The SUN HK : Filipino fund-raising for St Joseph’s Church underway

By The SUN

Parish priest Fr John Tan says mass before the start of the fundraising event

A two-day fundraising for the renovation of St Joseph’s Church in Central kicked off on Saturday, Dec 4, with several Filipino community leaders and organizations taking part.

The festivities opened with a holy mass on the church parking lot, led by parish priest Fr. Joseph Tan Leitao. This was followed by a ribbon-cutting, with company representatives were asked to take part.

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Among the guests were Consul Paul Saret, who represented Consul General Raly Tejada, Bayanihan trustee Lourdes Salazar, Hong Kong Musicians Union chairman Lito Castillo, and officers of various Filipino companies. Host was Michael Vincent of MetroPlus radio station.

Father Joseph said the event was aimed at raising funds to cover the shortfall for the current year’s targeted budget of $6 million. He was confident the nearly $2 million that has yet to be raised would be met by the next quarterly assessment at the end of December.

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The parish priest gave special thanks to “ordinary Filipinos,” including migrant domestic workers, whose donations covered 20% of the total amount raised for the refurbishment of the 54-year-old church building. The rest of the money came from wealthy parishioners and other generous donors.

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“In the beginning we were thinking about, maybe 5% of the donation for the whole fundraising would come from the Filipino community, but in the end, 20% came from ordinary Filipino people,” he said. “It was more than what we expected.”

Salazar, who spearheaded the two-day fundraising drive, said the organizers wanted to “encourage” Filipino companies to also pitch in for the upkeep of the church that has been a “a home away from home” for many Filipino migrants.

A traditional Filipino “bahay kubo” or nipa house set up in a part of the church’s compound gives testament to how well-entrenched the Filipinos are in St Joseph’s.

Guests gather inside the 'bahay kubo' in the church compound

Fr Joseph said originally, the idea was just to set up a temporary shelter for Filipino volunteers around one of the huge trees in the compound. The idea caught on, however, so that the area is now roofed and walled-in with palm fronds and bamboo.

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To reach out to more Filipino Catholics, Fr Joseph is planning to record on video his traditional Christmas message to the community, and have it aired on social media before the start of the Filipino tradition of “simbang gabi” on Dec 15.

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Salazar said another upcoming event to watch out for is the enthronement of the Black Nazarene at St Joseph’s next Sunday, Dec 11, during the 10am mass, with a delegation from Quiapo church joining the ceremony.

Quiapo is home to probably the biggest statue of the Black Nazarene in the country, and the annual procession held in its honor attracts hordes of people who mostly walk barefoot as a sign of penance.