Redemptoris Mater College in Macao

The following is worth reading. A new Redemptoris Mater college was established in Macao.  The fact that RM seminaries are being built worldwide is an indication that the NCW continues  to promote and foster vocations in the priesthood.  Even in Guam, some of our youth have stood up for the vocations of the priesthood regardless of the closure of Guam RMS. The following article can be found here.
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VATICAN - Cardinal Filoni: "The new College in Macau, fruit of apostolic creativity and the desire to be a Church that goes forth"

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The new Redemptoris Mater College for Evangelization in Asia, based in Macao, is "the fruit of apostolic creativity that looks to evangelization in that continent and expresses a will of decentralization of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide": explains Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, in an interview with Agenzia Fides. The Cardinal recalls that in the history of the Church's mission "there have been so many forms and methods chosen for the proclamation of the Gospel in Asia: the historic commitment of the great religious orders such as Jesuits, Dominicans and Franciscans; the activity of many specific missionary institutes; the sending of fidei donum priests or interdiocesan missionary collaboration; the forms of missionary cooperation between the Churches of some nations or between metropolises. Now the Holy Spirit suggests a new form, which we will experience".

Eminence, what are the reasons that led the Congregation to take care of the opening of the new College?

We wanted to respond to the invitation of John Paul II who, at the beginning of the new millennium, said that Asia would be the vast continent to be evangelized. It is a very complex continent, cradle of great religions and very strong cultural responsiveness. The proclamation of the Gospel in Asia requires characteristics of its own, such as a thorough knowledge of different contexts and languages. The awareness of this complexity, however, does not exempt Christians from making the Good News alive and present. The Gospel is for everyone: thus Christ gave it to us, so we announce it today.

The Congregation of "Propaganda Fide", also at the request of the Neocatechumenal Way, wanted to reflect on how to make this appeal to evangelization in Asia their own. I would like to stress that the idea of establishing the Urban College in 1627, by Pope Urban VIII, was a precursor: it intended to bring young people from various continents to Rome for an adequate theological and spiritual formation, having acquired a good preparation, they could then contribute to evangelization in their territories of origin. The Urban College still exists today and has kept going for four centuries. Today, Pope Francis has resumed the intuition of John Paul II, pointing out that the Church is called to "go forth", to open up and not to withdraw in herself. Therefore, we thought that many Catholic institutions, even those in charge of formation and education, can be located in the various continents, thus operating in the sense of decentralization. With this spirit we wanted to create a College in Asia for the formation of priests destined for Asia.

Can you explain why it was entrusted to the Neocatechumenal Way and why Macao was chosen as the seat?

The Neocatechumenal Way became available and made available to the Congregation of "Propaganda Fide", which has the direct legal responsibility of the College, its long-standing experience of forming future priests for the mission in Asia. Thus the new College Redemptoris Mater was born, whose specific nature is to take care of the formation for missionary priests who will have the evangelization in the territories of Asia at heart. 

Macao has historically represented the "door" or a bridge for the mission of the Church in the East. In past centuries it was a place of cultural and religious attraction, a territory governed by the Portuguese crown. Its importance is well known as a promoting center for evangelization in the Far East. Extraordinary missionaries like Matteo Ricci, Alessandro Valignano, Francesco Saverio and many other evangelizers passed through this "door" for the mission in Asia. Suffice it to say that in 1576, just erected, the diocese of Macao extended, at least on paper and for a certain time, to China, Japan, today's Vietnam and the Malay archipelago, as it was called. Macao became a great center of missionary formation and propulsion. Recalling this story, we asked the local Bishop, Stephen Lee Bun Sang, if he was available to host the new College and he, after consulting the priests of the diocese, confirmed the approval.
But the College, although based in Macao, does not depend on the local Bishop: appointments and authority remain the direct prerogative of "Propaganda Fide" which, according to the Second Vatican Council, has the task of promoting evangelization in the world. It is a first step: in this perspective of decentralization, it can be observed that it is not impossible that, tomorrow, other Colleges of this kind, promoted by the Congregation, on other continents, are born. It should be noted that our Congregation already has the responsibility of the Urban College, which welcomes 170 students from Asia and Africa in Rome. And there are other Seminaries connected with "Propaganda Fide" in the world, such as the Seminary of the Apostolic Vicariates in Colombia or several inter-diocesan seminaries in different countries. Today, the new College of Macao is the fruit of a special missionary initiative and method, which Pope Francis encouraged and approved. It should be noted, that future priests will become a precious pastoral aid for the local Churches: in fact, they do not belong to a given apostolic fraternity or a religious institute but, at the end of their journey of formation, they will be incardinated in the various dioceses of destination, according to the needs and requests of the Asian Bishops. And from now on they will be able to study the local languages and cultures of the countries in which, in agreement with the authorities of the College, they will be destined for the pastoral and apostolic service.

What are your wishes and hopes for the life of this new College?

We are happy to promote an institution with new characteristics, which responds to the desire and that missionary vision of Pope Francis which is a founding and qualifying point of his pontificate. We intend to respond to Christ's call to announce the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In the history of the Church's mission, there have been so many forms and methods chosen for the proclamation of the Gospel in Asia: the historic commitment of the great religious orders such as Jesuits, Dominicans and Franciscans; the activity of many specific missionary institutes; the sending of fidei donum priests or interdiocesan missionary collaboration; the forms of missionary cooperation between the Churches of some nations or between metropolises. Now the Holy Spirit suggests a new form, the fruit of apostolic creativity, which we will experience. We entrust this work to the hands of Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, and to Saint Joseph, Custos of the Holy Family of Nazareth. And we ask for the intercession of the saints and martyrs who gave their lives for the spread of the Gospel in Asia. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 29/7/2019)

My Response

This post is in response to an anonymous comment made in my previous post.  The comment of the anonymous poster is in red while mine are in black.  The blue are quotes taken from documents or news report.  You can find his/her comment here.

AnonymousJuly 18, 2019 at 11:43 PM

So there is one case of someone that has lied about abuse and you take it as evidence that this means there is no basis for any of the thousands of accusations of abuse against Catholic priests around the world.

Dear Anonymous at 11:43 pm, 

I am not blind to the fact that there are many priests who are being falsely accused, many of whom are long dead.  Some of those priests who were falsely accused was Father Joseph Jiang.  You can read his story here.  Another priest who was falsely accused was Father Charles Murphy.  You can read his story here.  Another priest who was falsely accused was Monsignor William McCarthy.  You can read his story here.  Another priest who was falsely accused was Father Kevin Reynolds.  You can read his story here.  I believe by now you should have gotten the picture.  This is not ONE CASE.  There are many cases, but the reason these priests were able to prove their innocence was because 1) they were still alive at the time of the accusations (Dead priests cannot defend themselves) and 2) PROPER INVESTIGATION was conducted. 

Even the vatican does not deny that the church is at fault for covering up all these cases. Do you consider yourself to know better than the pope? 

Like the Pope, I also acknowledged that the Church was at fault for the cover-up of abuse cases by transferring abusive priests to other dioceses.  But like the Pope, I also acknowledge that there are some priests who have been falsely accused.  While it is true that there are indeed a few priests who have sexually abused children, sex abuse is more of a problem OUTSIDE the Church rather than inside the Church.  According to news report (the bold is mine):

Francis vowed that the Roman Catholic church would “spare no effort” to bring abusers to justice and would not cover up or underestimate abuse, but a significant part of the pontiff’s closing speech focused on the prevalence of child abuse across society. 

Citing data, he said that the majority of cases arose within families and that the perpetrators of abuse were “primarily parents, relatives, husbands of child brides and teachers”. He also said that online pornography and sex tourism amplified the issue. 

“Our work has made us realise once again that the gravity of the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors is, and historically has been, a widespread phenomenon in all cultures and societies,” he said. “I am reminded of the cruel religious practice, once widespread in certain cultures, of sacrificing human beings – frequently children – in pagan rites.” 

In Guam, we know for certain that Father Louis Brouillard was sexually molesting young boys, NOT because he admitted his guilt, but because HE WAS REPORTED to the police and ARRESTED.  Archbishop Flores covered it up by transferring him off-island.  According to news report:

And, a self-described, 30 year veteran of the Guam police force, who called into my radio show, stated that he had arrested a Catholic priest who molested a young alter boy on Guam. He stated that after his arrest, the priest admitted to molesting multiple victims on Guam.

According to the retired police officer, this entire incident was covered up by former Archbishop Flores. The alleged offending priest was, according to the retired officer, promptly shipped off-island shortly after his arrest, and never faced justice on Guam. 

So, Father Brouillard was REPORTED AND ARRESTED!  So much for the idea that the Chamorro culture consist of parents who call their children "liars" when saying that the priests molested them. Father Brouillard was reported and arrested.  And this happened BECAUSE some of those boys DID tell their parents, and their parents BELIEVED their children and reported the criminal offense to the police.  Guam is not a culture of parents who would put criminal priests above their children.  We are not a culture who disregard the well-being of our children.  However, Archbishop Flores shipped Father Brouillard off-island to escape the hands of justice in Guam. 

Your disregard for the wellbeing of children is shocking; you claim to be christian but care more about the church's reputation than the lives of innocent children. How dare you refer to the destruction of people's lives (this case may have been a lie, but thousands have been proven true in the courts around the world) as 'the circus-like frenzy the media has created'. 

Let us get this straight.  The alleged victims who are currently coming out accusing dead priests are NOT CHILDREN!!!!  They are adults.

If you want to see children coming out to the police, here are a couple of examples:  The child who came forward was a 15 year old who accused a man of sexually assaulting her (See story here).  Another was a woman who filed a police report against a man after noticing her 4 year old daughter's strange behavior (See story here).  As you can see, Guam's culture and attitude has not changed in regards to her children.  After all, there were children who reported Father Brouilllard many years ago, which was the reason for his ARREST.

However, TODAY, all those who accused the priests (including dead priests)  of sexual abuse are ALL ADULTS.  None of them were children. 

To Shamont Sapp

Dear Mr. Shamont Sapp, 

First of all, I am not Father Gordon MacRae.  He has his own blog entitled "These Stone Walls."  While it is true that I would copy and paste some articles from his blog, that does not make me Father Gordon.  If you have something you wanted to say to Father Gordon, I am sure you can make comments on his blog, although I cannot guarantee that he will publish your comments.  

Secondly, I did not publish your comment on my blog because it is an attack rather than a civil diologue.  Vulgar and vile comments will not be published in my blog.  Also, any attacks on a poster (which includes myself) will not be published.  I prefer civil dialogue.  

Finally, Mr. Shamont Sapp, you were found guilty of falsely accusing four Catholic priests.  Apparently, someone did an investigation on your allegations and discovered that you were never present nor attended any of the dioceses of those four priests whom you accused.  I looked up your story, which can be found here. 

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Draining the Swamp: Jailed Bank Robber Who Falsely Accused FOUR Catholic Priests of Abuse Also Sued Hollywood Stars For Stealing His Idea For ‘Skank Robbers’ Flick

Some stories you just can't make up.

If there were still any doubt about the circus-like frenzy the media has created about Catholic priests and sex abuse, consider the following case of an imprisoned crank claiming that he too was a victim of priest sex abuse.

While serving time in a Pennsylvania prison for committing some ten bank robberies, Shamont Sapp, 49, accused four different priests in four different dioceses around the country of abusing him over a two-year period in the late 1970s.

Lest one think that there might be a shred of credibility to the claims, consider this:

"All told, the [Oregon Department of Justice] says Sapp filed claims against dioceses in Tucson, Ariz.; Covington, Ken., Spokane, Wash. [; and the Arch. of Portland] – in some instances alleging sexual acts that took place in the same cities on the same day."

Even SNAP's wild-eyed David Clohessy and Judy Block-Jones might have a hard time believing this one. But you never know.

Last week, a federal grand jury indicted Sapp on serious mail fraud charges related to the bogus claims. Not surprisingly, the grand jury found that Sapp wasn't even present in the dioceses at the times he claimed.

"Skank Robbers"?

And if this story were not weird enough, it turns out that this is not the first time that Sapp has made noteworthy news beyond his serial bank robbery.

In 2011, as celebrity site TMZ reported, Sapp sued Hollywood actors Jamie Foxx and Tyler Perry for $1 million each, claiming that the pair stole his idea for the lowbrow comedy movie Skank Robbers. He also sued Fox Broadcasting and producer David Zuckerman for a total of $4 million.

There is no word if Sapp had any luck with his Hollywood-hunting claims.

Fortunately, in a very rare act of mercy by Hollywood, the movie Skank Robbers was never unleashed upon the American public.

[Thanks for the tip, Matt!] 

Happy Faces!

Ordinations In France Increased

France showed nearly a 10% increase in the number of priestly ordinations for 2019 compared to last year. There will be 125 new priests ordain in France this year.  This is positive news especially in light of the fact that the Catholic Church is always in need of priests.  According to the article, the rise in priestly ordinations is due to the congregations and religious communities.  And yes, some of those new priests came from the Neocatechumenal Way communities.  Unfortunately, the Traditionalist communities whose priests celebrate the Mass in Latin in the "extraordinary form of the Roman rite" experienced a slight decrease.  The following article can be found here.
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Priestly ordinations by Archbishop Michel Aupetit at Notre-Dame de Paris. (Photo by FREDERIC SOREAU/CIRIC) 

According to recent research by La Croix, 125 men will be ordained priests in the Church of France this year.  82 of these are diocesan priests, while the other 45 are from religious congregations or other communities. 

It marks an increase over last year, according to figures obtained by La Croix.  In 2018, the number was 114, marking an annual rise of nearly 10%. 

Four of the newcomers are followers of the Neocatechumenal Way and three of them are from the Emmanuel Community.  

The Diocese of Versailles alone has nine ordinations, while four new priests will be ordained for the Diocese of Creteil.  The Dioceses of Frejus-Toulon and Bayonne and the Archdiocese of Besancon are each ordaining three men this year.  

The Archdiocese of Parish also have five ordinations, including two from the Emmanuel Community.  But the numbers there continue to fall.  Paris ordained 10 priests in 2017 and only six last year.  

Some dioceses that have not experienced ordinations for some time, including Belfort-Montbeliard and Nancy, each ordained two men this year.  Saint-Die and Sees dioceses each ordianed one new priest in 2019.  

A total of 56 French dioceses ordained new priests this year.  That's down from 58 last year.  

Several archdioceses - including Bordeaux, Rennes, Toulouse and Marseille -- did not ordain anyone this year.  It is the second year in a row that Marseille has not had an ordination.  

Diocesan ordinations stagnate, religious communities rise

The number of diocesan priests is the same as last year.  The rise in ordinations is borne by the congregations and religious communities.  

The Community of St. Martin is still way ahead with new ordinations.  The trend is expected to continue next year when 11 deacons will be ordained for the priesthood on June 28. 

Traditionalist communities whose priests celebrate Mass in Latin in the "extraordinary form of the Roman rite" experienced a slight downturn.  

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter ordained four new priests, while the Good Shepherd Institute and the Institute of Christ the King each ordained one.  

As for the Jesuits, there are to be four ordinations, two coming in November.  The Dominicans will have four, the Carmelites three and the Community of St. John two. This reinforces the contribution of the religious orders.  

There is less dynamism among the Sons of Charity or the Lateran Canons.  

Difference between the figures of La Croix and those of the CEF

As in previous years, the figures of La Croix differ slightly from those reported in the same period by the Bishops' Conference of France (CEF), which announced a total of 126 ordinations. 

In 2018, CEF announced an almost identical number (125) while La Croix announced 114 priests. 

These differences are explained by different census methods.  The CEF number is based on the figures provided to it by dioceses and communities.  

La Croix chooses not to include foreign-national priests ordained in France because it holds the view that they will not remain there for long.

For example, in 2019, the ordination in Parish of a Vietnamese Assumptionist priest and that of a Hungarian priest from the Chemin Neuf community were not taken into account because they then moved to Belgium. 

Similarly, the bishops' conference recorded four ordinations celebrated in the St. John community, under the parent community in France, but La Croix only counted the two French members. 

However, La Croix took into account the traditionalist communities: the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, the Good Shepherd Institute and the Institute of Christ the King.  The CEF did not take into account these six new priests in its tabulation.

These figures, like those provided by the CEF, should be taken with relative caution because it is difficult to establish exact figures.  It should be noted the number of annual ordinations remain far below the estimated 800 French priests who die each year.

Charismatic Catholics Renewal Statutes Approved

The Statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way was approved by the Holy See in 2008, and its Directory was approved in 2010.  In June 2019, the Statutes of the Charismatic Catholic Renewal was approved during the annual meeting of the ecclesial movements.  Congratulations to the Charismatic Catholics.  By the way, Archbishop Michael Byrnes was also a member of the Charismatic Catholics. You can find the following story here. 

There are many movements and communities within the Catholic Church because every Catholic is unique.  The Apostle Peter, whom Christ gave the keys to, have always represented the Church.  But the Apostle Paul is the one who represent all the charisms within the Catholic Church.  Paul may have been a Charismatic Catholic, speaking the tongue of angels, as he evangelized the Gentiles in the Neocatechumenal Way.  :)

1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 
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Rumold van Geffen reports on a meeting of ecclesial movements which was held recently at the Focolare Centre for Unity in Welwyn Garden City, Herts.

Bishop Sherrington

At Pentecost 1998, Pope John Paul II invited all the new Movements and Ecclesial Communities to Rome to affirm that they were recognised as a co-essential part of the Church as a whole. Ever since that date representatives of many of the New Movements have started to meet on a regular basis in many countries worldwide. This year's meeting here in Britain was held on 25 June.

As well as from Focolare there were representatives from Charismatic Renewal, Chemin Neuf, Madonna House, Schoenstatt, Sword of the Spirit (Antioch Community), Neocatechumenal Way and the Sion Community.

We rejoiced with Charismatic Renewal in the fact that they are now officially recognised by the Roman Catholic Church during the Pentecost celebrations in the Vatican under the name CHARIS.

The following is a link to their approved statutes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vH7wbJDdIon7VwdUyGjFys3IygVsVoQo/view

In the afternoon, the meeting in Welwyn Garden City centred on a sharing of how each Movement was absorbing the Word of God in their daily life. This sharing was introduced by Deacon Adrian Cullen, who spoke about the Bishops of England and Wales' initiative to dedicate the year 2020 to Sacred Scripture under the name: 'The God Who Speaks', and which will take place in cooperation with the Bible Society.

In the morning, the sharing was about the challenge of trying to communicate to the new generations the constant moral teachings of the Church. Bishop John Sherrington presented an overview of the cultural factors which make communication of such truths difficult to be heard and then facilitated the sharing of questions and thoughts from members the Movements who recognise that these can be very difficult teachings to hand onto young people.

Bishop Sherrington quoted St. Oscar Romero who helped us understand that Christianity is not merely a collection of truths to be believed, rules to be followed, or prohibitions. Seen that way, it puts people off. Rather 'Christianity is a person who loves me immensely, who demands and asks for my love. Christianity is Christ.' It therefore becomes necessary that we invite everybody we meet to change from being 'nomads', people who move from one water-hole to the next, (i.e. from one excitement to the other) to becoming 'pilgrims', people who are on the way but already know their goal, (i.e. holiness in Jesus Christ). This means that only if we are able to invite the new generations to come with us on this pilgrimage can we share with them the centuries old wisdom of the Church contained within its moral teaching and together with them find new ways in which it is expressed.

There was a candid and open sharing by all present which felt very much in conformity with the words of the apostle Paul: 'When I am weak, then I am strong' (2 Cor. 12: 10).