RELIGION AND CUSTOM
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Junk Bay; a multi-purpose social centre, adjacent to St Teresa's Church in Kowloon, which will go into full service early next year. The third and last stage of the large social centre on Caine Road was near completion at the end of the year.
Several new clinics and dispensaries under Catholic auspices went into operation during the year. The Caritas St Joseph's Clinic opened its maternity ward and day nursery in the New Territories. The Chinese Precious Blood Sisters, aided by the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Association and Belgian Caritas (Catholic welfare body), started a home for cancer patients in May and a dispensary in July in the rustic Hang Hao area.
A start was made in June on the rebuilding of St Joseph's Church on Garden Road.
Church personnel engaged in pastoral, educational and welfare work in Hong Kong today include 331 priests, 109 religious brothers and 772 religious sisters, 36 religious Orders and congregations representing 24 nationalities.
There are at present 221 Catholic primary and secondary schools with an aggregate enrolment of 179,462 pupils.
In 1958, the Catholic Church set up a Social Welfare Bureau (Caritas - Hong Kong) to meet the need for a central directing and planning body of Catholic charities. Thanks to contributions from international charity agencies, many welfare and training schemes have been launched.
Today the Catholic Church operates six hospitals with a total of 1,422 beds and 30 clinics, spread out in various parts of the Colony, including one boat clinic that serves the fishermen of Aberdeen. It runs five social centres, seven vocational training centres, three youth holiday centres, seven children's play centres, 17 day nurseries, four orphanages and 15 hostels and homes. Construction costs of most of these projects have been met by grants from overseas bodies, both Catholic and non-Catholic, while day-to-day running expenses are raised locally.
Hong Kong's Jewish community worship at a synagogue in Robinson Road constructed in 1901 on land given by Mr Joseph Sassoon and his family. Mr Sassoon built the synagogue in memory
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