Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Welcome to the China-Macau Bulletin, April 2010

Alleluiah! The Lord is Risen!
We, all at the Mission China Team, Wish all our beloved friends and well-wishers the peace, joy and the Heaven's Choicest blessings on this great Feast of Easter! We reach you with all the latest news and information...scroll down the page to find a number of photographs to see our visitors and places we visited and things we did!! But before that, some important news:

Monday, April 05, 2010

Vatican’s China commission urges Bishops to work for unity



The Vatican’s Commission for the Church in China is urging bishops in China to “work for the growth of unity, faith and life among all Catholicsand avoid “gestures that run counter to communion with the Pope” and “create difficulties” for their respective Church communities.The Commission for China established in 2007 by Pope Benedicto XVI met by third time in Santa Sede, from the 22 to the 24 of March.Among the 30 participants were the five bishops from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan and also Claretian Fr. Samuel Canilang, CMF, Director of ICLA.

The commission is making it clear to China bishops that to live in a fully coherent way, their communion with the Pope means they must avoid whatever contradicts this and causes distress and confusion to their communities. This means, the bishops in China should avoid celebrating the Eucharist with “illegitimate” bishops (a bishop who does not have papal approval), participating in episcopal ordinations if one of the consecrating bishops is illegitimate, and participating in meetings that are incompatible with the Church’s constitution and Catholic doctrine, such as the National Assembly of Catholic Representatives, expected to be held later this year.

Sources described the fourth paragraph of the statement, which talked about promoting unity within the Catholic Church in China, and to overcome the difficulties it faces in relations with civil society, as the most important point to emerge from the plenary meeting.
- Courtesy: UCAN News

Vatican Web in Chinese
In accordance with the recommendations by the first session of the Commission for China, the Holy See continues the work of translation of all the Documents from the Holy See to the catholic Church in China. In this regard, on 18 March, the Holy See announced that the Catechism of the catholic Church, in its Chinese translation, had been published in the Web of the Vatican.

The Code of Canon Law of 1983 and the great texts of the Council of the Vatican II in Chinese will also be made available in the net(http://gsearch.vatican.va/search?q=chinese&x=23&y=8).
Our team of Chinese publishers is now preparing a new translation of the Bible in Chinese which, we hope also can be available in a moment in Internet. The Gospel according to St. Luke and the Acts of the Apostles with Lectio Divino is already in the press, and other books are in preparation.

Gregorian Mass in the Cathedral of Beijing

On Sunday, 21 of March Fr. Rossa was in Beijing with the two Claretian Missionaries from Brazil. There, they went to the Cathedral Church and the parish priest, Fr. Mateo Zhen invited them to concelebrate the Mass in English.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which dates back to the year 1605
We understand this as a beautiful sign of opening and dialogue. Foreign priests cannot, legally, preside over the Eucharist in China, it always must be presided by a Chinese. The invitation to concelebrate with them is already a great passage of opening. We have a couple of photos for the memory:
Gregorian Mass in the Cathedral of Beijing on March 21
Faithful coming out of the Cathedral after attending the Sunday Liturgy
144 Catechumens Baptized During the Easter Vigil Mass
Our brother Sid conveys the following message from Beijing: The mass for Easter vigil began at 5 pm on Saturday, with the cathedral already full of people as early as 3 pm. The patio in front of the Church was also full of people. The bishop of Beijing celebrated the mass with four priests concelebrating. During the celebration, 134 catechumens, mostly young people, were baptized. Ten others were baptized before the Easter vigil due to their sickness or physical disability. It was already 8:30 pm when the mass ended.

Bibles for Brazil

Frs. Maciel Messias and Luis Erlin Gordo, Claretians from Brazil, traveled to China to make a feasibility study of printing Bibles for Brasil in China. Here we are with the Director of the Press Mr. Li and companions:
Fr. Luis, Fany, Alice, Kathy, Fr. Maciel and Mr. Li in the Amity press

Its photo time!...An attempt to capture a slice of history!
Fany, the girl in the middle, is the one in charge of coordinating our works. At this moment we have more than 450,000 books in print.
A partial view of the Press
Another view of the press
Here we have a sample of the new edition of the Pastoral Bible in English
In addition, we are printing Bibles in English with Lectio Divina, in French, in Kreyol for Haiti and in Tagalog and Cebuano for the Philippines; and several new editions in Spanish.
You can also watch out for a pocket Bible shortly, with a totally new concept of layout and binding! We will update you with pictures and news once these new titles are released.

"Made in China!"

Our companions of Brazil also looked for religious articles. From the Press at Nanjing, we arrived in the City of Yiwu, 450 kms. south of Nanjing. The City is famous for its huge exhibition halls with “everything that is made in China and that invades the world”. 460,000 square meters of exhibition space with articles carrying the label “made in China” is a place to shop where one finds of everything…virtually everything !! Even religious articles....
An Icon of the "Last Supper"

What is seen outside is only the tip of the iceberg! China is a leading manufacturer of religious articles for the world market...Including the Bible!!

"The Egg"

It is Easter and so we wish to present to you the magnificent view of "The Egg", our visitors found in Beijing!! But before that join us for a short trip through the landmarks of Beijing:
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire during the rule of successive dynasties.
Enjoying the stroll
The Wall, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 8,851 kilometers (5,500 miles) from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance.

After finishing the “businesses” at the Press, Kathy (in the center) accompanied us on a couple of days in Beijing. Here we are on the Great Wall, 70 kms. from Beijing.

Priceless… unforgettable!

Maciel at the entrance of the wall…

It is necessary to cheer up... Fr. Rossa
The Forbidden City
Lying at the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City, called Gu Gong in Chinese, was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now known as the Palace Museum, it is to the north of Tiananmen Square. Rectangular in shape, it is the world's largest palace complex and covers 74 hectares. The common English name, "the Forbidden City," is a translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng, literally "Purple Forbidden City".
The name "Zijin Cheng" is a name with significance on many levels. Zi, or "Purple", refers to the North Star, which in ancient China was called the Ziwei Star, and in traditional Chinese astrology was the abode of the Celestial Emperor. The surrounding celestial region, the Ziwei Enclosure was the realm of the Celestial Emperor and his family. The Forbidden City, as the residence of the terrestrial emperor, was its earthly counterpart. Jin, or "Forbidden", referred to the fact that no-one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor's permission.
The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section, or the Inner Court was where he lived with his royal family. Until 1924 when the last emperor of China was driven from the Inner Court, fourteen emperors of the Ming dynasty and ten emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here. Having been the imperial palace for some five centuries, it houses numerous rare treasures and curiosities. Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987, the Palace Museum is now one of the most popular tourist attractions world-wide.
Tiananmen Square

Tian'anmen Square is the large plaza near the centre of Beijing, named after the Tiananmen (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace) which sits to its north, separating it from the Forbidden City. It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several key events in Chinese history.


The Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world (440,000 m² - 880 m by 500 m) . It has been the site of many events. The Tiananmen Gate was first built in 1417 in the Ming Dynasty. During the demise of the Ming Dynasty, heavy fighting between Li Zicheng and the early Qing emperors damaged (or perhaps destroyed) the gate. The Tian'anmen square was originally designed and built in Beijing in 1651. It was enlarged to its present size (four times its original size) and cemented over in 1958.
Fr. Maciel at the Tiananmen and entrance to the Forbidden City
National Stadium of Beijing
Popularly known as the "Birds' Nest", due to its steel outer structure, the stadium of Beijing stands tall and magnificent with its 330 meters length, 220 meters width and 69 meters height. The structure is covered with a transparent membrane. It is equipped with a solar energy system and rainwater collection for it's irrigation and cleaning. The "Birds' Nest" hosted the inauguration and closing ceremonies, various track and field and Soccer events of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Fr. Luis at the NEST, the Olympics Stadium, Beijing
The Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven was constructed between 1406 and 1420 during the reign of Ming Emperor Yong Le (1403-1424). The Temple of Heaven was originally established as the Temple of Heaven and Earth, but was given its current name during the reign of Ming Emperor JiaJing (1522-1567). It was the place where the emperors of the dynasties Ming and Qing offered sacrifices to the god of the Sky and prayed for rich harvests. In early 2005, the Temple of Heaven underwent a 47 million yuan (6 million US$) renovation that was completed on May 1st, 2006. The Temple of Heaven has been converted into a park that is popular both with tourists and residents alike.
It occupies a surface three times the one of the Imperial Palace. It is about 2 kilometers from north to south. The inner walled area that houses the main structures covers 275 Hectares (2.75 million square meters). Indeed, it is the largest group of constructions for worship in the world.

National Theatre
Colloquially described as The Egg, The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) is an opera house in Beijing. The Centre, an ellipsoid dome of titanium and glass surrounded by an artificial lake, seats 5,452 people in three halls and is almost 12,000 m² in size.
It was designed by French architect Paul Andreu. Construction started in December 2001 and the inaugural concert was held in December 2007.

The “Catholic Prayer Bible” Launched

We all, at Claretian Publications and Pastoral Bible Foundation, Macau joyously announce the launching of the latest of our Bible Projects: "The Catholic Prayer Bible - Lectio Divina Edition”. The Catholic Prayer Bible is the first of its kind to be published, a joint project with Paulist Press in USA. The draft was sent to the Press on 22 February 2010 and on 18 of March the new Bible was launched at the Catechetical Congress of Los Angeles. The next editions will be in Spanish and Chinese, both are in preparation.

Conferences on Liturgy

Fr. Benedictine Anscar Chupungco, OSB, one of the well recognised liturgists in the Church, was in Macau recently. He gave a two-week intensive course on Liturgy.
Fr. Rossa with Frs. Joao Eleuterio, Vice Rector of Saint Joseph University in Macau and Anscar Chupungco, after a conference.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Hong Kong News

Welcome Fr. Ezakias to Hong Kong!
Fr. Ezakias Antony Swamy
Taking a step closer towards the establishing of a Claretian Community in Hong Kong, the Diocese of Hong Kong has accepted Fr. Ezakias Antony Swami along with the Fr. Jose Cherukara. Fr. Ezakias reached Hong Kong on 24 March.

With Fr. Tom Peyton MM, Parish Priest
Both reside at Christ the Worker Parsih, with the Maryknoll Fathers and are studying the Cantonese language (spoken by about 80 million people). We wish him a hearty Welcome to Hong Kong and to the seven tones of the Cantonese language...!!
Birthdays of the Month:
In the Month of March we had two birthday celebrations in Hong Kong. Fr. Jose celebrated his Birthday on 9 March. A few snaps from the celebrations in Hong Kong:

Fr. Tony Brennan, MM, the Assistant Parish Priest at the Christ the Worker Parish, celebrated his birthday on 25 March.



Baptisms Amplify Easter Joy
The Church in Hong Kong had beautiful celebration of the Holy Week and Easter. In this year of Priests, around 200 priests joined their Bishop in the Cathedral Church in the concelebrated Chrism Mass on the Holy Thursday.From the Easter Vigil Mass in Hong Kong
During the Easter Vigil celebrations at Christ the Worker Parish, 15 catechumens were baptized in front of a packed gathering in the Caritas Auditorium. Fr. Tony Baptizing a Catechumen
The Sacrament of Baptism was administered by Frs. Tom Peyton MM and Tony Brennan MM.

www.bibleclaret.org

You have visited our website many times before: www.bible.claret.org
In the near future you will re redirected to: www.bibleclaret.org (without point after “bible”). We had to change our server ... but we continue serving…!! Here is what we have for you: you will find a number of pastoral resources on bible and liturgical books, free to download and many things more. Word of God, of course is easily approachable to those who seek for it... Take a tour!!

Team work

A marvelous piece of tap dance, a parable of how marvelous our surroundings would be if only we were to work as a team and live in harmony!
"How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live together in harmony".
Ps 133:1