HONG KONG (SE): Responding to the diocesan pastoral theme of Parish Renewal, deaneries and parishes are gearing up to strengthen their community services to address social needs as well as spiritual formation so that parishes can be a home for all and effectively fulfill their evangelising mission.
The diocese chose the pastoral theme for the year in response to the Instructions released by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy called The pastoral conversion of the parish community in the service of the evangelising mission of the Church in July last year. Responding to the Instructions, John Cardinal Tong Hon, in his pastoral letter for Advent last year (Sunday Examiner, 29 November 2020) invited all diocesan organisations and members of parish councils to look for a new way of being Church.
Various parishes have already prepared plans with emphasis on being missionary. The Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, Tai Po, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year, will organise a series of formation activities for parishioners to learn from the example of early missionaries and strengthen their evangelisation activities as well as community services.
Paul Wong Yi-tin, chairperson of the parish council of the Tai Po parish told the Kung Kao Po that the parish plans to inform people more about the history of early missionary work. Parishioners will be assigned to join the activities of Diocesan Working Committee for Following Thy Way to learn about missionary history.
The parish will also promote unity among families by organising Marian devotions.
Besides, he said the pandemic has offered a good chance for young medical practitioners in the parish to organise health talks for the middle-aged as well as the elderly living nearby. He believes the enthusiasm for evangelisation should be shown through such community services.
He said the parish would also encourage youth groups and other pious associations in the parish to take initiatives in organising large-scale parish activities from time to time.
At St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Tsing Yi, members of youth groups have been conducting homework tutorial classes for newly-enrolled children from low income families for two years. The parish also offers support for senior citizens by doing household maintenance for them and simultaneously making friends with non-believers.
Lai Wah-wai, the internal vice chairperson of the council who conducted tutorial classes before the pandemic, said that, as a tutor, she was glad when she saw children happily coming to the parish of their own volition instead of being forced by their mothers.
She recalled that in 2019, children were invited to a Christmas party in which the tutors dressed like waiters and waitresses, served them food and taught them table manners.
She believes that the tutorial classes, which start and end with prayers, are good ways to evangelise they showed the care and concern of the parish for families.
Father Timothy Wan Kwok-kwong of the East Kowloon Deanery, said the new pastoral theme presented a good chance for parishes to show their concern about people whom they rarely meet. At the same time the pandemic has made it necessary for parishes to respond to various social needs.
In cooperation with the Hong Kong Catholic Commission for Labour Affairs, the deanery provides temporary material support for students from low-income families in Catholic schools.
Father Wan said parishes are invited to look into the needs of these families as many of them are reluctant to seek help.
Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, who is responsible for the coordination of parish affairs, said the pastoral theme this year is different from previous ones in the sense that it focuses more on the voices of parishioners, which will be brought to the management of the parish and the deaneries to look for solutions.
