HONG KONG (SE): On December 12, over 300 faithful gathered at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to honour Our Lady of Guadalupe during a Mass officiated by John Cardinal Tong Hon, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong. The gathering commemorated the 1531 event in which the Virgin Mary miraculously imparted her image onto the mantle of St. Juan Diego. Filipino chaplain Father Jay Flandez, SVD, Father Jun Jacobe, OMI, and Father Efren Ojeda, OFM, concelebrated the Mass.
For almost two decades, a dedicated group led by Sister Emilia Marcelo, MIC, and Jennie Wong has been organising a Mass to honour Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Cathedral. Sister Marcelo expressed her dedication to promoting and honouring Our Lady through the celebration and inspiring people to establish a connection with her. “Our Lady deserves love and recognition. I hope our prayers reach Jesus through her intercession,” she stated.
On the other hand, Wong expressed her deep devotion to Our Lady, notably moved by the image in the mantle of St. Juan Diego on display at the basilica in Mexico City. She remembered that her dedication to this devotion started when a Mexican friend invited her to organise the Mass.
During the Mass, Cardinal Tong led the congregation in prayer, encouraging us to consistently seek and fulfil God’s will, inspired by Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe.
In his homily, Father Flandez emphasised that the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe represents God’s love for humanity. He highlighted how she chose an indigenous saint of Aztec lineage to demonstrate God’s care for marginalised communities and reminded us of our responsibility to act as conduits of that care.
“By reaching out and walking alongside the least among us, we offer them hope—the hope that God never abandons them,” he stated. As the Year of Jubilee approaches, he urged the faithful to embody hope and compassion, extend their support to those in need, and reflect the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our lives and actions.
At the end of the Mass, Cardinal Tong blessed a basket of rosaries to be distributed to attendants.
The bilingual Mass was attended by both Chinese and English-speaking faithful, who queued to place roses before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the end of the service.
Emma Charnock from the Visitation Parish in Tung Chung expressed her belief that Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of the unborn, reminds us of the significance of pro-life advocacy in response to contemporary challenges and the culture of death confronting humanity and the Church.
Tereza Tam, a parishioner of the cathedral, felt it was essential to honour the apparition, which stands as a symbol of God’s visit to mankind through Our Lady.
