Relic of Blessed Teresa welcomed to Hong Kong

Bishop John Cardinal Tong Hon exhorts the Hong Kong Church to pray that Blessed Teresa of Kolkata may intercede in helping people to make a new beginning in China-Vatican dialogue. He spoke during the homily at a Mass celebrated at Ss. Cosmas and Damian parish, Tseun Wan on February 5, to welcome a relic of the founder of the Missionaries of Charity to Hong Kong.

With the relic of Blessed Teresa of Kolkata enshrined in the Parish, together with Blessed John Paul II, a lock of whose hair is permanently enshrined in the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Hong Kong has the privilege of having the relics of two of the most contemporary beatifides of the Catholic Church for its veneration.

The Relic of Bl. Teresa of Kolkata being brought into the Church of Ss. Cosmas and Damian during the Eucharistic Celebration

“Mother Teresa not only visited Hong Kong and mainland China, but always wanted to establish her congregation in the mainland,” Bishop Tong said. He added that “her dream was partially fulfilled” when the Missionaries of Charity were established in the special administrative region of Hong Kong in 1983.

Bishop Tong said that although the late pope could not contact Catholic people on the mainland, he had a great interest in them and prayed for them daily. But the China - Vatican relationship recieved a setback when China objected to the canonisation of the 120 Chinese martyrs on the anniversary of its foundation day, October 1, in the year 2000. The relations further deteriorated and came to a halt in 2011 when the Vatican declared that two illicitly ordained bishops had placed themselves in a state of excommunication.

“Only through honest dialogue can we resolve differences and reach a win-win solution. Let us pray more often about this,” the bishop of Hong Kong continued.

Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, a vicar general of the diocese, said the relic of Blessed Teresa—a drop of blood on a tiny piece of sack cloth—will be housed permanently in the Tsuen Wan parish church, which is situated in a grassroots residential area and is symbolic of the simplicity of Mother Teresa’s life.