HONG KONG (SE): Co-hosted by the Holy See Study Mission and the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, the seventh edition of the prayer gathering and Mass in honour of Pope Francis was held on the occasion of the feast of Ss. Peter and Paul on June 27 with the theme, Trust in the Lord. A musical offering presented by Vox Antiqua, a Catholic liturgical choir in Hong Kong preceded the concelebrated Mass presided by the apostolic administrator of Hong Kong, John Cardinal Tong Hon, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Caine Road.
Bishop-emeritus Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, Bishop-elect Father Stephen Chow Sau-yan, Monsignor Javier Herrera Corona and Monsignor Alvaro Lzurieta y Sea from the Study Mission, and over 30 priests concelebrated the solemn liturgy.
Photo: Rubie Chung
Since 2014, the Study Mission and the Diocese of Hong Kong have organised a festive and prayerful concert to manifest love and support to Pope Francis on the occasion of his birthday each December. The December 2020 event had to be postponed on account of the restrictions on public gatherings due to the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic.
Monsignor Corona, head of the Study Mission Hong Kong, wrote in an introductory note to the gathering that, “We are here united in one faith and one prayer to invoke his assistance and protection for our beloved Holy Father Pope Francis, praying to him to deliver us from the pandemic which has put the whole world in a hard test, where care for oneself and others has been manifested as an act of love.”
The monsignor considered it a privileged time to come together to pray on the occasion of the solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul. “They are the two apostles who are columns of the Catholic Church which link deeply to the See of Rome and the ministry of the pope. We pray for Pope Francis’ mission as Vicar of Christ that he may continue confirming us in faith,” Monsignor Corona wrote.
Speaking of the musical offering, the monsignor said, “We start our commemoration with a musical offering, which intends to raise our souls to ‘Trust in the Lord’ alone. He is the One who can help us in turbulent times.”
During the concelebrated Mass that followed, Bishop Joseph Ha reflected on the need to profess our faith in Jesus as St. Peter did, today, tomorrow and every day. In his homily, he stressed that what we celebrate is not just the two great apostles, the two pillars of the Church—St. Peter and St. Paul; we are celebrating the unity of the Church.
Vox Antiqua, conducted by Andrew Leung presented the 35 minute-long musical offering. Soloist, Matthieu Sachot, a French lyric tenor based in Hong Kong, performed popular hymns such as Ave Maria, Benedictus, Amazing Grace and I’ll Walk With God. Gemma Ng, a soprano from the Catholic Cathedral choir, brought to life Hear My Prayer–O For the Wings of a Dove and He Shall Feed His Flock to the accompaniment of Olga Wong and Ivan Leung the organ. Panis Angelicus and You Raise Me Up performed by both Matthieu and Gemma brought the musical offering to its crescendo.
During the concelebrated Mass that followed, Bishop Joseph Ha reflected on the need to profess our faith in Jesus as St. Peter did, today, tomorrow and every day. In his homily, he stressed that what we celebrate is not just the two great apostles, the two pillars of the Church—St. Peter and St. Paul; we are celebrating the unity of the Church.
Peter and Paul were individuals with totally different characters, social backgrounds and life situations. Peter was an illiterate fisherman, while Paul was a well-educated Pharisee and trained under a renowned rabbi.
Jesus renamed Simon, Peter, meaning Rock—symbolising stability. Paul, on the other hand, is seen always on the move, travelling around and establishing many communities. When they met each other, they quarrelled and fought severely. They had more differences than things in common.
They had just one thing in common: their faith in Jesus, the Messiah—the Son of God. Despite their differences, together they gave their lives to Christ and today we celebrate their feast together.
Bishop Ha called on the faithful to follow the example of these two great apostles as this is the mission of the Church.
The diocese has taken up Parish Conversion and Renewal as its theme for the next three years with the objective of evangelisation and to tell and show the people around us that we are the beloved children of God who love and serve another. We are called to profess our faith together like St. Peter: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
Over 600 people attended the musical offering and the Mass, together with some of the members of the diplomatic corps in Hong Kong. In line with government pandemic regulations, attendance at the cathedral was kept to 50 per cent of the seating capacity.
