ASIA/HONG KONG - Bishop John Tong delivers the Gospel "so the faithful can assume their missionary commitment"

Hong Kong (Agenzia Fides) - Bishop John Tong presented the Gospel to the delegates of the parishes of Hong Kong "so the faithful can assume their missionary commitment" in bearing witness to Jesus and to proclaiming the Good News through love and service. According to reports from the Kong Ko Bao (the Chinese diocesan bulletin), the formal presentation took place October 17 at the diocesan celebration of World Mission Sunday, which was attended by over 27,000 faithful. This year, also, the delegates were all newly baptized, a way of highlighting the passage from World Mission Sunday to the Year of the Laity organized by the diocese. The Bishop encouraged all to be evangelists in their daily lives, with these words: "let the Gospel sanctify your life." Bishop Tong also invited all to pray for the newly baptized and catechumens, that they can open the door to Christianity, especially during the Year of the Laity.
According to the President of the Preparatory Commission for the Year of the Laity, Msgr. Dominic Chang, the vicar of the diocese, "the purpose of the Year of the Laity is to remind the lay faithful of the grace they have received through baptism and the need to share in the mission of evangelization."
(NZ) (Agenzia Fides 22/10/2010)