HONG KONG (SE): The Salesian China Province held a memorial and funeral Mass for Father Joseph Ho Kwok-cheung at the chapel of Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Cape Collinson, Chai Wan on March 16. Around 60 people attended the service, including fellow Salesians, family members, members of the Salesian Family, and lay people from Canada. Father Ho, 84, passed away at 8.30am at the Yee Hong Centre, Ontario, Canada, on February 18.
In his homily, Father Joseph Ng Chi-yuen, the provincial superior of the Salesian China Province, recounted that he first met Father Ho when he was principal of the Salesian English School. Later, Father Ho applied to serve the Chinese community in Canada and eventually joined the province of Canada and Eastern USA.
Father Ng fondly recalled Father Ho’s cheerful personality and his popularity with the faithful, and that Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun often invited him for dinner as he visited overseas Chinese organisations.
Cardinal Zen officiated Father Ho’s burial ceremony at the Cemetery of the Salesians [HV2] at the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery Cape Collinson after the funeral Mass.
Father Ho was born in Hong Kong on 22 September 1939. He received formation in the Salesian House of Studies in Hong Kong after making his first profession of vows in 1961. He made his perpetual vows in 1967 and went to Messina, Italy, for specific priesthood formation in the same year.
Following his ordination in Messina in 1971, he returned to Hong Kong to teach at the Salesian English School, Shau Kei Wan, and then the Aberdeen Technical School. He was the principal of the Salesian English School from 1980 to 1989.
He studied at the Berkeley School of Theology in the United States from 1989 to 1990. Following the completion of his studies, he travelled to Edmonton, Canada to serve the Chinese community there. In 2007, he was appointed as the assistant parish priest at St. Benedict’s Parish in Etobicoke, Canada, after serving at the Salesian community there.
