Diocese marks World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly with heritage cookery awards and a day of sharing
HONG KONG (SE): The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong marked the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on September 20, answering the late Pope Francis’ call to show warmth and affection to older generations. The Diocesan Commission for Integral Human Development held a sharing day at St. Francis’ Church, Ma On Shan, to conclude its Flavours of Heritage recipe preservation project.
The Flavours of Heritage contest invited young people aged nine to 18 to work with their elders to record treasured family recipes. Entrants could submit a written entry with the family story behind the dish, a list of ingredients and photographs. Alternatively, they could send in a three- to five-minute video, recorded on a mobile phone, showing the dish being cooked step by step.
To encourage bonding between generations rather than competition, every entrant received a certificate of appreciation. The entries were assessed by a panel made up of Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, the vicar general, Father Paul Kam Po-wai, Deacon Gordon Lau and Sister Rita Fung of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.
The judges presented three awards to recognise outstanding entries: The “Secret Recipe Award” was presented to a multi-generational Macanese “cha-cha” recipe, celebrated for preserving unique regional heritage and historical value.
The “Best Partnership Award” was won by a young boy working with his grandma for hand-beaten fish balls using a wooden pole over a century old. His video captured him cleaning fish, removing bones, and pounding fish paste under his grandmother’s guidance.
Finally, the “Grand Heritage Award” was granted to “tomato egg and tofu,” a classic home-cooked dish where the grandmother intentionally seasoned it gently to suit her grandchild’s health, who noted the soft tofu was equally suitable for elderly family members, demonstrating reciprocal care.
Deacon Lau reminded participants that God’s love remains constant despite human frailty. He encouraged young people to look beyond their own families and care for lonely and vulnerable older people
Around 100 people attended the sharing day, where families showed a lively spirit of harmony across the generations. The programme included icebreakers such as laughter yoga, a whispering game and a scavenger hunt. Deacon Lau also gave a keynote talk on this year’s theme, “I will never forget you” [Isaiah 49:15].
Reflecting on the pope’s message, Deacon Lau reminded participants that God’s love remains constant despite human frailty. He encouraged young people to look beyond their own families and care for lonely and vulnerable older people. He urged them to reflect God’s love through concrete acts of charity and to spread compassion throughout the community.
A highlight of the day was the food-sharing session, when participants shared the dishes they had prepared for the contest.
Susanna Lee, a project officer with the commission, said the sense of communion between generations at the event showed there was room for more cooperation between young and older parishioners. She added that selected entries would be compiled into a digital cookbook.
To help people take part spiritually, the diocese also distributed prayer cards in Chinese and English, translated from material issued by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.
The event closed with a blessing from Bishop Ha, who had mingled with participants throughout the day.
Pope Francis established the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in 2021. It honours older people and encourages younger generations to build lasting and meaningful relationships with them.
