Vox Antiqua, the acclaimed Hong Kong-based choir, returns to Macau on May 1 to celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph with a special choral programme at two of the city’s most beautiful churches. Led by Andrew Leung, Vox Antiqua will perform William Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices, Gregorian chants, traditional hymns, and works by composers from around the world.
While the parish of St Joseph the worker celebrates its patronal feast on May 1, Macau’s youngest Catholic church looks forward to the celebration of its 25th anniversary as well. To commemorate a quarter-century of pastoral work, the parish will organize, starting from October, a wide programme of initiatives and activities.
The representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the People’s Republic of China, Vanno Noupech, visited Macau in late March to restore dialogue with the local authorities. Mr Noupech’s visit was the first by an official of the United Nations Refugee Agency in more than three years.
Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, Cardinal John Hon Tong, presided over a Solemn Eucharist at Saint Joseph’s Church in Macau, as part of the 23rd anniversary celebration of the Saint Joseph’s Seminary Alumni Association. The ceremony was con-celebrated by three other priests, and the Church of Saint Joseph was filled with former students of the seminary from Macau and abroad.
Almost two hundred catechumens received the Sacraments of Christian initiation during the Easter Vigil ceremonies that took place all over Macau, Father João Lau told O Clarim. In his parish – the Saint Lazarus Parish – two dozen adults entered full communion with the Catholic Church, after they received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and First Holy Communion.
In his Easter message this year, Bishop Stephen Lee Bun Sang has declared that from 30th April 2023 (Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday) to 8th December 2024 (Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception), the Diocese of Macau will celebrate the “Diocesan Year of Vocations”.
Guia Hill will once again host the Stations of the Cross, this Good Friday, early in the morning. Organized by the Catholic Lay Association of Macau, the initiative will also be broadcasted live on the organization’s Facebook page and on the Catholic Diocese of Macau’s YouTube channel.
On March 25, the first-ever Deignan Award for Responsible Entrepreneurship was presented in Hong Kong, recognizing three companies from Macau and three from Hong Kong. Among the Macau-based awardees was C&C, a law firm that received the Deignan Silver Award for its commitment to environmental, social, and responsible management practices. The Deignan Award was established by the Macau Ricci Institute and the WooFoo Foundation to acknowledge small and medium-sized enterprises that have gone above and beyond in adopting responsible business practices guided by values such as sustainability and social justice.
The Choral Vespers worship service presented by the Cathedral Schola Choir has become a longstanding Lenten tradition in Macau and this year will be no exception. The Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady hosts this Saturday “a sung meditation on the Lord’s Passion”. The one-of-a-kind worship service starts at 7pm.
Local Catholic communities in China are following the Lenten path, redoubling their efforts in works of charity and empathy for others, always ready to respond to new needs and specific demands. Alongside traditional methods of offering alms, innovative initiatives have been also implemented to support those in need during the Lenten season.
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