Father Hyacinth He Yousan OP
Although the presence of the Dominican Procuration in Hong Kong dates from 1 July 1861, the convent of St. Albert the Great was inaugurated on 24 November 1935. The purpose of the convent was to become a novitiate and house of studies for Spanish youngsters; future Dominicans, who were going to work in this part of the world, and also for the numerous vocations the order had, mainly from China and Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan.
Prior to St. Albert the Great in Hong Kong the house of studies had been in Louisiana, the United States of America, but numerous difficulties and new circumstances made the superiors decide for the house in Hong Kong.
Novitiate and house of studies: “the massive building standing conspicuously on the slope of a hill above Happy Valley and visible from all parts of the harbour and Kowloon served as the training centre of missionaries coming from near and far.”
In the year 1951, it became the order’s House of General Studies. Many of the future priests formed in the convent helped to the start of the two Dominican provinces in the Far East: the province of the Queen of the Martyrs, in South Vietnam (1967) and the province of the Philippines (1971); and the General Vicariate of the Chinese Dominicans in Taiwan (1978). Among the people nurtured here we count five bishops, seven provincials of the two provinces, four rectors of the University of Santo Tomás.
Refugee shelter under the Red Cross during the wars: we refer to the world war, also to the war in China between nationalists and communists. Although the care of refugees was the work of the International Red Cross, the priests who lived in the convent in those days could also perform pastoral and social work among the occupants or refugees.
With the war in China and the victory of the communists, many Chinese priests and seminarians and foreign missionaries escaped, more than 200 took shelter in the convent. An important resident was Thomas Cardinal Tien Ken-sin, the archbishop of Beijing.
Centre of Chinese Studies: a two year course with emphasis on the study of Mandarin was offered, aimed mainly at young missionaries destined to work in China and Taiwan. The centre was opened in 1947, but in 1951, due to the new situation in China, it closed.
From monastery to school: Centres of studies became available in Manila and in Saigon and rendered the House of General Studies obsolete. “The deserted building was then converted into school, the old monastery thus made way for the new Rosaryhill School.”
In 1959, the cloisters and rooms of the monastery began to echo with the voices of little kindergarten and primary school pupils. The convent changed to the rank of formal house with a superior appointed by the provincial: after 10 years it reverted to a convent when the statutes of the order changed.
The growth of the school required a larger building, down came the old and in its place, a few hundred yards away from the old site, the new Rosaryhill School was built. The house of St. Albert, later to be a convent, moved to the west side of the new building, occupying the sixth floor.
The mission of the fathers took a new direction, dedicating themselves to the administration and the pastoral work required by the school. For over 40 years the fathers focused on the different work that the school demanded of them.
The return to the origins of St. Albert the Great convent: In the new millennium, vocations to the order came from countries of East Asia, and St. Albert the Great was a convenient place for novitiate. The east side of the sixth floor had become available due to the new plan of studies in the schools of Hong Kong.
In 2006, eight postulants arrived before the expansion of the convent. The remodeling works of the sixth floor started at the end of the 2009 school year and the expanded St. Albert the Great convent started to be used as novitiate again on 10 January 2010. Although the house of studies was in Macau, we needed to make one more adjustment for Chinese students who could not obtain Macau student’s visa. Since 2014, St. Albert convent has also been estudiantate for Chinese brothers.
The Fatima Shrine: Last but not least is this important spot that belongs equally to the priory and the school. The sculptured figures were made by Father Thomas Mcglynn OP, to honour the apparition of Virgin Mary at Fatima. The sculpture group of Our Lady and the three shepherds was destined for the missions of the American Dominicans in China. But when it arrived in Hong Kong in 1950, there were difficulties in getting the statue into China. The Apostolic Prefect of the Missions in Fukien donated the statue to St. Albert’s Priory. A solemn blessing of the shrine took place on 8 August 1950 and soon it became a centre of devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima.
Eighty-fifth anniversary: On 15 November 2020, the feast of St. Albert the Great, the community celebrated the event with a Mass presided by his Eminence John Cardinal Tong with the presence of all the Dominicans residing in Hong Kong.
