HONG KONG (SE): In the chilly wind and rain of 26 December 2021, under the first cold weather warning of the year, people from Holy Redeemer Church in Tuen Mun, set off from the Peak, reciting the Rosary along the way as they headed for the Holy Spirit Seminary Seminary in Wong Chuk Hang, to meet other participants in the annual Walk for Vocations.
They were one of many groups participating in the annual event organised by the Diocesan Vocation Commission. Parishes, schools and parishioners were invited to plan their own hour-long routes to the seminary, walking in groups of four to the final destination and recite the Prayer for Vocations at the end of the journey. Participants were also encouraged to upload their photos to Facebook.
The Diocesan Vocation Commission, the Serra Club and a number of religious institutes set up booths at the seminary to share about religious vocations with the participants.
“I often share my own vocation, but this time I hope that young people will deepen their faith through the pilgrimage and listen to the stories of the vocations of other religious people,” said Father Nicolas de Francqueville of the Holy Redeemer Church, who went to the seminary with Father Louland Escabusa and other young people. After arriving at there, he invited the seminarians to share their experiences and their vocations. Prior to the journey, he painted seven Chinese calligraphy pieces to be sold for fundraising in support of the Holy Spirit Seminary. The pieces, honour the virtues of St. Joseph, were then all bought by the parishioners.
Po Siu-lam, a young parishioner, sang Christmas songs along the way and shared the joy of his faith with the people he met. “It was not easy for me to walk in the cold and wind for two hours, but with the encouragement of the people on the way and the support of new friends, I was able to complete the journey and felt that God was always with us.”
Having been an altar boy for years, he was touched by the sharing of the seminarians and hopes to learn more about vocations in the future.
A group of sisters, teachers and students from the Immaculate Heart of Mary College left the convent of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows in Tai Wai, walked to the nearby St. Alfred’s Church to recite the Rosary, and then started their walk for vocation.
According to Wan Yin-lok, president of the Catholic Society of the school, members were active in evangelising fellow students. “Young people of this generation are not interested only in their phones. They are good at communicating. If they take the initiative to evangelise, they can encourage a lot of people to know the gospel. So don’t underestimate the influence of the young,” he said.
In December 2020, due to Covid-19 social distancing restrictions, participants were encouraged to make their own pilgrimages in small groups, instead of starting the walk together at the Holy Spirit Seminary. Speaking of last year’s vocation walk, Sister Rosalia Kong Sze-wai, executive secretary of the Diocesan Vocation Commission, said she was amazed by the overwhelming response to the event, as many groups shared different journeys in the social media.
The commission also collaborated with the youth online platform, Boiling Point, in sharing the vocation stories of missionaries. Besides, the monthly prayer meeting of the Holy Spirit Seminary for young people discerning vocations has also changed its format to include a faith sharing session to help young people in their discernment.
A Mass was celebrated in the chapel of the Holy Spirit Seminary. In his homily, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-sing, rector of the seminary, encouraged young people to have courage in their search for a vocation, to learn to love people and to walk towards God in their pilgrimage of life.
“The walk for vocation does not end at the seminary. Young people should keep looking for their vocations in daily life, deepen their faith and pray for religious vocations as well as the vocations of every one,” he said.
Bishop Ha commissioned the new members of the Prayer for Vocations campaign and encouraged them to continue to accompany young people in their search for the calling of God.
The Diocesan Vocation Commission has, for many years, promoted the Prayer for Vocations to encourage the laity to take an interest and to support young people.
