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RELIGION
often meant that Christianity with its exclusive claims has been politely ignored in the Chinese world; but it is nevertheless rooted deeply and growing rapidly in Hong Kong.
Its roots go back indeed to the earliest days of the Colony: St John's Cathedral was founded in 1842, and established as a Cathedral by Letters Patent from Queen Victoria in 1850: the representative of the London Missionary Society arrived at about the same time: several of the big Chinese churches are within a few years of celebrating their centenary. This rapid growth con- tinues. A statistical survey recently showed that the Protestant churches had increased in the eight years since 1955 by 111 per cent; whilst the movement out into the new estates and satellite towns is pursued with resolution and devotion.
The year under review started with deeply moving signs of in- creasing sympathy and understanding between the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, when, during the Week of Prayer for Church Unity, Catholic priests attended the three united services, and representative Protestant church leaders were welcomed at the special mass at the Roman Catholic Cathedral.
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But the first impression of Hong Kong's church life might well be of almost bewildering variety and energy rather than ordered unity. The contrasts are striking. The introduction of 'beat' music into a church service, which led to much correspondence in the English press, is offset by a Service of Choral Praise in co-operation with Chung Chi College, when all of the ten anthems sung were set to Chinese music. The efforts to serve people in their need, through clinic, feeding-programme and social welfare centre, are balanced by efforts to deepen the spiritual life, such as the annual 'Keswick' in English and the Pui-Ling meetings in Chinese, both held during the summer. The churches, already committed to educational work from primary to university level, are now extend- ing their efforts into the field of practical training of which the new Kei Hip School at Wong Tai Sin, operated by the Church of Christ in China and the Holy Carpenter Centre in Hung Hom are examples.
The habit of co-operation is growing and is presented here in two groupings, not mutually exclusive and now, happily, on good terms. These are first, the Chinese Christian Churches Union,