HONG KONG (KKP): Deacon Vince To Kwan-yau of Institute of the Incarnate Word [IVE] was ordinated to the priesthood by Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan, sj, at St. Peter and Paul Church in Yuen Long on July 2, becoming the first priest to be ordained by the bishop.
The Mass was delayed until the evening due to Typhoon Signal No. 8 being hoisted that afternoon. In the liturgy, the new priest thanked God for making it possible to hold the ceremony and for calling him to participate in Christ’s work of salvation, sharing the duties of prophet, priest and king.
The Mass was concelebrated by Father Gervais Baudry, superior of the IVE in Hong Kong and parish priest of St. Peter and Paul Church; vicar general, Father Paul Kam Po-wai; Father Francis Xavier Wong Kwan-yau, and other priests.
After being recommended by Father Baudry for ordination, To professed the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience before Bishop Chow. The bishop then imposed his hands on the head of the candidate in the ritual of consecration. The newly-ordained Father To then put on the priestly stole, presented by his mother, with the help of his spiritual advisor, Father Carlos Almonte Salas.
Bishop Chow encouraged the new priest to believe in what he preached, teach what he believes, and practice what he preaches, so that the Word he proclaims may become food for God’s people, and his life can become a model for Christians, building up the family of the Church by his words and deeds
All the clergy at the ceremony then welcomed the new priest with a fraternal kiss of peace.
In his homily, Bishop Chow encouraged the new priest to believe in what he preached, teach what he believes, and practice what he preaches, so that the Word he proclaims may become food for God’s people, and his life can become a model for Christians, building up the family of the Church by his words and deeds.
The 27-year-old priest is the second priest of the Institute of the Incarnate Word from Hong Kong and the first who grew up as a member of the congregation at St. Peter and Paul Church.
Father To thanked God for choosing him to be a priest, “I could not have become a priest today if it were only through human efforts,” he said. He also thanked his parents and family members for their support in his journey of vocation.
“For many Asians and especially for Chinese people, the first born son should have his family and business, and carry on the name of family,” Father To said, adding that it can be considered as contrary to traditional filial piety to lead a consecrated life and not have any offspring. “But please look around when I become a father of every one, you are all incorporated within this big family,” he said.
Father To thanked Bishop Chow for coming given the bad weather and said he felt honoured to be the priest first ordained by the bishop. He also expressed his gratitude to the bishop for first visiting the Yuen Long parish while it is celebrating its 70th anniversary.
He thanked the priests and sisters who gave him spiritual formation and accompanied him on his journey of vocation in Hong Kong and the Philippines, as well as the Mass concelebrants and all who helped in or joined the ceremony to share his joy.
Father To’s father, To Man-sang, said he was happy to be able to take part in the ordination ceremony as it had been difficult to visit him in the Philippines in recent years due to the pandemic. He said he was very supportive of his son’s decision to lead a consecrated life
Father To, whose mother is Filipino, was baptised as a child in the Philippines, but grew up in Yuen Long, where he served in the parish as an altar boy and participated in different parish work.
He told the Kung Kao Po that he was attracted by the joyful atmosphere of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, so he told his parents of his decision to lead a consecrated life after his diploma examinations, and then went to the Philippines to enter a preparatory seminary, and afterwards to Italy to study for a master’s degree in philosophy last year.
He celebrated his first Mass at St. Peter and Paul Church on July 3.
Father To will stay in the Philippines for about a month before returning to Italy to continue his studies. He said he is eagerly expecting to fulfill his priestly ministries and asked for prayers for his priesthood, his virtues and his perseverance.
Father To’s father, To Man-sang, said he was happy to be able to take part in the ordination ceremony as it had been difficult to visit him in the Philippines in recent years due to the pandemic. He said he was very supportive of his son’s decision to lead a consecrated life.
Father Baudry, who witnessed Father To’s spiritual growth, told the Kung Kao Po, “He has been a joyful young man who serves others.” He quoted the gospel of the day from Luke 10:2: “The harvest is abundant but the labourers are few”, and expressed his hope that more people would respond to God’s calling and encouraged people to pray for vocations.
