HONG KONG (SE): On the joyous occasion of the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ pontificate and his 87th birthday on December 17, The Holy See Study Mission and the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong jointly presented Harmony of Hearts, the ninth edition of a public musical concert at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. A Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Stephen Chow, s.j., and concelebrated by 28 members of the clergy, assisted by seven permanent deacons.
Cardinal Stephen said that Gaudete Sunday this year called us to celebrate the unfailing promises of God as well as Pope Francis’ birthday and urged people to pray for his health.
Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing ofm preached the homily and siad the pope’s tireless efforts have left a lasting impression on us. He recalled for the past 10 years, his apostolic visits around the world are well remembered, particularly in 2015, when he visited Tacloban, the Philippines, after the Super Typhoon Haiyan [Yolanda] devastated the region. In addition to showing God didn’t abandon the sick and sexual minorities, he was the first to wash and kiss the feet of prisoners during a Holy Thursday celebration.
Bishop Ha said the pope’s actions serve as a reminder to everyone that we are all loved, said the bishop. He encouraged people to consider whether God is the source of their joy, which enables us to give witness to him.
Bishop Ha noted that in searching Google to see what the pope had done to celebrate his birthday in previous years, he was surprised to see that there had been no special celebrations other than having breakfast with homeless people or cutting cakes with sick children.
“He teaches us that our Christian lives are not for ourselves. Our lives, because of Jesus Christ, should be for the others. The existence of the Church is for the benefit of the entire world. Our parish is for the benefit of society,” the bishop noted.
Monsignor José Luis, head of the Holy See Study Mission in Hong Kong, remarked that the evening took on an additional significance in the context of the recent celebration of the Synod on Synodality. “…With its strong calling to communion, we want to honour Pope Francis and celebrate his birthday by recalling his teachings on this particular role of the Holy Spirit,” the monsignor said.
The theme, Harmony of Hearts, encapsulates in a single sentence the language of the heart where the Holy Spirit is Love… which brings order and accord, profound unity and peace in a world in discord. The working of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and the whole world creates a true harmony, deep unity which does not end in uniformity or exclusivity, but is able to welcome diversity and multiplicity without bringing up division.”
Since 2014, the Study Mission and the Diocese of Hong Kong have jointly organised annual music offerings to manifest love, prayer and communion with Pope Francis and to pray for peace in the world. As in previous years, many volunteers from the laity and religious communities participated in organising the event.
Also in attendance were Cardinal Stephen, Monsignor Jose-Luis Marie Blanca Sanchez, Father Francis Ezinwa from the Study Mission, Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun, John Cardinal Tong Hon, and members of the diplomatic corps.
Since 2014, the Study Mission and the Diocese of Hong Kong have jointly organised annual music offerings to manifest love, prayer and communion with Pope Francis and to pray for peace in the world. As in previous years, many volunteers from the laity and religious communities participated in organising the event
According to Andrew Leung, the inspiration for the theme, Harmony of Hearts, came from the Holy Father’s work over the past decade and the recent focus on synodality. In fact, “Pope Francis actually used the orchestra as a metaphor to describe the Church in the recent consistory. The backgrounds of our featured artists echo this image of an orchestra.”
This year, both instrumental and sung music were included in the musical offering. Ruth Lau, a mezzo-soprano, and John Ma, a violinist, together with his wife Rain Seto, the organist, and their two young children Sophie and Conrad on violin and bassoon, as well as young musicians like Kenneth Ma, who played the organ, were among the performers. Leung remarked, “We see the diversity and unity when these musicians come together to offer their music as one prayer.”
Performing for Pope Francis’ birthday along with his family was an honour for violinist John Ma, who commented, “This is the first time that our entire family performs together. I earnestly hope that our music will serve as an unspoken prayer for our Pope, particularly for his well-being and good health.” The musical offering concluded with Panis Angelicus, which brought the listeners gently into the preparation for the Mass in the second part of the evening at 6:00pm.
Schola Cantorum, the choir assembled for this occasion, was a collaborative effort between the religious and lay people: Dominican and Franciscan friars and novices, singing with the members of Vox Antiqua. They sang hymns in three different languages, ranging from Gregorian chant to hymns of modern times in English and Cantonese written over the centuries.
Pope Francis actually used the orchestra as a metaphor to describe the Church in the recent consistory. The backgrounds of our featured artists echo this image of an orchestra
Andrew Leung
Following the previous music and celebrations, one parishioner commented, “It demonstrates the power of music to express the most profound human movements in harmony, raising our voices of praise to God in unity and love, transcending time, language, and culture.”
The symphonic contribution of each voice and instrument in the musical performance and Mass is distinctive. As Monsignor Blanca Sanchez remarked, it is “harmony willed by the Holy Spirit for every heart and hearth, for our city and the whole world.”
A young non-Chinese Dominican novice shared, “On the one hand, participating in the choir made me feel in communion with the universal Church and also closeness to the people of Hong Kong. Another novice described the diversity of elements of the celebrations and the contributions of many behind the scenes, where the entire diocese joined together to offer a wonderful gift to God.
In closing the liturgical celebration, Monsignor Blanca Sanchez expressed his gratitude for everyone’s presence and prayers for Pope Francis. He thanked Cardinal Stephen for presiding over the Mass and for his support of the Holy See Study Mission, to Bishop Ha for the meaningful homily, and to Cardinal Zen and Cardinal Tong for their participation. In addition, gratitude was also expressed to Dr. Rita T. Liu, the Gale Well Group and L&T Charitable Foundation for their support.
Gina Caunceran, who attended the Mass and concert, said it was her fourth time at the annual event. The pope has a big heart not only for Catholics, but also for all people throughout the world and she came to support him. “Everyone loves him. He is so inclusive,” she said.
The evening closed with a special prayer for the pope in Gregorian chant, followed by the prayer repeated in Chinese.
