Holy House of Mercy

There is a building on Senado Square that most visitors walk past without a second glance, and that is a shame, because it holds one of the most moving stories in all of Macao. This is the Santa Casa da Misericordia, the Holy House of Mercy, and it has been caring for the most vulnerable members of this community since 1569. Let that date settle in your mind. 1569. Nearly half a millennium ago. Shakespeare had not yet written a single play. And here in this small Portuguese outpost on the coast of China, a bishop named Dom Belchior Carneiro established a charitable institution to serve the poor, the sick, orphans, and widows. It was one of the very first charitable organisations in all of Asia. The Santa Casa was part of a network of Holy Houses that the Portuguese established across their empire, from Lisbon to Goa to Nagasaki. The concept was simple but revolutionary. The community would pool resources to care for those who could not care for themselves. Hospitals were built. Orphanages were opened. Dowries were provided for poor young women. The dead who had no family were given proper burials. The building you see today wears...