HONG KONG (SE): Forty-five years ago, Father John Tsang Wai-hung, Father Thomas Law Kwok-fai, Father John Baptist Kwan Kit-tong, Father Joseph Yim Tak-lung as well as Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming were ordained as priests together on 30 June 1979.
After nearly half a century, the bond between the five remains strong as ever as they gathered to openly speak of their joys and challenges over the past decades during a talk at the Diocesan Centre on June 30 with friends and parishioners, before celebrating Mass together to mark their 45th sacerdotal anniversary.
The session began with the priests reflecting on the tests they faced early in their ministry. Father Chan shared how much he enjoyed pastoral work as a parish priest at St. Margaret’s, Happy Valley, and later St. Francis de Assisi, Shamshuipo. Five years after his ordination, he was unexpectedly asked by John Baptist Cardinal Wu Cheng-chung to serve as an episcopal vicar responsible for the Kowloon parishes.
Father Chan, currently the parish priest of the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, recalled that he hesitated to do management work at that time as he preferred pastoral work. But Cardinal Wu said, “Be a good boy!” So he accepted the assignment out of obedience. He shared that it was not easy as management work naturally means dealing with resistance and personnel issues; he thanked Cardinal Wu for helping him overcome different trials.
Father Yim said the most joyful thing for him as a priest was being able to celebrate the sacraments, bringing people closer to God. Yet he shared that as a young priest, he had a lot of struggles hearing confessions, feeling unprepared and unsure of how to handle complex situations as he was unsure whether only a bishop could absolve certain sins.
The present chief executive of Caritas-Hong Kong recalled that in his years of being parish priest, his top priority was creating a sense of home for the parishioners. He achieved this by engaging with parishioners of all ages from children, teenagers and young adults, to seniors, and treating them as equals. However, he found young people the most challenging age group since they often preferred to engage in late-night conversations when he was sleepy!
After nearly half a century, the bond between the five remains strong as ever as they gathered to openly speak of their joys and challenges over the past decades during a talk at the Diocesan Centre on June 30 with friends and parishioners, before celebrating Mass together to mark their 45th sacerdotal anniversary
He also shared his story of being selected as the school supervisor of Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary School, despite lacking administrative experience, just two years after being ordained. During one casual dress day at the school, he was taken to a classroom because he was mistaken for a form-six student!
Father Kwan, parish priest at St. Mary’s Church, Hung Hom, said that the parishes where he has served were popular venues for wedding ceremonies and funerals. He recounted a few memorable instances, including officiating at the funeral of a young girl who had been raped and murdered, and another where a woman had passed away due to a sexually transmitted disease contracted from her unfaithful husband.
He felt deeply sorrowful in both funerals. The burial of the latter was held on a day of extremely heavy rain, and due to concerns about the possibility of a landslide, he had to conclude the ceremony hurriedly. “Even after many years, these memories are still very vivid in my heart. I sincerely hope that such tragic events will not occur again in our society,” he expressed.
Father Tsang emphasised that the main focus of priesthood is to depend on God. “Just as a lay person should be joyful, so should a priest. We have to surrender everything to God, who can resolve our issues. Engaging in prayers, studying the Bible, and emulating the actions of Jesus Christ are all crucial,” he said. The current chaplain of St. Mary’s Home for the Aged encouraged the faithful to explore the teachings of the Bible through prayer, small faith groups, and personal reflections as these practices aid in drawing individuals closer to Jesus and in leading lives that reflect Christ.
He also encouraged people to demonstrate kindness instead of anger towards others, especially within families, as a way to testify to God.
As the parish priest of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Wan Chai, Father Law emphasised the importance of staying connected to the community and being accessible, and shared that his mobile phone number is known to all. He also finds joy in helping people and creating a welcoming environment in the parish, by, for example, providing convenience for parishioners by keeping the doors of the church open.
He also shared that his most joyful moment as a parish priest happened after a burglary when he was the parish priest of Annunciation Church, Tsuen Wan, which made it necessary to employ a security guard. The presence of a security guard, in turn, made it possible to open up a closed gate providing access to a bus station two minutes away. Afterwards, the number of people joining catechism classes increased sharply!
The five priests then celebrated Mass together with several diocesan priests expressing their gratitude to God for being able to serve the Church over the past decades.
