Contributed by Choice Weekend Hong Kong
“Behold all new, stories unfold,
Empower, inspire, love pure and bold.
Together we journey, towards our goal”
– Excerpt from the theme song of the 17th Choice Asia Conference
The 17th Choice Asia Conference [CAC] was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from October 9 to 13 with the theme, Behold I Make All Things New [Revelation 21:5]. The conference, usually held every three years, was postponed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As the pandemic brought numerous impacts and challenges to the programme globally, participants from various regions of Asia came together to this year’s CAC to share knowledge, exchange insights, and support one another.
Over a hundred representatives from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China attended the gathering. The Hong Kong delegation consisted of 10 members, which included nine core members of the executive committee, was led by Father Stephen Ip, the spiritual director of Choice Weekend Hong Kong [Sunday Examiner, October 12].
To know, love and serve you
The core value of Choice Weekend—”To know, love and serve you”—imbued the activities of the five-day conference. In addition to meetings where delegations gave their work reports, participants shared their experience on how they overcome challenges in organising Choice camps during the pandemic. Furthermore, they had the opportunity to engage in the “Make a Difference” service programme to serve those in need.
Pilgrimage journey
On the second day, participants went on a pilgrimage to the 120-year-old Church of the Holy Rosary, with Archbishop Simon Peter Poh of Kuching, Malaysia, lending his support and encouragement. In fact, Archbishop Julian Leow of Kuala Lumpur has followed the development of Choice Asia since he became a member before his episcopal ordination in 2014.
Input sessions
To broaden the perspectives of attendees, specific topics were discussed. Sister Retta Savariannan of the Canossian Daughters of Charity provided valuable insights when discussing “Love and Belonging”, a topic emphasised in the Choice Weekend programme, and how it connects with Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Topics such as personal dignity, the path to sanctification and true love were explored.
Spiritual sessions
Father Ip concelebrated the Thanksgiving Mass each day, while the Spiritual Night was held on the third evening allowing participants to draw close to the Lord through prayers, reflections and confessions.
Cultural Night
The final event of the conference was the Gala Dinner. Representatives from all delegations dressed in their native attire and took turns to perform on stage. Cultural Night’s atmosphere was lively, warm, filled with love and laughter. Everyone was united.
The fellowship among all the delegations was refreshed and renewed through the work of the Holy Spirit. As the conference concluded, the Hong Kong delegation came home loaded with new inspiration and new perspectives. May every challenge faced and every lesson learned bring us courage to venture into a new horizon, to walk with young people via Choice Weekend Hong Kong.
Choice Weekend Hong Kong is an international personal growth programme for young adults to explore into relationships involving family, friends, God, Self, and it was introduced to Hong Kong by Franciscan Missionary of Mary Sister Teresa Yuen in 1999.
