HONG KONG (SE): On December 5, Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., addressed the 54th Annual General Meeting of the Catholic Diocesan Schools Council, urging educators present to endure hardships collectively and become pilgrims of hope. He also encouraged schools to strengthen their education on gender issues through a pilot scheme and their existing support for students’ mental well-being.
Principals and supervisors from various diocesan schools attended the meeting, which took place in Karl Hall at Raimondi College mid-levels.
Cardinal thanked those present for their efforts in their education mission. In response to the Jubilee Year under the theme of “Pilgrims of Hope”, Cardinal Chow said it represents an invitation for faith renewal and responsibility. He invited those present to keep reigniting hope for the young. “Facing various issues like the mental health problem and the decreasing number of students, as educators, you should have your own faith and unchanging missions, hold on to your hope that cannot be extinguished, and continue to accompany our students and co-workers,” he said.
He emphasised the importance of charity driven by love, particularly towards underprivileged students and families living on the margins of society. He highlighted the need to understand different forms of poverty, including relational poverty, and encouraged dialogues to draw inspiration from the experiences of different students.
He also urged those present to learn from Christ, live out his spirit as a good shepherd and faithful servant of God, and bring the Gospel into students’ lives to inspire hope. He added that facing challenges in unity can make them easier to navigate.
“Now, let’s become pilgrims of hope. In the midst of challenges, our hope can be a bright light. For the sake of Catholic education and for our future, we will bring more faith, love and hope. This is our mission,” he said, adding that the mission is more important than helping students to get high scores.
Joseph Kung Kwong-pui, the episcopal delegate for education, expressed his concern about students’ mental health and announced plans to enhance existing supports, such as mindfulness and reflective practices in educational settings. These can be integrated into students’ daily prayers or other activities. He hopes that the mindfulness exercises will encourage students to appreciate good people and deeds, suggesting that they reflect on their capabilities and seek divine guidance from the Holy Spirit to accomplish seemingly unattainable tasks. “The key is to delve deeper into their hearts to reflect in silence, allowing them to engage with their minds,” he said.
Another plan involves distributing plush dolls of guardian angels, inspired by Luce & Friends, the official mascot for the Jubilee Year, to provide daily emotional support. A list of expectations regarding students’ mental health was drafted by summarising the outcomes of previous projects and was also distributed to the schools.
He also announced lesson plans related to LGBT and gender issues for a small-scale pilot scheme from March to May 2025. The scheme will target older primary and secondary students and cover topics like discrimination arising from gender issues, Church sexual ethics, the impact of gender theory on daily life and its influence on marriage and future generations, etc.
Lam Chi-kong, chairperson of the council and principal of Tung Chung Catholic School, discussed the mission of the council, which aimed to encourage member schools to pursue unity in educational policies. Expressing gratitude to participating schools, he shared the success of the recent Education Sunday held in cooperation with parishes under the theme “What were you arguing about on the road?” (Mark 9:33), organised to encourage educational practitioners to respond with empathy to the contemporary challenges in Catholic education. He also outlined last year’s initiatives, including a rope-skipping event on June 28 that set a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) world record with over 11,000 participants, as well as an education award for students who excelled in religious education.
