HONG KONG (SE): St. Joseph’s Chapel in Yim Tin Tsai celebrated its feast day and the 132rd anniversary of its establishment with a Mass on Mission Sunday, October 23. The celebration was also the first since the chapel was closed for half a year for a maintenance project [Sunday Examiner, April 28]. The island’s renovated pier, rain shelter and railings, as well as a path from the pier to the chapel for pilgrims with walking difficulties, were blessed.
The chapel was listed as a Grade 2 Historic Building in 2011.
The Mass was celebrated in Cantonese and the Hakka dialect by Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, whose family once lived on the island, together with Father Raja Duggimpudi, parish priest of Sacred Heart Church, Sai Kung.
At the beginning of the Mass, Father Chan expressed his gratitude to God for the newly-renovated chapel with its new floor tiles, a fresh coat of paint and new air-conditioners. The last large-scale renovation of the building was in 2004 funded by a two million dollar donation from a benefactor.
In his homily, Father Chan said God has blessed the island by guiding its development and it is now a good place for evangelisation. It was given the Award of Merit by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2005, and the revitalisation of its salt fields has drawn many tourists to visit. In 2015, it also received the Award of Distinction from the UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
He said those taking part in the development of the island are bearing witness to God through their actions, and encouraged those present to keep working hard to help promote the island to visitors.
“Let’s remember to love God, love people, love yourself and love the Earth,” he said.
He also mourned the loss of Robi Chan Fu-ming, a 63-year-old volunteer from the Salt & Light Preservation Centre, who passed away in an accident on the island on October 14. He set an example for evanglising as a dedicated tour guide for visitors as well as with the various other jobs he did for the island.
Yim Tin Tsai has been a regular venue for arts festivals in recent years. The Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival is slated to take place there as well as on Sharp Island from November 16 through to January 15 next year.
Nine pieces of artwork, by local artists, will be on exhibit, showing the cultural, historical, religious and geological stories of the two island.
Chan Chung-yin, village head, as well as Ma Ka-wai, chairperson of the parish council of Sacred Heart Parish, spoke after the Mass thanking villagers and volunteers who supported the project. Chan thanked the gove rnment for the financial subsidy and old villagers for returning from overseas to join the ceremony.
The village head expressed his deep sorrow over the loss in mid-October of Chan Fu-ming who had worked with villagers for over 10 years. He said his death was a reminder to cherish the heritage of the island.
