No_1_1957 — Page 68

t

NEW SEMINARY

AT

POKFULUM

Architect:

N. J. Chien, B. Arch.

STUDY

STUDY

SCALE

Front view of the Seminary.

FIRST

FLOOR

PLAN

STUDY

OFFICE

H

STORE

BED

RM.

ROOF

TERRACE

TEE

OPEN

AREA

SACRISTY

STAFF DINING RM.

Y

SERVANT'S

NOOK

INFIRMARY

First floor plan, illustrating shape of the new building.

SECTION B-B

ABLUTION

The Seminary of Hong Kong is almost as old as the Colony itself. The Catholic Church was established here in 1841, the same year as the founda- tion of the Colony, and the Seminary was established in the following year.

In those days there was in Macau a procurator of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith who was concerned with the administration of all the mission areas in China direct- ly under the jurisdiction of the Con- gregation. One of his chief duties was to assign such priests as were available to the various missions according to their need. To provide Chinese priests he had established a minor seminary which at that time had 20 students. When Hong Kong was created a new Mission Prefecture it also came under his charge, and the Seminary provided. also for its priests. When the Procura- tor transferred his office to Hong Kong in 1842 he brought the seminary with him, which became the forerunner of all the seminaries in Hong Kong.

Section showing the Chapel which seats 250, with the library-reading

room on the floor above.

66

There was no time to make adequate preparation for receiving the semin- arians in Hong Kong and the most that could be done was to provide a matshed building beside the matshed church, which stood in what is now Wellington Street, near the western corner of Pottinger Street.

Their next move was to Wanchai, but in the following year, 1843, the seminary moved back to Wellington Street where it occupied the whole first floor of a newly erected Mission House. Beside it stood the hastily built church.

After a few years the disturbed con- ditions which had prevailed in China came to an end and the Church was reorganized into various mission areas. Seminaries were begun again in many