A Conversation with a Fellow Filipino

I was walking along the Senado Square one hot summer day when I pass by at St. Dominic’s Church. I saw an old nun sitting on one corner. In front of her were books, rosaries and other things for sale. An image of Mama Mary caught my attention and I went inside and start looking for something to give to my friends and family (pasalubong kumbaga). She looked at me and asked: Filipina? I said yes…

I first saw Sister Dominique at Paulines near The Cathedral, didn’t know there’s Paulines here in Macau too. She told me that there will be a mass at 6:00pm at the Cathedral and it was five minutes before six. She told me: Can’t you hear the angels singing, telling you to go to the mass. Go there so that father will bless you… and so every Sunday I went there to attend the mass.

Well, our conversation shifted to the place where we are, Macau. She talks about Macau’s being tagged as Asia’s Las Vegas because. She told a story about a woman she saw outside the Church with her child. She was crying while holding her baby. They were suppose to go home to China but she found out that her husband wasted all their money in Casinos. A lot of people are hooked up with Casino games and Online Casinos, mostly were Chinese and foreigners, there are also a few Filipinos too… She also talks about the people in San Ma Lo, how a lot of women are selling their bodies to earn a living. I’ve heard from other Filipinos about that too… She said I should be really careful when I go out and ask if my passport is still with me. A lot of people, even Filipinos would take that as a chance to grab some dime on you. But despite the issues surrounding this small place, you can still see a lot of people on the churches every Sunday to attend a mass, and most of them are Filipinos. She said there’s still hope in this land as long as we hang on to God.

After paying for the things that I bought and after that little chit-chat, I bid Sister Dominique goodbye.