HONG KONG (SE): “A football match is a way to encourage synodality, as people from different groups learn how to communicate and get along with one another,” explained Gameliel Cheng Tak-lit, a permanent deacon candidate and the spiritual advisor of Petros, a men’s group at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, who organised a football match at the Holy Spirit Seminary, Aberdeen, on April 10, together with the Cathedral Parish Youth.
Around 30 people took part, including people from both the youth and the men’s groups, as well as members of a youth group from St. Teresa’s Church, Prince Edward Road. It was also an ecumenical gathering as six members from a youth group of the Anglican Church also joined.
Before the match, participants were led on a tour of the seminary by cathedral parish priest, Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, and Reverend Francis Choi, a seminarian. Father Chan shared about his vocation and his life in the former Holy Spirit Minor Seminary, while Choi shared about his life there at present.
The football match was later kicked off by Father Chan and Deacon Simon Tam Wing-keung.
Christopher Ng Lai-wun, leader of the Cathedral Parish Youth which organised the event, said he only became the group’s leader at the beginning this year and he was still looking for a direction to guide the group. He came up with the idea to organise the football match because he loves the game and his father was a member of the football team formed by the altar boys of the cathedral decades ago. His father also joined the match that day.
Family members of the participants, including small children, formed a cheering team. Ng’s mother prepared some snacks for all to enjoy, while Father Chan showed his support for the event by leading them to chant slogans from time to time.
Ng said the happy gathering was a good way for building up a community spirit in the parish. “We may feel that it is a responsibility to go to the Church on Sundays, but I think our parish is a community for us to live in and to encourage us to live out our faith. It is also a place giving us a chance to communicate with different people, or learn how to work as a team,” he said.
A football match is a way to encourage synodality, as people from different groups learn how to communicate and get along with one another
Gameliel Cheng Tak-lit
Ng said the happy football match strengthened the relationship between the members, parishioners and participants of the Anglican Church who took part.
Cheng observes that when participants met at the parish the next day, they could easily start conversations, instead of only nodding or smiling at one another. “We have not gathered for a long time because of the pandemic. The football match offered us a chance to be together, to show concern for a player who fell down, to cheer for every one in the football court,” he said.
Cheng believes sports can help to unite groups, and that social media facilitated the promotion of the event, so they will make good use of social media in the future when they organise any similar sports activities.
At the moment the groups are thinking about the possibility of a table tennis day or a badminton day.
