HONG KONG (SE): The parish of Our Lady of Fatima in Cheung Chau held the solemn pilgrimage procession of the Holy Cross and Our Lady of Fatima on October 13 for the first time in five years. The annual event had been put on hold due to the social unrest in 2019 and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event, which also marked the 107th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions, was officiated by Bishop Joseph Ha ofm, auxiliary bishop of Hong Kong.
Addressing the pilgrims during the benediction, Bishop Ha said the pilgrimage procession reminds us of our life journey. He observed that we don’t live our faith in the church alone; instead, we go out into the world and meet people. “As participants of the procession, we profess our faith before people,” he said.
“We begin our journey from the church, go out into the midst of people, and at the end of our journey, we come back to the church,” the bishop said, referring to the procession.
“We shall always remember that Our Lady accompanies us on our life’s journey, and we never walk alone but together with our brothers and sisters,” he concluded.
Over a thousand people joined the procession, including those from different parishes in Hong Kong. The three-kilometre route began at the church on Church Road and looped back to the church via Hoi Pong Street.
This year’s procession featured children portraying guardian angels in the style of Cheung Chau’s distinctive and colourful floats, as well as Filipino participants dressed for the traditional Santa Cruzan.
