ASIA/HONG KONG - Bishops and pastoral ministers are concerned for the growth of population and number of Catholics as it demands a proper pastoral response, in logistical terms as well

Hong Kong (Agenzia Fides) – The parishes of Hong Kong are gathering abundant fruits of evangelization and the number of faithful increases, however the urban development and population growth also require a proper pastoral response in meeting these new needs. According to a report from the Kong Ko Bao, the Chinese version of the diocesan bulletin, the Pastors and pastoral ministers of Hong Kong sense the increasing need to offer more human and material resources in meeting the present needs in terms of evangelization and pastoral ministry, as they observed in a recent meeting.
According to Fr. Pietro Zamuner, parish pastor of Saint Joseph's Parish for 13 years, “since 2001, the number of people attending Mass has increased from 300-400 to 700. The Church only fits 200 people. We have had to add on additional Sunday Masses, however there are always faithful who must participate in the Masses standing outside. The number of people living in the neighborhood has reached over 100,000. There are more and more baptisms. Almost 100 children were baptized in 2008. There is also an increase in requests for Sunday School, petitions for marriage, anointing of the sick, blessing of houses...and there are only two priests! Thanks to the generosity of the faithful, we are able to use local school buildings until now. However, an adequate solution needs to be found.”
St. Thomas Parish, built in 1999, has also seen a rapid development. Sister Teresa Capobianco says that “10 years ago, Catholics were about 5-6%. Today, there are 4-5,000 participants in Sunday Mass. The children grow up, the youth become adults, and everyone needs a place where they can grow in their faith. Three years ago, the Sunday School had 100 children. Today there are 180 and we hold the meetings in the parish day-care center.” (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 15/1/2009)