The ministry of Holy Communion: Bringing God to men

Eleven extraordinary ministers of Communion – eight who serve the Catholic community in the parish of Our Lady of Carmel and three others in the Cathedral parish – recently received their respective certificates issued by the Catholic Diocese of Macau. The certificates were handed over in a brief ceremony that was presided over by Father Eduardo Aguero and Father Daniel Ribeiro. O Clarim spoke with three of the ministers about the meaning of the mission that was assigned to them by the Church.

Children set to receive First Holy Communion may have to wait till September

The team in charge of the pastoral care of the Portuguese-speaking Catholic community at the Cathedral parish intends to celebrate the Feast of the First Holy Communion as soon as the local churches reopen. The ceremony, nevertheless, might be delayed until September, father Daniel Ribeiro told “O Clarim”. The First Communion Feast, that should have taken place on June 19th, was postponed for pandemic-related reasons.

It’s time for family and contemplating God in Covid-weary Macau

The aggravation of the epidemic scenario in Macau forced the Cathedral parish to postpone the feast of the First Holy Communion. Covid-19 hindered the Corpus Christi celebrations, but did not prevent them from happening. The ceremony was broadcasted live on the Internet. The procession that should have connected Saint Joseph’s School and the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady was, nevertheless, cancelled.

Flashback: Memories from May

From honouring St Joseph the Worker on his feast day at the church named for him and celebrating the sacramental progression of young Catholics; the recognition that sainthood can be achieved through any myriad of vocations on the World Day of Prayer for Vocations; remembering the admonishing yet hope-filled message of Fatima on Our Lady’s feast; to the Confirmation students of St Francis Xavier parish receiving appropriate guidance to grow in faith, the month of May was an eventful one, yielding spiritual blooms and representing a Catholic time of spring. O Clarim recalls…

The educational landscape in Macau is changing for the better: Ana Correia

The Bishop Domingos Lam Centre for Research in Education was created three years ago with the purpose of fostering research focused on education and educational development in Macau, but the Covid-19 pandemic led to the cancellation or suspension of several of the projects in which the organization was involved. Restructured one year after it was founded, the Centre elected inclusive education as one of its main focus of research. O Clarim spoke with Ana Correia, an expert in special and inclusive education and current director of the Bishop Domingos Lam Centre for Research in Education.

Joy amidst crisis: 3 children receive First Holy Communion in Taipa as Covid-19 looms, Cathedral cancels ceremony for 15 others

Three children received the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist for the first time at the Church of Our Lady of Carmel in Taipa on Sunday, June 12th. The ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, however, put a damper on the ceremony at the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady for 15 other children as restrictions were imposed. Masses and other public religious celebrations were suspended in all local churches.