HONG KONG (SE): A thanksgiving Mass to welcome the newly-baptised was celebrated by John Cardinal Tong Hon, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Hong Kong, on May 23, Pentecost Sunday.
Only representatives from different parishes were invited in order to limit the number of participants in keeping with anti-pandemic gathering and social distancing measures.
At the beginning of the Mass, Cardinal Tong sprinkled holy water onto the neophytes to remind them of the grace of baptism.
In his homily, the cardinal reminded them to open their hearts during the Mass so that they could receive the Holy Spirit. He also reminded them that Holy Communion is a sign of the unity of the Church and encouraged them to receive the Sacrament of Eucharist more often.
At the end of the Mass, the cardinal blessed crucifixes—gifts for the newly-baptised in the different parishes—symbolising mercy and evangelisation.
The newly-baptised faced many challenges over the past two years, as they were mostly restricted to online classes due to the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic.
Ko Pui-yan, a catechist from St Francis parish, Ma On Shan, where over 40 adults were baptised this year, told the Chinese-language Kung Kao Po that he was touched every year by the catechumens who joined classes for various reasons, such as the influence of friends and the desire to know God.
According to him, although the neophytes this year had virtual gatherings most of the time, there is still a sense of belonging to the community. He felt blessed when public Masses resumed before Easter on April 1, which made baptisms on Holy Saturday possible.
Lui Yuk-wong, a neophyte from Ss. Cosmas and Damian Parish, Tsuen Wan, recounted that he joined catechism class out of love for his wife who had been trying to convince him for over 20 years.
He never seriously thought about it until they joined a thanksgiving Mass in 2018 to mark the 15th anniversary of their marriage, as well as that of over 10 other couples.
While preparing for the activity, his wife shared that her biggest hope was that he would become a Catholic and that the whole family could be together in heaven in the future. He was finally moved by what his wife said.
Lui said after baptism that he felt happy to receive the Eucharist and a mission to spread the Good News. Now he has started to evangelise in his office by spending more time listening to the sharings of his colleagues and inviting them to the church.
