HONG KONG (SE): The renovated chapel of the Star of the Sea Mass Centre at Sai Wan Village, Sai Kung, was blessed on September 12 by John Cardinal Tong Hon, apostolic administrator of Hong Kong. The Diocesan Committee for Following Thy Way began the restoration work in May 2020 and completed the work in a year.
“Following Thy Way” aims to renovate early Catholic centres in the outlying regions of Hong Kong that were cradles of the faith in the past and to preserve their legacy for future generations.
Cardinal Tong celebrated Mass in the open area behind the chapel. Father Peter Choy Wai-man, chairperson of Following Thy Way, and Father Raja Duggimpudi, parish priest of Sacred Heart Church, concelebrated the Mass, assisted by Deacon Faustus Lam Sair-ling.
The villagers of San Wan Village together with their village head, parishioners of Sacred Heart Church, Sai Kung, supporters of the restoration project, as well as participants in the various activities of the chapel’s open-day, were also present. The Charis Choir led the faithful in singing during the liturgy.
In his message, Father Choy thanked Cardinal Tong and all those who supported the project. He said he hopes the restored chapel can be a place for all people—villagers, hikers, tourists, environmentalists—to gather and become a meeting place for a harmonious community.
“Your presence today is the first success of this project. And we can see that the chapel is not only a building but also a place full of life and of people with different backgrounds, where we can see the reconciliation between people and nature,” he said.
The committee intends to restore, preserve and manage 10 small chapels in the Sai Kung Peninsula built by early foreign missionaries in Hong Kong to make a pilgrimage route. The Star of the Sea Mass Centre is the first to be restored.
The diocesan committee arranged for minibuses to bring participants from Sai Kung Town Centre to the starting point of a hiking route to Sai Wan from where a 45-minute walk brought them to the chapel.
In his homily, Cardinal Tong thanked all those who braved the hot weather and made the tough journey to come to the chapel, saying that it is a way of shouldering the cross of Jesus and living out our faith.
The cardinal said that people willing to shoulder their crosses would receive more blessings and attain greater achievements. He used the example of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, who kept praying for the conversion of her son, and also made a special mention of the archer, Ngai Ka-chuen, who overcame his physical limitations to represent Hong Kong in the recent Tokyo Paralympics.
The open day activities included a hiking tour, a pilgrimage to the nearby Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Chapel, Pak Tam Chung, an introduction to the medicinal wild herbs in Sai Wan Village, as well as sharing sessions about the process of the restoration of the chapel led by architect, Wenceslas Cheung Chun-kin.
The Chapel of the Star of the Sea, with an adjacent school, was first established in 1953 to accommodate the increasing number of Catholics there. The chapel was destroyed by a typhoon in 1962 and rebuilt in 1963
According to Cheung, the project began with reinforcing the unstable walls. The traditional Hakka tile rooftop design was kept to allow better ventilation inside the chapel. The floor tiles of the original chapel, as well as the teacher’s room in the attic of the adjacent school, were also retained.
Old roof tiles, which had been removed were displayed inside the chapel, along with a large piece of wood used to support the altar of the old chapel.
A painting of Our Lady Star of the Sea, which was originally in the old chapel, is lost and the committee is considering making a replica based on historical photos.
While electricity and water supply have yet to be installed, Cheung is sure that air-conditioning will not be possible, as it will cause moisture to be trapped in the walls where breathable paint is already being applied.
Noting that the chapel needs regular maintenance, he said that volunteers from the committee have to come every week to water the plants in the lawn, trim the grass, replace the white ant bait boxes, and check the roof tiles.
The diocese has applied to the Antiquities and Monuments Office of the Hong Kong government to grade the chapel.
Victor Lee Hay-man of Union Contractors Limited said the difficulties of the project were the delivery of large construction materials, which could not be transported in the winding hiking paths in San Wan.
He recalled that the 48 roof beams, made of heavy and durable Bangkirai wood, were transported by boat to the beach in San Wan all at once and it took the workmen three days to bring them to the chapel site one by one.
The Chapel of the Star of the Sea, with an adjacent school, was first established in 1953 to accommodate the increasing number of Catholics there. The chapel was destroyed by a typhoon in 1962 and rebuilt in 1963.
Overseas migration of villagers started in the late 1970s. By the end of the 1980s, the number of villagers was less than 10 while the number of students at the school was only a few. However, parish priests of the Sacred Heart Church still celebrated Mass there and visited villagers once every month. It was formally named Star of the Sea Mass Centre in 1990.
The Diocesan Working Committee for Following Thy Way plans to turn the restored chapel into an activity centre where workshops and spiritual studies will be conducted.
