HONG KONG (SE): The Caritas Bazaar season kicked off with an opening event officiated by Stephen Cardinal Chow, SJ, at Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, on November 5. The bazaar had not been held at the park since 2018.
The charity fundraising events had been compelled to go small with mini-bazaars since 2019, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, but returned to full-scale events across Hong Kong in 2022.
Also officiating at the opening ceremony on the morning of November 5 were Father Joseph Yim Tak-ling, chief executive of Caritas-Hong Kong, along with Bernadette Linn, the secretary for development of the Hong Kong SAR, Flora Leung, the head of the Retail and Wealth Management Department of ICBC Ltd., Dennis Chang, Andrew Chan, honorary adviser of Friends of Caritas, and Theresa Ng, chairperson of Friends of Caritas.
During the ceremony, Cardinal Chow said the event reminded him of his school days when he participated in Caritas Bazaars. He expressed gratitude and appreciation for the generosity of all the benevolent people and the participation of the general public, without which the meaningful event could not have been a success, and people in need could not have benefitted from this activity.
Linn, on the other hand, thanked Father Yim for inviting her to the opening ceremony of the bazaar. She shared her faith as a Catholic, which supports her work. She said the Latin word “Caritas” [love and charity] is a reminder for her and her colleagues that their work is out of their love for society, and urged people to encourage their family and friends to come to the bazaar.
There were 177 booths from more than 40 units. The winners of the game design competition were Raimondi College, Canossa College, and Aberdeen Technical School.
A concurrent bazaar was also held on the same day at Tin Shui Wai Catholic Primary School, and will take place in different places on the following three Sundays, including Cheung Sha Wan Playground in Kowloon on November 12; Caritas Chan Chun Ha Field Studies Centre, Cheung Chau, and Sha Tsui Road Playground, Tsuen Wan, on November 19; and finally at St. Rosa of Lima’s College, Shatin, on November 27.
