Cardinal Tagle celebrates 80th anniversary of Hong Kong diocese

By Kielce Gussie

To mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Hong Kong, a celebration with prayer, song, and music brought people together from across the diocese.

“May the Holy Face of Jesus always shine upon Hong Kong”, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokin Tagle said, at the event at the Charter Garden in Hong Kong on January 18.

The Cardinal Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization explained the Biblical origin and nature of the Christian practice of blessing. Following the explanation, he blessed everyone present and the entire city—together with the Jesuit Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, Bishop of Hong Kong.

Encountering the Face of Jesus

According to the Vatican’s Fides news agency, the Pro-Prefect specifically drew inspiration from the blessing found in the Book of Numbers (“The Lord let his face shine upon you and give you peace”). He offered it as “the blessing that God desires to give us”—that His face shine upon men and women throughout all ages.

“The blessing that God gives us and to Hong Kong is His Holy Face in Jesus Christ”, Cardinal Tagle noted. It is a face that is both “fully divine and fully human”.

He also explained that it is also possible to encounter the Face of Jesus through the face of a child as they “are always a blessing for society”. The Pro-Prefect stressed that “no child or young person is a ‘problem’”.

The true blessing for Hong Kong, therefore, is “the face of God that shines upon it”. Cardinal Tagle expressed his hope that the face of Jesus will always shine on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong may always rejoice in His face.

In this spirit, people will be encouraged to “bring hope to society”, becoming “courageous witnesses of the Lord”.

A blessing to others

In his address, the Pro-Prefect encouraged everyone in Hong Kong to foster these “blessings”, acknowledging that all have the ability to become “a blessing to others".

At the ceremony, people and groups from various nationalities and backgrounds prayed for Hong Kong in different languages: Cantonese, Filipino, French, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese.

According to the local diocesan weekly, The Sunday Examiner, Cardinal Tagle also met with two religious sisters—Sister Corazon Demetillo and Sister Victoria Victorino of the Diocesan Pastoral Center for Filipinos—during his short stay in Hong Kong.

The women shared the initiatives different local parishes have promoted to cultivate the integration of migrants. Additionally, they spoke about the support the diocese has offered to asylum seekers and refugees, together with the Philippine Consulate.

Hong Kong is home to a large Filipino community. Data updated on August 31, 2021, revealed that about 177,000 Filipinos are part of the non-permanent residents living in Hong Kong. A number of these Filipino Catholics participated in the anniversary celebration.

Of the more than 7.4 million permanent residents in Hong Kong, over 400,000 are Catholic.