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Faith & Life

BITE-SIZE THEOLOGY (145) What makes a good confessor?

September 24, 2021

“The confessor is not the master of God’s forgiveness, but its servant. The minister of this sacrament should unite himself to the intention and charity of Christ (Presbyterorum Ordinis 13). He should have a proven knowledge of Christian behavior, experience of human affairs, respect and sensitivity toward the one who has fallen; he must love the truth, be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church, and lead the penitent with patience toward healing and full maturity. He must pray and do penance for his penitent, entrusting him to the Lord’s mercy.”

Local

BASILIA SAM: “It is my hope that the new premises will become a home for music”

September 24, 2021

New opportunities, but also new responsibilities. The Saint Pius X Music Academy has started the new academic year in its new premises, at Rua da Praia do Bom Parto. The change, says the institution’s director, allowed the recruitment of new teachers and opened the doors to new development perspectives, but also to greater challenges and obligations. The institution currently teaches nearly two hundred students. Mr. Basilla Sam spoke with O Clarim about the road ahead. 

Local, World

Jesuit’s diplomacy put Macau and Beijing on the same page

September 24, 2021

The Society of Jesus was instrumental in bringing about the first direct links between the Portuguese colonial authorities in Macau and the imperial court, in Beijing, in the early 17th century. The assumption sets the tone for the lecture that Tereza Sena, an historian and researcher, will deliver next Tuesday at the University of Saint Joseph. 

Local

International Institute pays tribute to José Maria Bártolo

September 24, 2021

Recently deceased, José Maria Bártolo will be posthumously honored on October 8th by the International Institute of Macau and by the Saint Joseph’s Seminary Alumni Association. The two institutions joined forces to publish Pétalas ao Vento (Petals in the Wind, in a free translation), the last book written by the late former contributor to O Clarim.

Faith & Life, World

September 20: Saint Pius X, Ernesto Nathan and Ernesto Buonaiuti

September 24, 2021

For most devout Catholics, the date of 20th September, especially at the beginning of the last century, was not a day to celebrate. It was a day that commemorated the end of the temporal power of the Popes, a historical event that took place, which was too overwhelming and heartbreaking at least for most Catholics. In fact, recent historiography has also highlighted the purely anti-Catholic aspect of the Risorgimento, the role of Freemasonry which was certainly not secondary.

Faith & Life, World

Missionaries From Macau to the World: Saint Lazarus Islands (62)

September 23, 2021

Investigators Jin Guo Ping and Wu Zhiliang refer us to the Guangdong Tongzhi (Guangdong General Chronicle) by Jin Guangzhu: “On the 5th day of the 8th moon of the 26th year (July 24, 1598) of the Wanli Reign (1573 – 1615), people from Lução suddenly came to anchor in Haojing’ao (Baía de Vieira, Macau), requesting the presentation of tributes. The governor of Guangdong,  deeming their entry illegal, decided to expel them. The Portuguese of Macau also reinforced their defense, preventing the landing of the luções.

Faith & Life

Christmas day

September 23, 2021

Coming back from school, my son, who is in elementary school, told me: “Dad, today the teacher told us that Jesus was not born on December 25th. That the cold and frost that the Child suffered is all an invention, because the first Christians who celebrated Christmas, took it from an ancient pagan festival …” I have not been able to answer this question. Indeed, this news has shaken me too. Can you tell me something about it?

World

Priest rescues child from organ traffickers

September 22, 2021

The deadly fate of a boy, due to be killed for organ trafficking, was reversed when a priest intervened – by pretending to be a criminal. The story was revealed by El Pais, a leading Spanish National newspaper and Aleteia Catholic news.