HONG KONG (SE): “Your presence and your selfless contributions have told Hong Kong people there is a reason to believe that God has never abandoned us and is always with us. Your presence and services tell us that we should have hope,” Cardinal Stephen Chow, s.j., bishop of Hong Kong, said at the Thanksgiving Mass celebrating the 70th, 60th, 50th and 25th anniversaries of the priestly ordinations and religious professions of consecrated persons serving in Hong Kong on December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
The Mass was concelebrated by John Cardinal Tong Hon, Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-Ching, and over 70 priests.
Thirty-four priests and religious sisters celebrated their anniversaries, and 21 of them attended the tea reception before Mass at the Caritas Community Hall. During the reception, the cardinal honoured them for their dedication, devotion and sacrifices in showing God’s virtues and love in an often chaotic world.
“None of us is perfect … yet through your dedication, hard work, and the testimony of your life have given hope to the world, telling them that goodness is filled within us, that love is real,” he said.
The first reading was proclaimed by Sister Margaret Fung Sui-fun of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary [FMM], marking her diamond jubilee, and the second reading was proclaimed by PIME Sister Sophia Rani Erudhaya Dhasin, celebrating her silver jubilee.
Your presence and your selfless contributions have told Hong Kong people there is a reason to believe that God has never abandoned us and is always with us. Your presence and services tell us that we should have hope
Cardinal Stephen
Oblate Father John Wotherspoon, who is celebrating 50 years as a priest, delivered the homily. He expressed gratitude to the diocese for organising the jubilarian celebrations, which first began under John Baptist Cardinal Wu Cheng-chung. He observed that the yearly celebration has fostered a sense of family within the diocese. People who came to support him were thanked for their encouragement.
He wished the jubilarians might live, grow and flourish in the love of the Lord as they reflect on decades of service to the Church and see the blessings of the people with whom they work in parishes, schools, hospitals, prisons, and other administrations. He also thanked the Blessed Virgin Mary who cares for the Church and puts up with our failures.
As a means to put into practice the spirit of the gospel, he suggested reading Joseph Girzone’s Joshua series, which prompts us to think how we would interact with Jesus today if he returned, and reading Father Donald Cozzens’ books, Freeing Celibacy and The Changing Face of Priesthood, to examine the priesthood’s concerns.
Father Wotherspoon, known for his charity projects for the underprivileged, was visibly emotional when he mentioned the killing of over 6,000 children in the war in Gaza. He led the faithful in praying the Hail Mary for her kindness to stop the carnage.
Precious Blood Sister Madeleine Kwong Lai-kuen, who celebrates the 50th anniversary of her religious profession, described the jubilarians as celebrating a calling and a covenant of love.
Father Wotherspoon, known for his charity projects for the underprivileged, was visibly emotional when he mentioned the killing of over 6,000 children in the war in Gaza. He led the faithful in praying the Hail Mary for her kindness to stop the carnage
She said she received the calling from God when she was a small child. She emptied herself for his greater mission under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to build the kingdom of God. She is happy to connect people with God so that they can see hope and live a richer life.
A professor at the Holy Spirit Seminary College of Theology and Philosophy, she believes that theological expressions can be poetic, and compared the life of the jubilarians to an old wine maturing over time.
Representatives from the Hong Kong Central Council of Catholic Laity expressed gratitude to the jubilarians and for their sacrifices which reveal the mercy of God, as well as their services in building up the Church. They urged people to pray for God’s blessing on the ministries and the health of the jubilarians.
Sister Lucia Mak Yuen-suk FMM, who has served as a pastoral sister a catechist and now a school supervisor, told the Sunday Examiner that she feels joyful in different kinds of services and is grateful to God for a chance to celebrate her golden jubilee.
Father Andrew Kim Yong Jae of the Korean Missionary Society who celebrates his silver jubilee, said that he appreciated God’s plan for him to serve in Hong Kong and never expected a jubilee celebration here when he joined the seminary in Korea at only 19. Starting his service in Hong Kong in 2000, he said he was happy to be with Hong Kong people and thanked them for supporting his missionary work.
It is mainly the language that has been challenging for MEP Sister Mary Rani since she came to Hong Kong in 2013. She is the pastoral sister of the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception. The Hong Kong people, however, have been very supportive of her.
