Maryknoll Sisters

In Hong Kong alone, 3,000 people became Catholics during this year's Easter period. A Maryknoll Sister reports from the tiny island.

In Hong Kong, we had over 3,000 baptisms this year. The 3,000 are all at Easter. Most of the candidates have been in the catechumen program (religious education) from one to two years. 

This is primarily is the result of the enthusiasm and witness of the newly baptized in previous years.

As this is the Year of the Laity in the diocese of Hong Kong, we very much encourage them to become involved in sharing their Catholic faith with others, especially through acts of love and forgiveness. 

It really is bearing fruit. 

 – Sister Michelle Reynolds, MM

For many people around the world, this is their first Easter as Catholics since being baptized into the faith earlier this month. Part of the job of preparing them falls to Sister Michelle Reynolds in China.

This year we had 43 adults and 39 infants & children preparing for baptism.  For the past few months, I’ve been visiting all the families, taking time to get to know them, encouraging them in their journey of faith, introducing the parish, and helping them prepare for baptism. 

On three Sundays, we had the Scrutinies, special prayers during the Mass, so that the community would become familiar with our newest members.  On March 18, they participated in a diocesan gathering, so they could meet some of the Elect from other parishes.  It encouraged them to see so many others eager and open to become followers of Christ.

Besides the liturgies, retreats, we also had preparation meetings for the parents of the children to be baptized and practices for the actual Baptism.   You could actually feel the sense of excitement and anticipation as Holy Week drew near. 

Our Catechumen program is at least one and a half to two years.  During that time deep bonds of friendship have developed, and there is a beautiful sense of community and unity.  As one of the catechists, I find that it’s also a time for personal reflection and renewal.  We were well prepared for Holy Week!

 – Sister Michelle Reynolds, MM

Sr. Michelle Reynolds is helping China's youth to experience other cultures.

One of the teachers at Hong Kong’s Shung Tak Catholic English College, where I am a supervisor, arranged an exposure trip for 14 of our students with the cooperation of the Diocesan Justice & Peace Commission, both in Hong Kong and in India.

This year, the group in India arranged special trips to different areas in Mumbai, India.  The trip to the slums showed how generations had lived, but the signs of hope were empowering the women by teaching them a trade such as sewing and encouraging them to work together to set up a savings co-op and how to run it. It has helped many to move out of situations of extreme poverty.

At the home we visited, they talked about flooding and how snakes and other creatures will infest their places.  Their hope is to move to higher ground.  Some have already made the move.  Other visits were to a center where they train and offer jobs to the women, and they have a craft shop.  They also teach cooking, and their cafe can provide lunches to some of the nearby companies. 

Another place we visited was a rural village and how they are able to replace their straw homes and provide drinkable water.  The last place was a school that had been transformed into a “Green Center.” Our youth were deeply touched by their experience and came to a greater understanding and appreciation of the life of the Indians. 

Another very positive experience was a live-in with a family from one of the parishes.  There they were touched with the warm hospitality and generosity of their host families.

 – Sister Michelle Reynolds, MM

Forty years later, members of a Hong Kong parish youth group can't forget Sister Michelle (c).

Here is a picture from my former “youth group” taken in August. This is 40 years later, and we still gather a couple of times each year to celebrate birthdays and keep in touch.

This group was from my first parish experience in 1972-1983 at Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish in Fuk Wah Village in Hong Kong.  The original parish was demolished when the area was redeveloped and moved to Shun Lee Estate.

The pictures are from Fire Service Club in Kowloon, a neighborhood in Hong Kong. Even though so many years have passed, the youth group has kept contact and gathers to share joys, weddings, new homes and more,  as well as the sorrows of losing members of their families.

We normally meet at least once or twice a year at Christmas and New Year’s and in August for my birthday. 

 – Sister Michelle Reynolds, MM

Strong yet flexible, the bamboo symbolizes the resilience of the peoples of East Asia. “The bamboo bends but doesn ‘t break,” explains Sister Helen Kenny, who has witnessed the changes in the region for almost half a century.

The nations of the region have weathered many storms – war, colonial occupation, internal struggles and social and political upheavals – and have emerged as dynamic, vibrant nations – each with a unique cultural heritage and language but united by a common Asian identity.

On the surface, the Philippines reminded me of East Africa with its profusion of tropical fruits and flowers and the warm hospitality of its people. It also shares with Africa a colonial background, by Spain and then the United States. As it struggles to forge its own identity, it is going through the growing pains of unemployment, corruption, militarization and a growing gap between rich and poor.

Katrina Eggert and I enjoyed the first celebration of our Golden Jubilee during the Asia East World Section meeting where we shared our vocation journey and enjoyed a special Filipino meal in our honor. It was indeed a memorable beginning to a year of celebration for us.

A highlight of our trip was a visit to Fort Santiago in Manila where our Sisters Trinita and Brigida were imprisoned and tortured during the Second World War, uniting us with the thousands of Filipino men and women who suffered, were tortured and killed at this time. We also visited Miriam College where the Maryknoll identity is thriving. We were over­whelmed by the hospitality of the College’s new President, Rosario Lapus, and many of the senior staff who gave us a tour of the campus and shared their history of a long and loving relationship with Maryknoll. It is easy to see that the centennial celebrations in the Philippines will be very special indeed.

Hong Kong is a vibrant, dynamic city with one of the best public transport systems I have ever seen. I expected a concrete jungle but found beautiful gardens and tree-lined streets even in the heart of the city. As always on these visits, one is inspired and impressed by the ministries of each Sister – so diverse and so in keeping with the needs of the people. Whether we are assisting migrant workers, editing human rights bulletins, animating youth, teaching, providing pastoral care to patients, or preparing reports about the Church in China, each ministry is meaningful and needed.

The staff at Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital and Maryknoll Convent School stopped everything else they were doing to give us their full attention for a day. It was very humbling indeed to experience the respect and appreciation in which our congregation is held. Both institutions have been turned over to local staff who are alive with the Maryknoll spirit and very proud to maintain the standards and values that were instilled by the Maryknoll founders. At Holy Spirit Study Center, Bishop Tong expressed his deep appreciation for the Sisters who have worked in Hong Kong and assured us that we are still needed there.

Macau felt like home since the Portuguese influence there is similar to what I had experienced in Mozambique, another former Portuguese colony. Cultural and historic treasures abound in a multitude of churches, museums and galleries while the ever-growmg expansion of casinos helps to finance China’s amazing growth and prosperity.

A short side trip to Guangzhou where we had a taste of the student life of Sisters Anastasia Lindawati and Ngoc­ Ha Pham capped our visit. We can only say a heartfelt thanks to all those who shared so deeply of themselves and who are so wholly committed to keeping the Maryknoll legacy alive – truly a gift as we move towards our centennial.

— Sister Janice McLaughlin, MM