As the first Sunday of 2024 arrived, the first good news was the substantial completion of the expansion project at St. Joseph’s Church in Fanling, with the consecration of the new wing of the church. The expansion unconventionally opted for development below ground including an underground accommodating around 700 to 800 people, an open-air garden at ground level, a new bell tower, a multi-purpose activity centre, a public square, a parking lot, and priest residences, adhering to the principle of “maximising the use of space.”
Initiated in February 2019, the project was in response to the rapid population growth and pastoral development needs in the Northern District of the New Territories. With a budget exceeding a hundred million dollars, it relied on the concerted efforts of the Diocesan Building and Development Fund Committee in planning and organising various fundraising activities.
Of course, it also relied on the generous support of parishioners and benefactors joining hands to build this communal home. Currently, there are other fundraising efforts for other large-scale projects, including the construction of a new church, the restoration and expansion of cemetery facilities, and major repairs to parish buildings in Tung Chung.
January is also the time to commemorate two important shepherds of the universal Church and the diocese: first, the death anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI on December 31 and the fifth anniversary of the passing of Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung on January 3.
Archbishop Ganswein, who was Pope Benedict’s personal secretary during and after his pontificate, mentioned the late pope’s prayer life, kindness and humility in the memorial Mass celebrated on New Year’s Eve.. The archbishop said that prayer was a characteristic of the pope’s daily life, illustrated by his words, actions, and countenance.
He continued that Benedict emulated his patron, St. Joseph, “through daily prayer and faithful work, loved Jesus and Mary.” In 2007, Pope Benedict issued the Letter to the Bishops, Priests, Consecrated Persons, and Lay Faithful of the Catholic Church in the People’s Republic of China, outlining principles for the appointment of bishops and addressing the issue of illicitly ordained bishops in mainland China.
The late Bishop Yeung served Caritas-Hong Kong for over 20 years, holding positions such as director of the Education Services Department, vice-president, and president of Caritas. During his tenure, he enjoyed engaging with young people and designating the year 2018 as the Year of the Youth for the Diocese of Hong Kong to focus on the discernment of faith and vocation for young people. He proposed the vision of a university—a dream which has now come true with the official government approval of the change in name of the Caritas Institute of Higher Education to St. Francis University on January 9.
Let us be grateful and emulate the words and deeds of our predecessors, contributing ourselves to glorify God in all things. SE
