History of Asian Missions at St Joseph’s University

In the year that Macao celebrates the 450th anniversary of the founding of its diocese, the local Catholic university is offering an in-depth course on the most significant issues in the history of modern evangelisation in the East. This is a stimulating initiative on a campus that actively promotes creative dialogue between Chinese and European traditions in the fields of culture and science.

Milan (AsiaNews) - Macau is a capital city in the history missions to Eastern Asia. Since early modern time, few other places can claim an equally important role on the development of Catholicism. Starting from the 16th century, Macau was an arrival point of missionaries from Europe and the Americas and at the same time a departing point for missions China, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Moreover, this year Macau celebrates the 450th anniversary of the foundation of the diocese.

It seems therefore especially timing and appropriate that the local catholic university, named after Saint Joseph (the patron saint of entire China Catholic Church) and the Catholic Institute of Theology propose a course on the history of modern missions and it most relevant issues.

The course aims to study the changing institutional backgrounds, such as Portuguese and Spanish patronages, the foundation of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide and its missions and delegations sent to East Asia. Propaganda Fide was founded to emancipate the Catholic mission from political patronage and the exclusive mandate to ancient orders such as Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans and the more recent founded Society of Jesus. Very important became the role of the Missionary Societies which directly responded to Rome, starting with the Foreign Missions of Paris and the Congregation of Mission (Lazarists). The course will cover important issues such as colonialism, decolonialization and post-colonialisms, conversion, martyrdom and Christian witness.

Special attention is given to the historical unfolding of each church’s distinct characteristics, including India and Indonesia. The lecturer will also address the issue of whether or not Christianity has failed in Asia and the differences and similarities between Asian and Western Christianity. It would be a great opportunity for students, who can attend class both in presence and in remote, to reflect upon and discuss both historical processes and individual contributions to the great diversity and novelty of Asian Christianities.

The special course will start on April 15th and last for one month. The lecturer is Fr Andrzej Miotk SVD, Doctor in Missiology, Sankt Augustin-Bonn, Germany. For more information, please see https://www.usj.edu.mo/en/course/lcs303_etllo/

The course is also a good opportunity to know a bit more the Saint Joseph University. Born as the “Inter-University Institute of Macau (IIUM)” in 1996, the Catholic university is rooted in the educational spirit of the College of Saint Paul, founded in 1594 in what are today the Ruins of St. Paul’s. The College of Saint Paul, founded for the will Jesuits’ Visitator in Asia Alessandro Valignano, had students coming from different world countries. At the College they were trained to move to China, Japan, Vietnam and other Asian countries as missionaries.

Today, the University of Saint Joseph has the same intercultural and international spirit of academic research and exchange. The University has actively promoted creative dialogue between Chinese and European traditions in the fields of culture, science, ethics, and philosophy through. The university is attentive to both local and Portuguese cultural foundations. These are the roots that have made Macau a strategic platform for fostering relations between China, Portuguese-speaking countries, Asian and world communities and nations.

Particularly meaningful was the opening (in 2017) of the new main campus in Ilha Verde. It is a eco-friendly environment where students, faculty and staff are closer to nature, as it is a green space entirely smoke-free, easily accessible by public transportation, and features pedestrian-friendly planning. The University of Saint Joseph is an especially important contribution by the Catholic Church to the life and the future of Macau special administrative region.