Nearly 120 religious sisters from across Hong Kong gathered on May 25 for a Mother’s Day celebration organized by the Serra Club of Hong Kong, which honored their service to the Church and highlighted the importance of religious vocations.
The celebration began at St. Margaret’s Church Hall with a formative lecture entitled “The Art of Inner Peace: Emotional Growth in Service.” Delivered by Fr. Fabio Favata, PIME, alongside psychologist Alice Wong, the session offered a space for pastoral sensitivity.
Through experiential activities, the sisters reflected on emotional awareness and healthy expression, drawing strength from the maternal and contemplative model of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
A Convergence of Fellowship and Gratitude
The celebration transitioned to the Craigengower Cricket Club, where the atmosphere shifted from quiet contemplation to vibrant fraternity.
Club President John Wong extended a warm welcome to the assembly, which was met with words of gratitude from Sister Mary Lucy Chung, O.S.F., president of the Association of Major Superiors of Religious Women of Hong Kong.
Following opening prayers led by the club’s chaplain, Fr. Andrew Kim, Vicar General Fr. Joseph Chan offered an encouraging exhortation to the laity. He reminded Serrans of their essential ecclesial co-responsibility:
“Collaborate closely with religious congregations and inspire young women to respond to vocations with generosity.”
Throughout the afternoon, the atmosphere was marked by joy, gratitude, and fraternity. Each sister received a thoughtfully prepared gift bag containing practical items and symbolic keepsakes, including premium oyster sauce, noodles, and a bookmark bearing Serra’s motto: “Always Forward, Never Turn Back.”
“Truly, it was a fun-filled and spiritually uplifting day honoring the sisters’ faithful service and Serra Club’s mission of encouragement and support,” said President John Wong, quoting Psalm 127:1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”
Sixty Years of Lay Co-Responsibility
This annual tribute is not an isolated gesture, but the fruit of a deep-rooted tree. Chartered in February 1963, the Serra Club of Hong Kong is a prominent Catholic lay apostolate dedicated to promoting, supporting, and fostering vocations to the ministerial priesthood and religious life.
For more than six decades, the local chapter has integrated prayer with apostolic action, supporting seminarians, priests, and religious sisters through educational bursaries, monthly pre-meeting Masses, and strategic diocesan youth initiatives.
Yet the true measure of the Hong Kong chapter’s legacy lies in its role as a regional incubator for lay ministry.
Under a unified joint jurisdiction led by a single district governor, the Hong Kong club directly spearheaded and nurtured the formation of the Serra Club of Macau, continuing to oversee the inauguration of its executive boards to ensure localized growth.
Similarly, the branch acts as the primary regional connector for the Taiwan International Vocations Association (Serra Taiwan), hosting cross-strait summits to coordinate youth discernment programs.
From a Single Seed: The Expansion into Southeast Asia
Recognizing the need to foster priestly vocations, Father Joseph Cara, acting in conjunction with the Hong Kong leadership, traveled from Hong Kong to Bangkok in 1979.
He presented the movement’s structured framework to Fr. Joseph Somsak Thirasak and influential lay professionals, including Paul Mary Suvich Suvaruchiportn and Chainarong Monthienvichienchai.
Providing the necessary blueprints, administrative literature, and spiritual mentoring, the Hong Kong Club officially sponsored the Serra Club of Bangkok, which was formally chartered in 1980 with the full endorsement of the Archdiocese of Bangkok.
“From that single Bangkok seed planted by the Hong Kong chaplaincy, the movement rapidly multiplied,” Niphon Saengpradab, a senior Thai Serra member, stated. “Today, it has grown into the Serra Council of Thailand, overseeing dozens of active clubs across Thai dioceses, from Chiang Mai in the north to Surat Thani in the south.”
Breaking the Western-Centric Model
This regional solidarity eventually altered the landscape of the global lay apostolate. Chainarong caught international attention for his highly organized approach to expanding Serra into Singapore, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar.
Chainarong became the first Asian elected to the global board of trustees of Serra International, breaking a historically Western-centric leadership model.
He was eventually elected president of Serra International, marking a historic milestone in which a member from a missionary territory led the global apostolate.
His legacy was cemented when he chaired the organizing committees for the Serra International conventions held in Bangkok in 2005 and Chiang Mai in 2023, hosting Serra members and vocation directors from every corner of the global Church.
What began in 1963 as a localized response to the Church’s call for vocations in Hong Kong has transformed into an international network of lay accompaniment.
From the quiet halls of St. Margaret’s, where contemporary religious sisters receive emotional and spiritual renewal, to the expansive diocesan networks of Thailand and beyond, the footsteps of the Serra Club of Hong Kong continue to trace a path of fidelity, ensuring that the harvest will never lack laborers.
