Our Religious Family had organised a four-days Popular Mission at Yuen Long Catholic Secondary School. A school in Hong Kong under the administration of the Diocese of Hong Kong. The theme for the Mission was “Jesus Christ”.
It was a school with around 400 students, of which only 10 are Catholics. Our activities include faith sharing at morning assembly, classroom workshops, lunchtime program, game booth, form class assembly and outings. The goal of this Mission was to increase the knowledge of Jesus Christ and Catholic faith of the students and teachers.
On the first day of the Mission, we held the Commission Ceremony of Missionaries in the presence of the whole school. Besides the brothers and sisters of our Religious Family, a few teachers and Catholic students were also sent. On the second and third day, we gave the “faith talk” on “God gave us intelligence and will, for knowing and loving Him” and “Why is Catholicism a true religion”.
In three day, the missionaries were able to visit all the classrooms and carried out a “Classroom workshop”. We began with an auction game, and then a talk, to make the students to consider what the true meaning of life is. During lunchtime, the missionaries ate and talk with the students, in order to understand their lives more, to build up our friendships and to answer their questions on faith and life. We also organised different presentation programs, including skits and magic show, hoping to let the teachers and students experience our Christian joy and unity.
After lunch comes the Form Assembly sessions. Sr. Shandao and Br. Vince presented different faith topic with the students, including the evidence of human soul existence, scientific way to understand God’s existence and the Passion of Jesus Christ. After the presentation, the students were led to the Parish Church to participate in Eucharistic Adoration. Under the guidance of the seminarians and sisters, they had brief meditations and prayers. At the end of the Adoration, Fr. Gervais gave them the Eucharistic Benediction. We hoped that, through this prayer activity, the students could come to know the love of Jesus for them. For this reason, we brought them to Jesus and let Jesus touches their hearts. Eventhough most of them do not have any belief, and not even desire for it, we believe that Jesus Christ knows each one of them. The Holy Eucharist is like the sun, that one could feel its love and heat, be blessed and brought to a change of heart, eventhough he or she is just sitting in front of it. After the prayer session, we returned to the school playground for a half-hour game.
The last event of the mission was an outing on Saturday, which around seventeen students and eight parish youth participated. Together with ten seminarians and sisters, we spent a day at Lady MacLehose Holiday Village. The students were very happy and had built a deep friendship with the missionaries.
With the grace and blessings from God, this School mission was accomplished under the collaboration of the Principal, teachers and school staff. These lovely students who are at the age of growing to maturity and gaining independence, are at a time of seeking to love, to be loved and be affirmed. We hope that this mission could bring to plant the seed of God in their hearts, and to increase their desire to search for their faith. We pray that one day they will become the children of God. Even though the mission has come to an end, we keep praying for the seed of faith would grow in these students’ heart.
This school mission let us see the love of God, and that He generously and abundantly grant grace to all men to respond to his love. For example, awaring that almost all of the students are pagans, before bringing them for Eucharistic Adoration we only explained to them that the Eucharist contains Jesus, true God and true man, and invited them to pray to Him. It was touching to see that some of them, kneeling the whole time during the prayer meeting, absorb in silence prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament! It was also a joy to see how the students welcomed the missionaries and took initiatives to talk to them and share their lives and thinking with them. Some of them, after experiencing our Christian faith and joy, had asked to join our Catholic student association of the school.
Youth in Hong Kong generally obey their parents in their faith belief. Thus, even though deep down they believe the existence of God and that Jesus loved and saved them by dying for them on the Cross, many would not have the courage to become a Christian. However, we are sure that, through this mission, the seed of faith has already planted in them and we pray that it will come to blossom one day.
In Christ,
Maria Wule zhi Yuen, missionary in Hong Kong and Sr. María Zhong Hua Mu Hou, missionary in the Philippines
