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RELIGION AND CUSTOM
remained responsible for the Church in Hong Kong for 102 years. In 1969 responsi- bility was transferred to the diocesan clergy, with Bishop Francis Chen-pin Hsu as the first Chinese Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong.
Bishop Hsu died suddenly in 1973 at the age of 52. He was succeeded by Bishop Peter Wang-kei Lei, but he also died suddenly in the following year, aged 51. The third Chinese Bishop of Hong Kong, Bishop John Baptist Cheng-chung Wu, was consecrated and installed by Cardinal Rossi in the Hong Kong Roman Catholic Cathedral on July 25, 1975.
In addition to its pastoral and apostolic work, the Church engages in a wide vari- ety of work in education, health care and social welfare. There are now 308 Catholic schools, with more than 260,000 students. Vocational education is being developed.
Catholic social and health services include seven social centres which emphasise vocational and adult education, six hospitals, 12 hostels for students and workers, a maternity home, 20 general clinics, five dental clinics, two mobile clinics, 15 day nurseries, two homes for the aged, two homes for the blind and a large variety of self-help clubs and associations.
Co-operation with other Christian bodies has been growing steadily at both personal and institutional levels. Contact with other religions is increasingly frequent and friendly.
Roman Catholics in Hong Kong number about 265,000. They are served by 337 priests (183 Chinese and the rest of 14 nationalities), 94 Brothers (44 Chinese and 50 of 12 other nationalities) and 793 Sisters (463 Chinese and the rest of 23 other nation- alities). There are 53 parishes and 16 rural districts. The services in nearly all churches and chapels are in Chinese. A few city churches provide some services in English and in one church on Hong Kong Island all services are in English.
Other Religious Communities
The Muslim community numbers about 23,000 followers of Islam. The majority are Chinese, with the rest mainly from Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran and neighbouring regions. They gather for prayers at the Shelley Street and Wong Nei Chong Road Mosques on Hong Kong Island and at the Nathan Road Mosque in Kowloon.
The Shelley Street Mosque, the first to be built in Hong Kong, dates back to the early days of the introduction of the Islamic faith in the 1880s. It was rebuilt in 1915. The Kowloon Mosque was built towards the end of the last century for use originally by Muslim soldiers of the former Indian Army. It was subsequently handed over to the local Muslim community. Two places have been set aside by the government as burial grounds for Muslims. One is at Happy Valley and the other at Cape Collinson, Chai Wan.
The co-ordinating body for all religious affairs is the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong. A board of trustees, comprising representatives of the various sects within the Muslim community, is responsible for