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RELIGION AND CUSTOM
The Christian churches also sponsor a variety of service programmes including hospitals, clinics, orphanages, homes for the aged, family service centres, vocational training centres, aid for the handicapped and many others. With decreasing overseas assistance, the local congregations are having to take a greater share of the support.
The mainline denominations, together with active Christian organisations (such as the YMCA, YWCA, and the Bible Society) have associated themselves for co- operative work in the Hong Kong Christian Council. Established in 1954, the council promotes ecumenical projects and concerns in Christian service, industrial mission, Christian education and communication. The council's Christian Centre facilities in- clude a conference room, recording studios, film libraries, and a reference library. The Christian Council's 23 members represent the majority of the Protestant Church membership in Hong Kong.
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In the same building with the council is the long-established Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union. The union is an association based on congregations rather than denominations. It now has 174 member-congregations.
Another organisation with a long history is the Chinese Christian Literature Council-publishers of Christian literature for the Chinese communities of Southeast Asia. This council carries on the activities of the former Christian Literature Society of Shanghai.
The Christian Study Centre at Sha Tin is an ecumenical study and research centre which promotes seminars and studies of Christian concerns and Christian understand- ing of Asian culture and religions.
The opening in December 1973 of the United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong marked the culmination of 11 years of planning. The project began in the Christian Council's Committee for a United Christian Hospital. The local church campaign was sponsored jointly by the Christian Council and the Chinese Christian Churches Union. Altogether, local Hong Kong community contributions provided 20 per cent of the total construction cost. Overseas assistance matched this amount, and the Hong Kong Government subsidy covered the remaining 60 per cent.
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Before the establishment of Hong Kong the Roman Catholic Church's work in the area was part of its general missionary programme for South China. In April 1841, Pope Gregory XVI established the Apostolic Prefecture of Hong Kong with Monsignor Theodore Joset as its first Prefect. He built a matshed church at what is now the intersection of Wellington and Pottinger Streets, established a seminary for training Chinese priests, and persuaded religious sisters to come to Hong Kong and start schools, hospitals, creches and other welfare work.
In 1867 the Pontifical Institute of the Foreign Missions of Milan took charge of the Prefecture with the Right Reverend T. Raimondi as Prefect Apostolic (later Bishop) of Hong Kong. This institute remained in control of the Church until the first Chinese Bishop of the 131-year-old Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong, the Most Reverend Francis Chen-ping Hsu was formally installed in October 1969. Almost two years later, in September 1971, the Most Reverend Peter Wang-kei Lei