A group of Sai Kung churchgoers has travelled to Rome with their priest to celebrate his 60th anniversary as a clergyman. Thirty-one members of Sacred Heart Church accompanied Father Carlo Tei to the Vatican then to his home province of Lombardy. On 3 June a Thanksgiving Mass will be held at the Sai Kung church from 4:00 pm to commemorate Carlo’s decades of service for residents who were unable to join the pilgrimage. The Mass will be followed by dinner at the Hall of Sung Tsun Catholic Church.
Our correspondent, who we will call Mei Yuen, tells the story of the pilgrimage with photos:
“We stayed our first two nights in Rome, then traveled to Pontassieve, Tuscany, and on to Lodi, Lombardy (Fr. Tei’s home province) for the remainder of our trip.
“While in Rome, beside visiting the Vatican and Rome’s four major Papal basilicas (St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Mary Major Basilica, St. John Lateran Basilica and St. Paul Outside of Walls) where Fr. Tei celebrated Mass in three of them. Some of our group also managed to pay quick visits to the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and Vatican Museums.
“Two major highlights of our pilgrimage were:19 May – Joining the Evening Missionary Vigil and Mass, presided over in the Cathedral of Lodi by His Excellency, The Most Reverend Maurizio Malvestiti, Bishop of Lodi.The Mass was attended by 3 bishops, 80 priests, 20 mums, 30 missionaries and a full congregation. Fr. Tei participated in the celebration of the Mass.
Bishop of Lodi joking placed his Bishop’s cap on Fr. Tei. Our group’s leader, Joseph Ma, is standing on Fr. Tei’s right
“The Bishop really appreciated our group’s presence and at the end of the Mass, he stayed on to chat and have his picture taken with Fr. Tei, his family members and us. At one point, he jokingly placed his Bishop’s cap on Fr. Tei’s head, a gesture appreciated by us all.
“20 May – At Mairago Parish the Thanksgiving Mass for Fr. Carlo Tei’s 60th Priesthood Anniversary.Fr. Tei was given a surprise banner welcome (written in Italian and Chinese) upon our arrival at Mairago Parish.After Mass, our whole group was invited to join Fr. Tei’s family and Mairago parishioners for lunch at the end of which Fr. Tei was presented with a large cake honouring his 60th anniversary celebration.
In 1962 arriving in Hong Kong
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