Hong Kong diocese holds sports fest to raise funds for church construction

The Catholic Education Office and the Hong Kong Catholic Diocesan Schools Council hosted "725 Rope Skipping Fun Day" at St. Joseph's Anglo-Chinese School on July 25 to generate donations for the church's construction and rehabilitation.
 
About 200 students attended the event. They came from various diocesan secondary and elementary schools, religious institutes, and Caritas under the Catholic Religious Schools Council and Caritas Hong Kong-Vocational Training and Education Service, as reported by the Sunday Examiner.
 
At the inauguration, Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-Yan of Hong Kong said, "Let’s pray for God’s blessing in this hot weather. Let’s pray for kindled hearts. We may sweat a lot, which is necessary when doing good work. There may be tears shed as a result of our joy and gratitude."
 
"Young people have a lot of good qualities for us to learn from; among them is courage in the face of difficulties," the prelate added.
 
Moreover, he also stated that the participation of schools of religious institutes and Caritas demonstrates the unity of Catholic schools in their service to God.
     
So, one of the participants said that she lived nearby but had to travel uphill to the secondary school that morning in about 35-degree heat, arriving drenched in sweat. "It was challenging, but I am pleased," she said.
 
Vicky So Pui-man, a six-grade student, said, "I will first skip by myself, then with a partner, and then perform a pushup jump rope stunt."
 
As of July 26, the amount raised was $2.6 million, and public donations can be made via the fundraising committee's website until mid-August.
 
The funds earned will be donated to the Diocesan Fund-Raising Commission for Church Building and Development to support the construction of new churches, the addition of cemetery niches, and the maintenance of several parish churches.
 
Besides the rope-skipping rally, the diocesan commission has planned to host a "House Among Houses Fund-Raising Concert" at Queen Elizabeth Stadium on November 2 to generate funds as the pandemic is currently under control.
 
In 1841, the Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong was founded as a mission prefecture. In 1874, it became an apostolic vicariate, and in 1946, it became a diocese.
 
As many as 279 priests, 74 brothers, and 427 nuns minister to about 404,000 Catholics in Hong Kong. There are 52 parishes, including 40 churches, 32 chapels, and 28 pastoral halls (Kasmir Nema).