Links between the Diocese of Leeds and an Anglican diocese in Hong Kong have been developed, thanks to a recent visit from the Rt Revd Arun Arora, Bishop of Kirkstall, and the Revd David Ho Young, Rector of Moor Allerton and Shadwell.
Earlier this month, Bishop Arun and Revd Dave paid a visit to the Diocese of Hong Kong Island, which is one of three dioceses in the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (Anglican Church of Hong Kong).
The visit was at the invitation of Bishop Matthias Der, the Bishop of Hong Kong Island, and is the first step in developing a diocesan link between the Diocese of Leeds and the Diocese of Hong Kong Island.
The visit, taking place between Wednesday, January 7 and Sunday, January 11, enabled Bishop Arun and Revd Dave to experience a breadth of the life of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island.
They visited St John’s Cathedral, which was built in 1849 and is the oldest Anglican church in the Far East.
There they were welcomed to St John’s by Dean KK Chan (who paid a visit to our diocese in the summer), while Bishop Arun preached at their English service.
They were also present at a meeting of diocesan clergy where Bishop Arun was able to share with them the work of our diocese.
Bishop Arun and Revd Dave also paid visits to St Stephen’s Church on Bonham Road, St Paul’s Church in Central and St James’ Church in Wan Chai where they experienced the deep integration there is in Hong Kong between Anglican churches, Anglican schools and Anglican social service units.
Each church in the diocese often has affiliated schools on their sites and strong links to the work of the HKSKH Welfare Council which runs social service units across the territory.
On their visit they were able to visit the St Luke’s Settlement Elderly Care Centre in Kennedy Town and visit one of the residents at her home on one of the public housing estates.
At the St James’ Settlement in Wan Chai, they were able to meet with staff volunteers and service users at a few of their 188 projects, including a dementia care centre, a youth centre and creative worships for people with disabilities.
They were also able to hear from Patricia Lau of the Welfare Council about the HKSKH’s response to last November’s tragic fire in Tai Po.
The visit also included meeting with Archbishop Andrew Chan, the other bishops and senior provincial leaders at the newly refurbished and historic Bishop’s House in Central, and to hear more about the history of Anglicanism in Hong Kong at an exhibition.
They also paid a visit to St James’ Primary School in Wan Chai to understand more about the HKSKH’s commitment to education and there was also time for a visit to the Hong Kong Palace Museum to find out more about the history of China through exhibits from the Forbidden City in Beijing.
Bishop Matthias, his wife, and two of his clergy will be making a visit to our diocese in April this year, and we look forward to welcoming them and to deepening the bonds of friendship between Leeds and Hong Kong.