HONG KONG (SE): A three-storey tall banner, marking the Year of St. Joseph was blessed at St. Joseph’s Church, Garden Road, during a ceremony on April 5. The banner, which is 12.5 metres tall and three metres wide, bears a reproduction of the image of St. Joseph from the wall behind the church’s altar, and hangs from the exterior of enclosure of the church’s new elevator, which was erected in 2019.
The banner also includes the Prayer for the Year of St. Joseph in English and Tagalog for pilgrims who visit during the special year to receive plenary indulgences.
Parish priest, Father Joseph Tan Lei Tao, assistant parish priest; Father Paul Chen Zhongxue, and Father Joseph Houston, officiated at the ceremony, joined by around 100 people who gathered to pray and sing hymns.
In his message, Father Tan said the image of St. Joseph is unique as it was especially designed for the church. The banner presents the saint raising his right hand in prayer while his left hand blesses an image of the parish.
When the original church building was built in 1872, most of its parishioners were from the British navy and therefore, the image shows St. Joseph stepping on the sea. Father Tan explained that the architectural shape of the building is like a ship if viewed from above. “If the church is a ship, St. Joseph is its captain. We have to ask him to pray for us,” he said.
The present church building, the third one built on the same location, was completed in 1968. The design by architect, Peter K. Ng, emulates a ship, symbolising the Church. It also recalls the Noah’s Ark and reminds us of the Church’s mission of salvation.
St. Joseph served God and protected the Holy Family with an open heart. “Similarly, the Church has also been open to serve different people according to the need of the times, first to the soldiers, then to English-speaking people and now mostly Filipinos,” Father Tan said before the three priests jointly blessed the banner.
The parish has printed 15,000 bookmarks to celebrate the special year of St. Joseph.
Peter Tam Kwok-hung, the designer of the banner and the bookmark and a Eucharistic minister for the parish, said he was happy to take part in the project so people passing by would know about the Year of St. Joseph when seeing the big banner. He said the parish would come up with different bookmark designs later in the special year to attract more people to visit the parish.
Tam appreciates his parish community for embracing people of all nationalities and he believes the contributions of Filipino communities who regard the parish as their home needs special mention.
Emma de la Torre, of the Sower’s Charismatic Community, said the Year of St. Joseph and the banner are good reminders for people to learn from the virtues of the beloved saint.
She said she has been at the parish for 15 years and that her community serves with open heart as volunteers according to its different needs. She said she is happy to attend the Tagalog Mass at St. Joseph’s. “A homily delivered in my mother tongue can go deep into my heart,” she remarked.
Father Rhomel Mendoza directed a retreat organised by the Sowers Charismatic Community that day.
