ASIA/HONG KONG - "The Church becomes the home of people who suffer": Cardinal Tong to the new permanent deacons

Hong Kong (Agenzia Fides) - "Open the door of the domestic Church and of the big family of the Church, so that nobody in the world is without a family and the Church is the family for everyone. You must take charge of the service of deacons so that the Church becomes the home of people who suffer": this is how His Eminence Cardinal John Tong Hon, Bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong, urged the new permanent deacons he ordained on July 14. According to reports from the Kong Ko Bao (Chinese version of the diocesan bulletin), thirty priests concelebrated Mass with Cardinal Tong in front of more than a thousand faithful, and especially to the families of the three permanent deacons ordained, who explicitly expressed their full advocacy and support to the ministry of their relatives.
During the celebration, the neo-deacons shared their experience and the path of their vocation, confirming the importance of the family. According to them, "the family is the great support of vocation, and also shares the graces of our vocation "; "the atmosphere of religious devotion has helped me a lot in the faith of life and I want to pass this tradition to my children, so that they share the love and the Gospel with others." According to Hong Kong Catholic Church Directory 2011, to August 31, 2010, the diocese of Hong Kong had 357,000 faithful with 15 permanent deacons. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 20/7/2012)