Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Hong Kong (Agenzia Fides) - “May you be salt and light to the world, instruments of peace”: this was the exhortation of Coadjutor Bishop John Tong of the Diocese of Hong Kong, in the solemn “missionary sending” held for World Mission Sunday, which took place in Hong Kong on October 12 (see Fides 15/9/2008). According to a report from the Kong Ko Bao (the Chinese version of the diocesan bulletin), over 7,000 faithful participated in the diocesan celebration, with the theme: “Walking with Paul.” At the beginning of the ceremony, children dressed in the various religious habits of missionary orders present in Hong Kong were seated in the front row, along with the adult missionaries themselves. Organizers wanted to show how the torch of evangelization is passed from generation to generation. The missionaries held a banner that said: “The torch continues to be passed on,” which was entrusted to the youth who took part in WYD in Sydney. Behind them, were the faithful of Hong Kong. The Prayers of the Faithful were prayed in various languages: African languages, Italian, Cambodian, English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese, to recall where the diocesan mission extends. The religious and faithful shared their experience of faith and missions, a reflection of the evangelizing mission of Hong Kong.
According to Fr. Renzo Milanese, one of the 35 PIME missionaries in Hong Kong, “transmitting the faith requires knowing the language. For missionaries, it is a necessary condition for better evangelizing. I have had to suffer, as have my brothers in the order, in learning the language.” Jesuit Father Stephen Chow, SJ highlighted the missionary contribution through education. Sister Ye, a nurse, spoke of the hospital missions and working with those who suffer. Several lay faithful spoke on the role of the family, the parish, and “Sunday school” in transmitting the faith. In different ways, all of them touched on a common point: “the most effective evangelization is that of a Christian life well-lived, because living testimony is more convincing than any words or preaching.” (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 20/10/2008)
