(ANS – Hong Kong) – After 24 years the Sisters Announcers of the Lord (SAL) – a group of the Salesian Family – celebrated in Hong Kong, on Sunday 8 February, the perpetual profession of Sr. Michelle Teresa Cheung Sau Ching, with a large participation of the Salesian Family in the Tak Nga Secondary school (Kowloon, Hong Kong S.A.R.).

by Fr Václav Klement,

Councillor for the East Asia-Oceania Region

The Congregation was started by St Louis Versiglia and canonically erected as diocesan Congregation by his successor Fr. Ignatius Canazei. The Supreme Moderator, Sr. Mabel Chan, received the perpetual profession during a well animated liturgy that lasted two hours. It was attended by some 300 lay mission partners and students of the three schools of the SAL Congregation (two secondary and one primary), as well as eight priests,  diocesan and Salesian, including the provincial Fr. Lanfranco Fedrigotti, SDB,  and the Spiritual Advisor to the SAL Congregation, Fr. Francis Che, SDB.

During his homily Fr. Simon Lam – former Salesian provincial of China – spoke about the concern of the local Church in Hong Kong to support vocations. Indeed the more than 500.000 Catholics strong diocesan community suffers from the ageing and diminishing numbers of clergy.

In June 2005 the SAL Congregation was accepted by Fr. Pascual Chávez, the then Rector Major, as the 24th Group of the Salesian Family. They have a Salesian Spiritual Advisor, Fr Che, appointed by the Bishop of Hong Kong. The Sisters participate in all Salesian Family events and their 3 schools are a dynamic part of the Hong Kong Salesian Family schools network for the formation of lay mission partners and joint activities.

The vocation journey of Sr. Michelle Cheung, SAL started with two years of voluntary service (1994-1996) in Mauritius, sent by the late bishop Cardinal John Wu as a member of the Hong Kong Catholic Lay Missionary Association. Then she joined the teaching staff of the SAL Primary School and began her discernment and initial formation.

At the conclusion of the Eucharist the newly perpetually professed Sister shared her gratitude:

“Thank you for the support of your presence and prayers. Besides expressing my gratitude to God, my congregation and my family, I thank the first Don Bosco Salesian missionaries sent to China, a group that included our Founder: St. Louis Versiglia. They brought the good news of Jesus to China and even died for us, the Chinese people. In 2015 we are celebrating the ‘Year of Consecrated Life’. Pope Francis hopes that we, religious, will serve God in joy. This witness of joy will attract many youngsters to answer God's call to serve God. I hope also that in the future more Salesians will continue the missionary work of our Founder St. Louis Versiglia for Chinese youth”.

Published 12/02/2015