As part of Fr General Arturo Sosa’s trip to the Chinese Province, he visited Macau on July 18 to 19. Macau is an autonomous region on the south coast of China, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. With a population of 700,000 and an area of 32.9 sq km (12.7 sq mi), it is the most densely populated region in the world. Originally a sparsely populated collection of coastal islands, the territory has become a major resort city and the top destination for gambling tourism. It is the ninth-highest recipient of tourism revenue and its gaming industry is seven times larger than that of Las Vegas.
The Society of Jesus has been present in Macau from the very beginning of its own history (having been formally established in Rome in 1540), and equally from the beginning of the historical role played by the small city of Macau. St Paul’s College founded by the Jesuits in 1594 and was operative for 168 years until 1762 when the Jesuits were expelled in Macau, extended the Society’s influence beyond the city walls inside China and farther afield. During these years, 665 young Jesuits completed their formation in the College.
On the first day, Fr General Sosa accompanied by his Regional Assistants Fr Vernon D’Cunha SJ for South Asia and Fr Jojo Magadia SJ for Asia Pacific, and Fr Pierre Bélanger SJ of the Jesuit Communication team in Rome had a meeting with lay collaborators in Colegio Estrela do Mar, one of the two Jesuit schools in Macau. Around 60 people came from different social apostolates: Christian Life Community, Magis youth ministry, Macau Ricci Institute, Casa Ricci Social Services and representatives of the two schools, Colegio Estrela do Mar and Colegio Mateus Ricci. Fr General shared with them the Universal Apostolic Preferences.
The next day, Fr General visited the other Jesuit school in Macau. He addressed the primary and secondary students of Colegio Mateus Ricci at their graduation ceremonies. “You are still so young, but you carry in you the future of this world”, he said. “As you come to the end of this academic year, and begin your vacation, I invite you to think about how you can help others in new ways that you have not yet tried before.” Fr Sosa prayed for the children to have “the strength to be daring and hopeful, not for yourselves, but for the world, and for the future”.
After his brief commencement address, Fr General blessed two statues of St Ignatius in the school’s complex and visited St Anthony Church, the oldest church in Macau built by the Jesuits around 1560. Nowadays the church is served by the Korean Martyrs Congregation.
Fr General also met and greeted the staff of Casa Ricci Social Services and Macau Ricci Institute. He also had an opportunity to meet the Jesuit community in Macau. The short trip was closed by the Thanksgiving Mass for 70 years in the Society of Jesus of Fr Yves Camus SJ and 50 years in the Society of Fr Luis Sequeira SJ and Gregory Koay SJ.
The experience of Fr General’s visit, albeit only brief, remains in the hearts of the many lay collaborators and Jesuits in Macau. His message in his homily during the thanksgiving Mass resonated not just with the three jubilarians but with each of us. “They have taught many young people; they have preached many homilies and touched many lives; they have accompanied searchers for the will of God through the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. They have lived as missionaries, offering themselves faithfully as Jesuits”, said Fr General.
“Yet, today’s thanksgiving Mass is not just about them. It is first and foremost about a God who started it all, a God who loved first and called these three Jesuits to follow him, a God who has given them the grace to respond to His call with great zeal. This is the same God that invites each of us today. He offers his life freely, to show us what it means to love the way God loves – without counting the cost, without heeding the wounds, without seeking for any reward.”
Fr Vincentius Haryanto SJ is an Indonesian missionary in Macau. He serves as chaplain at Colegio Estrela do Mar.
Watch Fr General Sosa’s visit to Colegio Mateus Ricci: