After the welcoming speech given by Fr. Joseph Ng, Provincial of CIN Province, and Fr. Carlos Cheung, Confrere-in-Charge of the Ongoing Formation Committee, the Bishop of Hong Kong, Msgr. Stephen Chow, expressed some of his feelings as a bishop and some words of encouragement, followed by a Q and A session. During the conversation, Bishop Chow mentioned the direction of his future work, including the unity of diversity, the role of a bridge between the Holy See and the Church in China, and the expansion of horizons. He answered a wide range of questions, including how to help young people, especially to help those in prison to further their studies, following up on drug rehabilitation for those released prisoners, and how everyone should work together to build a better church and society.
The bishop also mentioned issues such as religious freedom, the Church in China and Hong Kong, and the system of subsidized schools in Hong Kong. Bishop Chow lamented: The world is changing too fast, making long-term plans difficult, and sometimes we need to move steadily.
After the sharing session, Bishop Chow celebrated the Holy Eucharist in commemoration of St. Artemide Zatti. He pointed out the holiness of Brother Zatti, and how joy and happiness have shown in the life of this Salesian brother, and should continue to pray for Salesian Brother Vocations. The morning session ended with a luncheon celebration with the Bishop, the Bishop-Emeritus Cardinal Joseph Zen, SDB, and all Salesians.
After lunch, the brothers had a pilgrimage to a newly renovated parish, St James Church. The volunteer of the parish explained the history of the church and its artistic significance. According to the volunteer who explained that everything points to the Risen Christ picture of the main altar, and everything is centered on the Savior. The Vice-Rector of Formation Community, Fr. Lanfranco, also introduced the history of El Camino de Santiago in Spain.
