Hong Kong Bishop stresses formation of laity, young people and clergy for a synodal Church

Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan, SJ, of Hong Kong Diocese stressed the formation of laity, young people and clergy in coming years, in his advent message for 2022.

“In the coming years, the main focus will be ‘Formation’ in three main sectors: Laity, Young People, and Clergy,” the message read.

The bishop described in his advent message that the formation and sanctification of the laity, the pastoral support and formation of young people, and the formation, as well as ongoing formation of the clergy, will be the focus.

Bishop Chow urged, “besides the usual intellectual dimension, the formation should include spiritual, aesthetical, emotional, volitional, and behavioural dimensions as an integral whole.”

Quoting Pope Francis’ words ‘Integral human development,’ the prelate insisted that a popular approach in basic education is the preferred paradigm for the formation of today and in the future.

The bishop affirmed the interdependence of laity, young people and clergy with their unique presence. Through their interdependence, they support and accompany each other.

Bishop Chow emphasized, “In fact, accompaniment is a crucial topic in formation.”

He explained that through the integral formation and mutual accompaniment, the different sectors will be better equipped for a synodal Church, through spiritual conversation and discernment in common.

The bishop added, “to facilitate pilgrims of the different sectors to journey together, small faith communities of different modes will be formed in light of their backgrounds and needs.”

He assured that the liturgical life in the diocese will be enriched by the diversity of Christian living specific to the different small faith communities.

The prelate expressed his gratitude to the participants for their contributions and to Bishop Joseph Ha and the team who relentlessly worked for the meetings, collecting the data and the analysis for the report of the synod.