Hong Kong, China, 15 November 2023 -- The annual Caritas Bazaar organized by the Diocese of Hong Kong is one of the most important events in the Hong Kong Calendar. After being suspended for four years, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were eventually able to organize this event. Last Sunday, the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, this long-awaited event was opened by Bishop Joseph Ha of Hong Kong Diocese. The Mary Help of Christians Parish was assigned six booths to run the events.
Bearing in mind that evangelization is as important as fundraising, we designed a series of games to spread the gospel. Bishop Ha is well known for his zeal in encouraging us to memorize verses in scripture. As such, we designed games based on excerpts from the Gospel. As a warm-up, we designed mnemonics which are easy and interesting. After this delightful appetizer, some more difficult games were played, which needed competitors to read the Gospel to give correct answers. Of course, this would be an open-book test and we printed out excerpts from the Gospel to prompt participants. Last but not least, participants were treated with beautiful prizes.
The entire Pastoral Team gave full support to this event. Father Denis Kong, Parish Priest, Father Louis Cheung, Assistant Parish Priest and Deacon Peter Leung visited the booths to give their support to their brothers and sisters.
We also involved Salesian and other Catholic Schools in the Diocese. Mr. Alex Yip, Principal of Tang King Po School, headed a group of Tang King Po students to collaborate with another Catholic School to run the booths. They were extremely involved and enjoyed a happy day.
One to two days before the events, there was heavy rain. Nonetheless, the weather was beautiful on the day of Bazaar. The intercession of the Blessed Virgin must be the only reason.
We were confident that God would be with us when we were doing his work, for He has given us a solemn promise: And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world (Mt 28:20).
