After gathering all the suggestions given to our first draft, we decided to rewrite our draft in another way. The second draft will deal with the following preferred headings:

1. The expected image of the priest by the Church nowadays; there will not be so much discussion on the promotion and formation programme of vocation.
2. The need of the local Church and the society of Hong Kong instead of just theoretical theories on the quality and formation of priests.
3. The five main areas which deserve our attention:

1. Identity of Priests
2. Mission and Ministry of Priests
3. Spirituality of Priests
4. Fraternal Communion among Priests
5. Continuing Formation for Priests

1. The vocation and continuing formation especially though not exclusively for the diocesan priests.

1. REFLECTION ON CONCRETE SITUATION

In the Catholic Church, priests have both administrative and pastoral roles. This is particularly evident in the Hong Kong Diocese. In fact it has led to the situation where priests are kept very busy, but at the same time, are not able to cope with the demands from so many quarters. This is a matter of intrinsic structure, and has little to do with the weakness or inadequacy of individuals. In turn, this has affected the quality of the priestly service as a whole. We shall therefore attempt to take a hard look at the Hong Kong community from five different angles with a view to ascertaining the real situation of priestly vocation and life, so that we may pin point where the problems lie.

　

1. Identity of Priests

1.1.1 Concept of the Society

Nowadays most families have just one child or sometimes two children. Has this made the work on nurturing of vocations difficult? Is this the reason why responses to the activities organized by the “Diocesan Vocations Promotion Centre” are so lukewarm?

1.1.2 The Diocese

The Diocese has not analytically identified the causes for the unsatisfactory responses to vocations, nor is it willing to accept results of researches done by their counterparts overseas. Furthermore, the Diocese has failed to initiate new approaches to promotion of vocations.

1.1.3 Formation Stage

Not enough is done to provide opportunities for the seminarians to clearly understand what priesthood is all about, or the positive aspects of a celibate life.

4. Roles of a Pastor

1. Priests should work more in collaboration with the laity, exercising their influence, rather than just working for them.
2. As priests have to take up the pastoral role immediately after ordination, they are unfamiliar with the operation of their parishes.

They lack experience, and yet they have to come into contact with a variety of people, and to face a multitude of problems. The high expectation of the priests on the part of the faithful has inevitably added much pressure on the priests. As a consequence, priests with zeal and enthusiasm to serve the Lord would feel downcast when they meet with repeated failures and setbacks, ending up in leading a life of indifference and frustration instead of a life of dedication and devotion.

3. If there had been a proper and balanced training for both the priesthood and the laity, there would not be the rather odd phenomenon of some Catholics “emigrating” to another parish to which their former parish priest has been transferred.

3. In the course of training of seminarians, how much has been done to develop a corporate spirit among them so that they may learn to maintain a good relationship with people working and living with them? On the human level, it has been assumed that mutual support of priests comes only from priests themselves, but in fact, the organisations in which the priests work can also provide such support.

1. When activities are organized for both the local clergy and overseas priests, we need to consider the language to be used for communication.

1. In a parish, there is a deficiency of skills of social workers, and consequently there are no professional ways available to evaluate the effectiveness of operation of the organizations.

1. Though the nature and mission of the ministerial priesthood is closely related to the work of the priests, however the nature of priesthood is not defined by the work itself. Many people have the tendency to misinterpret the uniqueness of the mission of the ministerial priesthood with the special work carried out by the priests in the Church.
2. The Second Vatican Council not only restated the status of the members of the Church who share the common priesthood by virtue of Baptism, it also made clear that the ministerial priesthood is different from the common priesthood, not only in degree but in nature. The identity of priest can only be understood perfectly in the mystery of Christ and his Church.
3. First of all, Christ has become the High Priest through his death and resurrection. According to the Hebrews, it is written : “He is not like other high priests; he does not need to offer sacrifices every day for his own sins first and then for the sins of his people. He offered one sacrifice, once and for all, when he offered himself.” (Heb. 7:27)
4. Jesus Christ the High Priest lives for ever to plead with God for all people. (Heb. 7:25) He exists in space and time and continues his salvific plan through the Church. He is the Head of the Church. He consistently calls people to stand at his altar in order to bring His once and for all offering for humankind to completion.
5. The mission of Christ the High Priest has been given to the ordained priest by virtue of his sacramental consecration / anointing by the bishop. He actuates the Church's sacramental signs of the presence of the risen Christ and continues Christ’s salvific action in the Church and the world. (Pastores dabo vobis, 16)

1. The Church takes to heart its care for the laity, and emphasizes their vocation to sanctity and to the prophetic, priestly and regal functions of all the baptized. (Pastoral Guide 14)
2. Priests should be open and attentive towards the laity and should consider themselves as disciples of the Lord with them. In the exercise of their ministry they should not forget that, although with different functions, they are, along with the laity, “members of one and the same body of Christ, whose upbuilding is entrusted to all” (cf. Rom 12:2-10) (Pastoral Guide 14)
3. The work of the lay faithful is becoming more precious and necessary today, as the Church’s missionary task assumes ever greater scope, requiring personal commitment on the part of all the baptized. In this perspective, the training of a mature and committed laity becomes indispensable for the foundation and development of the Church. (Pastoral Guide 14)
4. Priests should be convinced of the value of lay people’s apostolic work, should promote it and train and animate them…… They should never take the place of lay people, but should encourage them to be active, in the conviction that the growth of the Church, especially in mission areas, depends on the dynamic presence of a committed and well-trained laity. (Pastoral Guide, 14)

1. The young are a living and active force in the Church, and are at the centre of its interest and love; they are its hope. Convinced that youth is precious in itself, and that young people have a key role in the construction of society. (Pastoral Guide 12)
2. In young ecclesial communities, located for the most part in areas with a large percentage of young people, this type of pastoral work is a priority for the present and future of the Church. (Pastoral Guide, 12)
3. Priests should make use of young people in the work of evangelization. With reason one can speak of the apostolate of hope when the young are evangelized and themselves become protagonists in the evangelization of non-Christian youth. (Pastoral Guide 12)
4. The attitude of priests towards the young should be characterized by sincere love and great availability. First of all, one should allow oneself to become involved in their exuberance, even at the cost of personal inconvenience, sharing their ideals, their way of looking at things, their problems and activities. (Pastoral Guide 12)
5. Priests should try to see with the eyes of the young, and be prepared to give a lot of time to them, sharing their interests and having friendly relations with them, engaging also in spiritual direction, which can have such an influence for good in the years of adolescence. Priests should bear in mind that the Church has a lot to say to the young, and the young have a lot to say to the Church (Pastoral Guide 12)

1. Christ, by his death and resurrection, frees us from sin and from its consequences of oppression, egoism and injustice on the individual and social level; he restores communion with and offers salvation to all. Following the example of Christ, the Church proclaims this same liberation and strives to help people to achieve it in all spheres of their lives. (Pastoral Guide 9)
2. For a fruitful pastoral ministry in liberation, human development and justice, priests should strive to acquire a thorough knowledge of the Church’s social doctrine, guidelines and pastoral options. (Pastoral Guide 9)
3. Among the demands of the gospel, one of the most important is that of charity towards all with particular attention to the poor. The Church reaffirms its preferential love or option for the poor and asks priests to be true to this. (Pastoral Guide 9)

4. Cultural Evangelization

1. The gospel transcends all cultures and is identified with none of them (cf. Jn 18:36). However, the Kingdom announced by the gospel is lived by people who are deeply bound to a culture, and the construction of this Kingdom cannot but take account of cultural elements.(Pastoral Guide 11)
2. Nor is inculturation the task of a single community, but of all the Churches that live in a particular cultural area. Inculturation, finally, is not something that is done once and for all, but is the continuous integration of Christian experience in a culture, which is never stable or closed. (Pastoral Guide 11)

4. Marriage and Family

1. The Christian family has the privilege of being the image of God, who is love. This love, which touches the human person as body and spirit, unites the couple and becomes fruitful (cf. Eph 5:25-32). Thus the family is “the first and vital cell of society” and “the domestic sanctuary of the Church”. Pastoral care of the family begins with the remote, proximate and immediate preparation of couples for their marriage. (Pastoral Guide 15)
2. Pastors should help families to be faithful to their Christian duties, even in indifferent or hostile environment, to support each other with love, a spirit of sacrifice and prayer in common, and to give a true witness to the gospel in society, especially to non-Christians. Visiting families is an important element in pastoral work. (Pastoral Guide 15)
3. The young Churches often have to face special problems concerning marriage and the family because of local cultural religious or social conditions…… Thus, young people should be educated to accept the duties of Christian marriage; there should be sympathetic understanding for persons involved in irregular situations through weakness or because of outside pressure; such couples should be encouraged not to lose hope but to live a Christian life to the best of their ability, to educate their children religiously, and, when possible, to regularize their union. (Pastoral Guide 15).

1. Priests should understand what is specific to priestly spirituality so that they may renew themselves continually in it. Spirituality means life in the Spirit, making priests personal and specific signs of Christ, at the service of the local and universal Church, in union with the charism of the bishops. (Pastoral Guide 19)
2. The Church, in conformity with the gospel, traces precise spiritual traits that are fundamental in delineating the figure of a true priest.

1. Friendship with Jesus: precisely because he is an extension of Christ, the priest is called to live in a relationship of deep, personal friendship with Him (cf Jn 15: 13-16), and it is in proportion to this that he will realize his vocation.(Pastoral Guide 21)
2. Ecclesial service: as minister of the Lord and of the Church, the priest should have a spirit of service (cf. Lk 22:26-27; Mk 10:42-45), which manifests itself in apostolic zeal, an ability to endure the fatigue of the work, a willingness to accept any pastoral charge, however humble, without seeking honours or personal reward, and a missionary readiness to preach to those who are outside Christ’s fold. (Pastoral Guide 21)
3. Holiness through his daily ministry, in the exercise of his triple function: as minister of the word, he will unite himself ever more closely to Christ the Teacher, who proclaims the truth to those who are far and near, and he will strive to enter more deeply into the “unfathomable riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8); as minister of the sacraments, and especially in the sacrifice of the Mass, in which he exercises his main function, he will continually perform the work of redemption for the glory of God and the sanctification

of the world (cf. 1Cor 11:26); as guide of the People of God, he will be urged on by the love of the Good Shepherd to an ever more generous service, to unite the scattered flock, and if necessary to give his life for his sheep (cf Jn 10:15-17) (Pastoral Guide 21)

4. The virtues proper to the Good Shepherd: pastoral charity is put into action and shows itself through zeal, in the life of obedience, chastity and poverty in an attitude of humility and in a willingness to carry the cross, in imitation of Christ. Each of these virtues is a necessary aspect of pastoral charity as proposed in the gospel. (Pastoral Guide 21)

1. Priests, united around their bishop, should live their brotherhood, in the knowledge that it is a true “sacramental fraternity”, which is necessary foundation for mutual spiritual animation and for the accomplishment of their ministry in unity of purpose. (Pastoral Guide 6)
2. Priests should try to have relations of real friendship with their fellow priests, being able in this way to help each other more easily to develop their spiritual and intellectual life, to give assistance in material needs, and to live more fully and more serenely. This type of friendship between priests, developed in Christ as a consequence of each one’s personal communion with Him, is of great help in overcoming the difficulties of loneliness. (Pastoral Guide 6)
3. Among the means that promote fraternity among priests may be mentioned priestly associations. These are to be encouraged when they aim to foster spiritual life, human relations, and cultural and pastoral activities, and to develop unity among the priests themselves and with the bishop. (Pastoral Guide 6)

1. Different ways can be tried out so as to enable priests to become aware of the needs of the time, the needs of the faithful and of society.
2. Provide environment for the priests to come in contact with the contemporary world. They can have contact with the new immigrants, the weak and minority groups. They can visit the prisons and the hospitals, and attend hospital pastoral care courses. Through their life experiences, they can have a clear and global view of the contemporary world and the society.

4. Fraternal Communion among Priests

1. Priests should be trained how to work and cooperate with others such as the laity and to maintain good relationship among priests. There should have good team spirit while respecting different personalities. There should be mutual trust and fraternal correction among priests.

2. Priests should be given more opportunities to have regular encounters with other priests, especially to have the chance to talk with the Bishop indiviually, so as to know each other better.
3. Bishop should take the initiative in visiting a parish. He may stay with the priests in the parish regularly in order to become well acquainted.
4. The Diocese should make arrangements and plans to take care of priests with special needs, e.g. pre-retirement preparation, retirement planning such as accommodation and livelihood, counselling, recreational and companionship.

1. In order to give input and maintain the high spirit of the priesthood there should be a spiritual/sabbatical year for priesthood. During this year there should be refreshing of knowledge in key issues on philosophical/theological studies, on the deepening of spiritual life in a more “secluded” and “un-disturbed” environment.
2. Priests should appreciate the need of ongoing formation. There should be a plan for a 3-year or 5-year ongoing formation programme. Topics can include personal maturity (e.g., sensitivity towards others, sense of empathy), spirituality (e.g., obedience, celibacy and poverty ), pastoral care and professionalism.
3. Priests should be encouraged to pursue special studies in which the priest has a strong interest and is able to excel. The fruits of such studies will enhance the good image of the Church as an open, enlightened, and well-informed institution.
4. Priests should be encouraged to continue their formation, taking seminars and courses which help the priests discern the signs of time more effectively.
5. The Diocese can set up a special retraining programme ( local or overseas ) for priests after five years of ordination. There should be firm guidelines ( which could be made mandatory) for priests to attend courses annually and they are expected to attend Diocesan Seminar / Workshop.
6. For Priests who need to be in charge of administration, they should be encouraged to learn some administration skills in order to cope with the tight schedule of the parish work. This is also applicable for priests who are in charge of finance.
7. Priests working in the parish are subjected to new challenges. There can be periodic postings to different parishes. If found feasible, priests can have rotation in different parishes for delivery of Sunday homilies.
8. Formation is not limited to the spiritual and intellectual dimensions. A healthy and sound body is very important. Priests should have adequate knowledge about personal health. They should find time to do exercises and keep the body healthy and fit.
9. Priests should be taught how to release pressure and stress.