Marco Carvalho
With a clean facade and a new ceiling, but without the pipe organ that a benefactor offered the Diocese of Macau. The Macau Cathedral will welcome the faithful once again starting Saturday, eleven months after it closed its doors to be submitted to renovation works. A Solemn Mass in Cantonese and Portuguese, this Saturday afternoon, will kick off the celebrations of the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lady, the Cathedral’s parish feast.
“The Church is very beautiful, it has a very pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. I think everyone will be very pleased.” The Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady will reopen its doors this Saturday, following eleven months of intense renovation work and the parish vicar of the Cathedral Church is fully convinced that the renewed looks of Macau’s most important Church will not only charm the faithful, but also contribute to “strengthen people’s faith” and reinforce “the community’s life.”
Father Daniel Ribeiro claims that the reopening of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady was “highly anticipated” by the local population. The Brazilian priest believes the occasion constitutes an opportunity for Macau’s Catholics to showcase a deeper understanding of their faith: “The Cathedral is the Church where the bishop presides over Masses. It is a religious reference in Macau. The re-opening was long-awaited. This Saturday, the Cathedral will host Masses and liturgical ceremonies once again and this is something that invites people to strengthen their faith, both by themselves and as a community. I am quite sure it will be a very beautiful moment for the whole community,” the Dehonian missionary said. “I have already visited the Church and I believe that people will like the renewed looks of the Cathedral,” the parish vicar added.
Following an eleven-months interruption, the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady will once again host liturgical celebrations tomorrow afternoon. A Solemn Mass in Cantonese and Portuguese will kick off the celebrations of the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lady, Macau’s most important church parish feast: “Masses will return to their previous schedule. The only significant change that takes place concerns Saturday Mass. On Saturdays there won’t be Solemn Masses any more. The Solemn Masses on Saturday will continue to take place in Saint Dominic’s Church at 5.30 p.m.. The other Masses will be held every day, from Monday to Friday at 6 PM. On Sundays, the Cathedral will host the Sunday Mass in Portuguese at 11 AM,” Father Daniel Ribeiro told O Clarim. “In addition to the Saturday 5:30 p.m. Mass, Saint Dominic’s Church will host Masses every 13th and 25th of the month: on the 13th in honour of Our Lady of Fátima and on the 25th dedicated to the Infant Jesus of Prague,” the parish vicar of the Cathedral Church added.
On the occasion of the celebration of the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lady, the Sunday Eucharist will return to the Cathedral Church, where a triduum prayer devotion will take place between Sunday and next Tuesday. The Diocese of Macau will also promote a “Cathedral anniversary dinner” tomorrow evening.
The Church of the Nativity of Our Lady closed its doors in October 2020 so it could undergo a nine-million pataca renovation process that included structural strengthening. Macau’s most important Church will now welcome the faithful once again with painted walls, a new ceiling and a new lighting control system, but without the majestic pipe organ that a benefactor offered the Diocese of Macau: “Due to the fact that foreigners are not allowed to enter Macau, the installation of the pipe organ was not carried out. It will take place on another occasion, still to be determined,” Father Daniel Ribeiro told O Clarim.
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