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Volume 11 Oct 2015

S t . Margaret Mary’s Churc h

90 th Anniversary

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The Happy Valley parish has had an close relationship with the Pontificium Institutum pro Missionibus Exteris (P.I.M.E.) since early on. Bishop Pozzoni who was instrumental in planning the building of St. Margaret’s Church was a missionary of the P.I.M.E himself. P.I.M.E. has provided much support and has also been a great influence in the development of the parish. Even after St. Margaret’s church was placed under the direct governance of the Hong Kong Diocese in 1971, Fr. Luigi Gambaro, a P.I.M.E priest, was assigned to our church right up until Rev. Fr. Peter Leung took office.

In 1990 following the instructions of the Diocese, the laity was included into its parish council, thus allowing lay persons to work closely with the pastoral team and to be able to actively contribute to the parish. On the 90th Anniversary of the founding of the church, the parish, under the guidance of God, continues to live and bear witness to the faith. St Margaret’s Church has become an icon of this city, as Bishop Spada said ninety years ago during the homily in the Tridentine mass:“Everyone should come to this church and give thanks and love to our Lord.....their good deeds, illustrious faith and passion will become beacons of light which bring hope and faith for the lost.....let us worship the Lord with joy and share with Him all that is in our hearts, participate in daily mass and holy communion; this way your

souls will be renewed, cleansed and made strong, until the end of this life.”

With the grace of God, let us breathe new life into our legacy as we look forward to welcoming the Parish’s upcoming centennial celebrations and beyond!

The Hong Kong community has been witnessing the development of St Margaret’s Church since 1920. In 1920, when Hong Kong was still an Apostolic Vicariate, the titular bishop Dominico Pozzoni wrote to the Hong Kong government, requesting for a parcel of land in Happy Valley for the building of a church in place of St. Francis’ Church in Wanchai, due to an increasing number of parishioners. In the same year, the Holy See was to canonize St. Margaret. As such, the titular bishop decided to choose St. Margaret to be the Patron Saint of this church, the very first church in the East to have a female saint as her patron. On the 3rd of February, 1923, Bishop Pozzoni, together with the parish priest of St Francis church and Fr Pietro de Maria, the priest to be appointed to St. Margaret’s church, took part in the ceremony laying the corner stone for St. Margaret’s Church. Two years later, on 25th of January, 1925, titular bishop Giovanni Spada held the Tridentine mass and the opening ceremony. On 2nd of January, 1949, St. Margaret’s Church was raised to the status of a parish. Since then, the

Rev. Fr. Peter Leung Bishop Dominico Pozzoni Fr. Luigi Gambaro Rev. Fr. John Kwan

Anniversary Mass concelebrated with Most. Rev. Cardinal John Tong

Catholic Church in Hong Kong has undergone significant growth, not only in terms of the number of active parishioners but also with regard to the number of vocations.

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The Family Dinner

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Similarly, the cultural imbalance in our modern world creates chaos and stress. Contemplation opens the way to re-balancing our world as it enables us to find truth, love, peace and calm. We see and feel the divine life in ourselves and the goodness of life as we meditate.

We need God’s guiding touch; and the Holy Spirit reminds us of what Jesus has taught us. Jesus is the father of contemplation as he says, “Go into your inner room and pray.” Father Laurence concluded his talk by emphasizing the need for a new kind of holiness which recognizes the unity of God’s creation. We need the wisdom of contemplation on a large scale to unify people and heal the modern world of its numerous imbalances.

Father Laurence’s talk on “Contemplation in the Modern World” was delivered on 11th September to an audience of over 300 people consisting of Bishop Joseph Ha, the Columban fathers, parish priests, students, religious and lay people from Hong Kong and the mainland. Based in London, Father Laurence is a Benedictine monk, a well-known international speaker and author. For the past decades, he has played a pivotal role in encouraging the modern church to get into the rich Christian tradition of meditation. “In today’s fragmented world, we need meditation to open up the common ground of humanity, to unify people

and reconfirm the possibility of us as individuals in building close relations with God,” he said.

As we celebrate this momentous anniversary, we reflect on the celebration of life and the joy in the knowledge of God when we meditate. In our modern world, contemplation (being) seems to be split from action (doing). Father Laurence uses the example of Jesus’ visit to the two sisters, Martha and Mary’s home to bring out the importance of being because the quality of being determines the quality of doing. In contemplation, both human dimensions are renewed and become balanced; in fact, they are in union if both are based on love.

Father Laurence alerts us to the challenges of our modern world brought by the intensity and speed of change, as well as fast-developing technology. While changes can be threatening, it can also be celebrated as a sign of life. While technology induces young people to be addicted to their electronic devices, they actually have a natural awareness and instinct to get back to themselves. The church can help reconnect them with their natural capacity for contemplation.

Grace Lam On the occasion of the celebration of the 1400th anniversary of the death of St.

Columban this year, Father Laurence Freeman OSB, the International Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation was invited to Hong Kong to give two talks on Christian meditation as well as lead a retreat for the members of the 14 meditation groups in Hong Kong including St. Margaret’s Church group.

One Faith One Body

Contemplation is a Gift of God

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Wo r d s f r o m G o s p e l r e a d i n g s i n O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

Article Contributions Welcome

The newsletter is in many ways a ‘family letter’, facilitating the communication and sharing of ideas between different groups in our parish. Therefore you will be most welcome to share with us your spiritual life and insights, parish activities and pilgrimage experience, etc.

Text should be close to a full-A4 page length or half of it, with high resolution photos for print quality where relevant. We also welcome a simpler photo journal format with titles for the photos and

may be a few lines to describe an event you have participated; it would be great to see different members of our family. Please send your contributions by email if possible; in case of handwritten manuscripts, please give it to the counter staff at the amenities building next to St. Margaret’s Church. Originals will not be returned so please make copies if necessary.

Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”

Vigésimo octavo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario San Marco 10:17-30

Twenty-eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Mark 10:17-30

Para los hombres es imposible —aclaró Jesús, mirándolos fijamente—, pero no para Dios; de hecho, para Dios todo es posible.

Vigésimo noveno Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario San Marco 10:35-45

Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time Mark 10:35-45

Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Mark 10:46-52

Trigésimo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario San Marco 10:46-52

Twenty-seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Mark 10:2-16

Vigésimo séptimo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario San Marco 10:2-16

Cuando Jesús se dio cuenta, se indignó y les dijo: «Dejen que los niños vengan a mí, y no se lo impidan, porque el reino de Dios es de quienes son como ellos.»

Jesus said,”For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

«Porque ni aun el Hijo del hombre vino para que le sirvan, sino para servir y para dar su vida en rescate por muchos.»

Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Puedes irte —le dijo Jesús—; tu fe te ha sanado. Al momento recobró la vista y empezó a seguir a Jesús por el camino.

Jesus said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

By post: St. Margaret’s Church (Newsletter) 2A Broadwood Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong.

Tel: 25762801 Fax: 25769764 Email: smc@catholic.org.hk