Macao Religion

Under the influence of Christianity and Roman Catholicism, Macau is called “a city of holy names ”

Release time : 2016-05-27 12:46:11

source : WTCF

Under the influence of Christianity and Roman Catholicism, Macau is called “a city of holy names.” From the various churches in Macao, it is not difficult to see that Macao is greatly impacted by these two religions. Except for that, we are still able to find trials of other religions in this city.

Roman Catholicism

It has been over 400 years since Roman Catholicism was first introduced to Macao in 16-18th century, which made Macao a place for cultural cohesion. On Jan 23rd, 1576, Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau (Diocese de Macau) was founded as the earliest religious center in the Far East. It contains 6 parishes and 2 mission districts with independent administrative and financial management among parishes. There are over 20 large-sized churches in Macao, including the St. Lazarus Parish, St. Lawrence Parish and St. Anthony Parish, the history of which is all above 300 years. The Portuguese traditional Roman Catholicism and Chinese traditional religion thrive together in Macao. The current religious population of Roman Catholicism tops 20,000, among which, 60% are Chinese. Besides, the churches also play an important role in social rescue. In Macao, there are over 60 Roman Catholicism church schools engaging in junior or middle school education with thousands of teachers on board. At the same time, churches also open childcare centers, clinics, youth rehabilitation centers and hospitals for the elder and disabled. Among church activities, except for the regular mass, there also are traditional religious processions.

Protestantism

In 1807, the Reverend Dr. Robert Morrison, the first Protestant missionary to China, landed in Macao. Macao now has over 30 Christian churches, about 5000 believers, among which, most are Chinese. Administration and finance between churches are independent. Christian churches in Macao have put a great effort in education and public welfare. They have established 7 welfare institutions, 7 primary schools, 3 middle schools