HONG KONG (SE): The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has established the Hong Kong Catholic Migrants Pastoral Coordination Group to support the growing number of Hong Kong Catholic migrants in Great Britain. The group will operate for one year beginning July 1.
Under the leadership of Bishop Paul McAleenan, who deals with migrants’ and refugees’ issues, the group consists of a team of seven people, including recently ordained Hong Kong migrant, Deacon James Shin, along with six other Hong Kong migrants who serve as convener, vice-convener, treasurer, secretary, promotion officer and liaison officer.
The group met with Bishop McAleenan on July 10 to discuss their work for migrants. Bishop McAleenan emphasised Pope Francis’ four principles for welcoming new migrants from his 2018 World Day of Migrants and Refugees message: welcome, protect, promote, and integrate.
Deacon Shin said the group’s four-fold mission aligns with Pope Francis’ principles: to liaise between Hong Kong Catholic migrant communities in England and Wales and the bishops’ conference to ensure effective communication and collaboration; to ensure the local communities receive pastoral support by liaising with local groups and facilitate social and faith-based gatherings; to act as the first point of contact for visiting Cantonese-speaking priests when needed. In addition, the group offers various services at the national and local levels to nurture the faith of migrants with the support of local communities.
Francis Law, the group’s convenor, said that coordinating activities across a large and diverse area like Great Britain, especially under different community structures, is quite challenging
During the meeting with the bishop, the group also discussed the arrangements for the 10-day visit of Auxilary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing to different regions in England in July, as well as that of Father Simon Li to England and Scotland from July to September.
Bishop McAleenan expressed satisfaction with the progress made. The group agreed to meet with the bishop at least twice a year and provide updates on their pastoral activities every four months.
During his visit to East London on July 25, Bishop Ha told Deacon Shin that he greatly appreciated the establishment of the ordination group at this time, as members will have the support of the clergy, and a permanent deacon as their spiritual director who shares a common background with them, as well as the same aim of providing pastoral activities for the Chinese communities to strengthen their faith and trust in God. The bishop said he looked forward to additional suitable migrants being called to the permanent diaconate in the near future to share and ease the burden of priests.
Francis Law, the group’s convenor, said that coordinating activities across a large and diverse area like Great Britain, especially under different community structures, is quite challenging. He mentioned that Paris Foreign Misssions Father Bruno Lepeu, sent by the Diocese of Hong Kong at the end of 2023 to serve as a chaplain in England for six months, was able to cover multiple areas due to his dedication and commitment.
During his visit to East London on July 25, Bishop Ha told Deacon Shin that he greatly appreciated the establishment of the ordination group at this time, as members will have the support of the clergy, and a permanent deacon as their spiritual director who shares a common background with them, as well as the same aim of providing pastoral activities for the Chinese communities to strengthen their faith and trust in God
The members are unable to do the same because they have their own full-time jobs, families, and parish communities to attend to. Therefore, the coordination group members will take responsibility for specific regions and work with local communities there.
Law said that the coordination group will fully respect the culture of communities or the chaplaincies of different regions. Its role is to facilitate links and provide support to priests and local communities. The group also has to learn from well-established groups. For example, the Cantonese-speaking community in Cambridge has been actively integrated into local parishes since April 2022. It maintains its unique Cantonese rites and Mass celebrations, including baptisms and cremation rites. Furthermore, it is running a thriving children’s group.
He believes the setting up of the coordination group for Hong Kong migrants represents an opportunity for revitalisation within the Catholic communities in Great Britain through their own dynamic and active approach to faith. For example, many of the children have taken the initiative to help as altar servers. The traditional Chinese New Year food prepared by the Cantonese-speaking community for all communities also brought much joy to his parish in Birmingham earlier this year, and members were strongly encouraged to do the lion dance next year!
The logo of the coordination group, featuring Catholic, British, and Hong Kong elements, symbolises their mission to unite and spread the faith among Hong Kong Catholic migrants in the United Kingdom.
