HONG KONG (SE): For the first time in recent years, a fundraising walkathon, Together We Stride, will be held by the Diocesan Fund-raising Commission for Church Building and Development on April 23.
Starting from the Science Park Amphitheatre, Sha Tin, the walkathon will proceed along the promenade to Pak Shek Kok Park. The route is about three kilometres long and should take about an hour to complete. A total of 50 schools, 14 parishes and five religious institutes have signed up for the activity as of mid-March.
Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, the chairperson of the fund-raising commission, said it is encouraging to see the active participation of schools and parishes in the walkathon.
“This will be a good route to take, and it is not really difficult. It will be a meaningful experience if a family or a group walks together. I am appealing to different faith groups and parishes to join in supporting this event, both for the building of the churches and for the expansion of the cemeteries. Our funds aren’t just for the present, but also for the future,” Father Chan said.
Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan, SJ, will inaugurate the event and join the walk. The opening ceremony will start at 3.00pm at the amphitheatre. A number of choirs and musical groups from different parishes have been invited to participate and to perform at the venue from 2:15pm for participants who arrive early. They include the English-speaking community of Visitation Parish, Tung Chung, the children’s choir at St. Benedict’s Church, Shatin, as well as music bands like Free-Up Music, and Maria & Friends.
Its objective is not only to raise funds for the church building and the diocesan development, but also to bring together all parishes, Catholic schools, diocesan committees and other Catholic organisations in a spirit of unity, sharing, and communion that symbolises “Home among Homes”.
The diocese needs to raise over a billion dollars in development funds to meet its needs in the coming decade, as the it foresees substantial population growth in Northern New Territories and Northern Lantau. Funds raised will be allocated for the establishment of new church buildings in Fanling and Tung Chung, and major repairs of some existing ones. The building of additional columbaria is also needed for succeeding generations.
As of the end of last year, the commission had already raised over $111.5 million through various activities. The Home Among Homes Fund-raising Concert in December highlighted the performance of the whole Church as a family and managed to raise over $13 million [Sunday Examiner, 25 December 2022]. An online auction for religious artwork in January raised over $800,000 [Sunday Examiner, February 26].
