HONG KONG (SE): A commissioning ceremony was held for participants of the Mission Ambassador Programme at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception on December 14. Mass was concelebrated by John Cardinal Tong Hon, Father Benedict Lam Cho-ming, chairperson of the Ah Hoc Committee for the Diocesan Mission Sunday Celebration and three other priests.
From May 2019, a total of 63 representatives from 20 parishes participated in a series of formation programmes concerning the Church’s mission, to awaken and deepen their faith. This was in preparation for the centenary of Pope Benedict XV’s apostolic letter, Maximum Illud.
The programme included seminars, a pilgrimage to early missionary spots in Sai Kung and a retreat at the Xavier Retreat House, Cheung Chau (Sunday Examiner, 27 October 2019).
The ambassadors joined the programme in preparation for the Diocese of Hong Kong’s celebration of Mission Sunday, originally scheduled to be held at St. Paul’s Convent School Hall, Causeway Bay, in October. However, the event was cancelled due to the social unrest in the city.
During the commissioning ceremony, the ambassadors pledged to proclaim the Good News in their parish lives. This followed a talk by Father Jacob Kwok Wai-ki on the history of missionary work in Hong Kong.
In his homily, Cardinal Tong encouraged those present to evangelise by sharing stories of how, in the early days, lay people living in the countryside in China proclaimed the gospel with dedication.
The Mission Ambassadors shared how impressed they were by the stories of the early missionaries shared during the different pilgrimages of the programme, and how their spirituality was enriched during the retreats.
Crucifixes were presented to the 28 ambassadors who attended the ceremony after the sharing session.
