Society of St. Paul • Philippine-Macau Province

From 25 January until 29 January, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) convened the Second National Clergy Congress as a highlight of the celebration of the “Year for Priests” in the Philippines. At the height of the congress, 5500 were present at the halls of the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Metro Manila. Among these, 29 priests of the Society of St Paul registered and attended. They were: from Makati Community—Frs. de la Pena, Tangi, Gamutan, Yntig, Lagdamen, Botavara, Guzman, Marquez, Lumabas, Reyes, Tacdoro, Sobrejuanite, Cellan, and Gozun; from Cebu Community—Frs. Hitosis, and Baguna; from the seminary community of Silang—Frs. Alinsangan, Taneza, and  Ellezar; from the parish community of Our Lady of Sorrows in Pasay—Frs. Flores, Montealto, Atole, Tapang, and Barisoro; from Cagayan de Oro—Fr. Reforeal; from the Iloilo Community—Frs. Ferraris, and Sinoy; and from the novitiate community of Pampanga—Frs. Melliza, and Aripio.

At 6PM of January 23, Saturday, delegations of the various congregations of the Pauline Family present in the Philippines, came together at the Sanctuary of St Paul in Makati to celebrate the Sunday Liturgy of the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time with the priests and brothers of the Society of St Paul. Though he had been intently listening to the loaded meetings with the Team for Formation and Vocations Promotions (TFVP) and with the Team for the Apostolate (TFA) during the last full day of the fraternal visit in the Philippines, the Superior General Don Silvio Sassi presided over the Eucharist in English. He also preached the homily in Italian, with Fr Alinsangan as translator. The Eucharistic celebration marked the formal end of the fraternal visit in the Philippines.

The Society of St. Paul established a missionary community in Macau on March 7, 1987 upon the invitation of the Bishop of Macau, and with the recommendation from the SSP General Government to start an apostolate of presence in China. The Macau community was later added to the Philippine circumscription.

Macau was a former Portuguese colony but it was handed back to China on 20 December 1999. Macau operates under the "one country, two systems" policy and it enjoys a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer.

The Superior General Don Silvio Sassi, Fratel Walter Rodriguez, and Fr. Ruben Areno celebrates the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul with the Pauline Family at the Retreat House managed by the Anunciatini in Coloane Island, Macau.  The day was full of fraternal sharing and camaraderie capped with a sumptuous meal Chinese-style.