Hong Kong: The missionary Church reaches out in Putonghua to new arrivals from China

Since the start of the year, a special pastoral team set up by Cardinal Chow has been active, dedicated to ministering to the thousands of Mandarin-speaking people who have arrived in the city in recent years. The team leader, Fr Bruno Lepeu, told the Sunday Examiner: “Friendship and care rooted in God’s love”. Of particular significance are the initiatives for young cross-border students and the parents of children attending Catholic schools.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – Hong Kong’s diocesan weekly Sunday Examiner dedicates this week’s feature to the new pastoral initiatives the diocese is implementing to welcome and support the Putonghua-speaking population (the standard form of Mandarin Chinese spoken in the People’s Republic of China – ed.), which is now present in increasingly significant numbers in the major metropolis where Cantonese is spoken. The project aims to foster the integration, evangelisation and participation in church life of many new arrivals from mainland China, promoting a culture of hospitality and collaboration between the different linguistic communities.

On 31 May, the first diocesan Mass in Putonghua, open to the whole diocese, was celebrated, during which Cardinal Stephen Chow conferred the mandate on the new groups engaged in this evangelising mission. To better coordinate activities, the Pastoral Team for Putonghua-speaking faithful was established at the start of 2026, led by Fr Bruno Lepeu of the Missions étrangères de Paris. The group operates through six sub-committees dedicated to pastoral care in deaneries, schools, youth, formation, promotion and pastoral research.

For Fr Lepeu, the heart of the initiative lies in pastoral care for those arriving in new social and cultural contexts. “The reason for serving new arrivals,” he explains to the Sunday Examiner, “stems, first and foremost, from the love of God.” For this reason, welcoming must not be limited to activities organised by the Church, but must translate into daily gestures of friendship and care, such as greeting neighbours or welcoming parents from mainland China who accompany their children to Catholic schools.

The growing presence of professionals, students and families from mainland China has created different needs in various districts of Hong Kong. Some areas are home to many cross-border students, whilst others attract young professionals thanks to skilled migration programmes. New residential complexes are also seeing a rapid increase in Putonghua-speaking residents. For this reason, Fr Lepeu invites every parish to adapt its services to the specific needs of the local population.

The coming together of the Cantonese and Putonghua communities is seen as an opportunity for mutual enrichment. Fr Lepeu notes that certain pastoral traditions from mainland China, such as social gatherings after Mass, can help to strengthen a sense of belonging. In this spirit, the priest proposes informal meetings and moments of sharing that foster dialogue between Cantonese-, English- and Putonghua-speaking faithful.

To ensure stable integration, the diocese is inviting all parishes to set up Putonghua evangelisation groups, directly linked to the local pastoral councils. The aim is to ensure that new arrivals become full members of the community and not merely temporary guests. Whilst acknowledging some initial hesitation on the part of the local faithful, Fr Lepeu emphasises the importance of addressing these people in their own language to build human relationships: “It doesn’t matter if our Putonghua isn’t perfect; they will still be touched by our desire to build a relationship with them,” he explains.

A pilot programme is currently underway in the various deaneries of the diocese, featuring catechism classes, Alpha courses and workshops dedicated to interests and hobbies. A central role is played by the collaboration between Catholic schools and parishes, which are seen as the first point of contact for many newly arrived families.

Among the most significant initiatives, the Sunday Examiner highlights that of St Joseph’s Church in Kowloon Bay, where, thanks to the support of priests and schools, Christmas music events and meetings for parents in Putonghua have been organised, encouraging family participation.

University pastoral care has also yielded encouraging results: Fr Andrew Wang explained that since 2025, meetings have been organised for university students from mainland China, both Catholic and non-Catholic, featuring recreational activities, sharing groups and spiritual guidance. New groups for those on a spiritual journey are also planned, along with a retreat scheduled for October.

Another positive example comes from the parish of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Tsuen Wan, where Fr Henry Ng Kwok-po has been fostering integration between local parishioners and immigrants for over ten years through liturgies and choirs in Putonghua. In collaboration with Caritas, Sr. Marinei Pessanha Alves, a Brazilian nun of the Missionaries of the Immaculate, has also launched Cantonese language courses for mothers from mainland China. The programme, which began with nine participants in 2024, now involves forty women. Although not yet Catholic, many of them now enthusiastically take part in the main parish celebrations and activities. According to Sr Alves, the secret to success lies in carefully analysing the needs of migrants in the area and gradually developing new projects, fostering collaboration and mutual learning among the various parishes in the diocese.

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