Our Lady of Fatima Church, Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Our Lady of Fatima Church, Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Our Lady of Fatima Church (English: Our Lady of Fatima Church) is a Catholic church in Hong Kong, managed by the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Located at 2 Church Road, East Bay, Cheung Chau, it was established on October 13, 1952.

The parish of Our Lady of Fatima is an island parish serving areas including Cheung Chau’s Cheung Kwai Estate, Nga Ying Court, Shek Hau, Tin Fook Garden, Kwai To Garden, and Tai Choi Estate, as well as Lamma Island’s Sha Po Tsuen and Tai Wan Tsuen. The Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes (English: Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel) on Lamma Island also falls under the administration of the Our Lady of Fatima Parish. The chapel is situated in North Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island (within Lourdes Kindergarten), built in 1966. From 1970 to 1976, it was named the Lamma Island Chapel and belonged to the Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes in Pok Fu Lam. In 1976, it became an independent district, renamed Lourdes Chapel from 1977 to 1979, and elevated to a parish on July 1, 1979. From 1980 to 1983, it was renamed again as the Lourdes Mass Centre. From 1984 to 1986, it was called the Lamma Island Mass Centre for the third time. However, in 1989, it was transferred to the Parish of St. Vincent de Paul in Hang Hau, and in 1990, to the quasi-parish of St. Thomas the Apostle in Tsing Yi. In 1991, it was renamed once more as Lourdes Chapel.

Parish History

From 1946 to 1952, Father Liu Xiguang was responsible for pastoral work in Stanley, Cheung Chau, and Tai O, with Father Lok Chi Lok serving as assistant. In 1952, the church was initially named Fátima Church. On October 13, Bishop Tam (Diocesan Vicar General) presided over the inauguration of the first church building, with Father Lok Chi Lok as the first parish priest. In 1954, it was renamed Chapel of Our Lady of Fátima, under the jurisdiction of Cheung Chau Parish. From 1955 to 1959, it was again called Fátima Church. In April 1959, Bishop Gaetano Pollio, Apostolic Internuncio to China, visited. On November 13, 1961, Bishop Bianchi presided over the inauguration of the new church. In 1965, it became an independent parish. In May 1971, the Lay Apostolate Association (the predecessor of the Parish Council) was established. From 1960 to 1979, it was renamed three times as Our Lady of Fatima Church. In July 1979, Our Lady of Fatima Church was elevated to a parish.

In December 1995, Father Lau Chi Kong took over as parish priest. He noticed that many Filipinos attended Mass on Sundays. Shortly after arriving, he added an additional English Mass at 7:30 AM on Sundays. In addition, Father Lau organized religious and social activities, as well as bilingual (Chinese-English) Masses with parishioners. He set aside several days each week to visit parishioners, holding Masses or prayer gatherings in their homes. In February 1997, due to personnel changes within the Salesians, Father Lau was transferred from Cheung Chau. The Diocese of Hong Kong invited Father Dominic Kot, a priest from the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, to become the new parish priest.

Architectural Style

In the 1930s, Bishop Enrici sent priests to Cheung Chau and Tai O to carry out missionary work. At that time, the church was just a simple brick house located at 245 Tai Sun Back Street. Due to the increasing number of parishioners after the war, construction of the first church on Cheung Chau began in early 1952. The church was built simply, as a two-story white bungalow with four coconut trees planted at the entrance, witnessing the church's development.

The new church was consecrated and opened on October 13, 1952. The statue of the Virgin Mary in the church was specially purchased from Fátima, Portugal. Bishop Bianchi, following the suggestion of Father Lok Chi Lok from the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, named the church Our Lady of Fatima Church. This Virgin Mary statue has been in use ever since and has become the symbol of the church. On October 13, 1953, Bishop Bianchi led over a thousand parishioners from the diocese to Cheung Chau for the first pilgrimage. Since then, the annual feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, the patroness of the church, has been held every October.

In 1959, the church began expansion work and was completed on November 13, 1961. It was consecrated by Bishop Bianchi. The expanded church covered an area of 2,730 square feet. Its architecture matched the style of Cheung Chau at the time, featuring a pyramidal tiled roof, stained glass windows on both sides, and a height of 30 feet, accommodating about 200 parishioners for Mass. A grotto with the statue of Our Lady of Fátima was placed at the center behind the altar. The hand-painted floor tiles used in the church were the same as those used in other churches built by the diocese during the same period.

Related Information

Mass and Liturgy Schedule

Mass

Sunday Mass: 7:20 AM (English), 9:00 AM (Cantonese)

Saturday Vigil Mass: 6:00 PM (Cantonese)

Weekday Mass: 7:30 AM (Cantonese)

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Every Sunday from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM

Transportation Guide

Location: 2 Church Road, East Bay, Cheung Chau, Islands District, Hong Kong

How to Get There: Take a ferry from Central Pier No. 5 to Cheung Chau