HONG KONG (SE/KKP): Diocesan seminarian, Henry Chau Chin-heng, was ordained a deacon by Bishop Chow Sau-yan, SJ, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Tsing Yi, on December 10.
During the Mass, concelebrated by Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, rector of the Holy Spirit Seminary, and 20 priests, Bishop Ha recommended Chau to the bishop to be ordained a deacon.
Bishop Chow in turn, explained the ministry of a deacon as a servant to the people. Chau then made his promise to be committed to his duties with humility, proclaim the good news and surrender his life to God. The bishop then laid his hands upon the ordinand to confer the Holy Spirit.The newly ordained was then vested with the stole and the dalmatics of deacons. The bishop also handed Deacon Chau the Book of the Gospels, reminding him, “To believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”
In his message at the end of the ceremony, Deacon Chau asked the congregation to pray for him. “From today onwards, I am entering a new phase of my life. I pray that the Lord will help me to live a holy life, to act with integrity, to serve the Lord with devotion and to remain faithful for the rest of my life.” He asked the congregation to intercede for vocations in the diocese, which has a shortage of priests. “We must constantly pray for vocations and the spread of the gospel.”
Lau Yue-hua, Deacon Chau’s mother, recalled that when he visited his family each week, he would accompany her to the market to buy food, and she would accompany her son to Mass in the church on Sundays. She described her son as a “little lamb of God” saying, “He has been very gentle since he was a little boy, and he got along well with his brother, and I did not have to worry about his studies.”
From today onwards, I am entering a new phase of my life. I pray that the Lord will help me to live a holy life, to act with integrity, to serve the Lord with devotion and to remain faithful for the rest of my life.
She told the Kung Kao Po, “When he told me he wanted to respond to his priestly vocation, I was only worried [that] he would find it difficult to finish his journey.” Now that she has seen her son ordained to the diaconate, she said she is very grateful.
Chau was baptised in 2009 while attending Tak Sun Secondary School and joined the Holy Spirit Seminary in 2015. He was assigned to St. Thomas the Apostle Church in September this year, where he will continue his formation for the priesthood.
Dennis Law Chun-ping, the principal of Tak Sun Secondary School, is the godfather of Deacon Chau. He recalled that when he was teaching him computer science, he noticed that he was quiet, well organised and always took the initiative to take care of other students. He believes that his vocation to the priesthood suits him very well.
Li Kwok-tong, who once joined the seminary to discern his vocation, told the Kung Kao Po that even though he has left the seminary, he still remembers the first day he was welcomed to the seminary by Deacon Chau. He described him as a “shepherd” in the community, always offering encouragement and support, which made him feel warm.
