HONG KONG (SE): St. Joseph’s Chapel, Yim Tin Tsai, Sai Kung, will be closed for six months for a maintenance project after 18 years without renovations. The work will cover the external and internal walls, as well as the floor tiles inside the chapel.
Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, the chairperson of a maintenance committee of the chapel, said that they saw the need for maintenance years ago. As the chapel is located in an open countryside area, rain and wind can easily damage it. “There are cracks in the floor tiles and peeling paint on the walls,” he said.
The committee then applied for the government’s Financial Assistance for Maintenance Scheme on Built Heritage. The bidding process, consultations, and government approval took around two years. The project was granted around a million dollars, and the project was finally begun in the middle of March.
Father Chan shared that delivering construction materials to the island may be challenging due to transportation problems, but that could be solved. He requested prayers for the smooth completion of the project.
In 2004, the chapel underwent extensive renovation, funded by a two-million-dollar donation from a benefactor. After renovations were completed in April of that year, pilgrimages and eco-tours were promoted.
According to a notice from the Salt & Light Preservation Centre on the island, dated March 18, the rain shelter and railing maintenance at the Yim Tin Tsai Pier are also underway. For the safety of visitors, the centre has decided to provide limit kai-to ferry services. The salt pan is open for visits in compliance with the government’s anti-pandemic measures.
St. Joseph’s Chapel was inaugurated and blessed in 1890. In 1990, it was listed as a Grade 3 Historic Building by the Hong Kong Antiquities Advisory Board and then further upgraded to Grade 2 on 25 January 2011. In 2005, it was received the Award of Merit from the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
