The Diocese of Hong Kong will celebrate its 80th anniversary from December 8, continuing until the same date in 2026, under the main theme, “Messengers of Hope.” The inaugural Mass is scheduled for Monday, 8 December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception—the patronal feast of the diocese.
This day also marks the anniversaries of the vows or entry of priests, seminarians, and nuns, making it a double celebration of joy.
As the theme for the 2025 Jubilee Year is “Pilgrims of Hope”, the diocese has chosen “Messengers of Hope” as a continuation and reinforcement.
Hope is a conviction, and it is crucial for people to maintain hope in life, as losing faith leads to negativity, pessimism, and a lack of motivation, making it difficult to accomplish anything.
For Christians, faith and hope arise from Christ’s incarnation, his willingness to be crucified for our sins, and his resurrection three days later.
It is this willingness of the Lord Jesus to walk with humanity, and the hope for eternal life, that allows us to find that glimmer of light—hope—in our lives and fully embrace hope each day.
During this Jubilee Year, the diocese has highlighted eight areas of concern, encouraging the faithful to pay special attention to eight groups of marginalised and vulnerable people in society. The poor are one such group. Coincidentally, this Sunday—the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time—is also the World Day of the Poor.
The late Pope Francis established this day to encourage the faithful to express, through action, the mercy they have received from the Lord—demonstrating Christ’s love by acting and tangibly conveying that love to those in need.
The theme for this year’s World Day of the Poor is “You are my hope” [Psalm 71:5]. In his message, Pope Leo XIV emphasised that spiritual wealth surpasses material abundance, as material wealth often leads people astray and causes them to fall into deeper poverty—the greatest of which is not knowing God.
The poor, however, bravely maintain their faith even in adversity. Through their steadfast hope, they become witnesses to God’s love. Pope Leo appealed to the leaders of nations to begin by formulating policies to eliminate poverty, as eradicating poverty is the fundamental solution.
We must first cherish hope for society and the future before we can share it, and this hope is “God is Love”. We must genuinely accept those around us as brothers and sisters to demonstrate this truth. Passing on the torch means teaching and handing down hope from generation to generation.
May we all be messengers of hope, be filled with hope in the Risen Lord Jesus, witness hope in our lives, and live out that hope. SE
