On June 2, not one but four live images of the Blessed Virgin Mary visited St. James’ Church in Yau Tong! It was the culmination prayer for the month of Mary and four representatives from different groups dressed up as Marian icons to pray with and for us!
As part of the celebration of Mary’s month in May, our parish held a Maria, Ina Ko! (Mary, My Mother), a month-long celebration in honour of Our Lady. The idea came about when the coordinators of the English community were discussing how to celebrate the Marian month in a meaningful and devout way. One of the approved suggestions was to pray the Holy Rosary to promote this simple, accessible and meaningful prayer. After each Mass during the month of May, some of the parishioners decided to stay and pray the rosary together.
Another facet of our Maria, Ina Ko! celebration is that each week, a few minutes before Mass, a representative from different ministries presents a picture of Our Lady. There are many different images of Mary, spanning generations, in different countries out there. To be honest, we are not familiar with them or even aware of their existence. That is why we have decided to present one image each week from different continents. These are the following:
Our Lady of Kibeho: Also known as “Our Lady of Sorrows of Kibeho” (Rwanda, Africa), the title is based on a Marian apparition reported in the 1980s by several young people in the village. Her messages emphasised the importance of prayer, penance and reconciliation, as well as the frequent recitation of the Holy Rosary. This was in the midst of growing tensions and violence between the tribes: Hutu and Tutsi, which escalated into the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Nearly a million people died.
The loyalty of our people to Christ is closely linked to our devotion to Mary,
who is the Mother of Jesus and our Mother
Our Lady of Aparecida: “Our Lady Revealed” is a Marian title associated with the Immaculate Conception. According to tradition and historical accounts, the image was found by fishermen who caught a large number of fish after invoking the intercession of Our Lady. This was in the 18th century. Today, Our Lady of Aparecida is a great unifier of Brazil, transcending all possible divisions of race, class, region and religion, bringing us all together as one people.
Birhen Sa Barangay: “Our Lady of the Village” is a Catholic lay movement founded by a layman in Cadiz, Negros Occidental in 1949. This was a few years after the Second World War, which had left a lot of damage in the country. The frightened population sought the protection of Our Lady. The movement aims to preserve the integrity of the Filipino family, its spiritual unity, cultural distinctiveness and economic self-sufficiency. Eventually, images of the Blessed Mother, simple and with a distinctly Filipino appearance, toured the country, bringing comfort to the people.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots: The devotion originated in Germany, in the marital crisis of Wolfgang Langenmantel and his wife Sophie Imhoff, who were married in 1612. They were considering divorce, but before they separated, Wolfgang decided to walk to the nearby monastery to ask for advice. The priest advised him to entrust his situation to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. The knots often depicted in pictures of Our Lady Undoer of Knots represent whatever causes suffering in our lives, such as family discord, misunderstanding between children and parents, violence, anger, drug addiction, fear and lack of peace. Most importantly, they are anything that prevents the glory of God from shining in our lives.
Each week a representative would come forward and present a picture that had been assigned to them. It was a simple concept.
Now, for the culmination, we originally thought of doing a traditional Filipino devotion at the end of May: Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan. But considering how small we are as a community, it would be difficult to realise. Our English-speaking community at St James’ Church is one of the youngest communities in Hong Kong. We are only two years old. It was decided to have representatives dressed up as Mother Mary, according to the image presented by the group. I am personally impressed by the resourcefulness and creativity of the group. Some had to come up with the costume themselves. One group had to get resources from their home town in the Philippines. One expressed her joy at finally being able to fulfil a childhood dream of portraying Mother Mary!
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
I am amazed. But I am not surprised. The majority of our community are mothers. It is easy for them to come to Mother Mary. One thing is certain for Filipinos: Mother Mary is not just a historical figure or a theological concept to be kept in mind. She is our mother. We have always had a very tender devotion to Mary as our Mother; and this devotion has strengthened the faith of our people. The loyalty of our people to Christ is closely linked to our devotion to Mary, who is the Mother of Jesus and our Mother.
