           In the morning of October 19, 2011, our Father in heaven took his son Lionel Xavier, OP, to his glory about five in the morning. Fr Lionel passed away in the Kiang Wu Hospital of Macau, where he was taken the day before. Last August, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Aggressive therapy would have been useless so he was given under the continuing direction of his doctors palliative or comfort care at his Convent, St. Dominic’s Priory in Macau. He died peacefully and after receiving devoutly the last Sacraments. Requiescat in pace!
           Three special Masses were celebrated for his eternal repose before he was incinerated.
The first Mass was celebrated On October 19 at six forty five in the morning at the Chapel of the Priory of Saint Dominic, where Fr. Lionel celebrated or con-celebrated Mass almost daily, except the Sundays he had to go to Hong Kong to celebrate his Mass there with the Dominican Laity. This first Mass was an intimate celebration of his brothers in the Dominican community of Macau.
           The second Mass was celebrated near his remains at a Catholic Funeral Parlor of Macau. This Eucharistic celebration was presided by Fr. Javier Gonzalez, OP, Provincial of Our Lady of the Rosary Province, and concelebrated by about fourteen secular and religious priests, including a good number of Dominicans. Among the faithful attending the holy Mass, many were members of the Dominican family, friends, teachers and students of Fr. Lionel. Fr. Provincial pronounced a moving homily underscoring the wonderful life of Fr. Lionel and giving thanks to God, to Fr. Lionel and to the Dominican community of Macau. At the end, Fr. Alejandro Salcedo, OP, subject or prior of Fr. Lionel for the seven years (2004-2011) he lived in Macau, also gave thanks to all and underscored the exemplary conduct of Fr. Lionel as a kind, forgiving and grateful patient. By the way, Fr Alejandro and Bro. Joseph Lee are the two brothers who provided Fr. Lionel with extraordinary daily loving care.
           The third Mass, the Funeral Mass was held at the Cathedral of Macau with Bishop Jose Lai presiding. It was a solemn Mass concelebrated by about forty priests – religious as well as secular -, including the Dominicans working here in Macao and in the two communities of Hong Kong. Our Dominican students animated the Mass with the usual songs and hymns. In his homily, Bishop Lai underscored the highlights of the life of Fr. Lionel, thanking him in particular for his pastoral work in the Diocese of Macau. Before the end of the Mass, Fr. Jarvis Sy, OP, from our Priory in Macau gave thanks to all present, in particular to the Bishop, to the many concelebrants, to the relatives and friends of Fr. Lionel and to all the faithful who filled up the Cathedral. Most of them were members of religious congregations of women, and teachers and students from the schools of Rosaryhill in Hong Kong and St. Paul in Macau. After the Mass, the Dominican family said good bye to their brother Fr. Lionel with the traditional songs Salve Regina and O Spem Miram. When the remains of Fr. Lionel were leaving the Church to be cremated, our students sung with contained emotion the Ode of Joy of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
(Afterwards, more Masses for his eternal repose were celebrated: a Novena at St. Dominic’s Priory in Macau(October 21-29) and a special Mass – on October 28, 2011- at our Rosaryhill School in Hong Kong).
           Fr Lionel was 81 years old when he died. He lived his Dominican vocation to the full in the different kinds of works and apostolate he performed. Always kind, respectful and competent, he was deeply spiritual and joyfully in love with Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Dominican saints, in particular St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena whom he knew very well.
           Born on July 3, 1930, in Kowloon Hong Kong, Fr. Lionel made his first profession at St. Albert’s Convent in Hong Kong on July 28, 1956. He pursued his philosophical studies also at St. Albert’s Convent (1956-1959), and his theological studies at the Convent of Santo Domingo and the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, where he obtained his Licentiate in Theology (1959-1963). He was ordained a Dominican priest at Rosary Church, Kowloon Hong Kong, on April 27, 1963. Later on, Fr. Lionel obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts and a Certificate in Education from the University of Hong Kong, and after finishing a Summer Course in Education, University of London, he was granted a special Diploma.
           Fr. Lionel spent most of his life working and evangelizing in the Rosaryhill School run by the Dominicans of Our Lady of the Rosary Province. He taught there for over thirty years. He administered responsibly different positions, including Director of the School (1981-1984; 1987-1990), Prefect of the Primary Section (1966-1968; 1993-1997, and of the Secondary Section (1966-1975; 1978-1990). He was also the Prior of St. Albert’s Convent (1981-1984, and 1994 and ff.) Through all his years in Rosayhill, Fr. Lionel worked not only or even mainly as a revered administrator but as a caring Dominican father, serious and soft-spoken, approachable and compassionate. In the different woks he carried out, Fr. Lionel made many friends, whom he loves dearly and vice-versa.
           During his first three years in Macau (2004-2007), Fr Lionel was superior of the Dominican House, and also in charge of the Department of Religion of the diocesan school of Saint Paul administered by Dominicans. He was, above all, in love with his Dominican and priestly vocation. This was particularly shown in the last four years of his life that he spent at St. Dominic’s Priory in Macau, as formator, master of students or assistant master of students, as assistant liaison of our students with the Catholic University of Saint Joseph. A task he loved with special love was his role as Promoter of the Dominican Family in Hong Kong that he carried out – like everything else he had to do – with utmost punctuality and concern for others.
As a preacher, He loved to preach the Word of God and proclaim the lives of the saints. He was always ready to preach the word of God; in particular, he was ready every day with his written homily. He loved to begin or end his homilies or his sermons with a moving story. One story he repeated often was the one of an Arabian mystic. This Sufi once said to his followers the following story. When I was young, I wanted to be a revolutionary, I wanted to change the world, so I prayed to God every night: “Please, dear God, help me to change the world.†Nothing happened! When he was an adult, he changed his prayer: “Please, dear God, help me to change my family and those around me.†Again, nothing happened! Finally, when he was old, he prayed daily: “Please, dear God, help me to change.†Then, yes, something happened! He began to change and also those around him. “â€My brothers and sisters,†Fr. Lionel used to say, “let us try to change ourselves – always with the help of God who never fails.â€
Our journey continues! Our brother and friend Fr Lionel is dead! But, for us Christians – and many other believers – death is not the end of life, but the beginning of a new life: “I am not dying; I am entering a new life†(St. Therese of the Child Jesus). Through his death, Fr Lionel has gone to another place, an everlasting dwelling place in heaven, the place of the Light! Indeed, “Death is not extinguishing the light, but putting out the lamp, because the dawn has come†(R. Tagore: cf. Rev 22:4-5)
Dear brother Lionel, we all – your brothers and sisters, relatives, friends, teachers and students -, we all give you thanks, many, many thanks. It was good, very good to walk with you on our journey of life. We shall continue praying for you. We are sure you are in heaven praying for us. Remember we sung together so many times the O Spem Miram to our Father Dominic. Now it is your turn to tell our father St. Dominic, “Imple Pater quod dixisti, nos tuis juvans praecibus.†Amen, Alleluia, Praise the Lord! (FGB)
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