Pilgrimage to Macau

By 3J Christy Tsang The pilgrimage to Macau on the 6th July gave me the chance to deepen my understanding about the Catholic faith and the Church. Being a Catholic, what I hear the most about is how churches were built but the best is to see it and this is what we did. We have visited San Domingo’s Church, Our Lady of Sorrows Church and Macau’s Ruins of St. Paul’s. The visit gave me the chance to learn more about Jesus’ experiences and sufferings; and learn more about the mother of God, Mary, who endured so much pain. Our first stop was Our Lady of Sorrows Church. The church was built in 1966 by Father Wu in what was known as Notre Dame Village in the area of Jiu’ao. In fact, the process of building this church was not easy as it was built to serve the lepers whom he did not want to label as lepers so he renamed the residential houses Notre Dame Village. Here, Father Wu lived with the lepers as he taught them survival skills. He showed unwavering devotion to the lepers he served and adhered to the principles of care and respect for life. His works echo a spirit of persistence, kindness and deep love. If you ask me what I have learnt, I will definitely answer trust in God. No matter where we are, we need that trust. The pilgrimage certainly have given us the chance to put aside all the worries in our daily lives, and helped us to know more about ourselves too. We also needed to be reminded of the spiritual value of redemption, trust in God and the definition of life. Let us all grow with joy, and let anger and worries disappear. WE need a destination which allows us to shine. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. (Galatians.525)