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Patsy Moy

Hong Kong's  Catholics are being given the chance to follow in the footsteps of a saint as part of a  pilgrimage to sites of historical and religious relevance.

A group of architecture teachers and students is collaborating with the church to map out a pilgrimage route through a deserted village on an island off Sai Kung.

Ivan Ho Chi-ching, a  lecturer at the University of Hong Kong architecture department said the group had identified a number of landmarks in Yim Tin Tsai village. Catholic missionaries built the first chapel in  the village 150 years ago.

Major landmarks identified include St Joseph's chapel, built in about 1890 and believed to be one of the earliest remaining Catholic chapels in Hong Kong.

The team also believes it has discovered the  home of Father Joseph Freinademetz,  who preached  Christianity in Sai Kung from 1879 to 1880 and was declared a saint by the Vatican in October 2003.

Other landmarks for pilgrims to visit include a well from which the church drew water which was blessed for use in religious services last century, and the home of  a local clergyman and villager, Father Gioacchino Chan, who passed away in 1975.

Diocesan vicar-general Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming said the church had supported the university project as it would be the first  Catholic pilgrimage trail in Hong Kong involving religious, cultural and ecological aspects.

He also believed the trek would attract Catholics from  Taiwan and the mainland.

'We would like our fellow Catholics to learn from our saints and late clergy about how they followed in the steps of Jesus and acted in the love of God,' Father Chan said.

'It would be beneficial if our fellow Catholics could make a visit to their homes, as well as some of our oldest chapels, that would also help them learn more about the history of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong.'

Father Chan said the  church planned to hold services once a month at St Joseph's Chapel starting from June 13 and would hold a ceremony  on Sunday  to mark the restoration of the old chapel.

Yim Tin Tsai village has been  deserted  since villagers  moved  to urban areas in the early 1990s, according to Mr Ho.

'It is a very difficult task as there are very limited documents about the history of Yim Tin Tsai. We have been trying to ask around and collect information from former villagers and   members of the Catholic Church.'

'We still have to do more research to re-confirm the history of different houses to make sure we have identified the right ones.'

Lam Sair-ling,   one of the organisers of the the project,  said the group was aware that a developer planned to build a resort on the island, so it would be important to map out a pilgrimage trail to ensure important landmarks were preserved and protected.

Path of the righteous

The Catholic landmarks of Yim Tin Tsai were identified by students and academics from the University of Hong Kong. The first chapel was built on the island 150 years ago.

Yim Tin Tsai village community centre and office

The home of Fr. Gioacchino Chan (1890 - 2975)

The ancestral home of the family of Fr. Dominic Chan Chi-ming, vicar-general of Hong Kong Diocese.

The home of Fr. Joseph Freindademetz (1852 - 1908) and the site of the original Catholic chapel (1978)

Yim Tin Tsai St Joseph's Chapel

Holy Well



Pilgrims get chance to follow in footsteps of Sai Kung saint