MANY people migrate to other countries to seek greener pastures. But for one particular person, spreading His word has become a goal.
Fr. Narciso Estrella, O.P. is one of the few Filipino Dominican priests who ventured into foreign lands, evangelizing in a non-Catholic country like Taiwan.
Occupying only 1.3 percent of Taiwan’s population, the pea-size fraction of Catholics is overshadowed by the rest of the country’s population of over 20 million, consisting mainly of people practicing Buddhism and Taoism. The lack of vocation and minimal number of people wanting to enter the Dominican order in Taiwan, prompted Estrella to be ordained, and settle there.
“I was actually given an option by my superiors at the seminary to be ordained in the Philippines,” he said. “But I chose to be ordained there (Taiwan) because I hope to encourage their Church by setting an example, being one of the few Catholic priests who chose to be ordained in Taiwan.”
Unknown to his close friends is the history behind Estrella’s ministry. He revealed that becoming a priest never crossed his mind, and added that entering the vocation was a decision he made after much contemplation during his prime days.
“At the time when I was reflecting about my life, I wanted to follow God. But in which way, I did not know [then],” he said.
It was because of Fr. Hilario Singian, O.P.—whom he met in Taiwan while serving as a deacon—that he decided to enter priesthood and the Dominican Order.
“During one of our congregations, Singian asked all unmarried men to raise their hands, and so I raised mine. He told us that if we wanted to become a priest, we must approach him. After the meeting, I approached him,” Estrella said.
After finishing a degree in nursing at Saint Jude College in 2004, Estrella took up philosophy at the Philippine Dominican Center of Institutional Studies in Quezon City.
He took his solemn profession during his fifth year at the Sto. Domingo Church Seminary two years ago.
Estrella finally reached his goal after being ordained a Dominican priest at the Immaculate Conception Chapel in Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei on June 16.
He described his stay as a priest in Taiwan, as “not a walk in the park,” because Chinese locals were not as hospitable as Filipinos were to him.
“In China, if you’re a foreigner, you’ll be treated as a foreigner, unlike in the Philippines where the people are hospitable and friendly,” he said.
Chinese people, according to him, are conservative when it comes to the religion they practice. Chinese Catholics encourage greater participation among the laity by putting emphasis on liturgy, unlike in the Philippines where going to Mass is a practice often taken for granted.
Estrella told the Varsitarian that prior to his stay in Taiwan, there had been three Filipino priests before him. Unfortunately, they left right away because they couldn’t handle the pressure.
He said he had grown to love the country and doesn’t have any plans to move to the Philippines yet.
Myanmar’s first Dominican priest
Myanmar, where only one percent of the population is Catholic, now has its first Dominican priest.
Fr. George Pe Mung, O.P., the first Burmese Dominican priest, was ordained in Santo Domingo Church last June 13.
The Union of Myanmar is a multi-religious country with Buddhism taking up about 89 percent of its population. Christians constitute only Myanmar’s five percent of the population. One percent of which practice Roman Catholicism, while the remaining five percent adhere to Islam, Hinduism and other animistic and traditional chinese religions.
The third among seven children, Pe Mung was born on November 27, 1973 to a family of farmers in Chin State, Myanmar.
He graduated from University of Mandalay, finishing B.S. Zoology in 1999. On the same year, he entered the pre-novitiate, an introductory formation to the religious order at Calamba, Laguna. Pe Mung later took his solemn profession in Sto. Domingo Convent in 2003. He was ordained deacon at the Sto. Domingo Church in 2009. Pe Mung finished his bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology in 2007 and Licentiate in 2010 both in UST.
