Morrison Chapel
馬禮遜堂
Pictured in 2006
Morrison Chapel is located in Macau
Morrison Chapel
Morrison Chapel
22°11′59″N 113°32′23″E / 22.199836°N 113.539780°E / 22.199836; 113.539780
LocationCamões Square, Santo António, Macau
Country Macau
DenominationAnglican
Websitemorrisonchapel.com
History
StatusMission
Foundedc.1820–1830
DedicationRobert Morrison
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeChurch
Years built1922
Administration
DistrictSanto António
ProvinceHong Kong
Episcopal areaMissionary Area of Macau
Clergy
ArchbishopThe Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong
Bishop(s)The Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong
Priest in chargeThe Revd Stephen Durie
Macau Protestant Chapel
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese馬禮遜教堂
Simplified Chinese马礼逊教堂
Portuguese name
PortugueseCapela Protestante

Morrison Chapel (Portuguese: Capela Protestante; Chinese: 馬禮遜教堂), also known as Morrison Protestant Chapel, is an Anglican chapel situated in Luís de Camões Square, Santo António, Macau. Originally built in the early 19th century to serve the spiritual needs of the employees of East India Company, the chapel now serves the worshipers with a variety of denominational backgrounds in the Missionary Area of Macau. The present chapel was built in 1922.

History

Traders of the East India Company were engaged in trade with China from the late 18th century until 1834. Their charter includes stipulations that employees of the company should be allowed to attend religious services on a regular basis and chaplains should be sent out from England to take care of the spiritual needs of employees.[1]

Before 1821, when the land for a chapel and burial ground (now the Old Protestant Cemetery) was purchased, the chapel was probably simply a room at the offices of the British East India Company. The purchase of the burial ground was prompted by the death of Mary Morrison, wife of Robert Morrison, missionary and translator employed by the East India Company. Prior to this, the Portuguese authorities had only allowed Roman Catholic burials in the colony.

Nothing is known about the construction of the first chapel at the site. The first recorded ceremony at the chapel was a marriage in 1833.

In 1834, when the East India Company lost its trade monopoly, responsibility for the chapel and cemetery was taken by the British government. In 1870 this responsibility was transferred by Deed of Transfer to Trustees consisting of three high ranking representatives of at least two nations having Protestant members living in Macau.

In 1921 the Chapel required complete rebuilding, except for the original foundation. Two conditions were placed on these works; it had to be hidden from the street behind a high wall, and it could have no church bell. The chapel has remained structurally unaltered since the completion of these works in 1922.

In 1941 the congregation was swollen in numbers by refugees fleeing the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and of parts of China had made it impossible for Anglican priests to get to neutral Macau, where there was no resident Anglican priest; Florence Li Tim-Oi, the deaconess in charge of the chapel, was authorised by Bishop Ronald Hall and his assistant to give the sacraments to the Anglicans in these extenuating circumstances. On 25 January 1944 she was ordained 'a Priest of God' by Bishop Hall, thus became the first female priest in the worldwide Anglican Communion.[2]

See also

References

  1. Lofland, B. J. The Morrison Chapel.
  2. "Li Tim-Oi's Story". www.ittakesonewoman.org. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
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