Scenes from last year’s procession through Sai Kung town
Carla Basto Clark, a Nam Shan resident and Sacred Heart parishioner, said the procession will be enacting the Bethlehem Nativity scene from the Bible. The girl on the pony will be representing Mary. A teenage boy walking beside her will be acting as Joseph. Parishioners will follow.
The procession will start at Sacred Heart Church at 7.30, head down the hill and across the road to the Tin Hau Temple. Then it will cross Man Nin Playground, through the gardens on the other side of Man Nin Road and down to the waterfront. After that they will double-back to the playground and Sacred Heart Church.
It will be the third such Christmas procession and the second involving a horse, on loan from the Jockey Club. Carla said reaction to the Christian event last year was mixed. “We were very quiet. It was amazing how many people didn’t even notice. Others recognised what was happening and their faces lit up. There were a lot of comments. Many people followed, especially children.”
Back at the Roman Catholic Church a Live Crib will be set up. There will be a candle-lit service with food and mulled wine, Carla said. “Everyone is welcome.”
The first such Live Crib was set up 800 years ago by St Francis of Assisi at Greccio Church. It is appropriate to be re-enacting it at the time of the first Pope Francis, Carla said. She is director of a new charity called Ampleforth Centre for Theology and Spirituality Hong Kong Ltd. In partnership with Ampleforth College in the UK, the charity will soon be offering courses for youngsters and adults in Christian theology.
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