HONG KONG (SE): James Shin Ka-leung, a migrant from Hong Kong, together with two others, were ordained permanent deacons at Westminister Cathedral, London, on July 6. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has assigned Deacon Shin to coordinate the Hong Kong migrant communities in the United Kingdom.
Shin was ordained by Auxiliary Bishop James Curry of Westminster, along with Eze Ugoala and Paul Hewitt, during a Mass concelebrated by Paris Foreign Missions Father Bruno Lepeu, who is in the UK extending pastoral care to Hong Kong migrants on behalf of the Hong Kong diocese.
Deacon Adrian Cullen, Director of the Diaconate, recommended the three candidates. Bishop Curry then asked them if they resolved to serve the Church as deacons, assist priests, and serve the people. He also inquired about their commitment to proclaim their faith by word and deed and humbly carry out charity services. The candidates affirmed their resolve. Bishop Curry then conferred the deacons by imposing his hands on their heads.
The Hong Kong Catholic Migrants Pastoral Coordination Group was formed on July 1 with the endorsement of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Deacon Shin was appointed as the coordinator for the group on June 29, with six other executive members from different regions in the UK. His duty officially started on July 10, four days after his ordination.
Deacon Shin told the Sunday Examiner that the group will involve quite a lot of work, considering the large number of Hong Kong migrant communities in the UK. “See how it works out and develops in the future with the help from God!” he said.
Deacon Shin was appointed as the coordinator for the group on June 29, with six other executive members from different regions in the UK. His duty officially started on July 10, four days after his ordination
Shin is aware that since 2021, a surge of Hong Kong migrants have settled in the UK, seeking to integrate into local parishes while yearning for familiar liturgical practices in Cantonese. This has led to the formation of many smaller faith groups offering Cantonese services and activities nationwide.
In a gathering with the Cantonese-speaking communities the next day at St. George’s Cathedral in Southwark, Shin shared about the joy of responding to his vocation. The process included listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit in his heart, longing for the renewal of life, and seeking help from the Holy Spirit to dispel his fears.
The newly ordained deacon joyfully assisted Father Lepeu in a Cantonese Mass following his ordination, and attendees were deeply moved as the resonating Cantonese hymns filled the cathedral.
In July 2019, Shin completed his Bachelor of Religious Studies at the Holy Spirit Seminary. Following discernment and formation, he was accepted as a candidate in the Diocese of Hong Kong in November 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic then disrupted his training.
He moved to the United Kingdom to be with his family in 2021 and ceased to practice as a solicitor in Hong Kong. He continued his formation in the Westminster Diocese in 2022 and obtained a master’s degree in social teaching at St. Mary’s University of London. Vincent Cardinal Nichols gave his approval for him to be ordained [Sunday Examiner, June 30].
