“The Catholics around the globe are getting ready to celebrate the 83rd birthday of ‘Papa’ Francis which falls on December 17. In Hong Kong and Macau it will be celebrated with concerts and Mass,” said Monsignor Javier Herrera Corona, the head of the Holy See Study Mission in Hong Kong. This year’s celebrations in Hong Kong and Macau are themed: Rejoice and Pray with Pope Francis. As the theme suggests, the celebration is divided into two segments: one, a moment of prayer and the other, rejoicing with a musical concert.
The celebrations in Macau already began with a Mass in the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady in Macau, celebrated by Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-sang at 3:30pm on December 7. Clergy, members of the different religious congregations and lay people gathered together to pray for the ministry and well being of the Holy Father.
The Holy See Study Mission in Hong Kong is also organising a musical concert at the same venue on December 13 at 8:00pm to celebrate the occasion. Tickets to the concerts are available on request at any parish office in Macau, at the Diocesan commission of Social Communications and at St. Paul’s Bookstore.
The celebrations in Hong Kong will also feature a musical concert at 8:00pm on December 15 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Caine Road. Acclaimed vocalists and instrumentalists from different countries in Europe and Asia, and a special performance from Colombia have been brought together to evoke the Latin American roots of Pope Francis. Tickets are available via free download after online registration.
John Cardinal Tong Hon, the apostolic administrator of Hong Kong, will celebrate a Pontifical Mass at Christ the King Chapel, St Paul’s Convent, Causeway Bay at 5:00pm on December 21. Vox Antiqua, a choir from Hong Kong will provide the musical accompaniment.
Pope Francis himself celebrates his birthday very creatively in Vatican. One time, he invited some sick children to be part of the celebration at Casa Santa Marta. The kids surprised him with a cake.
Another year, he invited five homeless families to share a four-metre-long pizza. On his first birthday celebration after his election to the pontificate, he surprised everyone with his guest list: three homeless men on the street were invited for the breakfast and most curiously, a dog was in the list. The dog belonged to one of the homeless men from the street! We do not yet know what surprises he has in store for the celebration this year.
Celebrating a birthday is a way to thank God for giving life. No life occurs by chance. God has a plan for everyone. And for Pope Francis, the plan has been momentous: to lead the universal Church. Catholics across the globe and all the Pope Francis’ fans join in pope’s birthday celebration as a way to pray for the unity of the Church.
Such moments of prayer and celebration not only make the faithful aware of their belonging to the universal Church, but also remind them to express solidarity with and support of the head of the universal Church.
In Pope Francis’ own words birthdays are moments “to remember all that God has done for us.” While celebrating the 90th birthday of Angelo Cardinal Sodano two years ago, the pope said, “Memory is an aspect of life. To lose memory is a great misfortune, to lose the memory of all that God has done for us. It is important to remember our life, our smallness, our mistakes and also our sins. Doing that, one opens oneself to receive new grace.”
The pope’s comments are so true, moreso of himself.
Celebrating the birthday of the pope provides an opportunity for the faithful to pray for the Church and pledge their loyalty to the pope as the head of the universal Church.
All four events marking the occasion in Hong Kong and Macau are free of charge. The Holy See Study Mission in Hong Kong invites all the faithful and friends to join the events to celebrate with Pope Francis and to pray for him.
For those interested in attending the events in Hong Kong please scan the following QR code, or request your free access by e-mail: concertsml@gmail.com or WhatsApp +852 5169 6488.
