Christianity In Hong Kong
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Christianity has been in Hong Kong since 1841 when
British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
started to rule
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
. As of 2022, there were about 1.3 million Christians in Hong Kong (16% of the total population), most of them are
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
(around 900,000) and
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
(around 401,000).


Roman Catholic Church

The
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in Hong Kong was established as a
Mission Prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...
in 1841 and as an
Apostolic Vicariate An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...
in 1874. It became a
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
in 1946. About 403,000
Hongkongers Hongkongers (), Hong Kongers, Hong Kong citizens and Hong Kong people are demonyms that refer to a resident of Hong Kong, although they may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the territory. The earliest inhabitants of Hon ...
are
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
s. They are served by 285 priests, 68 brothers and 541
sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...
s. There are 52 parishes, comprising 40 churches, 30 chapels and 27
hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gre ...
s for religious service.Hong Kong Year Book (2019): Chapter 21 – Religion and Custom
/ref> Services are conducted in
Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
, with three-fifths of the parishes providing services in English and in
Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...
in some cases. The diocese has established its own administrative structure while maintaining close links with the Pope and other Catholic communities around the world. It has the same
creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...
,
Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...
,
liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...
and organisation as the other culture communities worldwide. The assistant secretary-general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conference has his office in Hong Kong. Along with its apostolic work, one of the prime concerns of the diocese has been for the well-being of all the
Hongkongers Hongkongers (), Hong Kongers, Hong Kong citizens and Hong Kong people are demonyms that refer to a resident of Hong Kong, although they may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the territory. The earliest inhabitants of Hon ...
. To reach people through the media, the diocese publishes two weekly newspapers, ''
Kung Kao Po ''Kung Kao Po'' ( zh, t=公教報, s=公教报, first=t, l=Catholic newspaper) is a Chinese-language weekly newspaper published on every Friday in Hong Kong. First circulated on 1 August 1928, the newspaper, owned and operated by the Roman Cat ...
'' and '' Sunday Examiner''. In addition, the Diocesan Audio-Visual Centre produces tapes and films for use in schools and parishes and, overall, the Hong Kong Catholic Social Communications Office acts as an information and public relations channel for the diocese.Hong Kong Year Book (2010): Chapter 18 – Religion and Custom
/ref>


Protestantism

The Protestant churches in Hong Kong have about 800,000 registered members. The presence of the Protestant community dates back to 1841. "Great Light Newspaper" (大光報), a Christian newspaper based in Hong Kong and distributed in Hong Kong and China, was in operation in the early 1900s, with Dr. Man-Kai Wan, 尹文階 (1869–1927) as its chairman of the board and Dr.
Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-senUsually known as Sun Zhongshan () in Chinese; also known by Names of Sun Yat-sen, several other names. (; 12 November 186612 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republ ...
(a secondary school classmate of Dr. Wan) as its contributor. To Tsai Church (道濟會堂), founded by the
London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed tradition, Reformed in outlook, with ...
in 1888 and located at 75 Hollywood Road, Mid-levels (半山區), Hong Kong, was Sun's place of worship while he studied Medicine in the
Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine (branded as HKUMed) is the medical school of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), a public research university. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, ...
(香港華人西醫書院). According to Wong Man-kong, To Tsai Church was one of the first independent churches in China. Fung-Chi Au (區鳳墀, 1847-1914), who was Sun's teacher of Chinese literature, was an Elder of To Tsai Church. Due to its growth, this church erected a large building in 1926 and was renamed Hop Yat Church (合一堂). Chinese Methodist Church (循道衛理聯合教會) started in 1882 at Wellington Street, Hong Kong. Upon expansion, it moved to Aberdeen Street and then Caine Road. In 1936, it moved to a new building at 36 Hennessy Road, Hong Kong. In 1998, this building was replaced by a 23-story building. In addition, the church has started numerous branch churches and schools all over Hong Kong. About 800,000 Protestant Christians live in Hong Kong. The
Protestant Church Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes justification of sinners through faith alone, the teaching that salvation comes by unmerited divine grace, the priesthood of all believers, and the Bible as the sole infallible sourc ...
is made up of over 1,300 congregations in more than 50 denominations. Major denominations are
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
s,
Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
,
Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...
,
Adventist Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Willi ...
s,
Christian and Missionary Alliance The Alliance World Fellowship (or The Alliance, also C&MA and CMA) is an evangelicalism, evangelical Christian denomination It includes 6.2 million members throughout 88 countries within 22,000 churches. History The Alliance has its origins in ...
,
Church of Christ in China The Church of Christ in China ( zh, t=中華基督教會, s=中华基督教会, first=t, p=Zhonghua Jidu Jiaohui) was a coalition of churches in mainland China, established in the early half of the twentieth century. After missionaries were expelle ...
,
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
,
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
and
Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
. With their emphasis on youth work, many congregations have a high proportion of
young people Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...
. Two weekly newspapers are published, ''
The Christian Weekly ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...
'' and '' The Christian Times''. Two ecumenical bodies facilitate co-operative work among the Protestant churches in Hong Kong. The older one, dating from 1915, is the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union. The second co-operative body is the
Hong Kong Christian Council The Hong Kong Christian Council (Also known as HKCC; ) is a Christian ecumenical organization founded in Hong Kong in 1954. It is a member of the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia. The current general secretary is Rev D ...
, formed in 1954. Major mainline denominations and ecumenical services constitute the membership core of the council, which is committed to building closer relationships among all churches in Hong Kong as well as with churches overseas, and to stimulating local Christians to play an active part in the development of Hong Kong society. The Chairman of the Council, the Rt Revd Thomas Soo, represents the Protestant community in the six religions' meetings.


Gallery

Image:CrownOfThornsChurch_03.jpg,
Crown of Thorns' Church Crown of Thorns' Church (Cantonese: , Yale: ), located at 67 Texaco Road, the New Territories, is an Anglican church in Hong Kong. It forms a parish in the Diocese of Western Kowloon under Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. The vicar of the parish is J ...
Image:HK_SKH_HolyTrinityChurch.JPG, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kowloon City Image:Lutheran Theological Seminary Interior.jpg, Chinese architecture in the Lutheran Theological Seminary Image:HK_TST_St_Andrew_s_Church_1.jpg, St. Andrew's Church (Kowloon) Image:Hongkongskhsjc.jpg,
St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Evangelist is the cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Hong Kong Island, and mother church to the Sheng Kung Hui, Province of Hong Kong and Macao. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Hong Kong and the Dioc ...


Orthodox Church

In 1933, the head of the Russian Orthodox Mission in China, Bishop Victor (Svyatin) sent Priest Dmitry Uspensky, who served in Beijing, to Hong Kong, where many
Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
emigrants from Russia moved since the Revolution in 1917. He organised a parish in Hong Kong and served there until his death in 1969. In 1945, the parish was visited by Russian Orthodox Bishop John (Maximovich) of Shanghai, and in 1968 by Russian Orthodox Bishop (Poyarkov) of Zaraisk. The parish was officially reestablished in 2008. In November 1996,
Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
() was set up by the decision of the Holy Great Synod of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...
.


Mormonism (LDS Church)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
has more than 23,000 practitioners in Hong Kong divided into 36 congregations, doubling the number of members from 10 years earlier. The LDS Church first sent
missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...
to Hong Kong in 1853 but did not establish a
headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...
until 1949. In 1996 the Church completed the
Hong Kong China Temple The Hong Kong China Temple (), formerly the Hong Kong Temple (), is the 48th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The intent to build the temple was announced on October 3, 1992, by Gordon B. Hinckle ...
in
Kowloon Kowloon () is one of the areas of Hong Kong, three areas of Hong Kong, along with Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. It is an urban area comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It has a population of 2,019,533 and a populat ...
. In 2005, the Church dedicated the Church Administration Building Hong Kong on Gloucester Road in
Wan Chai Wan Chai (Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: 灣仔) is located in the western part of Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It is bounded by Canal Road, Hong Kong, Canal Road to the east, Arsenal St ...
. The geographical administrative area for the China Hong Kong Mission includes all of China. There are missionaries in
Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
but , there are no LDS Missionaries preaching within
mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
, although there are some service Missionaries.


Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses have been present in the territory since the 20th century, By early 1976, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hong Kong numbered more than 500, associated with seven congregations. The growth of the movement by the 1990's it was estimated there were 2,320
publishers Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
in 23
congregation Congregation may refer to: Religion *Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church *Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...
in Hong Kong. In 2020, the number of
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...
was 5,594 active
publishers Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
, united in 66
congregation Congregation may refer to: Religion *Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church *Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...
s; 9,219 people attended annual celebration of Lord's Evening Meal in 2020. Their religious meetings are held in 6 different languages, this being
Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
,
Mandarin Chinese Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretch ...
,
Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...
, Iloko, Indonesian and English


Welfare and social services

In 1955, the Catholic Diocesan started to provide different kind of social welfare to Hong Kong. For example, hospitals and clinics, creches, homes for the aged and blind girls. Starting from 1960s, the Catholics tried to provide services in more areas such as orphanages, noodle units, bakeries, milk conversion units, women rehabilitation institutes and vocational & trade training courses. In the 1970s, the Catholic Diocesan started to focus on specific areas and terminated some of the factory units. In 2018, the Catholics were still providing services in medical aspect, nurseries & child care centers, elderly & youth services and Caritas social family services center. In the
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
community, Caritas is the official social welfare arm of the Church in Hong Kong. These services are open to all people. Indeed, 95 per cent of those who have benefited from the wide range of services provided by the diocese are not Catholics. "The Catholic French Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres" was one of the first orphanage and elderly home was established in 1848. In
protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
communities,
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (abbreviated SKH), also known as the Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal), is the Anglican church in Hong Kong and Macao. It is the 38th Province of the Anglican Communion. It is also one of the major denominations ...
has been responsive to social needs, by providing a wide array of social services, aiming at achieving a fair, just and loving society. At present, many social service organisations and social service models in Hong Kong were those initiated and promoted by the Church. Services provided by the Church are multi-faceted, including services for family and child-care, children and youth, the elderly, rehabilitation service, community development service and other supportive services. There are more than 230 units providing social service run by Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui at present.


Education

Prior to 1841, the territory known today as Hong Kong had been an extension of Imperial China for many
centuries A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A ...
. The changes would come with the arrival of the British colonialisation in 1841. At first Hong Kong's education came from
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
and
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...
who provided social services. Italian missionaries began to provide boy-only education to British and Chinese youth in 1843.Bray, Mark. Koo, Ramsey.
005 ''005'' (pronounced "''double-o five''") is a 1981 arcade video game by Sega. They advertised it as the first of their RasterScan Convert-a-Game series, designed so that it could be changed into another game in minutes "at a substantial savings. ...
(2005) Education and Society in Hong Kong and Macao: Comparative Perspectives on Continuity and Change. Hong Kong: Springer Press.
In 1953, there were 81 Catholic schools and served 28,610 students. The school's number starting to increase till 1979. In 1979, there were 318 Catholic schools and served over 280,000 students. After the booming period, the number of the schools slightly decreased to 270 while the student number kept increased to over 300,000. The peak showed in 1995, there were 327 Catholic schools and served about 290,000 students. The number of the Catholic schools decreased to 248 in 2018 and served over 140,000 students.


Post-secondary institutions

The first school to open western medical practice to the Far East was the
Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine (branded as HKUMed) is the medical school of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), a public research university. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, ...
in 1887; it was formed under
Frederick Lugard Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong Kong (1907 ...
, the
Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the United Kingdom, British The Crown, Crown in British Hong Kong, Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executiv ...
and established by
London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed tradition, Reformed in outlook, with ...
, A Christian-based missionary, at the time. The nucleus of the school would later create the foundation for the new and renamed
Hong Kong University The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of ...
in 1910.The University of Hong Kong.
003 003, O03, 0O3, OO3 may refer to: * 003, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian ambulance service (until 1986) * 1990 OO3, the asteroid 6131 Towen * OO3 gauge model railway * ''O03 (O2)'' and other related blood type alleles in the AB ...
(2003). Growing with Hong Kong: The University and its Graduates, the first 90 years.
There were three post-secondary institutions (The Chung Chi College of the
Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public university, public research university in Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong. Established in 1963 as a federation of three university college, collegesChung Chi College, New Asia Coll ...
,
Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is a public Liberal arts education, liberal arts university with a Christian ethics, Christian education heritage in Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The university was established as Hong Kong Baptist ...
and
Lingnan University Lingnan University a public research university located in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong. Lingnan University has 3 faculties, 3 Schools, 16 departments, 2 language centres, and 2 units (science and music), offering 29 degree honours ...
) ran by the Protestant community in Hong Kong. In addition, they operate 16 theological seminaries and Bible institutes, 16 Christian publishing houses and 57 Christian bookshops.
Caritas Francis Hsu College Saint Francis University (SFU, formerly Caritas Institute of Higher Education from 2011 to January 2024) is a private university in Tseung Kwan O, New Territories, Hong Kong. The institute was established by Caritas Hong Kong in 1985, and is ...
is a self-financing degree-granting institution, which was established by Caritas Hong Kong.


Kindergarten, primary and secondary schools

In education, there are 320 Catholic schools and kindergartens which have about 286,000 pupils. There is the
Catholic Board of Education The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
to assist in this area. The
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
churches run 144 secondary schools, 192 primary schools, 273 kindergartens and 116 nurseries in which 33 secondary schools and more than 50 primary schools are established by the
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (abbreviated SKH), also known as the Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal), is the Anglican church in Hong Kong and Macao. It is the 38th Province of the Anglican Communion. It is also one of the major denominations ...
. It is notable that many schools run by the Church has been getting outstanding results in Public Examinations, such as
Diocesan Boys' School The Diocesan Boys' School (DBS) is a day and boarding Anglican boys' school in Hong Kong, located at 131 Argyle Street, Hong Kong, Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon. The school's mission is "to provide a liberal education based on Christianity ...
,
Diocesan Girls' School Diocesan Girls' School (DGS; ) is one of the oldest girls' schools in Hong Kong, operated by the Anglican Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui () to provide a well-rounded secondary education for girls. Structure DGS is governed by the Council of the ...
and
St. Paul's Co-educational College St. Paul's Co-educational College (SPCC; ) is an Anglican secondary school located at 33 MacDonnell Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1915 as a girls-only school until the outbreak of World War II, after which it was converted int ...
.


Medical services

The
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
community in Hong Kong runs seven hospitals. The hospitals include
Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, known as Eastern Hospital or Youde Hospital, is an acute district general hospital in Chai Wan, Hong Kong. The hospital houses one of two Emergency Radiation Therapy Centers in Hong Kong, with the oth ...
(co-managed with
Hospital Authority The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Health of the Hong Kong Government. Its c ...
),
Hong Kong Baptist Hospital Hong Kong Baptist Hospital (HKBH) is a private Baptist hospital based in Kowloon Tong, Kowloon City District, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is affiliated with the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong. History The hospital started as an outpatient clinic fo ...
(private hospital),
United Christian Hospital United Christian Hospital is a Christian-founded district general hospital in Kwun Tong of New Kowloon in Hong Kong, operated by the Hospital Authority. The hospital has 1,600 beds and 3,000 staff, serving eastern Kowloon. United Christian Ho ...
(co-managed with
Hospital Authority The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Health of the Hong Kong Government. Its c ...
),
Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (AHNH) is an acute district general hospital managed under the New Territories East Cluster of the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong. Established by the former London Missionary Society in 1887, it was the fir ...
(co-managed with
Hospital Authority The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Health of the Hong Kong Government. Its c ...
),
Evangel Hospital Evangel Hospital () is a non-profit Christian Community Hospital in Ma Tau Wai was established in 1965. It was founded by Evangelical Free Church of America and the Evangelical Free Church of China. Evangel Hospital is particularly strong ...
(private hospital), Haven of Hope Hospital (co-managed with
Hospital Authority The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Health of the Hong Kong Government. Its c ...
). Some of these hospitals have served Hong Kong for a long period of time.
Tsan Yuk Hospital Tsan Yuk Hospital is maternity hospital is located on 30 Hospital Road, Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island, is a public hospital in Hong Kong, It was specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology. It also operates as a teaching and training hospital ...
was set up by
London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed tradition, Reformed in outlook, with ...
in 1922 and become a government hospital in 1934. Hong Kong Adventist Hospital and Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital are other Christian-based hospitals. Six hospitals are managed by the Catholic community in Hong Kong. Three hospitals in Hong Kong are managed by Caritas-Hong Kong, a Catholic-based charity organisation:
Caritas Medical Centre Caritas Medical Centre () is a Roman Catholic founded district general hospital in So Uk, Cheung Sha Wan, New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is the largest hospital in Sham Shui Po District and co-managed by the Hospital Authority and Caritas Hong Kong. ...
, Canossa Hospital and Precious Blood Hospital. St Paul's Hospital and St Teresa's Hospital are managed by the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres Order, another Catholic based organisation.
Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital () is a Roman Catholic hospital at Wong Tai Sin area in New Kowloon of Hong Kong. History Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital was founded by the Maryknoll Sisters The Maryknoll Sisters, (formerly the Maryknoll Si ...
is founded in 1961 by the
Maryknoll Sisters The Maryknoll Sisters, (formerly the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic/Teresians) are an institute of Catholic religious sisters founded in the village of Ossining, Westchester County, New York, in 1912, six months after the 1911 creation of the ...
. ;The establishment of
Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, known as Eastern Hospital or Youde Hospital, is an acute district general hospital in Chai Wan, Hong Kong. The hospital houses one of two Emergency Radiation Therapy Centers in Hong Kong, with the oth ...
Before the establishment of the hospital, there were three government clinics but no hospitals in the Eastern District, a district with population of 440,000 in 1980s. The injuries of the Eastern District shared 40% of the death of the Hong Kong Island's injuries who was reaching the hospitals by ambulance, according to a report by a Christian-based charity organisation. In August 1982, several churches in the District formed an organisation to force the then Colonial Government to establish a hospital, leading to the establishment of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital. The organisation also urged the Government to improve the medical service provided in the District.A Carnival of Gods: Studies of Religions in Hong Kong.(2002). Hong Kong:Oxford University Press This book is written in Chinese.


Conflict with the government


Preservation of heritage buildings

;'' Hoh Fuk Tong Centre'' In early 2000s, Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China (the owner of Ho Fuk Tong Centre) submitted an application of a redevelopment scheme for the centre, proposing a demolition of all the historical buildings on the site, to the Buildings Department. The two adjoining schools, namely, But San School and Hoh Fuk Tong College, were also proposed to be demolished in the redevelopment scheme. To protect the historic building from demolition, Morrison House was declared as proposed Monument on 11 April 2003; it was later declared as monument on 26 March 2004. ;''Kom Tong Hall'' In 1960,
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
purchased the building. The Church used the Hall for worship services and other local Church activities as well as for administration of its Asia-area humanitarian, building and other programs. As a result of Church growth, locally and throughout Asia over the last four decades, the Church's headquarters were moved out of Kom Tong Hall and into a much larger new 14-story building in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The Church no longer had need for the building and was looking to sell the property. It soon became apparent that a vacant lot would yield a far higher amount than if the property were sold intact, and the Church considered demolishing the building. In October 2002, the Church submitted an application for a demolition permit to the Building Authority. However, after hearing concerns raised by friends in the community, and a series of negotiations with the
Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government) is the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the ...
, Church officials reached a consensus in selling the property intact and preserving the building.


School-based management reform

The Education (Amendment) Bill 2002, which was to introduce the school-based management (SBM) governance framework to all aided schools in the city, was introduced in November 2002 and passed in July 2004. The Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, as one of the major schools sponsoring bodies, worried that the Diocese may not run schools according to its vision and mission as representatives of parents, teachers and principals are allowed to sit in the School Management Committee (SMC), causing the politicised atmosphere in SMC.
Bishop Zen Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Salesians of Don Bosco, SDB (, born 13 January 1932) is a Catholic Church in China, Chinese Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, Bishop of Hong Kong from 2002 to 2009. He was made a Cardin ...
published his articles to express his opinions on the Bill. He had previously said that "we will reconsider our commitment to education" if the Bill had been passed, leading to the worries of the parents and teachers; later he clarified that it didn't mean that the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese would stop running the Catholic school after the Bill had been passed.


2014 Hong Kong protests

Many of the participants and leaders of the
2014 Hong Kong protests A series of sit-in street protests, often called the Umbrella Revolution and sometimes used interchangeably with Umbrella Movement, or Occupy Movement, occurred in Hong Kong from 26 September to 15 December 2014. The protests began after th ...
(i.e.
Umbrella movement The Umbrella Movement () was a political movement that emerged during the 2014 Hong Kong protests. Its name arose from the use of umbrellas as a tool for nonviolent resistance, passive resistance to the Hong Kong Police Force's use of pepper ...
) are Christians, despite many of the government officials and members of the
Pro-Beijing camp The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp or pro-China camp is a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Government of the People's Republic of China, Beijing central government and the Chinese Commun ...
which opposed the movement.
Joshua Wong Joshua Wong Chi-fung (; born 13 October 1996) is a Hong Kong Pro-democracy camp (Hong Kong), pro-democracy activist and politician. He served as secretary-general of the pro-democracy party Demosisto, Demosistō until it disbanded following i ...
, the founder of
Scholarism Scholarism was a Hong Kong pro-democracy camp, pro-democracyWilfred Chan and Yuli Yang, CNN]Echoing Tiananmen, 17-year-old Hong Kong student prepares for democracy battle 28 September 2014 student activist group active in the fields of Hong ...
, is an Evangelicalism, Evangelical Christian who has cited his faith as a motivation for his leadership. Two of the three leaders of Occupy Central, another group supporting the protests, are also Christians. One of their motivations is distrust of the treatment of Christians by the Chinese government. They view democracy as a defence against government control. Different denominations, however, are split in their support or opposition to the protests. The Methodist Church of Hong Kong has been openly supportive of the protesters (while did not take any official stances). The
Anglican Church in Hong Kong The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (abbreviated SKH), also known as the Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal), is the Anglican church in Hong Kong and Macao. It is the 38th Ecclesiastical province, Province of the Anglican Communion. It is also one of ...
, on the other hand, has encouraged members to stay out of the protests and church leaders opposed the movement. The protesters themselves made a makeshift Christian chapel in the
Mong Kok Mong Kok (Chinese language, Chinese: 旺角), also spelled Mongkok, often abbreviated as MK, is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The Prince Edward, Hong Kong, Prince Edward subarea occupies the northern part of Mong Kok. As one of the major sho ...
occupation region. The chapel was destroyed when police cleared the area. Protesters rebuilt it the next day.


Christianity among Hong Kong Universities students

According to the Hong Kong University Grant Committee statistics, as of school year 2011/2012, about one quarter (24.6%) of university students were Christian (21.1% Protestant Christian and 3.5% are Catholic). Compared with the general public (12% are Christian), university students are 2 times more likely to be a Christian.


Freedom of religion

In 2023, the region was scored 3 out of 4 for religious freedom;Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
/ref> it was noted that the score has gone down from previous years due to evidence that a crackdown on dissent has prompted some churches to self-censor their sermons and activities.


See also

*
Religion in Hong Kong Religion in Hong Kong is characterised by a multi-faith diversity of beliefs and practices. Most of the Hong Kong people of Chinese descent practice Chinese folk religionShun-hing Chan. Rethinking Folk Religion in Hong Kong: Social Capital, C ...
*
Korean Christians in Hong Kong According to the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong, there were approximately 5 thousand Koreans in 2006, of which 94.4% were usual residents while mobile residents occupied 5.6%.Census and Statistics Departmen"Thematic Report: Ethnic Mi ...
*
Christianity in Macau Religion in Macau is represented predominantly by Buddhism and Chinese folk religions. During the period in which the city was under Portuguese rule (1557–1999) the Catholic Church became one of the dominant faiths, but nowadays it has great ...
* Christianity in Hong Kong's neighbouring province **
Christianity in Guangdong Christianity is a minority in Guangdong, a province of China. The province has more Christians than it has Muslims. Christianity in Hong Kong enjoys more liberty. 16th century In the 16th century, missionaries entered Zhaoqing in Guangdong. Roman C ...


References


External links


Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong

Anglican Province of Hong Kong

Documentation of Christianity in Hong Kong Database (香港基督教文獻數據庫)
Special Collections & Archives, Hong Kong Baptist University Library.

Special Collections & Archives, Hong Kong Baptist University Library.
Christianity in Contemporary China Clippings 當代中國基督教發展剪報數據庫
Special Collections & Archives, Hong Kong Baptist University Library.

* ttp://libproject.hkbu.edu.hk/trsimage/lantern/home.html China Through the Eyes of CIM MissionariesSpecial Collections & Archives, Hong Kong Baptist University Library.
Library Holdings on China Inland Mission
Special Collections & Archives, Hong Kong Baptist University Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Christianity In Hong Kong