HONG KONG (SE): Reverend Francis Xavier Wong Kwan-yau and Reverend Vincent Wu Wan-shun were ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on July 29.
 
The two deacons knelt before the bishop of Hong Kong to be ordained to the title of the diocese and both have received pastoral appointments in local parishes.
 
In his position as rector of the diocesan Holy Spirit Seminary College in Aberdeen, Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing recommended the two to Cardinal Tong for ordination.
 
The two then promised their obedience to him as the diocesan bishop, after which he laid hands on them, presented them with the book of the gospels and the chalice and then anointed the palms of their hands with sacred oil as a sign of the sacramental nature of the vocation they were receiving.
 
The former bishop of the city, Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun, joined Bishop Ha and incoming Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung in celebrating the ordination Mass, which was attended by over 1,000 people.
 
Newly-ordained Father Wong thanked his parents, neither of whom are Catholic, for giving him the opportunity to go to a Catholic school, as it was there that he had his first encounter with his faith.
 
He also praised his parents for teaching him through their own example the importance of the virtue of perseverance and the preparedness to sacrifice on the journey of life.
 
Father Wong said he would always encourage young men to learn from his own experience and be open to accepting any invitation that comes from God with peace of mind.
 
Father Wu said he was prepared to shoulder the cross as a priest when he returned to his normal life, but his ordination weekend was something far from the ordinary and at that stage, he was still looking forward to his first Mass.
 
He said that his prayer for the day was for the humility to rely more on God in his priestly ministry and remain joyful during the ups and downs of everyday life.
 
At the end of the Mass, Cardinal Tong blessed the two new priests and prayed that God will guide them so that they may faithfully perform their priestly duties and shepherd their flocks through their good example.
 
Father Wong’s mother, Wong Fung Wai-ching, told the Kung Kao Po prior to the ordination Mass that she hopes her son will have the opportunity to do what he wants to do with determination and with a kind heart.
 
Wu Ho Hin-yi described her son as a friendly, humble person, who finds joy and fulfillment in helping people.
 
She recalled that when he was a young boy, he would take the St. Vincent de Paul Society box around among the parishioners, asking them to give their support to its work.
 
Father Wong and Father Wu celebrated their first Masses on July 30 at St. Margaret’s in Happy Valley and St. Mary’s in Hung Hom.
 
Father Wong has been assigned as assistant parish priest in Happy Valley, while Father Wu will remain in Hung Hom where he worked as a deacon.