St. Thomas the Apostle Church

　　St. Thomas the Apostle Church (English: St. Thomas The Apostle Church) is a Catholic church in Hong Kong, managed by the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. It is located at 5 Ching Luk Street, Tsing Yi, New Territories West, and was established on July 4, 1999.

　　Architectural Style

　　St. Thomas the Apostle Church is a six-story, modern-style building. The entire structure is designed with a vertically oriented layout. Its main facilities include: a main sanctuary that can accommodate over 500 worshippers, a Blessed Sacrament Chapel, a multi-purpose hall, a kindergarten, meeting rooms, clergy quarters, and parking spaces. This vertical stacking design is quite different from traditional European churches.

　　The exterior walls are made of brick and smooth concrete, giving a sense of sincerity and approachability. Each face brick is carefully crafted with rounded corners and perforations to match the architectural style. The entrance sequence—from the Virgin Mary statue at the main gate, through the hall entrance, main corridor, altar, stained glass murals, and skylight—forms a central axis with religious significance. In addition, the entrance facade adopts a Chinese “gate”-style design, creating a progressively unfolding spatial atmosphere between the entrance steps and the main sanctuary, aligning with traditional Chinese architectural concepts of sequential design.

　　The main sanctuary is located on the second floor of the building. Its glass exterior enhances spatial continuity and maximizes the use of natural light, reflecting a more open and community-oriented concept of modern religion. The bell tower and cross atop the roof, together with the tower-like structure of the building, form a distinctive landmark of the church.

　　Patron Saint of the Parish

　　Thomas was one of the Twelve Apostles. In the Gospel of John, he is referred to three times as “Didymus,” meaning “twin”—though the identity of his twin remains uncertain. Thomas is most remembered for his doubt about Jesus’ resurrection, while few other deeds are mentioned. In fact, his name appears only eleven times in the New Testament, and only the Gospel of John records his words and actions. Other scriptures only list his name among the apostles.

　　Relics

　　In 1995, the church successfully applied to the government for land to build the church. The then-parish priest, Father Ouyang Hui, wrote to Bishop Enzio D’Antonio of Ortona requesting some relics of the patron saint St. Thomas for veneration by the faithful. On February 15, 1997, the bishop replied that a small portion of relics dating back to 1958 could be gifted, but other relics of St. Thomas had been sealed in a reliquary in 1984 and, by order of Pope John Paul II, could no longer be given to anyone. Father Ouyang then personally visited Bishop D’Antonio in Ortona on April 21, 1997, and brought back the relics of St. Thomas, along with a letter from the bishop certifying their authenticity.

　　Related Information

　　Mass and Liturgy Schedule

　　Masses

　　Sunday Mass: 9:30 AM (English)

　　8:00 AM, 11:00 AM (Cantonese)

　　Saturday Vigil Mass: 7:00 PM (Cantonese)

　　Weekday Mass: 7:15 AM (Cantonese)

　　Sacred Heart of Jesus Mass: First Friday of every month, 8:30 PM (Cantonese)

　　Note: Starting March 2014, an additional Mass at 12:30 PM (Cantonese) was added.

　　Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

　　First Thursday of every month, 8:30 PM

　　Transportation Guide

　　Address: 5 Ching Luk Street, Kwai Tsing District, Hong Kong

　　Getting There: Take New Territories Mini Bus routes 409K or 88