– Miguel Augusto (*)
On the occasion of the recent visit of sister Miriam to Macau, who has been living in Mozambique for the last six years, for the celebration of her Congregation, O Clarim went to meet her at the Saint Paul Bookstore at Travessa do Bispo. Sister Miriam first arrived in the territory in 1992, where she remained for fourteen years. In 2006, she left and went to other missions. Today, despite her 82 years, sister Miriam is full of vitality, always with a smile, radiating the presence of God.
Sister Miriam began by telling us that the Pauline sisters came to Macau in 1969 through Bishop D. José Tavares, pastor of the Diocese from 1961 to 1973. She recalled the feeling of the bishop who “felt that the presence of the Pauline sisters, through the media, would be a good way to announce Jesus Christ to the community.”
Sister Miriam tells us that first came an Italian and a Philipine sister, but because they didn’t know Chinese or Portuguese, they had some difficulties. Afterwards, two Brazilian sisters came and “then they felt the need for another sister and so came a Portuguese sister.” When the sisters arrived “there was a store of religious articles in the diocese, but very modest, situated in Praia Grande.” The intent of the Pauline sisters at the beginning of their mission, was to work for the Portuguese community, and thus commissioned books from Brazil and Portugal, Sister Miriam recalls. They also asked for the magazine Família Cristã, a project of the Pauline family, which comprises five Religious Congregations and four religious Institutes, and an Association of lay people. Sister Miriam added that “the founder called this ‘the Pauline’s family’.”
With this initiative of the sisters to gather publications, they created a bookstore. In the meantime, a Japanese sister who spoke Italian, came to support. “The sisters began to visit departments of the Government and Schools in order to meet the needs of the community and at the same time bring the Good News. When they visited the schools, they showed short films and talked with the children.”
In the mid-1970s, a very capable Italian sister came and the bishop entrusted her with a job in the diocesan media. Sister Maria Pia Cantieri was “very creative; she soon began to understand that in Macau it was important to have good films. She then talked to the bishop to give her a space where Cineteatro is today. It began with a small room, and the Macau Cineteatro was gradually born. Sister Maria Pia is considered the founder of the Diocesan Media Center. The building was a gymnasium of the Santa Rosa de Lima School, Sister Miriam recalls, which was gradually transformed, with a small projection room. It also gave rise to a nursery that the Pauline sisters took care of.
“Later Sister Maria Pia had the support of a Portuguese seminarian who came to Macau. He created a radio program called ‘Shalom,’ which lasted 30 minutes in the morning and in the afternoon. Sister Maria Pia later managed to make the program also in Chinese. Little by little Sister Miriam tells us that Sister Maria Pia was creating a structure in these media and began by creating small television films, more directed to Chinese television.
Later, Sister Maria Pia “enthusiastically gave support to the lepers in China.”
Sister Miriam had been living with sister Maria Pia since her arrival in Macau. “I have gained love for the local and the community with a great desire to proclaim Jesus Christ.” Sister felt comfortable adapting to Macau because she had already lived in Portugal for ten years, saying “here I always felt [at home in] the Portuguese environment.”
Little by little, Sister Miriam started to be in charge of the bookshop called ‘Livraria de São Paulo’. At that time the director of the Faculty of Law met her and asked her for help, because there were many Chinese students who wanted to study law in Portuguese, but they did not know the publishers and needed them to order books of law. The sister said “I do not understand anything about law, but you will guide me. We then started order books. I thought it was just for the for the students, but in the meantime the lawyers started to come to the bookstore and asking if we had this or that book.”
Sister Miriam recalls something curious – law books were placed on shelves close to where the Bibles were stacked. Some lawyers, who first went to the bookstore to buy law books, later became interested in Bibles and other religious publications. After some time, some of these people approached the sister, not only for advice about the Bible. They had a daughter or son who needed to attend catechesis and asked her for advice.
Sister Miriam says she keeps many memories in her heart. One day a lady judge who use to go to the bookstore told her: “Sister, I have to confess to you. You must have noticed that I always come on Thursday or Friday. If I do not come here once a week, I did not have a good weekend. Everytime I come here, your music, the smile of the sisters, your place, gives me a well-being that works very well for me, and extends over the weekend.”
The bookstore became a ‘center’ of evangelization, culture and service to the community. Many people went to Sister Miriam, often with questions on the intimate and familiar forum and asked for counseling. And some people returned to the practice of the faith through books that they recommended.
Sister Miriam also told us how the group of Portuguese Catholic scouts GELMac came into being. “There was a lot of youth, but we did not have a Catholic movement, other than catechesis and they asked to form Catholic scouting, and they needed spiritual assistance, which is part of the Organization.” Sister remember that they went to the bishop and he suggested the name of sister Miriam.
The Pauline sisters also supported catecheses, the formation of young people (various groups and ages), and the formation of catechists.
However, the bookstore has always been the focal point, dynamizing service and support to the community. The sister says that the bookstore is also “an ecumenical center, because not only Catholics enter the bookstore … Anglican pastors, Methodists … came.” One of those pastors – he was Portuguese – came to look for a Bible from Jerusalem and Sister Miriam ended up offering her own bible. “I made this act of detachment; this gentleman has faith and confidence. Here the meaning is ecumenical. He believed in Jesus, he believes in the Word of God and wants to know.” He was very grateful, she concluded.
Sister Miriam gave her testimony at the Cathedral Church during the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Daughters of St. Paul in Macau – on June 22nd (Saturday) where she spoke to us about the mission of the sisters not only in the territory, but especially of its universal spirituality: how they interact with the community, taking the Gospel and the communion of Pauline values and the Congregation to the world.
The heart of the Pauline spirituality is Jesus Master, Way, Truth and Life. They strive to reach the same goal as the Apostle Paul: “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” Modeling themselves on Mary, whom they honor in devotion as the Queen of Apostles and of every apostolate.
Up to this day, the Pauline Sisters are present in Asia and Oceania. In Australia, South Korea, the Philippines, Japan, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Macau, they continue their important apostolate.
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