HONG KONG (SE): The Diocese of Hong Kong honoured the contributions of priests and sisters who were celebrating their jubilees of ordination or religious vows on December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the patron saint of the diocese.
The celebration also marked the silver jubilee of the episcopal ordinations of bishops emeritus Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun and John Cardinal Tong-hon, and the 60th anniversary of the priesthood of Cardinal Zen.
The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan sj, and concelebrated by the two cardinals, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, and around 90 priests.
At the beginning of the Mass, Bishop Chow expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the two cardinals and over 30 priests and sisters who were celebrating their 75th, 70th, 50th or 25th anniversary of priesthood or religious profession.
Pope Francis sent his messages of congratulations to both the cardinals, thanking them for their witness of life and decades of service as shepherds of the faithful. Monsignor Javier Herrera Corona from the Holy See Study Mission in Hong Kong, conveyed the papal messages to the congregation.
In his letter, the pope extended his apostolic blessings to the diocese and the people participating in the liturgy.
The occasion marked the 180th anniversary of Catholicism in Hong Kong and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the diocese.
Sister Teresa Chan Yim-fan of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary and Sister Catherine Wan Ka-lai of Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, both celebrating their silver jubilee of religious profession this year, served as readers during the Mass.
In his homily, Cardinal Tong acknowledged the selfless contributions of the jubilarians in the mission of sharing the message of the gospel in the Diocese of Hong Kong. Cardinal Tong invited people to seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for unity among the faithful and for the evangelisation mission under the guidance of the new bishop.
Cardinal Tong then recalled his appointment as apostolic administrator at the beginning of 2019, a day after the death of Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung on 3 January 2019, which he accepted out of obedience, thinking that it would be short-term, not imagining that the “short-term” would become two years and 11 months!
The cardinal added that he was unsure how long he would be required to spend in the postion. To ensure that the work of the diocese’s projects progressed smoothly, he relied on the “collective wisdom” of the diocesan curia which, following its weekly meetings, collectively made all the administrative plans.
The team included Bishop Ha, diocesan chancellor, Father Lawrence Lee Len; procurator, Father David Chan Kwok-fai; and three vicar generals appointed by the late Bishop Yeung: Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, Father Peter Choy Wai-man and Father Benedict Lam Cho-ming.
“This way of working together made it easy to deal with matters, build up the relationship between one another and helped us share responsibilities,” Cardinal Tong explained.
After being appointed a cardinal in 2012, he recalled that he frequently needed to go to the Vatican for meetings. He remembered gifting Pope Francis with a statue of Our Mother of Sheshan upon his election as the pope in 2013 to remind him to pray for China. A few days later, he came across the pope who told him the statue was on his desk and that he prayed for China every day.
He said he admired Pope Francis for his simplicity, willingness to listen to different views, love for young people and concern for the poor.
Cardinal Tong shared that he made it a habit to play basketball or jog every weekend at the Holy Spirit Seminary to maintain his fitness. He thanked God for giving him good health to deal with his various duties.
The cardinal was happy to see the different evangelisation programmes, including adult catechism classes and Sunday school, continuing even during the pandemic. He added that he was grateful for the support of religious institutes and missionaries to the diocese, saying that the commissioning of missionaries from Hong Kong to other parts of Asia and Africa underscored the universality of the Church.
He concluded his by saying that he had heard the comments from people who criticised his actions when he first became the director of the Holy Spirit Study Centre and visited China. “I could only pray for them and myself, and silently accept and hope that the misunderstanding will fade away with time and [we can] seek reconciliation gradually,” he said.
Sister Mary Lucy Chung Miu-sheung, who celebrated her golden jubilee of joining the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows, shared how God led her to religious life since her childhood. She was grateful for the chance to meet Blessed Father Gabriel Allegra, a living Bible who inspired her to serve God wholeheartedly. Serving in the Religious Schools Council from 1984 onwards, Sister Chung said she feels blessed to work with different congregations and the diocese for education reforms in Hong Kong.
Sam So Kwok-wai and Jojo Ma Yuk-chu, president and vice president of the Central Council of Catholic Laity, congratulated the jubilarians and thanked them for their witnesses and sacrifice on behalf of the laity of the Diocese of Hong Kong.
Earlier in the day, a reception in appreciation of the jubilarians was held at Caritas Hall. After a musical performance rendered by St. Andrew’s Church Choir, Bishop Chow thanked God for the blessings given by the two cardinals and priests and sisters who have enriched the Church in different ways. He then presented them with souvenirs.
After receiving a souvenir from the bishop, Columban Father Michael Cuddigan from Ireland, who celebrated the golden jubilee of his priesthood, told the Sunday Examiner that jubilee celebrations are meaningful as they remind him how time flies quickly in his missionary life, which meant 30 years in the Philippines, some years in Australia and Ireland, and nine years in Hong Kong.
He is delighted to serve the Filipino people in Hong Kong at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel for the past years, and at present, he still goes there to hear confessions every day.
