HONG KONG (SE): While the worries and anxieties of the Covid-19 pandemic preoccupy people’s minds, online tours around Hong Kong led by missionaries have been bringing some much-needed relief and inspiration.
The Catholic Way, the online platform of the Diocesan Audio Visual Centre, launched a programme at the end of last year introducing the favourite spots of foreign missionaries working in Hong Kong and let them share their own stories of integrating into the local culture.
Zita Tsang Wing-han, who was responsible for the first and second episodes of Missionaries’ Tour HK, said that through the relationship between the missionaries and their favourite places to visit, the programme seeks to show how they overcame challenges after having left their homes out of love for the people of Hong Kong and the gospel.
“The episodes show how the missionaries integrated into our society and journey with us through everything. Their perseverance after saying ‘yes’ to God may bring positive vibes to Hong Kong people during these tough times,” Tsang said.
The episodes begin with some expressions in the mother tongue of the missionary, promoting the integration of different cultures. While at the end of the episode, the host will use Cantonese slang commonly used by young people to add some fun.
The episodes also have English subtitles to make it understandable for the English speakers and the families of the missionaries.
The first episode, uploaded in November last year, introduced Castle Peak, the favourite hiking place for Father Nicolas de Francqueville of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. He said that he felt relaxed there and could see the whole of Hong Kong and even Shenzhen in China.
When pandemic restrictions allow, he also celebrates outdoor Masses with small groups on the peak to pray for Hong Kong during the pandemic and brings his friends for small celebrations.
Father de Francqueville loves hiking, a passion he inherited from his parents. As a child, he was often out and about on outdoor activities with his family. Some were quite challenging and may have lasted as long as a week. The episode included some valuable pictures of his childhood contributed by his family in France.
As someone who loves to hike, he also prays for Hong Kong through running. In 2020, he ran from the Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun, to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Caine Road, to pray for the end of the pandemic—a journey of over 41 kilometres.
The priest also spoke about his missionary service in Cambodia in 2002, where he taught people French and how to use computers, and in Indonesia from 2005 to 2007, which is a cherished experience for him.
Every day, there are occasional ‘cracks’ caused by daily difficulties or conflicts with family members because of the crowded living conditions in Hong Kong. But what we let to seep through the cracks into our lives is our choice
Sister Anne Pauline Nguyen
After being ordained a deacon in 2012, he was assigned to work in Hong Kong, where he will serve for the rest of his life. To adapt to the lives of the local people, he has learned Chinese calligraphy and even how to play mahjong!
The second episode featured Vietnamese Sister Anne Pauline Nguyen, of the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres, who led a tour around the University of Hong Kong where she studied Cantonese from 2008 to 2010 with people from 46 countries, including 10 religious. She speaks fluent Cantonese, but she said learning it was really difficult as she encountered difficulties in distinguishing the difference between spoken and written Chinese.
Having worked in Hong Kong for 13 years, Sister Nguyen is responsible for hospital visitation, youth pastoral care work, arts spiritual workshops and teaching catechism classes.
She shared that when she first arrived, she was curious about the cracks of tea eggs, a typical Hong Kong street food, as she thought they might be broken and rotten! In difficult times, Sister Nguyen encourages people to learn from the cracks of a tea egg which allow the aroma of the tea to seep into it.
“Every day, there are occasional ‘cracks’ caused by daily difficulties or conflicts with family members because of the crowded living conditions in Hong Kong. But what we let to seep through the cracks into our lives is our choice,” she said.
“Let positivity seep into our lives… Through the cracks or unhappy incidents, we can let God teach us through his grace so that we can grow up,” Sister Nguyen encouraged at the end of the episode.
Father Isaac Noh Hyun Chul of the Korean Missionary Society from South Korea, Father Fructuoso Lopez Martin of Guadalupe Missioners from Mexico, and Sister Monica Mawnica Zung Men of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary from Myanmar, will feature in coming episodes.
