St. Francis Xavier’s College community Marist Brothers

45, Sycamore St., Taikoktsul, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR

2021

Special Issue

September

St. Francis Xavier’s College community Marist Brothers

45, Sycamore St., Taikoktsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 聖母昆仲會聖芳濟書院香港會院

This newsletter is for private circulation among those who are dear to us. Any feedback please Email: chong_clement@hotmail.com

1.Message from the Community Animator -- Br John Chong The summer school holiday in Hong Kong ended on the 31st August. The New School Year commences on the 1st of September. The year of the cow had gone more than 3/4. Busyness is always an excuse even with the advancement and help of the modern information technology. Our ways of relating with one another has ever since changed drastically due to the Pandemic. Pope Francis in his encyclical pointed out issues on climate changes, to me it is a kind of going back to the basic, we care not only ourselves but also the earth. To have a simple life style is the point. Hope that, in our little way, we may contribute to protect the environment and the places we live in. The COVID 19 will remain for another year or two. Social distancing and mass gathering will be prohibited. It means, the school will adopt the half day school mode. Students will come in the morning for lessons and go home around 1pm, the afternoon will be free (subject to teachers for senior high students tutorial lessons through Zoom or Google meet). All activities after schools will not be allowed. And it really damper the school’s Family Spirit and Brotherhood that we used to be proud of for the last many years. The gap instead of closeness between different forms of students widened due to no interaction and cooperative activities. It will need time to rebuild. Hope that the pandemic will soon be over and all the students will come back to have normal school life. All residents of Hong Kong must wear masks whenever and wherever they go and have to follow strictly the prevention measures all the times. In this issue of the newsletter, you will receive information of the community and some of the events that have taken place during the last 6 or more months to the first week of September 2021. Sharing with you a total of 17 news and information. Thanks for being parts in our lives. Unite in Prayers. Blessings to you.

Newsletter

Hong Kong

3. Community Outing The community joined a group for a day outing to Tai O, a Venice of Hong Kong. On the 15th August, The Assumption Day of Our Lady. Around 60 people teachers, alumni with their family members including Br. Chin, Mary and Br.John Chong. The group gathered at the school campus to have a short prayer before departing. Praise be to God, the weather was perfectly well during the trip. We have our Sunday Mass, celebrating the Assumption Day at the local Church, the Our lady of Perpetual. We have lunch at the nearby restaurant. We toured around the village and got some free time to do our sea food shopping. All were satisfied and we return home around 5pm. One of the purposes of the trip was to trace the history way back in 1969 some Brothers brought some of the students to have summer project at Tai O in building some road path. 1 teacher and 2 alumni who participated the said activity many years ago also joined the trip and shared their experiences too.

2. Marist Globalization Talk by -- Br John Chong On the 25th August, all the staff from both schools gathered in St. Francis Xavier’s School, Tsuen Wan for the joint Schools Staff Development. Br. John Chong was invited to give an hour of talk and sharing on Marist Globalization Network and the Marist Spirit to 150 staff including some Managers of the school.

Principals and vice principals of both Marist schools in Hong Kong, 2021-22

2

5. Recollection for Adults. Organized by Diocese Youth Commission, Hong Kong.

Br. John was invited to be the retreat master for around 20 adults at the Catholic Retreat House in Stanley, Hong Kong from the 7 to 8th August. With the topic on Hope amid the Pandemic. It was really a good time for people to come away from the present mode amid the pandemic to reaffirm oneself and be close and union with God in a quiet and peaceful place.

4. Composition of the community:

Br. John Chin FMS, slowly and steadily taking up the College’s Supervisor duties. Also, the man behind all the fruits the community has produced. Namely the Dragon fruit, pumpkin, potatoes and even some vegetables, the

passion is coming out soon. He has completed his second dose of Sino-vac accompanied by Michael Chang, our

alumnus.

Br. John Chong FMS, completed his vaccination on the 21st of July. Trying to learn how to make cake and bread

during the pandemic. Besides the usual teaching loads, he also helped the local parish for Catechumen on Sunday.

Attending Diocese Vocation Commission Meeting. Running around both schools trying to infuse more Marist

Spirit.

Br. Anthony Tan FMS He is still in Singapore after his last appointment with the

doctor. The hope of coming back through “Burble Fly scheme” between Singapore and Hong Kong busted due

to the different ways of treating Covid 19, besides, 21 days of quarantine for him is but suffering. Will see when

he will be back.

Ms. Joe Chow- Our helper has got her second dose on the 12th August. She has helped in tiding our guests

rooms and surrounding. Making the community comfortable and pleasant for all.

Ms. Ginalyn Sanchaz, our cook, arrived in Hong Kong on the 20th Feb. 2021 and got her 21days quarantine at a hotel. She joined the community on the 13th March. But

we requested her to stay in her room for another few more days to make sure she is alright. She took up her duty

right after that. And she got her vaccination done in June. Ms. Mary Wei, our affiliated member, she came back to stay with the Brothers on Friday and back to her house after Sunday Mass and breakfast. She is getting aged. She hopes to go back to Beijing but was prevented by

the pandemic.

6. Sunday’s Mass and Breakfast. The community was blessed by the availability of a Focolare priest Fr. Stephen Lo, to say Mass for us. And joined us for breakfast on Sundays..

8. Visiting the Marist Gallery, Hong Kong. To let our boys know more about their college history and also the Marist Origin, from time to time, Br. John will organize short tour guide to our higher forms student to visit the Marist Gallery, Hong Kong. Boys got the chance to open their horizon getting in touch with the past glory.

7. National Security Law in Hong Kong. The Chinese Central Government has come full force imposing the National Security Law in Hong Kong. Many organizations had been stripped and some democrat activists were arrested under the security law. Government said it will only affect a small numbers of people but it seemed that it created uneasiness not only to residence but also foreign investors. We will monitor closely the latest development. All the staff in schools need to know more about the Law. Schools need also to organize seminar and talk to make aware of that particular Law .

3

12. Evangelization Week ~ Spiritual Experience for all the students Due to the Pandemic, all school activities were forced to be postponed or cancelled. Seeing the dampen of the spirit, the Pastoral Committee of the school headed by Br. John and the Religious Panel Mr. Hui, joined force to organize a very special Spiritual Experience for all the students in the month of May. Boys were arranged class by class (due to the restriction of participants to prevent the spread of Covid 19) to go to the school chapel. They were asked to sit quietly, with soft music and guided by an Iconist, explaining the meaning and the characters of the Icon in a prayerful way. Before the end of the session, boys were asked to close their eyes to experience the peace and love of God flowing through their hearts even in this turbulent time of the wide spread of Covid 19 in all over the world. We received very positive feedback from all the students.

9. COVID 19 news The brother of Br. John Chong, Edward was tested positive of Covid 19 on the 8th July. He was sent to the Health centre for further check up and finally was confined at Sungai Buluh Hospital in Selangor, Malaysia with stage 4 of the sickness. He has got low Oxygen in his blood. Having sore throat and cough all day. He related one incident, he was on his way back to his bed around 20 steps from the toilet, half way through he started to cough, it was so hard that he got difficulty in breathing and thank God he was able to get back to his bed and in time to put on the oxygen mask. He has been recuperating and was discharged from the hospital on the 20th July. He has gone back to his work a week later. We are monitoring him closely to see if there are any bad effect of the virus. Thanks for all the prayers and concerns from all.

10. New Teachers Induction day Every summer, before the beginning of the new school year, the

two Marist schools in Hong Kong organized a Joint School New Teachers Induction Day for incoming new teachers. This year we have around 12 new staff from both schools. Aside from introducing the schools by the Principals of both schools, Br. Chin and Br. John were also invited to share and introduce to the new teachers the Marist Brothers and the Marist World.

11. Plants and Flowers from our garden

4

16. School Opening Mass, 1st September 2021 New School Year of 2021-22 commences on the 1st September. Amid the Pandemic, we gathered for Mass, offering the year to God in another year of battling with the Corona Virus.

17. Fruits from our garden: Dragon fruits Our garden has produced abundant harvest of dragon fruits, it is sweet and juicy and healthy too.. and it is still blooming..

13. Celebration of Birthdays: Birthdays were celebrated in the community.

14. Retirement Prayer service of Mr. Iu, our out-going Principal of St. Francis Xavier’s College The community organized a simple retirement gathering for our out-going principal Mr. Iu on the 13th August. A prayer service was prepared by Br. John Chong. It was held in our school chapel. A simple dinner was served after the prayer. Mr. Iu was invited to make his speech. Br. John Chong also read out on behalf of our sector leader Br. Andrew’s greeting message.

15. Laudato Si The community is trying to make aware of our care to the present environment by having the followings: Using solar light to conserve energy at the corridor, reuse of plastic bags, using of recycle bag, and recycle the fruits peeling and collecting all the kitchen waste (vegetables especially for making fertilizer). Of course, adopting a simple life style is the basic.

Admissions: SFXC: 722 boys

Catholic Students: 84

SFXS: 670 boys

Catholic Students: 27