180
RELIGION AND CUSTOM
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.
Roman Catholics in Hong Kong number about 265,000. They are served by 344 priests (129 Chinese and the rest of some 15 nationalities), 91 Brothers (44 Chinese and 47 of 14 other nationalities) and 771 Sisters (449 Chinese and 322 of 25 other nationalities). There are 51 parishes with resident priests. The services in nearly all churches and chapels are in Chinese, with a few providing some services in English. In one church on Hong Kong Island all services are in English.
Other Religious Communities
The Muslim community numbers about 25,000 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 Nai Chung 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 representa- tives of the various sects within the Muslim community, is responsible for the manage- ment and maintenance of all mosques and cemeteries. The trustees are also responsible for organising the celebration of Muslim festivals and other religious events. Charit- able work among the Muslim community, including financial aid for the needy, hospitalisation, and assisted education, is conducted through a welfare committee working under the direction of the board of trustees.
The 8,000-strong Hindu community can trace its ties with Hong Kong back to early settlement. Religious and social activities are centred around the Hindu temple