MACAU (UCAN) -- Bishop Jose Lai Hung-seng of Macau says a new pastoral council has been established in his diocese to "evangelize effectively."

The bishop, the council's president, told UCA News it was created to enable more Catholics to take part in Church affairs. It held its first meeting on July 11 and a working group will be set up to implement strategies, he said.

Bishop Lai explained that council members are appointed from various sectors of Church and society to reflect their respective situations and needs, so as to help the Church develop effective pastoral and evangelization programs.

Peter Au Wah-nien, the council's secretary, told UCA News members attending the first meeting met one another and expressed views on pastoral work.

Besides the president and secretary, others on the council are Macau's vicar general, Father Pedro Chung Chi-kin, who is an ex-officio member, and 13 other people -- two priests, two nuns, two lay representatives from the education sector, two from the social welfare sector and five from other professions.

Grace Sou Sio-choi, a council member who serves as secretary general of the Macau Diocesan Youth Pastoral Center, told UCA News she looks forward to helping the Church formulate pastoral strategies by sharing her views.

According to Au, members will discuss "what is pastoral care" and study the Second Vatican Council's Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World) at their next meeting, which is set for mid-September.

Bishop Lai said he had hoped to reorganize the council of priests and set up the pastoral council when he succeeded Bishop Domingos Lam Ka-tseung in June 2003, but that was delayed because he had to deal with a gall-bladder problem.

After the priests' council was reorganized in 2005, preparations to set up the pastoral council were launched and it was finally inaugurated on May 3.

The bishop said he hopes the two councils will examine the social situation in Macau and develop appropriate pastoral programs, but the newly established pastoral council will first explore "how to evangelize effectively in the current situation in Macau." After gathering sufficient feedback, he said, a working group will be set up to implement the council's strategies.

Bishop Lai also revealed plans to set up a pastoral group for English-speaking Catholics late this year or early next year. He pointed out that the scope of such a group would be smaller than that of the new pastoral council, but it could still help by gathering the views of other laypeople.

According to the Code of Canon Law, a pastoral council studies matters affecting diocesan pastoral work and makes practical proposals to the bishop.

The consultative body comprises clergy, Religious men and women, and laity from different walks of life, including those engaged in apostolate work.

About 20,000 of Macau's 480,000 people are Catholics, mainly Chinese or Macanese (people of mixed Chinese and Portuguese descent) and Filipinos.

(Accompanying photos available at here