HONG KONG (KKP/SE): Our Lady of Fatima Church, Cheung Chau, celebrated the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima as well as its 70th anniversary of establishment on October 9 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan SJ, and parish priest, Father Josekutty Mathew, together with fellow Claretian missionaries Father Jojo Peter Ancheril and Father Alberto Rossa.
In his homily, Bishop Chow encouraged people to follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary and do the will of God. “Mary is blessed because she lives her life in accordance with the Lord’s will, so that his plans can be fulfilled through her cooperation. This is true humility, obedience and holy virtue,” the bishop said.
The bishop pointed out that Our Lady supported and cared for Jesus from the beginning, and later accompanied the disciples in their spiritual as well as daily life. He expressed his appreciation of the people of the parish, who deepened their spirituality through the rosary and gave their love to the island of Cheung Chau through various activities.
The day started with a communal recitation of the 20 mysteries of the Holy Rosary led by members of the Society of St. Monica.
Seventy parishioners and others from all over the world spent about two months copying the Claretian version of the New Testament, which is a new translation in modern Chinese. This was presented at the altar by Father Mathew during the liturgy. Bishop Chow expressed his appreciation for the parishioners taking up the meaningful task of preparing the hand-written copy.
Mary is blessed because she lives her life in accordance with the Lord’s will, so that his plans can be fulfilled through her cooperation. This is true humility, obedience and holy virtue
Bishop Stephen Chow SJ
The participants in the project were instructed to spend time in prayer, and to read and reflect on the Word before they sat down to write. “Growing in love with the Word of God and living by it is the call of every Christian. The copying of the New Testament by 70 people was intended to promote the habit of spending time with the Word of God among the faithful,” Father Mathew explained, adding, “It was a beautiful experience for the participants, many of whom were members of other parishes.”
To prepare for the 70th anniversary, a novena was prayed starting from September 30 to show the gratitude to God through the rosary.
After the Mass, Bishop Chow shared the messages of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima during a spiritual talk. Together with the bishop, Father Mathew presided over a benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Over 300 pilgrims and parishioners joined the events that day.
The year-long preparations included a pilgrimage to the St. Jospeh’s Chapel in Yim Tin Tsai, Sai Kung, and several talks on the vocation stories of priests and religious who were associated with the parish in the past. A painting competition for the children of Sacred Heart Primary School and Sacred Heart Kindergarten were also organised. The parish will also present a video documentary on its history and publish a booklet in connection with the anniversary celebrations.
In his welcoming message that day, Father Mathew hoped that the rich history of the parish might inspire the faithful in their lives in the community in the days and years to come. The parish priest said that the 70th anniversary was a moment of thanksgiving for the mission of the parish of being sign of God’s presence among his people for seven decades. The parish remembered with gratitude all the priests, religious and faithful who served in Cheung Chau parish and prayed for them during the Mass.
Priests who served in the parish in the past few decades included Jesuit Father Joseph Tai Yu-kuk and Father Pierfilippo Guglielminetti, Salesian Father Francis Lau, as well as Maryknoll Father Eugene Thalman and Father John Ahearn.
Father Mathew hoped that the rich history of the parish might inspire the faithful in their lives in the community in the days and years to come. The parish priest said that the 70th anniversary was a moment of thanksgiving for the mission of the parish of being sign of God’s presence among his people for seven decades
In 2002, the parish celebrated the 50th anniversary of its foundation with a wide range of activities, including a Marian procession. In 2003, when Father Ahearn became the parish priest, he believed the procession was an excellent evangelisation activity and decided to organise one every year. On 13 May 2012, over 2,000 people joined the procession to mark the 60th anniversary.
The first chapel in Cheung Chau was located at No. 245, Tai Sun Back Street. After the Second World War, it was cared for by Father John Liu Shek-kwong. In early 1952, the construction of a church began. In August of the same year, Father Ruggiero Nicola of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions [PIME], was appointed to assist Father Liu, and he served as the priest-in-charge of the Catholic community in Cheung Chau.
The newly constructed church was consecrated on 13 October 1952 by the then vicar general, Father Anthony Riganti. A statue of Our Lady of Fatima purchased in Fatima, in Portugal, was donated by Father Orazio de Angelis pime, to the newly-built church. It was placed at the centre of the sanctuary.
Bishop Lawrence Bianchi later accepted Father Ruggiero’s suggestion to dedicate the church in the name of Our Lady of Fatima.
