Prayer involves more than just words. Sometimes, words can be a hindrance. Prayer can be found in silence, in dance, in poetry, in song, in tears, and in laughter. Gradually, it becomes a way of life,” expressed Father Sean Patrick Burke, a Maryknoll Missionary who dedicated over thirty years to serving the Church and society in Hong Kong until he passed away in 2009. Memories of Father Burke are fresh on the 15th anniversary of his death for his friends and members of the World Community for Christian Meditation.
Father Burke arrived in Hong Kong in 1978 and played a key role in establishing a charitable organisation called Helping Hand, which aimed to assist elderly homeless individuals. He served as the administrator for the first 10 years and as the vice-chairperson from 1994 to 2000. He played a key role in setting up seven temporary shelters, five nursing homes, and one holiday centre in Hong Kong. He also established a home for the aged in Zhaoquing, China. The first hospice was inaugurated by Prince Charles of England, and the nursing home was opened by his wife, Princess Diana.
Father Burke served as a prison chaplain in the area for 27 years. He held the position of head chaplain of what he referred to as “a team of hope” at the time of his passing. From 1990 to 1996, he was a member of the Police Complaints Committee, and he joined the Prison Complaints Committee in 2005.
The Correctional Services’ band performed the beautiful and passionate music of “Amazing Grace” to pay tribute to the late Father Burke. They bid farewell to their beloved mentor and friend of the inmates during his Funeral Mass in May 2009 at Christ the King Chapel in Causeway Bay. The scene is still vivid and fresh in the memories of many who attended the service.
Members of the World Community for Christian Meditation hold dear the memory of Father Burke, a gentle and devout priest whose strength and inspiration came from the Lord. His peaceful, serene, and humble demeanour inspired and empowered them.
He told us about his discovery of Christian meditation, emphasizing, “I have never experienced anything so profound. This time, I wasn’t guiding myself, but following Jesus.” He came to the realization that for a long time, he had been pursuing a self-guided meditation. It struck him that Christian meditation is the complete opposite. “The words of Jesus in Gethsemane resonate with me every day: ‘Stay here and keep watch with me.’” Father Burke emphasised the essence of meditation: simply sitting in stillness and silence, allowing Jesus to pray.
For Father Burke, meditation enabled one to forsake one’s ego in order to live fully. He urged us, “To find our way back home, we need to be silent. Just like homing pigeons instinctively know how to fly back home, we, as human beings, are naturally connected to God. Meditation is not just a technique to accomplish something; rather, it is a practice that prepares us to allow something to happen in our hearts.
Meditation is not just a technique to accomplish something; rather, it is a practice that prepares us to allow something to happen in our hearts.
Another Maryknoll missionary, Father Joseph Veneroso, described Father Burke as a “wounded healer.” Even as he suffered from a life-threatening Parkinson’s disease for quite a long time, Father Burke showed people that their sufferings could become a source of comfort, strength, and grace for others, according to Father Veneroso. He did his utmost and dedicated most of his time to taking care of the needy. He told us that it should be natural for us to care for each other, as we are all created in the image of Christ.
As the Paris 2024 Olympics approach, it is worth recalling Father Burke’s words: “The motto of the Olympics is ‘higher, stronger, faster.’ But for the meditator, it is the opposite. Meditation is a great paradox: by having less, we have more. We die in order to live. The journey inwards is not a search for ourselves but a search for the Spirit of God dwelling in our hearts.” Quoting Father Burke’s words is the best way to honour him, as acknowledged by the late Columban Missionary Father Tommy Murphy, who succeeded Father Burke.
Father Burke must be all smiles in heaven as we meditators in Hong Kong continue to thrive joyfully and faithfully through both in-person and online weekly meditation gatherings, talks, seminars, and silent retreats. Father Burke was dedicated to serving as our spiritual advisor and leading us in meditation, as he was committed to social and charitable work.
Father Burke showed unreserved kindness to me personally, especially when I got lost in my spiritual journey and during my mother’s terminal illness. In March 2008, while organising a pilgrimage to Israel, I learned that my mum had lung cancer. Although she was a devout Buddhist, she urged me to go ahead with the pilgrimage. She even gave a big lai see to buy a camera “to take pictures of your beloved Jesus”! In my anxiety, I asked Father Burke to offer Mass for my mother.
Father Burke wrote, “It is a great honour to offer Mass for your mother who has great love as mothers do. A mother’s love is irreplaceable, and when she is seriously ill, it is an unspeakable heartache like no other. But we are sustained by the blessedness of our faith, and our meditation remains a source of consolation and peace. Mothers do know how to let go of their children, and allow them to fly free. That’s why mothers meditate so well: they know how to let go.”
My living room is adorned with his portrait so that I can pray to such a dear and loving teacher and friend in times of need.
Many remember Father Burke fondly for his impact on the meditation community in Hong Kong. On 1 April 2009, we celebrated his birthday with a tea party, unaware that he would depart from us a month later. His legacy lives on as a guardian angel for the meditation community.
United in one heart and spirit, we will be celebrating a Memorial Mass to mark Father Burke’s 15th Death Anniversary on 6 May 2024, at St. Jude’s Church, North Point, at 6:30 pm. We look forward to your presence as we thank the Lord for Father Burke’s life and love.
Lina Lee
The World Community for Christian Meditation (Hong Kong)
http://wccm.hk
