Recently, fifteen young people of our parish participated in the youth camp called ADORE, which lasted for three consecutive days.  This has triggered my determination to organize activities in the parish to promote religious vocation.  Indeed, the Hong Kong diocese has designated 2009 as a year for vocation.  In our parish, we have stepped up the preparation work for the 1st prayer meeting dedicated for vocation. The prayer meeting is planned for the 1st Thursday of every month, from 7pm to 8pm, followed by a pizza dinner for the young people.<br/><br/>
The ADORE youth camp was organized by a group of priests, religious brothers and religious sisters from the Philippines. They belong to a new congregation that was founded by the late Cardinal Sinn, Archbishop of Manila.  In response to the call made by the late Pope John Paul II, the cardinal’s goal was to establish a congregation whose main purpose was the adoration of the Eucharist.  The congregation has since expanded to Australia and the USA.  The religious brothers and sisters who have come to Hong Kong are young men and women with tremendous energy.  In the youth camp, they used lively music and dance to bring out the correct attitude Christians should have towards life and the right way to achieve holiness.  Moreover, adoration of the Eucharist has become an indispensable part in their everyday life. <br/><br/>
I entered the seminary of the diocese at the age of sixteen.  But for the three years prior to that, due to reason I could not quite understand, I had been assisting in altar services every morning at the 7:15 a.m. mass at St. Teresa’s Church before I went to school.  This might have been the reason that God later bestowed on me the call for priestly vocation.  Similarly, Fr. Cheng San Loi (he was a bit older than I) was also assisting in the altar services together with me.  The two of us would walk to school, i.e. La Salle College, together after the mass.  Even at times of bad weather, we did the same and nothing would have stopped us.  Fr. Hong Kin Cheong was then also a member of our “Tribe for the Mass”.  It is therefore obvious that the Eucharist and our vocation, in particular priestly vocation, are very closely related to each other.