Father Robert Astorino (1943 to 2020)
Maryknoll Father Robert Francis Astorino—bettern known as Father Bob—founder of UCAN (Union of Catholic Asian News) who died on June 25 in New York. He was 77-years-old and had been a Maryknoll priest for 50 years. His funeral took place on June 30 in the Queen of Apostles Chapel at the headquarters of the Maryknoll Society in Ossining, New York, and he was laid to rest in the Maryknoll Society Cemetery.
He is well remembered for his mission in Church media in Asia and Africa, and for many, his respect for culture and family, and a witness to serve especially the little ones.
Sharing memories during the funeral Mass at the Queen of Apostles Chapel, Father John McAuley told those in attendance: “A few days ago, Bob saw me and made a request: ‘John, as you know, I’ll be gone soon. After I pass on, you may be saying the funeral mass for me. It’s not up to me to make arrangement. However, I have a small request. In the memorial mass, please do not talk about me! Talk about Jesus, God, and the Kingdom of Heaven! The simpler the funeral, the better!’”
Noting that Father Astorino was born and ordained in the same years as he was, Father Ha observed that they should have been celebrating the jubilee of their priestly ordination this year.
On the day as his funeral, Masses were also offered in Father Astorino’s memory in Shijiazhuang, north China, where he is regarded as an old friend of the Faith Press and the Jinde Charities, as well as the local Church.
A concelebrated memorial Mass was also held at the Resurrection Church, Kwun Tong, led by Father Louis Ha Ke-loon, the archivist of the Diocese of Hong Kong and a long-time friend. More than 100 people, including Catholic communicators and UCAN associates, attended the service, observing social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Noting that Father Astorino was born and ordained in the same years as he was, Father Ha observed that they should have been celebrating the jubilee of their priestly ordination this year.
Both of them studied communications in the United States in their younger days to prepare for their ministries in media.
Father Bob’s simplicity and humility were always remembered. “As a missionary, he gave up comforts of his home country and travelled afar to Hong Kong to serve the needy in the 1970s,” bringing “the way” and “the truth” of the gospel to the people, Father Ha said.
Father Astorino began his missionary journey in Hong Kong in 1971 at the age of 28. After studying the Cantonese language, he, along with other Maryknollers in the Kwun Tong area, conducted a survey on the situation of young people, many of them children of refugees from mainland China.
In 1974, Bishop Peter Lei Wang-kei appointed him to assist Father Vincent Lau in the communications apostolate. From that time, he became involved in the social communications apostolate in Hong Kong and throughout Asia.
He helped launch the Hong Kong Catholic Social Communications Office and was its assistant director for several years. He served in various positions in the Asia branches of several international Catholic media organisations, including the East Asia Catholic Press Association. He also taught journalistic writing at the Chinese University in Hong Kong from 1975 to 1977.
In 1979, Father Astorino was influential in launching UCAN (UCA News, Union of Catholic Asia News), Asia’s largest Catholic news service and one of the largest in the world, serving as its executive. For several years, he was a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
“Later, whenever I met him, it was always at some airport where he was awaiting a flight to somewhere,” she noted., adding, “Father Astorino will be remembered fondly by many Hong Kong friends and associates. He seems too young to be called to God. God’s plans are not our plans.”
Sister Grace Lee of the Daughters of St. Paul, whose mission is media and social communication, told the Sunday Examiner, “I worked with Father Bob Astorino in the earliest days when he launched UCAN.” She remembered the news office was once located at St. Joseph’s Terrace near the cathedral. She edited news stories from different parts of Asia, but “it was difficult to get news. Father Bob was always affable and energetic, in fact, he was always on the go,” said Sister Lee.
“Later, whenever I met him, it was always at some airport where he was awaiting a flight to somewhere,” she noted., adding, “Father Astorino will be remembered fondly by many Hong Kong friends and associates. He seems too young to be called to God. God’s plans are not our plans.”
Liu Chi-lok, or A-Lok, who worked with Father Astorino even before UCAN existed, recalled that in 1970s and 1980s, before the age of the Internet, news reports came through the mail, and via telegramme and faxes. Copies of edited and formatted news reports were printed and mailed to users in Asia and other continents. “His humour, laughs and smart-thinking were attractive to the youth,” he said, noting, “He cherished friendship, respected people, cared for the needy and was hospitable to visitors. He is always in our hearts.”
Christopher Khoo, a former editor with UCAN, said Father Astorino “upheld rigorous journalistic standards” and “treated staff as family.” Talking to Catholic News Service, Khoo added, “I consider him one of Asia’s great missionaries, blazing the path for Asian Church journalism.”
In Africa, according to a report in Matters India on July 1, the author, Agnes Aineah, wrote that Father Astorino “will be remembered as a mentor, the man who brought to life a dream that was conceived to ‘allow Africans to tell their own stories to the rest of the world’.” It was largely inspired by the model of UCAN.
Father Peter Chung of Macau, told the Sunday Examiner that the news of Father Astorino’s death brought a touch of sadness and thoughts. “I had known him because of the ministry of UCAN. People of different nationalities gathered to discuss how the Catholic Church’s message could be spread in Asia, even the little-noticed Church in Macau was included.”
Father Astorino’s affection for the Church in China was shown in his concern for the development of the Church there. Under his direction, in September 1989, UCAN’s China Office launched its Chinese language service which enables Chinese media, readers and Catholics to better understand the Churches in Asia and other continents.
Catholic media in Asia will remain ever indebted to the invaluable contributions of Father Astorino.
