The Chinese Section of Santa Rosa de Lima Secondary School will once again play host to the Prayer Service for Christian Unity, an annual ecumenical celebration that draws together worshippers from different Christian denomination. The observance is part of the broader Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
It’s one of the most vibrant and expressive public displays of faith in Asia’s largest Catholic nation, but also an exuberant trademark for Filipino communities spread around the world. Macau Special Administrative Region is no exception. On Sunday morning, believers will flock to Saint Augustine’s Church to attend a Mass in honor of Señor Santo Niño. Later on, hundreds of Overseas Filipino Workers will swarm the streets of central Macau to celebrate Sinulog, a lively festival that intertwines faith, culture and tradition.
The Church traditionally uses three celebrations after Christmas to emphasize the manifestation of Jesus’ divinity. First, on the Feast of the Epiphany, the Child Jesus is recognized as God by the three wise men. Then, as we saw last Sunday, at His baptism performed by John the Baptist, a voice from heaven reveals that Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father and a dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, descends upon Him. This trilogy concludes in today’s celebration with the Gospel of the wedding at Cana, where Jesus during a wedding and after His mother’s request, turns water into wine and begins His messianic signs that would be completed with the sign of greater love through His sacrifice on the cross.
The University of Saint Joseph will be welcoming students from Portugal’s largest educational institution for socially disadvantaged children and youth as soon as next year. The program was confirmed to “O Clarim” by Álvaro Barbosa, Vice-rector for Internationalization and Academic Affairs of USJ. Macau’s Catholic university signed a collaborative agreement with Casa Pia de Lisboa just before Christmas.
In his usual Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, on the occasion of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord which, according to the liturgical calendar currently in force in the Catholic Church, marks the end of the Christmas season, Pope Francis made the following statement: “the face and voice of God are revealed through the human side of Jesus”.
This prayer of the priest appears before my eyes in a hallucinative glow on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord: “May the mingling of this water and wine bring us to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share our humanity.” The celebrant of the Eucharist utters this prayer under breath while mixing a drop of water into wine in preparation for the offertory. When I said this prayer during my first mass, the baptism scene of Jesus came to my mind without any prior meditation, and it stayed on with me.
The Catholic Church’s teaching on the male priesthood is often misunderstood. It is not a statement of male superiority or exclusion but a theological reflection of Christ’s role as the bridegroom of the Church. While ordination is reserved for men, the Church celebrates the indispensable contributions of women in leadership, ministry, and spiritual life. Understanding the priesthood through its theological foundation helps us move beyond misconceptions rooted in societal assumptions.
The Diocese of Macau rejoices in the ordination of two new priests, Father Adriano Serro Agostinho and Father Chan Pak Lam Bosco, on August 31, 2024. Surrounded by family, friends, and the faithful, the ordination was marked by profound moments of prayer, dedication, and the invocation of the Holy Spirit.
Ten months after the devastating attacks on Jaranwala’s Christian community, hostility lingers, affecting children’s education. The Cecil & Iris Chaudhry Foundation steps in with vital aid, from housing to psychological support. Meanwhile, fresh blasphemy accusations in Sargodha spark more violence, critically injuring Nazir Masih. As authorities and religious leaders demand thorough investigations and better protection, the call for justice and interfaith dialogue grows louder.
On Pentecost weekend, the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady in Macau celebrated Confirmation for its Chinese, Portuguese, and English communities, led by Bishop Stephen Lee. This sacrament strengthens Catholics with the Holy Spirit to build up the Church and witness Christ. The celebrations underscored the importance of Confirmation in Christian initiation and its connection to the Eucharist.
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