As a result of a long contact, it was not long before the Portuguese influence was felt in the city of Manila.
Month: October 2021
Beauty as Ideal
It is often said that our age is a time in which we suffer from a crisis of ideals, our young people no longer know what to believe. Why not offer them the ideal of beauty again? But not beauty only in an aesthetic sense, but as a profound value behind which they will always find God. The Church had understood this, promoting the most artistically valid sacred music, the sacred art of the highest level, literature at the highest levels: true beauty is the seed of holiness.
Rubrics…or Fidelity?
I am a priest from the diocese of … I always follow you and read with great interest, trying to implement your precious indications in the parish entrusted to me. I would like to open my mind to tell you what the liturgical formation we have had since the seminary and then the refresher courses … We were told that the liturgical books should not be mandatory, but should be used as a general indication to guide our creativity. In short, the book was not to be read, but recreated with our own words according to the assembly for which it was celebrated. We were all afraid of being considered ‘rubricists’ and we felt (in good faith) authorized to freely remake rites and texts. It seems that this was not the Church’s thinking … Please clarify …
Chancery Notice
Bishop Stephen LEE announces that, with effect from Tuesday, 19th October 2021, all parish churches and chapels in the Diocese, with the exception of those in schools and homes for the elderly, will be open to the public as usual. For the latest information, please visit the diocesan website at www.catholic.org.mo.
Brave and helpful to the last
Fr Emil Kapaun, war hero, saved many lives while risking his own. His fearless charity may qualify him for sainthood. On the battlefield, numerous times he carried wounded men to safety, helped dying men, and gave much spiritual and human comfort.
Five sisters become nuns in two years
Five sisters, out of six, from the same family joined the same contemplative order in Spain in only two years. Surprisingly the Spanish nuns had not talked to each other about their vocations before entering the Iesu Communio community.
Macau Diocese launches Diocesan Phase of 2023 Synod of Bishops
On Saturday, October 16, 2021, the Diocese of Macao joined the dioceses throughout the world in preparing for the Synod of Bishops 2023. Pope Francis has challenged the Church to “journey together” as one Church. The Holy Mass, celebrated by Bishop Stephen Lee and the clergy of the Diocese, marked the commencement of local participation of the Diocese of Macao in the two-year journey towards the 2023 Synod of Bishops.
Bishop Lee to open diocesan phase of Synod on Synodality
The diocesan phase of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops – the first ever decentralized Synod – begins this Saturday in the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady, with the celebration of a Solemn Mass, followed by a meeting between Bishop Stephen Lee and the local parish priests. Dedicated to the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission,” the process which is just now beginning, looks to hear from voices on the margins of the Church and Pope Francis wants every Catholic to have a word.
Catechesis to resume when schools reopen
Local churches resumed public religious services last weekend, but catechesis will only be an option once again when schools and universities reopen their classrooms. The suspension may force children and catechists to make an extra effort to make amends for the meetings that were cancelled. At the Cathedral parish, pre-catechesis attracted eight children. Enrolment in catechumenate classes fell short of expectations.
USJ transitions faster to a digital classroom
The agility with which the University of Saint Joseph transitioned, in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, from regular classes to a digital environment, gave Macau’s Catholic University the tools and the experience to adapt skilfully, quickly and effectively to the sudden alteration of the epidemic panorama in the Special Administrative Region. This was the assessment of José Manuel Simões, Communication & Media Coordinator at the University of Saint Joseph.