News from Hong Kong!

AT LONG LAST, we received word from the Young'Uns gathered in Hong Kong. Here is a report by Fr. Ed. Szendrey to which I made one correction: to my knowledge 23 men were invited (see earlier post.) We can all be relieved there is no mention of a visit with Dr. Kervokian.

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This month the Stanley house hosted a meeting of Maryknoll members who have been ordained or taken final oath from 1993 onward. This meeting is part of an ongoing program of renewal for this group of Maryknollers, facilitated by Maryknoll’s Office of Lifelong Formation.

This group first met in Rome in 2007. The Rome meeting was both an opportunity for the participants to share and reflect on their experience as missionary priests/Brothers and Maryknollers (much like the ‘Homecoming’ gatherings of years past). This was paired with a ‘pilgrimage’ to various sacred sites in Rome, giving the group the opportunity to connect their reflection to the place which is in many ways the heart of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Hong Kong meeting is intended to build upon the foundation that was laid in Rome. The group (twenty of the twenty-three invited to attend) spent time discussing concerns and hopes in light of the 2008 Chapter. Days were set aside so that the group could spend a day reflecting on Mission Spirituality (facilitated by Columban Fr. Trevor Trotter) and a day of prayer (facilitated by Fr. Bill Galvin). The theme of pilgrimage was also an important component of this gathering, as Hong Kong is the place where Maryknoll’s first missionaries arrived and laid the groundwork for the missionary work to follow.