HONG KONG (SE): The Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated on January 4, marked the parish feast day of Epiphany Parish in Mui Wo on Lantau Island. The celebration was presided over by Father Johnson Dhos, district superior of the Society of the Divine Word [SVD]. Despite the cold weather, parishioners and pilgrims from various parishes across Hong Kong took part in a joyful procession through the streets of Mui Wo, concluding at the recreation hall of the Mui Wo Rural Committee.
The roots of the Catholic community in Mui Wo date back to the 1970s, when the religious community rented a small village house at 51 Chung Hau Street to serve as a chapel. At that time, a priest residing at Tai O Church travelled weekly to celebrate Sunday Mass in Mui Wo. In 1971, a new chapel was constructed in Tung Chung, which was later named the Visitation Chapel in 2001.
The Mui Wo chapel was once known as the Holy Child Chapel. Although its origins are unclear, parishioners recall a finely carved statue of the Infant Jesus that had been gifted by another chapel during a renovation. In 1987, Bishop John Wu officially renamed it the Epiphany Chapel. Over the years, pastoral care of Lantau Island was entrusted to different missionary congregations, including the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions and the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
In 2006, responsibility for the parish was transferred to the SVD congregation, which served the community until October 2015. Later that year, the Diocese of Hong Kong restructured the pastoral care of Lantau Island by dividing it into two parishes: the Visitation Parish in Tung Chung, covering the north of Lantau, and the Epiphany Parish in Mui Wo, serving the south. While the SVD Fathers continue their ministry in the Visitation Parish, pastoral care of Epiphany Parish, Mui Wo, was entrusted to the Claretian Missionaries from 1 November 2015.
The Claretian Missionaries’ arrival marked a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Community in Mui Wo. In one of the most remote parts of Hong Kong, the island parish stands at the geographical edge of the Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.
This year’s feast day was more than a celebration; it marked 10 years of Claretian Missionary service on Lantau Island. Guided by Father Ezakias Anthonyswamy, the parish priest, and Father Jojo Ancheril and Father Alberto Rossa, Epiphany Parish extends its caring presence to Mass centres in Peng Chau and Tai O, steadfast in its mission to serve and uplift the island communities.
