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For three centuries, the former Portuguese colony of Macau served as the gateway into mainland China and the locale for the development of an Asian Catholic culture that encompassed distinctive musical practices and styles. Macau and Catholic Music Across the Sino-Western Divide draws extensively upon historical documents in Chinese and Portuguese for a polylingual approach to Catholic sacred music. Jen-yen Chen follows this music from the sixteenth century through the twentieth by reading literary accounts of sound, primary source documents, and musical notation to examine the impacts of linguistic, political, and cultural divides and the ways sounds have traveled across these divides. Chen covers Chinese responses to Western sounds in Macau and southern China, illuminating the strategies for the use of sounds and musicking adopted by Jesuit missionaries; and the complexities of identity formation negotiated by Macau Catholics who confront exceptionalist historical discourses of Chinese or Portuguese “greatness.” Drawing from sound studies and musicological methods, Chen argues that Chinese descriptions of Catholic sounds in Macau, including the ringing of church bells, the playing of the organ, and choral singing, illuminate spatial, sonic, and ideological mobilities that reconfigure Chinese and European identities. Macau and Catholic Music Across the Sino-Western Divide also extends to contemporary times to explore how present day members of Macau’s Catholic community position themselves in relation to the historical narratives often told about their city, cultivating a rich individuality of identity that refuses conformity to fixed notions of Asianness or Westernness.

Abstract In modern scholarship, much ink has been spilled over the significance of St. Augustine in the history of Western philosophy and theology. However, little effort has been made to clarify the legacy of Augustine in East Asia, especially his contribution to China during the early Jesuit missionary work through the Maritime Silk Road. The present article attempts to fill this lacuna and provide a philosophical analysis of the encounter of Chinese indigenous religions with St Augustine, by inquiring into why and how Augustine was taken as a model for the Chinese in their acceptance of the Christian faith. The analysis is split into three parts. The first part reflects on the contemporary disputations over the quality of the paraphrasing work of the early Jesuits, analyzing the validity of the allegedly careless inaccuracies in their introduction of Augustine's biography. The second part analyses some rarely discussed Chinese translations of Augustine, which I recently found in the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, with particular focus on their ideological context. In particular, the paraphrased text concerning Augustine's theory of sin and the two cities will be highlighted. The third part goes a step further in exploring the reason why Augustine was considered an additional advantage in dealing with the conflicts between Christian and Confucian values. The primary contribution this essay makes is to present a philosophical inquiry into the role of Augustine in the early acceptance of Christianity in China by suggesting that a strategy of “Confucian-Christian synthesis” had been adopted by the Jesuit missionaries. Thereby, they accommodated Confucian terms without dropping the core values of the orthodox Catholic faith. The conclusion revisits the critics’ arguments and sums up with an evaluation of the impact of Augustine's religious values in the indigenization of Christianity in China.

Este livro reúne contributos sobre o Padroado e sobre as missões, revisitando conceitos e perspectivas sobre o tema. Tratam-se aspectos tão diversificados como o culto e a religiosidade; a arte e a cultura; as missões e o império; a relação da monarquia com a Santa Sé e do Padroado com a De Propaganda Fide; a formação do clero nativo e a acção dos catequistas, a criação de seminários e o percurso atribulado das estratégias do Padroado; os caminhos do poder e os confrontos institucionais, os factos e as doutrinas.

This is a classified Portuguese colonial administrative document dated 14 July 1967, originating from the Directorate-General of Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lisbon, transmitted to the Ministry of Overseas Affairs and subsequently forwarded to the Governor of Macau. The document contains a verbatim transcription of notes from a conversation held in Rome on 27 July 1967 between the Ecclesiastical Consultant of the Portuguese Embassy to the Holy See, Monsenhor P.J. Carreira, and Dom Paulo Tavares, Bishop of Macau, shortly before his departure for Macau. The discussion centred on the current challenges facing the Diocese of Macau, particularly the future of the local seminary amid plans to transfer approximately twenty students from Timor to mainland Portugal for training. The Bishop expressed concerns over institutional stability and past difficulties attributed to individuals deemed psychologically and diplomatically unprepared for the region’s complex environment. The Portuguese government reaffirmed its commitment to financially support the seminary and broader ecclesiastical social, cultural, and welfare initiatives as key expressions of Portuguese presence in Macau. The Bishop indicated willingness to remain in his post without reservation, reassured by assurances of personal safety and institutional backing from both the Portuguese state and the Holy See. This document provides critical insight into the interplay between colonial administration, Catholic ecclesiastical structures, and geopolitical concerns within Portugal’s overseas territories during the late 1960s.

Folder with four documents

Vol. 5 reprinted 1966; v. 2:1. 1700-1800. -- v. 3. 1800-1900. -- v. 4. 1900-1954 -- v. 5. Bibliografias

Nota: no fim - John Garaix, S. J., Seminário de S. José, Macau, China.

The Boletim do Governo Eclesiástico da Diocese de Macau was a periodical published by the Diocese of Macau.

This is a confidential diplomatic despatch dated 17 June 1920, sent from Rome by J. P. Martins to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, concerning ecclesiastical affairs in Macau. The document, classified as No. 26 and marked “Confidential”, serves as a supplementary communication to earlier correspondence (Despatch No. 42 of 10 June 1920) regarding the appointment of the Bishop of Macau. It reports allegations about Father Gomes, a figure involved in ecclesiastical activities in Macau, asserting that he lacks extensive literary knowledge and that questions have been raised about the financial management of a subscription he organised several years prior for the benefit of the local seminary. Despite reported construction works at the institution, doubts persist among certain individuals regarding the proper allocation of the collected funds, though the author neither verifies nor endorses these claims. J. P. Martins explicitly states his inability to assess the validity of the information and transmits it solely for official consideration and potential investigation. The despatch reflects concerns over clerical competence and financial accountability within a colonial ecclesiastical context during the early 20th century. As an official record from the Portuguese diplomatic corps, this document offers valuable insight into church-state relations, administrative oversight, and the governance of religious institutions under Portuguese influence in Macau.

This 1897 Vatican archival document comprises a series of formal ecclesiastical letters, financial records, and administrative transcripts concerning the episcopal appointment of José Emmanuel de Carvalho to the See of Macau, a Portuguese colonial diocese within the Chinese Empire. The material includes papal bulls issued by Pope Leo XIII, financial accounts from 1899 detailing expenditures related to the apostolic provision, and sworn oaths of fidelity, alongside descriptive reports on the ecclesiastical and territorial status of Macau. The Cathedral Church of Macau, dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is recorded as suffragan to the Archdiocese of Goa, with a structured chapter, active parishes, a seminary, and defined revenues. The appointment process reflects the patronage rights of Charles I, King of Portugal and the Algarves, under the Luso-Vatican agreement of 1886. Despite Carvalho’s lack of a doctoral degree, a papal dispensation is granted based on his demonstrated learning, moral integrity, and prior service as Professor of Ecclesiastical Sciences and Promoter in the Episcopal Curia of Viseu. The documentation further outlines canonical requirements, including the oath *ad limina*, provisions for consecration, and faculties conferred upon the new bishop. Financial records itemize costs totalling over 4,300 florins associated with processing the apostolic letters through diplomatic channels. This collection constitutes a critical primary source for the study of late 19th-century colonial ecclesiastical administration, church-state relations in the Portuguese Empire, and the Roman Curia’s role in transnational episcopal appointments.

Catholic weekly newspaper, published by the the Typography of Saint Joseph Seminary between January 01, 1887 and November 2, 1895. Established by Fr. José Maria da Cruz Simeão and edited by António Luís Borges.

This 1860 diplomatic correspondence, comprising three despatches dated 25 and 26 June and 25 July, originates from the Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Lynard, to António José d'Ávila J., Viscount of Mite, Minister of Her Majesty’s Government in Rome. The documents confirm receipt of multiple confidential communications from the Legation in Naples (Nos. 19, 21) and the extended series (Nos. 39, 40), along with a reserved despatch (No. 15), all concerning political developments on the Italian Peninsula during a period of significant upheaval. Central to the correspondence is the appointment of Count Alessandro Gallo as Vice-Consul of Portugal in Ancona, with instructions for the Minister to ensure the Count petitions the Ministry for the issuance of his Diplomatic Commission. Additionally, the Secretary of State transmits information relayed by Father Barroso regarding the frontier of Saint Joseph in Papo, forwarding a confidential extract to the Minister of Public Works. The despatches further request urgent clarification on colonial provisions necessary for the proposed renewal of a Commercial Treaty with Naples. These documents offer primary insight into Portugal’s diplomatic protocols, consular administration, and foreign policy considerations in mid-19th century Europe, particularly in relation to the shifting political landscape of the Italian states and colonial trade negotiations.