HONG KONG (SE): The Thy Kingdom Come 2.0 exhibition of pastoral artworks and online charity auction is being held by the Diocesan Fund-Raising Commission for Church Building and Development from December 17 to January 17. Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan sj officiated at the opening and blessing ceremony on the afternoon of December 17 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Caine Road.
The participating priests and sisters in this year’s charity sale are vicar general Father Paul Kam Po-wai, Father Joseph Yim Tak-lung, Father Edward Chau King-fun, Father William Yip Hing-wah, Father Joseph Tham, Father Francis Tam Kam-wing, Father Manohar Jyothi, Sister Laura Watt, Sister Pauline Yuen, Sister Catherine Wan and Deacon Francis Fung Sze-chung.
Art pieces they produced, such as Chinese painting, calligraphy, holy icon paintings, oil paintings, wood carvings, and pyrography, represent God’s gifts to them. There is now an exhibition of the artwork at the cathedral that the public is welcome to view. Different media, such as wood crafting by Sister Wan, pyrography by Sister Yuen, icon painting by Father Jyothi and the English calligraphy of Father Kam have added variety to the exhibition.
Father Dominic Chan Chi-Ming, the chairperson of the commission, expressed his thankfulness to the 11 priests and sisters for contributing to the auction. He said he was pleased to see the new media of arts and hoped that the beauty of faith expressed in a painting or sculpture would inspire people to donate online to help build churches in the North New Territories and Lantau.
Bishop Chow prayed for a successful auction while blessing the artwork. “Through artwork, we hope the mercy and beauty of God can be expressed so that the Holy Spirit can motivate people to pursue truth, kindness, beauty and love in life.”
Through artwork, we hope the mercy and beauty of God can be expressed so that the Holy Spirit can motivate people to pursue truth, kindness, beauty and love in life
Bishop Chow
Father Kam contributed three pieces of English calligraphy illustrating of Bible quotes. The vicar general, joining the exhibition for the first time, said in a video message on the Catholic Way YouTube channel that he was happy to contribute with the skills he learned during his secondary school days.
Sister Wan said the wood carving she contributed, titled, Mother and Child: The Gaze, aims to show the parental love between God and people. She hopes that the piece, together with some statues of saints, will encourage people to donate generously to support the needs of the Church.
Several artists participating in the exhibition also explained why they are interested in Chinese calligraphy on the Catholic Way channel. Father Yip said he likes to do it without a concrete plan beforehand, and the beauty of Chinese calligraphy is seeing how the unplanned part of his work develops. “As a person of faith, I believe God is working with me on that front. The Holy Spirit is like wind, untraceable and uncontrollable. Even if we call for it, inspiration will not come. In the process, I have learned to let go and let the Holy Spirit decide what to do,” he said. He added that the Holy Spirit could bring surprises or disappointments, but they are lessons to learn.
Deacon Fung said his hobby enabled him to have peace of mind and can help to strengthen his spirituality.
The first online art exhibition organised by the commission was held in January 2021 and managed to raise around $1.5 million, with eight religious contributing their work. It was the first public fundraiser held by the fund-raising commission during the pandemic.
