By Father Paul Kam Po-wai
Beginning on Pentecost, May 28, the Mission Sunday 2023 Celebration included two pilgrimages to early missionary spots [June 4 and 25], a trip to Yim Tin Tsai [July 1], two missionary sharing sessions [July 9 and 16] to reflect on our evangelisation mission through the stories of missionaries of the past, online quizzes on knowledge of the faith, as well as an “activity card” and “love card” campaign to remind the faithful to evangelise and care for those in need.
On Mission Sunday, October 22, from 10:00am to 3:30pm at St. Paul’s Convent School, Causeway Bay, there were booths, a saints’ catwalk show for primary school students, competitive games for secondary school students, musical performances by different bands, and testimonies shared by two teachers. The celebration also promoted a “101” strategy, that is, each Catholic was encouraged to bring along at least one non-believer to participate in the event.
Thank God, in the records of the Scouts’, we learnt that about 7,000 people came. Adding the staff of the 50 booths, participants from 27 primary schools and 20 secondary schools, more than 7,000 attended the whole celebration.
Finally, at 4:30pm, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing celebrated a Mass for more than 1,000 faithful in the Christ the King Chapel. Quoting from the gospel, “Go and make disciples of all nations” [Mark 28:19], the bishop encouraged the faithful to continue the mission of evangelisation. The Missionary Day Celebration 2023 concluded with a commissioning rite.
This was the first time that Mission Sunday was celebrated in the form of a carnival. Under the theme of “Come and Follow, Go and give Witness”, booths were set up by more than 40 groups, including diocesan organisations, religious congregations, lay organisations, parishes and schools, allowing participants to come into contact with the message of faith and Jesus, and to get to know the mission of the different organisations through games, activities, introductions, sharing and so on. In fact, not only non-Catholics, but also many Catholics do not know about these organisations, so this was really a good opportunity for participants to get to know more about them at one time.
The “saints’ catwalk show” involved 100 primary school students from 27 primary schools. Through image designs and brief descriptions of the saints, they introduced different saints with lively interpretations, which not only brought a lot of joy to the audience, but also told the story of the saints’ love for the Lord and for people. In fact, when the students, their teachers and parents were in the process of preparing for the show, they were on a journey of coming to Christ, as they met with the Lord through their knowledge of the saints, and when they performed live, they were on a journey of giving witness. In fact, it was a chance for those watching to receive messages of faith.
Also, the experience of more than 100 secondary school students taking part in the games that day showed others that missionaries need to overcome all kinds of challenges and obstacles in spreading the gospel, and made us realise that it is not an easy task for those who have followed God and testified. But with the Lord’s blessings and the efforts of people, they can overcome anything. ,
Catholic music bands, through their music, melodious singing and wonderful performances, attracted listeners with their skills and brought the message of the Lord to them. In addition, two teachers shared their testimonies. Their life-affecting sharing not only encouraged non-believers to seek the faith, but also reminded the faithful to witness with a joyful and caring spirit.
The whole Mission Day celebration was a happy and festive day. Though we don’t know how many of the 7,000 participants were non-believers, we believe that the number should be quite large. We wish that every participant will be moved by the Lord and respond to his invitation to “come and follow, go and give witness.”
