Newsletter No. 71

CUHK Newsletter No. 71 4th June 1995 3 Most people are aware that church bells do toll, albeit metaphorically, at CUHK, but they may not realize who makes them toll. Mr. Patrick K. C. Yiu, senior assistant bursar and an active member of the Catholic community on campus, and the Rev. Dr. K. K. Chan, chaplain at Chung Chi College, recount here some tales of the Adam Schall Chapel and the Chung Chi Chapel. A d a m Schall Residence, the first student hostel of United College on its Sha Tin campus, was built in 1971 as a result of an agreement between the Society of Jesus and United College. It was named after Adam Schall (1592- 1666 ), an eminent German Jesuit who spent over 40 years in China as a missionary during the late Ming and early Qing period. The hostel was half paid for by the Society of Jesus and the Maryknoll Sisters, and their members also served as wardens for the male and female sections of the hostel. Father C. F. Kane, an Irish priest associated with Wah Yan College, came to United College in the early 1970s as male warden of the Adam Schall Residence. And as Mr. Yiu puts it, 'Mass started the moment Father Kane came .' While the Maryknoll connection ended some time in the 1980s, Father Kane's service continued until he left CUHK in August 1994. In the late 1970s and for the large part of the 1980s, Father Kane was assisted by Father Michel Masson, a French Jesuit known for his diverse experiences which included serving in the French artillery and studying at Harvard graduate school. He spoke very fluent Mandarin which he had learnt in Fu Ren University, a Catholic university in Taiwan, and some Cantonese which he picked up in Hong Kong. At the time, the 8.30a.m. Sunday mass was said by Father Masson in a mixture of Mandarin, Cantonese, and English, while the 9.30a.m. mass was said by Father Kane in mostly English, although he is also well-versed in Latin. With the departure of Father Kane and Father Masson, Sunday mass in the Adam Schall chapel is conducted only at 9.00a.m. and in English. Three Jesuit fathers take turns in saying it: Father Deignan, supervisor of Hong KongWah Yan College; Father Shields, part-time lecturer in the University's Religion Department; and Father Baptista, a Portuguese who speaks English and Cantonese. Mr. Yiu observed that current attendance fluctuates from under 50 people to over 80, yielding an average of around 70. Half of the congregation are people living in the vicinity of the University while half are staff and international students living on campus. In addition, there is midnight mass every Christmas Eve. Mr. Yiu commented that it is always well-attended and on Christmas Eve 1994, over 200 people came to worship in the chapel. Behind-the-scenes administration falls into the hands of the Adam Schall Chapel Committee whose members include Mr. Yiu and Prof. Kuan Hsin- chi, along with a few other Catholics living on campus. The Committee also decides on the allocation of alms, such as to support the local parish, the Society of Jesus, the Catholic Student Society, and various charitable organizations. Mr. Yiu added that he and Prof. Kuan would like to see more active members in the Catholic community. When asked if they need help, he said help of any kind would be appreciated even if it's arranging tables and chairs for mass. Just as United College has good Catholic connections, Chung Chi College has a strong Protestant background. Prior to 1961, worship took place in a small auditorium on the old Chung Chi campus. This was demolished to make way for the new chapel, donations for which came from the United Church of Canada. The Rev. K. K. Chan said that from the initial days up to the early 1980s, there was a small congregation consisting mainly of foreign teaching staff at Chung Chi. As train service from the University to Kowloon was infrequent, churchgoers tended to stay on campus. Now, they have the choice of heading north to Tai Po where there are 20 to 30 churches, or south to downtown Sha Tin where there are 50 to60, all within a 10-minute trainride from University Station. So, understandably, the chapel can't even boast of a modest congregation. Sunday attendance is about 20 to 50 people, comprising mostly foreign visitors to the University and students who remain on campus due to various personal reasons. However, the Rev. K. K. Chan is by no means disgruntled with this fact. He said, 'Much as we would like to see more people on Sunday, we encourage Christians to go to their own churches whenever and wherever possible, so that they can have an all- round church life on a more permanent basis. This would mean Sunday school, Christian fellowship, Christian education, and so on, in contrast to only Sunday service, as would be the case at Chung Chi.' On Christmas Eve and at Easter, there are commemorative services. These are attended by the usual worshippers as well as alumni of Chung Chi College. The Sunday services, conducted in both Cantonese and English, are usually presided over by the Rev. K. K. Chan himself with help from the Rev. C. T. Waldmeier, a volunteer of Swiss origin. The sermons are said in Cantonese, with simultaneous English translation given through headphones. The Rev. K. K. Chan said the Sunday services constitute only a small part of the duties of the Chaplain's Office. He also oversees the lending of facilities like the lounge, the rooms, and the chapel, to various groups. Last term alone, close to 200 groups, either within the University or without but related in some way to Chung Chi, used their facilities for conferences, retreats, religious services, fellowship activities, funerals, and so on. The chapel in particular is used very frequently for wedding services, which accounts for the seemingly ubiquitous appearance of white-gowned brides on campus complete with bouquets, cameramen and fiances. The Rev. K. K. Chan's office also organizes Friday assemblies which are a compulsory part of the general education programme for students affiliated with Chung Chi, and on a larger scale, the college graduation exercise, Founder's Day celebrations, and valedictory service. 'We're a symbolic presence of the Christian tradition of Chung Chi, but this presence has been manifest mainly in administrative duties,' the Rev. K. K. Chan said. Having been chaplain at the University for two and a half years, he would prefer to have more time to attend to the spiritual life of students, and is trying also to redefine the role of the Chaplain's Office in an evolving college and university. Piera Chen 中大通訊 CUHK NEWSLETTER 1.本刊逢四日及十九日出版。 2. 來函或投稿請寄沙田香港中文大學秘書處出版事務處《中大通訊》 編輯部（電話 2 6 0 9 7297，圖 文傳眞 2603 6 8 6 4 ，電子郵遞 pub2@uab.msmail.cuhk.hk )。 3. 投稿者須附眞實姓名、地址及聯絡電話，文章則可用筆名發表。 4. 本刊編輯有權刪改及決定是否刊登來稿，不欲稿件被刪者請預先聲 明。 5 . 本刊所載文章只反映作者之觀點和意見，並不代表校方或本刊立 場。 6.本刊內容未經編者書面准許，不得轉載。 7. 本刊每期發行三千六百份，免費供校內教職員索閱，部分郵寄本地 教育機構及與大學有關人士。私人索閱，請致函本刊查詢。 1. The Newsletter is published on the 4th and 19th of each month. 2. All contributions and suggestions should be sent to the Editor, CUHK Newsletter, do the Publication Office, University Secretariat, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (tel. 2609 7297; fax. 2603 6864; e-mail pub2@uab.msmail.cuhk.hk). 3. Contributions should bear the writer's name and contact telephone number, and may be published under pseudonyms. No anonymous letters will be published. 4. The Editor reserves the right to reject contributions and to edit all articles for reasons of clarity, length or grammar. Those who do not want to have their articles amended should indicate clearly in writing. 5. The views expressed in the CUHK Newsletter are those of the authors, and are not necessarily those of the University or the Editor. 6. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced without the written consent of the Editor. 7. This publication has a circulation of 3,600 and is primarily intended for staff members of CUHK. Copies are also sent to local educational institutions and individuals associated with the University. Those who wish to be included on the mailing list please contact the Newsletter direct. 截 稿 日 期 Deadlines for Contributions 期數 Issue no. 出版日期 Issue date 截稿日期 Deadlinefor contributions 72 19.6.95 5.6.95 (暑期特刊 Summer Supplement) 73 4.9.95 18.8.95 74 19.9.95 5.9.95 (七月停刊；八月十九日出版暑期特 刊，報導人事動態及宣布事項；九月 四日復刊。） (Nopublication in July and August. A special supplement will be published on 19th August for Personalia and Announcements.) 香港中文大學出版事務處出版 編輯：梁其汝 助理編輯：蔡世彬 陳偉珠 陳思祥 製作：黎寶翠 梅潔媚 Published by the Publication Office, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Editor: Amy K.Y. Leung Assistant Editors: Lawrence Choi, Florence Chan, Piera Chen Graphic Designers: Stella P.C. Lai, May K.M. Mui 印刷：鮑思高印刷有 限公司 Printing: Don Bosco Printing Co. Ltd. O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL