Glimpse of Christianity in Macau

The Ruins of St. Paul's, the ruins of a 17th-century complex that originally included St. Paul's College and the Church of St. Paul, Santo António, Macau
1/16The Ruins of St. Paul's, the ruins of a 17th-century complex that originally included St. Paul's College and the Church of St. Paul, Santo António, Macau
Originally built in the early 19th century, Morrison Chapel or Macau Protestant Chapel, is an Anglican Chapel.
2/16Originally built in the early 19th century, Morrison Chapel or Macau Protestant Chapel, is an Anglican Chapel.
Inside Morrison Chapel
3/16Inside Morrison Chapel
The grave of Robert Morrison in the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau
4/16The grave of Robert Morrison in the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau
The commemorative stone plaque of Robert Morrison, Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau
5/16The commemorative stone plaque of Robert Morrison, Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau
The tombstone of Samuel Dyer, the father-in-law of James Hudson Taylor, the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau
6/16The tombstone of Samuel Dyer, the father-in-law of James Hudson Taylor, the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau
St. Dominic's Church, Macau, which was fist established in 1587
7/16St. Dominic's Church, Macau, which was fist established in 1587
Inside St. Dominic's Church
8/16Inside St. Dominic's Church
Macau Bible Institute, a non-demonational Bible school founded in 1982
9/16Macau Bible Institute, a non-demonational Bible school founded in 1982
One of the classrooms of Macau Bible Institute
10/16One of the classrooms of Macau Bible Institute
Chi Tou Church, the Church of Christ in China
11/16Chi Tou Church, the Church of Christ in China
Colégio Mateus Ricci, a Roman Catholic kindergarten through secondary school in Macau
12/16Colégio Mateus Ricci, a Roman Catholic kindergarten through secondary school in Macau
A man distributing New Testament Bibles and gospel tracts to tourists on the way up to the Ruins of St. Paul's, Jan 2019.
13/16A man distributing New Testament Bibles and gospel tracts to tourists on the way up to the Ruins of St. Paul's, Jan 2019.
Macau Baptist church, founded in 1904
14/16Macau Baptist church, founded in 1904
Macau Christian Prison Ministries
15/16Macau Christian Prison Ministries
Macau Pak Kap Chow Baptist Church
16/16Macau Pak Kap Chow Baptist Church
By Karen Luo, Wei ZhienFebruary 27th, 2019

Christianity in Macau has a long history. Macau was the first point in China to which the Gospel came, brought by Jesuit missionaries in 1552, as the Portuguese came to establish a foothold in China. The Catholic Church in Macau began by only using Portuguese in its ministry since it was more interested in China and Japan. Several large catherals as well as theological College were built. The largest was St. Paul's Cathedral, of which only its front stone facade remains today. Despite 450 years in Macau, Catholics make up only about 5-10% of the population, depending on what figures you use.

The Protestants' history began with the coming of Robert Morrison in 1807. He was an employee of the British East India Company involved in translation, from which skills he was also able to translate the Bible into Chinese. Due to a number of factors, Protestant mission work declined after Morrison and only began again in the early 1900's, with several overseas denominations sending missionaries to plant churches. The Baptists came in 1904 followed by the Church of Christ in China a few years later. 

Although many different denominations began church work in Macau in subsequent years, the Protestant church in Macau has never grown beyond 1% of the city's population, making it the smallest in the Chinese world by percentage. Even the number of Christians in China by percentage is greater than Macau. Today there are only a few churches with over a 100 members. Most churches have under 50 members. The churches are also involved in many other kinds of social ministry including prison and hospital visitation, outreach to children, and rehabilitation for drug and gambling addicts.

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