““Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” (Isaiah 2:3)
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
The Jubilee Year of Hope is coming to an end. But not hope in itself. Hope is the essence of the Advent Season, when we prepare ourselves to celebrate the first coming and anticipate the second coming of our Messiah. For without hope, why would we climb the Lord’s mountain to the house of God? Why would we want to receive instructions from God to walk in God’s path?
Our Christian hope does not count on the transient promises offered by the secular world. These promises, not coming from God, cannot last and certainly not beyond this lifetime. The Advent Season reminds us once again that our hope is in God, whose promise lasts forever. Some suffering is, indeed, the result of our misplaced hope.
Messengers of Hope
While the Jubilee Year draws to a close, our diocese is starting to celebrate the 80th anniversary of its establishment. We will hold the inaugural celebration on December 8 this year, with celebrations spanning through 2026. And the theme for the anniversary year is “Messengers of Hope,” for we are all recipients as well as called to be agents of hope, well-supported by the love of God within us. Together, we are pilgrims of hope in this disillusioned world. And we are messengers of hope for both the present and future generations.
A Developing Synodal Church
Many have asked how we are going to develop synodality within the diocese. Actually, we have started laying the foundation for synodality since 2021, alongside the two assemblies of the Synod of Bishops for Synodality held in 2023 and 2024. Synodality, as defined by the working documents of the Synod, is about “Communion, Participation, Mission” of the People of God, coming into unity with a real sense of belonging and accountability to this community, which we call the Church. With that, we are energised to participate in the discernment and implementation of our missions given by God.
Learning from the working documents and the Final Document of the Synod for Synodality, we can see that the basics of a synodal Church are to listen and discern together as the People of God. The methodology of “The Conversation in the Spirit” has demonstrated, in recent years, its reliable potential for laypeople, religious, and clergy alike to pray together for a common purpose, listen attentively to each other with respect, and discern together through their consensus (convergences) and differences (divergences). Tensions need not be destructive but can be creative, calling the parties involved to live with them and to go deeper for a new, unifying understanding at an appropriate time.
The more I have experienced this conversational and discerning method, the more I have come to appreciate that it can be the first ecclesial spirituality that brings us together. We will share a unifying spiritual language and way of proceeding, regardless of our roles, status, ministries, and spiritual backgrounds. This is exciting!
We will help parishes and work units learn this method in 2026. In 2027, we plan to hold a diocesan assembly using this method to discern our pastoral plan as a developing synodal Church. More details will be provided along the way for your prayers and participation.
One can imagine that synodality presupposes cultural changes, which in turn are integrally associated with the conversion of the heart. For synodality is not a democracy, but rather a process of discernment in common for consensus. Also, it does not require the Church to dismiss the hierarchy, because hierarchy remains essential for the synodality of the Catholic Church.
English and Putonghua Pastoral Ministries
In order to better respond to the changing demographics and to take seriously our vocation as a synodal Church, we are setting up two separate teams with mandates to provide pastoral services to the English-speaking and Putonghua-speaking communities, respectively, addressing their specific pastoral needs.
Recalling that an important mission of our Diocese is “bridging,” we should recognise the international significance of our beloved Hong Kong and the growing number of English-speaking locals, either by preference or by necessity. Neither can we ignore Pope Francis’ call “to enlarge our tent and to reach out” in 2023, which for us is the increasing number of Putonghua-speaking migrants and students in Hong Kong. They are our sisters, brothers, and potential members sent to us by our Good Shepherd.
Empowering our Youth and Elderly
While there are encouraging signs of increased participation from young people at some parishes, we want to better integrate them into our Church. It is advisable to involve the youth in meaningful ways, in the decision-making processes of where they belong, especially in their own parishes. They need to know that their communities value their inputs and insights, not only for their physical strength. They are our indispensable partners for the synodal development.
We should also pay special attention to the care of our elderly, many of whom are struggling with sickness, loneliness and feelings of abandonment. In fact, they are our treasures connecting us to our history and cultural heritage. This is particularly important for our young people who need to understand their ancestral history and heritage, so to better appreciate their identity and the assets that they have. Hopefully, this will help them strive with confidence into the future, while staying better connected with the elderly here and now.
Walking with the Poor, Voiceless, and the Creation
Pope Leo XIV passionately points out in his first Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te, that the poor and the marginalised are not objects of our mercy, but very much part of who we are. We can learn from them so to enrich our own poverty (c.f. #100). That our Church is always a Church for the poor and of the poor (c.f. Chapter 3). As messengers of hope, we must include the poor and the marginalised, not allowing them to become forgotten or discriminated against. They also have a legitimate place in their own parishes and the Church in Hong Kong.
Finally, we are all integral members of God’s creation together with other life forms on Earth. Hence, we share our common home with them, meaning our welfare and suffering are woven with theirs. In order to be responsible stewards of the Creation, we need to study Laudato Si’ in our respective communities and work on our ecological conversion.
It should be advisable for us, for example, to start with a willful reduction of plastic consumption, such as plastic bottles and containers, at our homes, parishes, offices and centres, etc. Plastic particles contaminate our environment, pollute the food chains, and inevitably damage our health. Is this what we want for our common home and the future of our children?
The aforementioned mandates are well supported by Pope Francis in his final encyclical on the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, describing how Jesus’ love is like water and blood flowing out from his pierced heart. “For it is by drinking of the same love that we become capable of forging bonds of fraternity, of recognising the dignity of each human being, and of working together to care for our common home (Delixit Nos, no. 217).
My sisters, brothers, and friends, we are called to be messengers of hope, not really for ourselves but for one another, especially those who are struggling so much that hope becomes impossible to them. Our world needs the People of God to show them that love and hope are real, which will heal their wounds if they also embrace them, and reconcile with their reparatory power that comes from God.
May you all be blessed with a Hope-filled Advent Season!
+ Stephen Cardinal Chow, S.J.
