HONG KONG (SE): In honour of Pope Francis, the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong and the Holy See Study Mission, co-hosted a free musical concert on June 18 titled, Hope of the world: art and faith united, at Christ the King Chapel in Causeway Bay. The Hong Kong Youth Choir, consisting of 40 dedicated members, was led by musical director, Christopher Cheng, and in collaboration with artistic director, Andrew Leung.
The choir performed an array of sacred choral pieces and Church instrumental music featuring significant works from the Italian Renaissance period, through the 18th and 20th centuries.
Monsignor Alvaro Izurieta y Sea, from the Study Mission, welcomed guests and the public saying, “When we are together and united, our mere presence radiates encouragement and support. Our encounter nurtures love and companionship; our sharing of talents gives expression to what is beautiful, precious and holy.”
With approximately 500 attendees, the audience included Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan, SJ, Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun, and Cardinal John Tong Hon, as well as several members of the diplomatic corps.
Since 2014, the Holy See Study Mission in conjunction with the diocese has hosted the annual event, gathering the faithful together to celebrate as well as to pray for the pope. This year, the two-part event kicked off with the concert, to be followed by Holy Mass this Sunday, June 26, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Caine Road.
Quoting Pope Francis, Monsignor Izurieta said, “Artistic creation completes, in a certain sense, the beauty of Creation, and when it is inspired by faith, reveals more clearly to people the divine love which is its origin.”
Addressing the young artists of the Hong Kong Youth Choir in appreciation, he said, “You have a special place in making the world more beautiful because music speaks to the soul and connects us, transcending the limits of language and culture”. Monsignor Izurieta also thanked the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres for making the concert possible at Christ the King Chapel.
He invoked divine assistance at the concert’s opening saying, “We are all different so that we can create a symphony of voices, a symphony of peoples, a symphony of praise to our God, the creator of beauty.”
Bishop Chow thanked Monsignor Izurieta and the Study Mission for organising the event. He expressed his appreciation to the Hong Kong Youth Choir for its beautiful performance. “We should make a small video of this performance and send it to Pope Francis and let him know this is how the youth are singing for him,” he said.
When we are together and united, our mere presence radiates encouragement and support. Our encounter nurtures love and companionship; our sharing of talents gives expression to what is beautiful, precious and holy
Monsignor Izurieta
The concert began with Totus Tuus by Polish composer, Henryk Gorecki. It was composed for the occasion of Pope St. John Paul II’s visit to Poland in 1987. The pope was intensely devoted to Mary, the Mother of God and had the motto “Totus Tuus” engraved into his coat of arms, which means, “Totally yours.”
Sicut Cervus [As the deer], by the 16th-century Italian Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, and based on Psalm 42, evoked the flowing of water that promises to satisfy the thirsty deer. The exhilarating performance of Mozart’s Church Sonata and the 1773 composition, Mass in honour of the Most Holy Trinity, concluded with the famous Ave verum corpus (Hail, true body).
Sarah Wong, a member of the choir, recalled that practising for the concert was not possible until the end of April due to when Covid-19 pandemic social distancing restrictions were lifted. She said she regards singing hymns as a form of praying.
She said experienced hope while practising and performing in the concert, which was also a good way to relieve the stress of her job as a primary school teacher during the pandemic. She said that although only a small number of members of the choir are Catholics, they enjoy singing together to express values of hope and harmony in their hearts.
The guests in the audience were greatly impressed by the choir’s performance in the architecturally beautiful Roman style domed church built in the 1930s, a perfect setting for a symphony of voices. “I was truly moved by the whole experience and the historical setting, it was prayerful and hopeful. I have not travelled for more than two years and I felt uplifted as well ,” one guest commented.
“Great Concert! The youth choir and musicians are spectacular. What a great gathering to celebrate Pope Francis… our congratulations” read another comment posted to the organisers.
With input from María Luisa Beatriz
