HONG KONG (SE): Father Dominic Kong Yun-kwan died in Hong Kong on August 29. A vigil Mass was celebrated at St. Francis of Assisi Church, Shek Kip Mei, on September 5, followed by a funeral Mass at St. Margaret’s Church, Happy Valley, the next day.
The funeral Mass was celebrated by John Cardinal Tong Hon who expressed his appreciation for the priest and his contributions in proclaiming the gospel both in Hong Kong and in Toronto, Canada.
Born in Hong Kong on 29 November 1940, Father Kong entered the Holy Spirit Seminary in 1957 and completed his secondary education there in 1961. He then studied theology at the South China Regional Seminary in Aberdeen. He was ordained a deacon in 1967 and worked at St. Francis of Assisi Church, then in Sham Shui Po.
He was ordained to the priesthood on 10 August 1968 and assigned to Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, Tai Po. Over the next 30 years, he worked in different parishes, including St. Jude’s parish, North Point; Resurrection Church, Kwun Tong; St. Francis of Assisi Church, Sham Shui Po; and St. Lawrence Church, Cheung Sha Wan.
He was the school supervisor of a number of diocesan primary and secondary schools, and was also the vice chairperson of the Chinese Diocesan Clergy of the Diocese of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1993.
In 1998, at the invitation of the Archdiocese of Toronto, Father Kong took over as parish priest of St. Agnes Kouying Tsao Catholic Church in Markham, succeeding Father Ruggiero Nicola, who retired to Italy that year.
Father Kong undertook various pastoral projects over the next eight years and was well known by the Toronto community. He is also remembered for leading a successful fund-raising campaign in the year 2000 for the construction of the parish building. Due to health issues, he retired in 2006 and returned to Hong Kong.
In his homily, Father Peter Leung Tat-choy recalled Father Kong as the seminarian who welcomed him when he visited the Holy Spirit Seminary as a secondary student on its open day. He was touched by his friendliness and his happiness in introducing him to other seminarians. Father Leung joined the seminary the next year.
Father Leung also described Father Kong as a priest dedicated to pastoral care who remained deeply concerned about the development of his former parish in Toronto and various changes it was undergoing, even though he had retired.
Father Kong was buried at St. Michael’s Catholic Cemetery, Happy Valley, following the funeral Mass.
May he rest in peace.
