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Every morning, S tephania Ling (Steph) and other volun-teers walk to Mother House, headquarters of The Missionaries of Chari ty founded by Mother Teresa in Calcut ta . Their day begins with mass at 6 a .m. , fol lowed by breakfast ; they then s tar t work-

ing at one of the seven homes. Current ly, Steph’s main duty is to work at the home for the physical ly and mental ly handicapped gir ls .

Being a Hong Kong lay missionary, Steph has been serving in the Missionaries of Chari ty in Calcut ta s ince Janu-

ary 2011 and has just extended her per iod of service for anoth-er two years . Her vocat ion dawned upon her through three reveal ing

moments which have awaken her to God’s cal l ing. The f i rs t cal l ing hap-pened at the 911 terror is t a t tack of New York World Trade Center in 2001.

W h e n her f r iend phoned her to express anxiety over the disaster, Steph who was o v e r - whelmed with work, responded coldly and cynical ly. After a while she fel t woe-ful ly lost and very upset about her own indifference to the people and the world around her. Then she joined the catechism class and Chris t ian Meditat ion Group at St Margaret’s Church, where she s t rengthened her understanding of God’s teaching and was able to hear the voice of God more clear ly.

S teph’s second cal l ing came in 2008 when she qui t her wel l paid job at an advert is ing f i rm to join World Vision H.K. which opened up the opportuni t ies for her to vis i t the developing countr ies . This experience for t i f ied her compassion for the poor and prepared her for the third cal l ing which happened when she worked as a volunteer in The Missionaries of Chari ty in Calcut ta in 2010. There, in the midst of dire poverty and indescr ibable suffer ing, she witnessed the great- e s t love , and also found the greatest blessings among the most humble and pi t i ful .

When working as a volunteer, Steph had two memorable encoun-ters . At the Home for the Dying, she looked af ter an old, injured woman who was of ten grumpy and uncooperat ive. After Steph spent a whole morning cut t ing the pat ient’s hand and toe nai ls , the la t ter suddenly broke into an appreciat ive smile . Anoth-er touching experience happened at the Home for the Mental-ly Chal lenged Women. At Chinese New Year, Steph gave out a handmade greet ing card and a tea bag, with Sis ter ’s permission, to each of the four Chinese pat ients she was looking af ter. The pat ients were very grateful and regarded the card and the tea wrap as valuables which they kept in a safe place. Steph learned from these experiences the meaning of Mother Teresa’s teach-ing: “Do l i t t le things with great love”. Like The Missionaries of Chari ty s is ters and count less volunteers f rom al l over the world, Steph s t rongly fel t that God has been cal l ing her to the mission of serving the poor in Calcut ta . God has shown her the way to f ind a fulf i l l ing l i fe and she has responded to His cal l ing.

Volume 2 January 2015

St. Margaret Mary’s Church

Happy New Year Stephania Ling’s

Mission of Love

St Margaret Mary's Church2A Broadwood Road

Happy ValleyHK Tel:2576 8504

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Having studied in the UK for over a year, I’ve always been grateful to have opportunities to explore the experience of being a Catholic in Europe. While academic workload is heavy, I’d always take time to travel

to broaden my horizons. In November, I travelled to Bruges in Belgium in an attempt to explore my faith.

My pilgrimage journey started in the Basilica of the Holy Blood, built in 12th-century. The appearance of the Church isn’t really magnificent, but its simple exterior embodies Christ’s humility. The children playing outside the Basilica reminds me of the purity God requires of us who hope to enter heaven. I can almost visualize Jesus’ pres-ence in the door of the Basilica saying, “Let the little children come to me, for the kingdom of God belongs to them”.

As a university student, I am aware of the difficulty of juggling studies with work and other commitments. While this is a reason why many people become lukewarm in their faith after entering university, I believe having faith in God means not to excuse ourselves from responsibilities or sheltered from difficulties, but to be fearless in face of them. In our daily lives, can we any sense of self-importance we may have, and place ourselves humbly into the hands of God, who knows all our faults and failings and loves us still?

Standing within the stunning Gothic church, I could almost feel a connection between the architects and myself. Religion is not only a personal experience, it is always better shared. “There is a piece of light in all of us, maybe hidden or buried with pain, perhaps pushed in the corner by shame.” To glorify God, the builders of this Basilica have chosen to draw pilgrims closer to God through impressive statues as visual aids. As for myself, I capture them with photographs and share with my social network to pass on the love of God.

In an increasingly fast-paced society, religion is often ignored or regarded as an old man’s game. Not everyone can do something majestic, but we could all do things with great love. Pope Francis has said, “An authentic faith always implies a deep desire to change the world.” Even if I could just bring a new perspective to a friend at a time, it would make a difference.

Dorothy Yim

From Alda da Roas:As a probationer of Our Lady of Lourdes Praesidium of the Legion of Mary, this is my first time to work on this Christmas caroling assignment with my dear brothers and sisters on December 20th at Ruttonjee Hospital. To kick off, a brief training on hospital volunteering know-how was provided to the group. We then caroled in various wards. It was a real joy to receive positive responses from some patients and their family members. They welcomed us with a smile and waved us goodbye as we left. It was truly a wonderful experience and I hope to be able to participate again in the future.

From Conrad Chau:I recalled participating in this event some years back and we always go home with a joyful heart as we share the joy of Christ’s birth with those in the hospital. In the miseries in the days of the hospital, I always believe that His birth should be remembered and that they should rejoice in it. This year, I recall a patient, though not paying too much attention to us, read her tablet and sing along while nodding her head to the rhythm, as we sing ‘Christmas is a Time to Love’. At that moment, I see that His love is in the ward and that ‘happy are those who feel the mean-ing of the songs in their heart while we sing’. May God be with these patients.

Caroling at Christmas Burges Pilgrimage

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Words from Gospel reading in Jan 2015

Epiphany of the Lord (Matthew 2:1-12)They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Luke 2:16-21)All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

Solemnidad de Santa María, Madre de Dios (San Lucas 2:16-21)Cuando vieron al niño, contaron lo que les habían dicho acerca de él, 18 y cuantos lo oyeron se asom-braron de lo que los pastores decían. 19 María, por su parte, guardaba todas estas cosas en su corazón y meditaba acerca de ellas.

Baptism of the Lord (Mark 1:7-11)And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am wellpleased.”

Bautismo del Señor (San Marcos 1:7-11)También se oyó una voz del cielo que decía: «Tú eres mi Hijo amado; estoy muy complacido contigo.»

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (John1:35-42) “We have found the Messiah.”

Segundo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (San Juan 1:35-42) : “Hemos encontrado al Mesías.”

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mark 1:14-20)Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Tercer Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (San Marcos 1:14-20)“Vengan, síganme —les dijo Jesús—, y los haré pescadores de hombres.” Al momento dejaron las redes y lo siguieron.

Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mark 1:21-28)“I know who you are - the Holy One of God!”

Cuarto Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (San Marcos 1:21-28)

Ash Wednesday Mass will be celebrated at 7:00pm and 7:45am in St.Margaret’s Church on 18th February. Mass will not be celebrated in the evening

Way of the Cross will not be held on 20th February. It will be held on 27th February and all other Fridays in the period of Lent at 7:30 pm

Article Contributions Welcome The newsletter is in many ways a ‘family letter’, facilitating the communication and sharing of ideas between different groups in our parish. Therefore you will be most welcome to share with us your spiritual life and insights, parish activities and pilgrimage experience, etc. Text should be close to a full-A4 page length or half of it, with high resolution photos for print quality where relevant. We also welcome a simpler photo journal format with titles for the photos and may be a few lines to describe an event you have participated; it would be great to see different members of our family. Please send your contributions by email if possible; in case of handwritten manu-scripts, please give it to the counter staff at the amenities building next to St. Marga-ret’s Church. Originals will not be returned so please make copies if necessary. By post: St. Margaret’s Church (Newsletter), 2A Broadwood Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Fax: 25769764 Email:smc@catholic.org.hk