ASIA/HONG KONG - Family Pastoral focus for 2006

Hong Kong (Fides Service) - This year the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong intends to give more attention to family pastoral care in order to meet present day needs and support families threatened on many sides. According to Hong Kong diocesan bulletin Kong Ko Bao the diocesan commission for family and marriage pastoral held a meeting with family pastoral parish group leaders to discuss activity for the new year .
Initiatives identified included: promote family sharing of information and experience; offer counselling to couples or families in crisis; support families in difficulty, particularly those with financial problems; attend to spiritual and material needs of elderly Catholics; encourage family prayer; offer support to newly wedded couples embarking on life as husband and wife; collaborate with family associations etc.
The Commission’s chairman Mgr Dominic Chan Chi Ming gave a positive picture of the situation: 12 out of about 50 parishes have already formed a family pastoral group; 13 have something similar and the rest are contemplating forming a group. The Commission has prepared two useful handbooks, Family Prayer Handbook and Catholic Family Support Handbook to help parish groups support families. Recently during a special Mass presided by Mgr Chan 15 Catholic couples celebrated their respective wedding anniversaries and renewed marriage promises. (Agenzia Fides 17/01/2006 Righe: 28 Parole: 287)