Hong Kong’s Catholic Church is involving migrant domestic workers in its Season of Creation campaign, training nearly 100 of them as “green ambassadors” to promote low-carbon living.
The two-year, government-funded “Green Migrant Workers, Green Project” is being carried out by the Caritas Asian Migrant Workers Social Service Project as part of broader efforts to link environmental protection with community participation, according to a report by Sunday Examiner.
At the project’s launch in June, migrant workers designed and modeled high-fashion outfits made from discarded plastic bags, newspapers and cartons. More than 400 workers later installed the government’s Go Green app.
The project will also organize a photography exhibition presenting foreign domestic workers’ views on global warming and a beach-cleaning campaign involving workers, their employers and kindergarten students.
Angel Wong, the project supervisor, said the workers’ participation had encouraged their employers to become more involved in environmental protection.
“They came to Hong Kong not only to take care of our families, but also to protect our environment,” Wong said.
The initiative comes as the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong marks the Season of Creation with more than a month of prayer, environmental education and parish activities.
The observance opened Sept. 1 with a Mass for the Care of Creation at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, followed by the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. It will run through Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
During the opening Mass, Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, parish priest, urged Catholics to let go of unnecessary anxiety about the future and distinguish genuine needs from groundless fears through contemplation of nature.
The faithful also prayed for victims of extreme climate disasters and for those championing environmental protection, social justice, and vulnerable workers.
This year’s global theme, “Living Water,” is drawn from Ezekiel 47:9. The Diocesan Commission for Integral Human Development has organized spiritual and educational activities in parishes and released six videos reflecting on Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ and its relevance to Hong Kong.
The diocese has also highlighted parish-based projects on waste reduction, glass bottle recycling and community farming.
St. Lawrence Parish completed its “Good Soil Family Farming Scheme” on the church rooftop, where urban farming is used to reduce children’s screen time, strengthen family bonds and build ties between church members and the surrounding neighborhood.
St. Andrew’s Church runs a recycling program that converts earned points into food supplies for families in need. The parish is also organizing activities that combine environmental education, recreation, and prayer.
The Season of Creation program will continue with a Sept. 12 screening of the 2007 film “Clare and Francis” at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and a Sept. 17 outdoor retreat and Eucharistic Adoration at St. Ignatius Chapel in Kowloon.
The observance will culminate Oct. 3 with an outdoor Mass on the lawn of Wah Yan College in Kowloon. Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., will preside, while Father Ignatius Lo King-ip will deliver the homily.
