HONG KONG (SE): The renovation work on the Star of the Sea Mass Centre, Sai Kung, established 50 years ago at Sai Wan Village, began with a groundbreaking and blessing ceremony officiated by Father Peter Choy Wai-man, president of the Diocesan Working Committee for Following Thy Way, on May 24. The groundbreaking was supposed to be held on March 21, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Following Thy Way is working to restore early faith centres and preserve the heritage and history of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong. It intends to restore over a dozen small chapels in the Sai Kung peninsula built by the early foreign missionaries in Hong Kong.
Over the years, people from the villages have migrated elsewhere and most of those churches are in ruins.
The committee plans to renovate 10 of the dilapidated chapels in Sai Kung and link them together in a pilgrimage route.
The ceremony began after participants walked for an hour from the nearest minibus stop in Sai Wan Ting to the former Mass centre.
In his remarks, Father Choy said the preparation and the research work had already taken two years and he is happy to see that the chapel can be restored to its original state.
Quoting the gospel, “Come and you will see,” (John 1:39), Father Choy said that a church is the symbol of Jesus’ presence and a tool for evangelising as people may consider going inside to take a look when they pass by.
Cheung Chun-kin, who leads the repair and conservation team of the committee, said the renovation work started in early May and is scheduled to be completed in early 2021.
He said that one difficulty is recreating the original design of the church, as there was not much reference information except for a few old photos. He said they would try their best to preserve its Hakka-style rooftop, the cross above the entrance and the engraved words on the wall. Items beyond repair may be kept for exhibition.
He added that the grounds outside the church are also the property of the diocese, so the team has to decide on what to plant there.
An architect who is dedicated to heritage conservation, Cheung hopes the chapel will draw the attention of more people after the restoration work.
Anthony Yeung Kam-chuen, who deals with the historical research of the project, said there was no priest stationed at the chapel in the past, while some Precious Blood Sisters were involved in sharing the gospel.
The committee went to Sai Wan Village four times to interview the villagers and the village head to inquire into the history and the original look of the church, but the difficulty was that many villagers had moved away after 1970s.
Wong Yuen-pan of the management and promotion team, said that once the renovation is completed, the premises could be opened for activities. The big area behind the chapel is a good place for camping and he is looking forward to spiritual formation activities to be held in the church after the project is completed.
To find out more about Following Thy Way, visit their web page here: https://thyway.catholic.org.hk/
