370 | Religion and Custom
The Protestant community runs three post-secondary institutions: the Chung Chil College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University and Lingnan University. It also runs more than 630 schools (273 kindergartens, 206 primary schools and 160 secondary schools) and 116 nurseries. In addition, it operates more than 35 theological seminaries/Bible schools, 30 Christian publishing houses and 70 Christian bookstores. There are two Christian weekly newspapers, the Christian Times and Christian Weekly, which present news and comments from a Christian perspective, half a dozen Christian media agencies which broadcast Christian TV programmes regularly and four weekly Christian radio programmes on Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK).
More than 250 para-church agencies and different Christian action groups attend to the needs of the Protestant community, respond to issues that affect Hong Kong society and support emergency relief and development projects in the mainland of China and developing countries. There are currently at least 440 missionaries from Hong Kong serving overseas.
The Protestant community runs seven hospitals and 18 clinics. Sixty social welfare agencies provide a wide range of services at more than 250 community (family/youth) service centres, 75 day care centres, 17 children's homes, 35 homes for the elderly, more than 100 centres for the elderly, 47 training centres for the mentally handicapped and disabled, 25 drug rehabilitation centres, and chaplaincy services for prisons, hospitals and the airport. There are also 15 campsites. The Chinese Young Men's Christian Association of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association together manage five international hotel-style guesthouses.
Two ecumenical bodies, the Hong Kong Christian Council and the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Church Union, facilitate co-operative work among the Protestant churches in Hong Kong. The Chinese Christian Church Union was established in 1915 and has a current membership of more than 300 congregations. The Hong Kong Christian Council was formed in 1954 and is a member of the World Council of Churches. Its members major denominations, ecumenical service agencies and the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia are committed to building a closer relationship among all churches in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas. The Council also encourages local Christians to play an active part in the development of Hong Kong society. It seeks to serve the wider community through its affiliated organisations such as the Hong Kong Christian Service, Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee, United Christian Medical Service, Christian Family Service Centre, and Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital.
Roman Catholic Community
The Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong was established as a mission prefecture in 1841; became a vicariate apostolic in 1874; and a diocese in 1946. There are about 350 000 Catholics in Hong Kong served by 300 priests, 76 brothers and 491 sisters. There are 52 parishes, comprising 41 churches, 31 chapels and 27 halls for religious services conducted in Cantonese; three-fifths of the parishes also provide services in English and, in some cases, Tagalog, the Filipino language.
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