HONG KONG (UCAN) -- The bishops of Hong Kong have encouraged Catholics to learn from Saint Paul's teachings, with emphasis on family values and spiritual life, and to move forward "in an Olympic spirit" with the saint.

Bishop John Tong Hon blesses a crucifix newly installed above the altar at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Hong Kong.

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong issued a pastoral letter to mark the opening of the Pauline Year, which Pope Benedict XVI set to run June 28, 2008, to June 29, 2009, commemorating Saint Paul the Apostle's 2,000th birth anniversary. The June 29 issues of the diocese's Chinese- and English-language weeklies carried the letter, issued both in Chinese and English.

Cardinal Zen says the global Church event strengthens the diocese's Year of Family in 2008, the second successive year it is striving to arouse greater concern about family and marriage values in today's society.

The cardinal-bishop says trends such as cohabitation, premarital sex, easy abortion, casual attitudes toward life and the alarming divorce rate make pastoral initiatives concerning family and human relations difficult.

He advised local Catholics to model themselves on Saint Paul and live out their faith through Christ, trying hard to "learn Christ" to make the family year a success.

During the opening Mass of the Pauline Year on June 29, Coadjutor Bishop John Tong Hon told Catholics to draw strength from St. Paul's words and deeds, and to implement the pastoral priorities successive popes have encouraged.

Bishop Tong presided at the Mass attended by 1,000 worshippers at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, where he also blessed the hanging crucifix newly installed above the main altar.

Citing the late Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (at the beginning of the new millennium), the bishop in his homily asked the faithful "to adopt the traditional and more recent forms of training in holiness." These he identified as listening to the Word of God, prayer, Sunday Eucharist, Sacrament of Reconciliation, proclaiming the Word of God and witnessing to love.

He added that Pope Benedict also encouraged Catholics to continue in the same pastoral direction during the ad limina visits he, Cardinal Zen and Bishop Jose Lai Hung-seng of Macau made to the Vatican June 25-27.

Bishop Tong and Bishop Lai headed back for inaugural Pauline Year events in their respective dioceses right after the visits. The coadjutor bishop added that local Catholics were united with Pope Benedict and Cardinal Zen in Rome in celebrating the opening of the special year.

Bishop Tong also suggested Catholics spend at least 10 minutes daily reading St. Paul's letters and his deeds in the Acts of Apostles, particularly his conversion, pray daily, give importance to Sunday Mass, receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation periodically and move toward proclaiming God's words fearlessly.

Ending his homily, the prelate made a reference to China hosting the Summer Olympics this August. "Forgetting all that lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead," he quoted from Saint Paul's letter to the Philippians (3:13), encouraging the faithful to "move forward in the Olympic spirit with Saint Paul." Bishop Tong added, "I am sure that racing towards the finishing point, we will win the prize which God has prepared for us in Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:14).

Churchgoers look at a 4-meter-long mural showing the conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle.

At a separate event that day, about 500 Catholics had several reasons to celebrate at St. Paul's Church -- the opening of the Pauline Year, the parish's feast day and the 30th anniversary of priesthood of their parish priest, Father Joseph Fan Kam-tong.

Father John Baptist Tsang Hing-mun, head of Southwest Kowloon Deanery, officiated at the blessing of a 4-meter-long mosaic created to mark the Pauline Year. It was designed by Beijing Catholic artist Zhang Qikai and inlaid by two Italian artisans.

Its three sections, on the wall next to the Church's entrance, show Saul's persecution against Jesus' followers, the apparition of Jesus to him, and the converted Paul as the Apostle to the Gentiles.

After the ceremony, Father Tsang presided at Mass and urged Catholics in his homily to model themselves on Saint Paul by witnessing to Jesus and his Gospel generously and bravely.

The diocese has a committee for Pauline Year activities and has designated certain churches for pilgrimages and prayers to earn the plenary indulgence the pope has granted.

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