“As we come into the new year and the 80th anniversary of the diocese, every member of the diocese is missioned to be Messengers of Hope,” Chow said, describing the call as rooted in the community’s lived experience of faith over eight decades.
Using the image of a messenger, the cardinal emphasized responsibility to the mission rather than control over results.
“It is not the responsibility of the messenger to ascertain whether the receiving party will respond as expected by the originating party,” he said, adding that messengers must understand “the what, when, where, whom, and how related to the message.”
Reflecting on the diocese’s history, Chow pointed to long-standing structures of lay participation, including parish pastoral councils, the Pastoral Council of the Diocese, lay-led commissions and institutions, and formation pathways for the laity and permanent deacons.
He noted that women have held leadership roles for years, while acknowledging that these structures require renewal amid rapidly changing contexts.
The cardinal also directly addressed present challenges facing the Hong Kong Church, including the impact of emigration.
“It is true that we have lost incoming lay leaders and their children through emigration, partly due to the enactment of the National Security Law in Hong Kong,” he said.
He said the effects are evident in Church life, noting that “the number of catechumens and baptisms has dropped to almost half of what it used to be,” developments that, he acknowledged, “make us feel down and lost at times.”
Chow warned against allowing these realities to foster discouragement, describing such feelings as “the temptations of the evil one to make us feel hopeless and dejected.”
He urged Catholics not to focus only on decline, stressing that “God is the Lord of the present, not just the past and the future.”
Looking ahead, the cardinal highlighted synodality and communal discernment as central to the Church’s response, particularly as the diocese prepares for a Diocesan Assembly in 2027.
He said the Church’s growing familiarity with “Conversation in the Spirit” would help guide its mission and development.
“As agents of hope in God, we will be sharing our blessings and hope with others in Hong Kong and beyond,” Chow said, describing a hope that clarifies “who we are, where we are going together, what and whom we are called to serve and how in synodality we are going to fulfil our missions.”