Tue
Brother William Ng OFM was the guest speaker at our 12th general meeting. His topic was Who or what is a Brother?Brother William was brought up as a Protestant. His first contact with the Catholic faith was when he studied Urban Planning in Canada. He was later baptized while reading Landscape Architecture in Scotland. Soon after he returned to Hong Kong he joined the Franciscan Order. Brother William is not a priest, he cannot celebrate Mass or hear confessions. This ability to perform sacramental ministry is the most significant difference between a priest and a brother within the Franciscan Order.
Brother William's vocation is to be a brother so he is not seeking ordination. Living the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience he gives witness to the life of Christ, and to the future resurrected life of all humanity in the heavenly kingdom. He devotes himself to the service of humanity in the secular world.
The three orders of the Franciscans were briefly discussed — the Friars Minor, the Poor Clares, and the Brothers and Sisters of Penance which are generally referred to as the First, Second, and Third Orders of St. Francis.
There are many forms of consecrated life, from Monastic to Apostolic/Contemplative, to life within Religious Congregations, Institutes and Orders. Each has its own purpose but ultimately all following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Tue
Mrs. May Chan, spouse of Serran SJ Chan, was the guest speaker at our 11th general meeting. The topic was Sunbeam Children's Foundation.
Mrs Chan began her talk by showing us a short video on the physical layout of Sunbeam Children's Foundation. Sunbeam was born due to one lady's aspiration to open an orphanage in China. The idea became a reality in 1996 supported by a group of dedicated western ladies sharing the same mission to provide shelter, healthcare and education to a group of orphans and disadvantaged children. Baiwan in Guangdong China was chosen as the home for the orphans.
Sunbeam is a non profit, non religious and non political establishment. It has been functioning as a joint venture for 16 years with the board in Hong Kong and China fully committed to the cause. From 19 kids at the opening to over 70 students today, Sunbeam takes pride in acknowledging its children's achievement ranging from an university degree in Medicine and Education to a certificate in technical skill. The live-in orphans are exposed to the English language, academic studies and sports. Sunbeam also opens its facility to kids with little adult supervision for a day to provide them with some structure and a hot meal.
Although they receive money from generous benefactors, Sunbeam has to raise funds annually to cover expenses incurred in running a boarding facility with paid staff and services.
For more information, please go to www.sunbeam.org
December birthday star: Sn John Wong
Tue
This is an annual visit of Serrans meeting with the clergy and seminarians at Holy Spirit Seminary to share some of the current issues affecting Catholics and Hong Kong.
This year the two topics are:
1/Social: How would the recent interpretation of the basic law affect HK?
2/Familial: With rising divorce rate in HK, can Catholics cope with today's marital issues through faith?
Attendees: Bishop Ha, Fr Yip, Fr Lam, Seminarians and Serrans.
Bishop Ha opened the discussion. Dennis Chang, senior counsel and a serran, briefly discussed the general principles of the basic law and how it defines one country, two system. Its interpretation has led to heated argument/disagreement by law makers and focused groups. He also touched on the formation of Legco. Bishop Ha and Fr Yip both voiced similar concern regarding the stability of the future of Hong Kong in relation to the current reaction of the young people today.
Separately, with regards to how Catholics cope with marital difficulties, Peter Lee, former Principal of Caritas School and past president of Serra Club mentioned that he had seen many students with problems came from broken homes so he appealed to the deacons, seminarians and anyone on the school board to pay more attention to children of divorce and to raise awareness at the school admin level when possible. Other Serrans shared their knowledge and personal experience on this topic. Couples with faith are observed to be more tolerant and more willing to compromise. One seminarian reminded us that couples who married in Church have made a vow to God so they should try their very best to work on their marriage.
On that note, the evening came to a close with blessings from Bishop Ha.
Tue
Topic: Promoting Vocations to The Youth and Young Adults
Q: What is the best way for Serrans to promote vocations?
In response to Our Club's request for Fr Paul Kam Po Wai to take the lead in promoting vocations, he has designed three group activities for youth in the coming year. The overall feedback from Serrans is most supportive.
Ideally, the active role should be reserved for the young priests and nuns who can relate to the youth and be more sensitive to their needs. This offers not only an opportunity to clear any misconception about priesthood or religious life, it can also provide a pickup in mentorship. It is suggested that on the hiking trip, one of the proposed group activities, the youth could be divided into small teams with each being led by a young priest/nun for building a better rapport and being available for active dialoguing.
Conclusion: all agreed that Fr Kam's proposal thus far will offer a good start in promoting vocations.
Welcome overseas Serran: Joseph Tsang
Sat
Ms Doris Leung, founder and CEO of Diamond Cab (HK) Ltd was the guest speaker at our 9th general meeting. Her topic was "How Diamond Cab makes an impact - beyond taxis"
Diamond Cab (HK) Ltd. is a privately owned taxi company servicing wheelchair customers with point to point destination. This startup company is the brainchild of Doris Leung, CEO, who saw a lack of such facility in Hong Kong during the time when she needed this specific service for her mother who was wheelchair-bound.
Started this business from scratch in 2011 now flourished into a thriving organization with 7 barrier-free taxis and 20 self employed drivers on shift rotation. Their service is round the clock. As of September 2016, they have reached the 110,000-trip mark.
Current Diamond Cab's focus is on service efficiency, expansion and social awareness of the need for more barrier-free facilities and services for the disabled and aging population in HK.
November Birthday Stars: Sn Michael Lau and Sn SJ Chan
Sat
Francis Xavier Wong Kwan Yau 黃君右 and Vincent Woo Wan Shun
胡允信 were ordained to the order of deacon at The Cathedral on Saturday October 29th.
Many came to witness this event including families from the two deacons and Serrans.
Tue
The recently ordained Fr Ignatius Law was the guest speaker at our 8th general meeting. He recalled his priestly vocation vividly.
Fr Ignatius attended an Anglican high school. Although he came from a non religious family, his parents encouraged him to participate in church programs in hope of helping him to be a grounded person. His first exposure to Religious Knowledge was at his last two years of high school. He began taking an interest and eventually was baptized in an Anglican Church. As time went on he started to be aware of an inner voice telling him to join the Catholic Church. He also read books on Mother Teresa and admired her work with the poor. He began his quest by attending Mass and taking part in Catholic activities. While he was contemplating of joining the Church, his active participation was noticed by a nun who later introduced him to Father Benedict Lam Cho-min, rector of Holy Spirit Seminary at the time. Fr Ignatius's keen interest in helping the poor coupled with his certainty in joining the priesthood became more evident, however, he struggled with his suitability to be a parish priest. At World Youth Day, he met many parish priests and he came to realize that being a parish priest simply means following Jesus's footsteps and spreading the word of God to the community. He knew then that is the path he should take. The rest is history.
Tue
Rev Simon Wong was the guest speaker at our 7th general meeting. He is from the order of The society of Jesus. He is also aProfessor of Philosophy at Holy Spirit Seminary. His topic was Emotional Manifestation and Management. He quoted from two distinguished theologians, both were Jesuit priests: Bernard Joseph Francis Lonergan and Karl Rahner. He also mentioned St.Thomas Aquinas who is considered one of the Church's greatest theologians and philosophers.
Fr Simon explained the cognitive cycle (6 stages), that is individual response depends on one's perception, evaluation, reaction(feeling) , decision, understanding and experience. In other words, the stimulus one received via the five senses will be interpreted by way of one's understanding from experience. Every act of knowing involves a pattern of experiencing, understanding, and judging, followed by rationalizing and deliberating before a decision is made on action to be taken whether it is deemed appropriate or otherwise.
Insight to one's reaction in a given situation is important as the experience will hopefully be available for future application and desired outcome.
October birthday star: Sn Leslie Hung
Tue
Dr Maria Grace Ayako Fukushima, assistant professor at Kyushu University, Japan was the speaker at our 6th general meeting.
She spoke of her dissertation on church buildings in Japan and HK while she majored in Heritage Studies. What inspired her to conduct this study was that there were many unkept churches in Japan and from an Unasco prospective, she began to look into its origin and development particularly its community involvement through time. Later she extended the coverage to Hong Kong. The research reveals Hong Kong churches are years ahead of Japan. Its beginning stemmed from the arrival of the western missionaries in the mid-1800s. It also shows an interconnection between the school and church in terms of location and operation at that time. Dependent on government subsidies until the lay people became qualified architects/engineers and returned to help with its construction in the late 70s. Since 1995 The Diocese Building Development Commission (DBDC) was formed to take over the church building projects as there were too many for the Diocese to handle alone. Finally, the physicality of a church is important. Not only it is a place for worship but also a place for relationship and faith building.
Tue
The newly ordained Fr Paul Nugyen was the speaker at our 5th general meeting.
He spoke of his early years in Vietnam and his call to vocation. Saint Pope John Paul II's talk on Truth, Faith, Spirituality and Guidance on World Youth Day was a testament to his wish to join the priesthood.
It certainly wasn't easy to be a Christian back then in Vietnam. With his family's support and encouragement from the local priest his path was clear. His pleasant and easygoing demeanor and other attributes make him well suited to work in a parish setting. An opportunity came after a long wait and he was chosen to join the Holy Spirit Seminary in HK. After 9 years of hard work including mastering the Cantonese language, he finally became a priest on August 20, 2016.
September Birthday Stars: Peter Fung, Joyce Chang, Fr Paul, Wilfred Lee and Dominic Tang
Thu
Serrans came with their spouses and families. All bearing nothing but good wishes. A special handmade card and "thank you" gifts were presented to Father to remember this day by. Fr Tsang then gave an inspiring talk which ended with quotes from a poem (attached below), followed by a group photo before the evening drew to a close.
Sat
Web Album3 pm
Priestly Ordination Mass took place at The Cathedral for deacons Ignatius Lo King Ip and Paul Nguyen Kim Son. Cardinal Zen, Bishop Yeung, Bishop Ha and many priests from Hong Kong came to concelebrate this Mass with Cardinal Tong. The Church was packed. Families of both deacons were there to witness this important occasion. It was a very spiritually inspired event. We all shared enormous joy that two new priests are added to the fold to continue the Lord's work.
Web Album7 pm
Dinner was hosted by Bishop Ha at Caritas Restaurant. Both Cardinals as well as priests from various parishes, the families of Father Lo and Father Nguyen and local Catholic groups including many Serrans were present to rejoice with the two newly ordained priests on this special day. At dinner, they both gave a short speech and handed out their Ordination Holy Cards. The evening ended with special blessings from Cardinal Tong, Cardinal Zen and Bishop Ha.
Tue
Sn Peter Fung was the speaker at our 4th General Meeting. His topic was View on Mercy in relation to Justice, Original Sin, Beatitudes, and sufferings drawing from the Bible, doctrine and Church teachings (the encyclical for example).As his topic suggests he spoke on mercy eliciting parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son among other events from The Old and New Testaments which reveal and support that God is merciful, compassionate, kind, loving and forgiving. Lived by examples and through His teachings we should, especially in The Jubilee Year of Mercy, follow in Jesus Footsteps to be kind, charitable and benevolent.
August birthday stars: Fr Tsang, Sn Francisca Lo and Sn Laurence Ho
Tue
Our very own Sn Thomas Wong was the speaker at our 3rd general meeting. He presented his research paper on
Healing as a manipulation of the Kingdom of God: A chiropractor's reading of Act 3:1-11 "Cure of a Crippled Beggar".
Sn Thomas cited the work from Bernard JF Lonergan on Method of Theology, how insight and conceptual realization were derived from touch and feel before a choice is made.
He went on to discuss Act 3:1-11 in the Bible at length, analyzing the timing of and meaning behind the first miracle after Pentecost - the cure of the crippled beggar. The timing of this miracle imprinted the significance on St Peter being the fisherman of men, the importance of the Holy Ghost and Faith.
Thu
Tue
Sister Laura Watt was guest speaker at our 2nd general meeting. A sister from the Order of St Paul, she is also a member of the Ecumenical Organization.Her topic was:
JOINT DECLARATION ON THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION
The doctrine of justification was of central importance for the Lutheran Reformation of the sixteenth century. Doctrinal condemnations were put forward both in the Lutheran Confessions and by the Roman Catholic Church's Council of Trent. These condemnations are still valid today and thus have a church-dividing effect..
The basis of the dialogue articulates a common understanding of " justification by God's grace through faith in Christ". Developments have taken place to examine the divisive questions and condemnations and see them in a new light : for instance , good works, made possible by grace and the working of the Holy Spirit, so that the righteousness that comes from God is preserved and the communion with Christ is deepened.
In light of this consensus, the corresponding doctrinal condemnations of the sixteenth century do not apply to today's partner.. Thus, the Lutheran churches and the Roman Catholic Church will continue to strive together to deepen this common understanding of justification.
Tue
What a blessed way to begin a new Serran year 2016-2017 by welcoming our first newly inducted member, Cloris Lim at Mass.
Fr Justin Lee was the guest speaker at our first general meeting. A native Hongkonger, educated at St Joseph College and later at Merton College in Oxford. He joined The Community of St John in France after his graduation in 1999. He spent 6 years in St Jodard and Rimont where he took up Philosophy and Theology. Ordained in 2009 and now a novice master in Cebu where he has been involved in missionary work for the past ten years.
Fr Justin showed us two videos, one was on Philippines and their work with the kids and families. Priestly vocation is always a main focus. The second video was about their order-The Community of St John and its founder Fr Marie-Dominique Philippe.
Fr Justin stressed that prayers, love and compassion are needed in this world. He has travelled throughout Asia and found each country has its own characteristics. Prayers and compassion will help to break through barriers. Eucharistic adoration is an important element, we also need to be mindful of God, feel the Holy Spirit within us and search for the truth.
July birthday stars: Derek Ku, Cissy Aw, Thomas Wong and Elizabeth Cheng.
Fri
July 1 is the feast day of our patron Saint Junipero Serra. This is St. Junipero's first feast day since his canonization. A group of Serrans attended an early Mass dedicated to him and priestly vocation after which they shared a hearty breakfast.
Tue
Fr Paul Tam, a parish priest of St Francis of Assisi Church in Shumshuipo, was the guest speaker at our 24th general meeting. Fr Tam has had the privilege to concelebrate Mass with Pope Francis in Rome along with other clergies around the world.
His talk was on Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Fr Tam noted that attendance especially by the young people for the Eucharistic Adoration is quite high. So in his parish he has initiated an hour long Eucharistic Adoration before and after their daily morning Mass.The result is obvious, more people are now attending Mass. Recently his parish had organized an Eucharistic procession to St Teresa's Church by bus. The turnout was astounding despite the poor weather forecast for the day. He is now convinced that they should host the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament more often than it is traditionally accustomed.
Tue
Rev. Fr. Luigi Bonalumi PIME was the guest speaker at our 23rd general meeting. His talk was on The Year Of Mercy. To date,
Father Luigi has been a priest for 33 years. He has spent most of his priesthood in Hong Kong. A parish priest in Tai Po, Father Luigi is the only priest who has been commissioned by Our Holy Father back in February as the Missionary of Mercy for the diocese of HK and Macau.
He is one of the 726 missionaries of mercy who received the Pope's mandate to preach about God's mercy and to hold special authority to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See. The four sins for which Canon Law used to reserve absolution to the Holy See are physically attacking the Pope, sacramentally absolving an accomplice in a sin against the sixth commandment, violating the seal of the confession and profaning the Eucharistic species by taking them away or keeping them for a sacrilegious purpose.
Father Luigi added that in the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis's other initiatives include the Holy Door; there are seven Holy Doors in HK and pilgrimage to its Holy door(s) is encouraged.
Celebrated Albert Li 's birthday!Sun
At 10 o'clock in the morning, Dominican Friars of the Province of our Lady of the Rosary, celebrated the Ordination to the Priesthood of Brother Joachim Hui O.P., Brother Andreas Kim O.P., Brother Mariano Kai O.P., Brother Lawrence the Reh, O.P., and Diaconate Ordination of Brother Antoninus Huang, O.P. officiated by His Eminence Cardinal John Tong at a Mass at the Rosaryhill School Chapel attended by over 300 faithfuls and Serrans.
In the afternoon, His Eminence celebrated a thanksgiving Mass in the St Francis of Assisi Church, Shamshuipo, Kowloon when sisters of the Congregation of the Precious Blood celebrated their diamond and golden jubilees.Tue
Sat
Serrans made a 'Year of Mercy' pilgrimage to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Taipo and had a luncheon with Rev James Wan and Cyril Cheung. 16 Serrans and spouses participated. They also attended the Mass for Vocations celebrated by Bishop Ha in the church at 3 pm.
Tue
In the 21st General meeting, guest speaker Professor Wong Hung PhD, a scholar with special interest in poverty and the marginalized sections of society, spoke on the 'Retirement Insurance and Pension for Elderly People in Hong Kong'. He said that the plan should show respect and concern for the elderly and be socially just and the projected calculations should cover a span of 50 years in order to be sustainable. He commented on the deficiency of the Mandatory Pension Fund under the current situation. Finally he spoke on the SAR Government's position and attempt to deal with the issue of poverty and pension for elderly people in Hong Kong.
Serrans Patrick Sham and Peter So with a birthday cake.Mon
The Mother Day's celebration with religious sisters held at the Craigencowen Cricket Club was well attended by over 160 sisters from 18 missions in Hong Kong.
Download Report by Serran Peter Fung
Sun
A Vocation Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Yeung at St. Andrew's Church, Tseung Kwan O, was attended by around 200 faithful. A sharing on the facets of religious vocations was held led by Bishop Yeung and Rev. Benedict Lam prior to the Mass.
Tue
At the No. 21 General Meeting, the guest speaker Rev. Anthony Chang Sang Loy spoke on the recent Papal encyclical on Conservation. This encyclical had been under preparation for some time and was released prior to the recent summit conference on Conservation. The Pope had consulted many scientists and researchers on carbon dioxide emission and nature conservation and various theologians on the issue. In this encyclical, the Pope urges a new investment in nature, involving multiple partners in industries and business people to prevent global warming.This encyclical promotes "natural law" integral ecology and human ecology of marriage and family - Incarnation becomes a cosmic event not limited to our world only. Rev Anthony Chang also spoke on his work promoting "Love God, Love Man and Love Creation. Sun
A special Mass for Vocation was celebrated by Cardinal Tong at the hall of the St. Jude's Church attended by some 200 faithfuls. A sharing was held afterward attended by Cardinal Tong, Auxiliary Bishop Ha and youths from the Eastern Deanery, members of Serra Club and faithfuls.
Thu
The 18th Serra Asian Convention and Asian Vocation Congress 2016 was held in Pattaya,Thailand, from 14th to 17th April, 2016 and was attended by over 300 delegates. Rev John Tsang, Michael Chuang, Hong Kong and Macao District Governor, Serrans Winnie Yau and Wilfred Lee formed the delegation of the Hong Kong Serra Club.Download Report by Serran Wilfred Lee
Tue
We are blessed to celebrate the induction of two new members, Rose Goodstadt and Peter Fung during our regular pre-meeting Mass at The Cathedral.
Rev. Clement Tsui, SJ was the speaker at Serra Club's 20th general meeting. His topic was "Easter Rising - Dublin 1916 and Fr. Joseph Mallin S.J." A vocation story.... Rev. Joseph Mallin now 103yrs old, is a Jesuit priest. He came to Hong Kong in 1948 and has since been involved in local school system as a teacher and ultimately as a supervisor of Wah Yan Primary School. He was also very active in parish work. He is now the oldest priest in the Jesuit Order worldwide. His unusual background: His father, Michael Mallin was an Easter Rising commandant in Dublin in 1916. He and those in command were executed after they surrendered to stop further bloodshed. Before his death he made it known to Fr Mallin that his wish was for him to be a priest. He was only two at the time. With God's blessings, his older brother and he became priests and his sister became a nun. In March this year, the Mayor of Dublin awarded Fr Mallin the Freedom of Dublin, a prestigious award of which only 80 people have had the privilege to receive since its inception in 1876. He was honoured because of his work with the people of Hong Kong and Macau as well as his unique connection to the events of 1916. Those who know him acknowledged that Fr Mallin holds the virtues of humility, generosity and perseverance. He inspires those around him.
Rev Clement Tsui, the speaker met Fr Mallin when he was a student. He added that his calling didn't come early. When he decided to become a priest he faced strong objection from his father. But his faith and determination steered him to dedicate his life's work to God.
We celebrated the birthday of Peter Lee, Richard Tan and Raymond.
Tue
Rev. Fr. Bruno Lepeu MEP discussed "The current status of the Catholic Church and priestly vocation in China" at Serra's 19 general meeting.
Fr Bruno is the Supervisor of Paris Foreign Missions and a researcher of the Holy Spirit Study Centre, used to frequent China and hence was able to provide a first hand account of the current attitude of modern day China on religious practice in the mainland. He believed The Vatican is slightly more optimistic about its future relationship with Mainland China. There are reports that priests are coerced to remain at The state-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) in which the government has full control of their responsibility in lieu of The Catholic Church. It is a known fact that despite warning from The Papal administration, China still went ahead to elect its Bishop who is not recognized by The Holy See. Underground Church still exists. Priests who oppose The Party might face covert discipline.
Promoting vocation today requires new creative ways and avenues. According to statistics, the young and able have all moved to big cities to study or work leaving behind the very old and young children in rural areas. Hence vocation promotion has become increasingly difficult. In addition, the traditional ways of teaching may not be enough to inspire this generation as they are now more educated.
The future relationship between The Vatican and Mainland is in dire need of prayers. Innovative means may be necessary to foster vocations to the priesthood in The Mainland.
Sat
Serra Club lantern retreat was held at Martyr Saints of China Chapel - Holistic Retreat Centre, Shek O. Rev. Heri Purwanto the Retreat Master gave an opening spiritual talk followed by an Eucharistic Adoration and the Way of the Cross.
The second spiritual talk was given by Rev David Tristianto followed by confession, rosary and Mass.
The retreat was well attended by some 25 Serrans, spouse and friends.
Tue
The meeting was adjourned with the several proposals including close monitoring of regular expenditure, no commitment on any ad hoc function until its cost can be covered and also to consider levels of other spendings. The above will be further discussed at The Board level.
Celebrating the birthdays of Sn Winnie Yau and Sn Vincent Jim. Tue
The 17th General Meeting was held at the Chinese Club preceded by a Mass for vocation at the Chapel of the Catholic Centre. Serran Michael Lau spoke on the history of Serra Club International, the formation of Serra Club Hong Kong its early years and subsequent development. Serrans Patrick Sham and Richard Tan made responses.
Serran Denis Chang is seen celebrating his birthday.
Sat
The 15th General Meeting was held at the conference of the Rosary Church, Kowloon followed by lunch at the Kowloon Green Bowling Club.
Tue
The end of the Year of Consecrated Life was marked with a Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate of Conception with chief celebrant Cardinal John Tong. A dinner was held afterward at the Community Hall, Caritas House attended by over 200 religious and priests together with Cardinal Tong, Cardinal Zen, and Bishop Ha.
Serrans helped organizing the dinner. A performance of songs by Dr. David Fang, Dr. Thomas Tsang and Dr. Jennifer Kwan was well received.
A teaser video of the Holy Spirit Seminary, Hong Kong, St. Joseph's Seminary of Macau and a talk by Cardinal Tong on the conclusion of the Year of Consecrated Life was telecast and copies of the videos distributed to all those attending the dinner.
Lucky draws concluded the happy dinner gathering.
(View videos and e-flipbook presented to the Cardinal)
Tue
The induction ceremony of Chan Sui Jeung, Anthony Marcus as member of the Club was carried out at the pre-meeting Mass celebrated by Rev John Tsang.
At the 14th General Meeting, Deacon Sin Yiu Fat, a graduate in Journalism from University of Taiwan and now a regular column contributor in the financial page of Sing To Daily. He spoke tonight on the investment prospects for 2016 in Hong Kong. He opened his talk that prediction in investment prospects is always difficult and not certain - one can only give an educated assessment.
General speaking, the two danger signals for 2016 (for Hong Kong Share Market or World Wide Market) are
a) the financial status in Brazil and
b) the increase in interest rate by the US Federal Reserve.
He further spoke on News or Hot Tips, Currency Warfare, the 'China Picture', the Price of Crude Oil and Housing market in Hong Kong that would have impacts on the investment prospects.
The interesting and informative talk was followed by sharing from Serrans.
Tue
At the 13th General Meeting, guest Dr. Chow Chi Kin, Principal of Sacred Heart Canossian School, spoke on the subject of "Territory-wide Systemic Assessment (TSA)". The government of the HKSAR subsidized local schools around $30 million per school and it wants to assess these schools. TSA is used to assess the students at Primary 3, Primary 6 and Form 3 levels. It was formulated with good intention but is now carried out in the way to assess schools objected by many. Dr. Chow then touched on the Education System in Hong Kong. The local population decreased in 2003 and many schools were closed in 2006-2007. The Government used TSA as a means to assess schools and school closure was based on TSA. This put pressure on the school-sponsoring bodies to improve the TSA scoring of their schools to avoid compulsory closure. Dr. Chow commented on the colonial education and true eduction of a whole person. Under the colonial rule, the aim of education in Hong Kong was to provide the students with basic knowledge of English and Chinese and the technical skill to "make a living" in factories, industries and the professions. Thus "Ethics, Innovation and Technology" was emphasized. True education is to educate the whole person to make him/her a better person. Ethics and moral education helps to develoop the whole person.
Serran Peter Tam is seen with a birthday cake.