HONG KONG (SE): Dominic Cheung Kai-man, the first elected president of the Hong Kong Central Council of Catholic Laity, who later held various positions in the Church as well as non-government organisations, died at the age of 95 on September 14.
Born to a Catholic family, Cheung attended Mass every day and served in parish groups from his youth and led a youth group at the age of 17.
In 1966, he became the first elected president of the Hong Kong Central Council of Catholic Laity after a general reform. He was also one of the earliest members of St. Vincent de Paul Society, having joined the group more than 60 years ago.
He became the third chairperson of Diocesan Commission for Hospital Pastoral Care in 1995 and was concerned with training to the staff to offer professional services.
In an interview with the publication of the commission in December 2013, he shared the pain of losing his four-year-old daughter and the sufferings of patients he saw while he himself was hospitalised due to a traffic accident in 1979.
The experiences told him people in hospital, especially the terminally ill, need support as they face health, financial, family issues at the same time.
“I cannot remember how many hands of dying patients I held to make them feel better in the last part of their life’s journey,” he said in the interview.
Cheung held postions with various non-government organisations as well as the Church. In addition, he played an active part in helping the diocese in organising large events, such as the visits to Hong Kong of Pope St. Paul VI as well as St. Teresa of Kolkata in 1970 and in 1983. He received recognitions from the Holy See for his services to the Church in 1965 and 1972.
May he rest in peace.
