposed to the real life in the missionary fields.

Arrived on the island that was once called Formosa at the end of June, the two Brothers were welcomed by the Vicar in Taiwan, Fr. Tomas Blazquez, and all the Brothers presently carrying out the Dominican missions there. They were provided a stay at the House of St. Joseph, also a Dominican church of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, in Tainan City, where they could both conveniently commute to school and discover the Taiwanese culture right from its cradle. Indeed, it is in this city, particularly at the Dominican parish, people emphasize Taiwanese over Mandarin language. Distinctive Taiwanese culture as well expresses through a wide variety of snack here, including those of the Japanese origin.

 The two Brothers from Monday to Friday attended the Mandarin course at Cheng Kung University’s Language Center. At times, especially at weekends, they had the opportunity to witness, experience and ponder certain real-life pastoral ministries performed by their priestly Brothers, from the church to the hospitals, from the classroom to the streets. Occasionally they were introduced to various lives and works of their Dominican Brothers and Sisters around the country too. All of the exposure like these would help the Brothers to foresee a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) of their future ministries on this pro-American Chinese nation, if any. The experience of the Taiwan trip might be over and above what the Brothers had expected. They completed it with a self-retreat when they could have contemplated the meaning of life, the religious vocation, the blessings of being a Dominican and the way to give it back. The new academic year is awaiting them in Macao today.

Peter Thoai, O.P.

Counting down to the 50th anniversary of Vatican Council II

One of the most important events in the modern history of the Catholic church will soon reach a historical milestone. On Oct. 11, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council will be celebrated by the church throughout the world.

On Oct. 11, 1962, Blessed Pope John XXIII confidently threw open the windows of the church, trusting that the Holy Spirit would blow through it with a fresh breeze of renewal.

During this worldwide ecumenical council — the 21st in the history of the church — over 2,500 bishops approved 16 documents designed to enliven Catholic spirituality, and make the church far more relevant to the modern world.

The most important of these documents, in my opinion, is Gaudium et Spes (“Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World”). It insists that the Catholic church must be at the service of all humanity, especially those most in need.

Its very first words powerfully proclaim this theme: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these too are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.”

As a step in this direction, “the Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel.” We are then called to strengthen those aspects that conform to Christ’s teachings, and to change those elements that do not.

The world’s Catholic bishops insisted that the church — “the people of God” — cannot show any bias in protecting the lives and dignity of human beings. As one of Vatican II’s active participants Archbishop Karol Wojtyla would later declare — as Pope John Paul II — “We are all really responsible for all.”

Full Story: Vatican Council II’s golden anniversary

Source: National Catholic Reporter

Article taken from ucanews.com - http://www.ucanews.com
URL to article: http://www.ucanews.com/2012/09/18/counting-down-to-the-50th-anniversary-of-vatican-council-ii/

A NEW ACADEMIC YEAR BEGINS

After a long summer break, we all go back to work in the new academic year of 2012-2013: some to teaching, others to school administration and still others – the majority – to studying. By the way, our modest web page was also on vacation, and opens its windows in September, too, “when summer is gone”!

As of now, twenty nine (29) Dominicans live at St. Dominic’s Priory, Macau: seven priests and twenty two simply professed students.

Among the seven priests, three run St. Paul’s School, and began working on September 3, 2012: Frs. Alejandro, Legido and Athanasius. Three others teach theology subjects at the Catholic University of Saint Joseph: Frs. Jose Luis, Jarvis and Fausto. One, our senior, Fr. Dionisio takes good care of the house day in and day out with his significant presence.

Our students of theology began their respective courses at the University of Saint Joseph on September 17, 2012. Brother Anthony is pursuing a Master’s in Psychology, and Brother Sebastian is finishing his thesis for the Licentiate in Theology. Four brothers have started their fifth year of theological studies: Peter, Joseph, Isaac and Mariano. Three brothers are enrolled in the fourth year of theology: Mario, Alphonso and Matthew. Moreover, nine brothers are taking up their third year of theology: Gregorio, Andreas, Mariano, Paul, Pakhu, Mikele, Lawrence, Pablito and Michael Tony. Finally, four student brothers have begun their theological studies at USJ: Pius, Michael, Luke and Joseph.

New school year means new opportunities to grow in wisdom and compassion. May it turn out for all a hopeful, joyful and fruitful year! The poet writes: “Traveler, there is no way. The way is made as we walk along, step by step…” Certainly, walking together helps us makes the way easier – and better!