Today is enter to the new season of our liturgical calendar. The season of Advent year A. So, what is the reason for another Advent? The word "advent" comes from the Latin "ad-venire", meaning to come to, to come towards.

This season spotlights the three comings of Christ: the first, 2000 years ago; the last, sometime in the future; and the ongoing - Christ's constant coming into our lives through his grace, his providence, and his sacraments.

We live in the final age of human history, the age which will end in Christ's second coming, the destruction of the cosmos as we know it, and the creation of a new heavens and earth - the full establishment of Christ's Kingdom, as today's Readings described.

In today's Gospel, Jesus has explained to his Apostles that the age of the Church will be marked by both wonderful growth and also painful persecution. He has explained that Jerusalem, the epicenter of the Old Covenant, will be destroyed to make definitive way for the New Covenant. He has explained that the world itself will eventually be destroyed to make way for the new heavens and the new earth.

God wants us to know that our time is limited, that our lives and history itself will come to an end. He wants us to know this, because he wants us to use our limited time wisely, living as true Christians.

Jesus considers this lesson to be so important that he dedicates four separate parables to it before he finishes the conversation, driving the lesson home. Jesus knew how easily even the most faithful disciple can fall into the trap of thinking that this earthly life is the goal, and not merely the path.

Fr. Paulus Waris Santoso, O.Carm 

There will be a lector training session on Dec 1^st (Sunday) at 3 pm in the Parish Hall. Please come to brush up your reading skills to become effective proclaimers of God's Word.

The training lasts more or less an hour. New and old lectors are welcomed. For more info, please contact Vivian Lee @ 6100 0880.

Due to the holiday season, many members of the Filipino Community Group's volunteers will be going home for Christmas. For this reason, we need to cancel the 5th Sunday Tagalog Mass temporarily. It will resume on March 29, 2020.  

 The Solemnity of Christ the King, which every Catholic throughout the entire world is celebrating today, is a new thing. It was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 in an encyclical letter called Quas primas.

The pope was writing this encyclical in 1925, when the world was still trying to recover from World War I, which had devastated Europe and shattered modernity's hopes for unlimited progress based solely on human reason.

1925 was also only a few years after the Russian Bolshevik Revolution, which had given birth to the world's first explicitly atheist totalitarian regime: Soviet communism. Everywhere the pope looked, he saw human societies abandoning Christian values and trying to build paradise on earth through other means.

But if humanity had been able to perfect itself by itself, without God's help, then Jesus Christ would never have come to earth.

Pope Pius XI instituted today's Solemnity as a way to remind the world that to reject Christ, either in private life or in public life, is to reject our only hope, and to accept him is to accept salvation.

As Pope Pius IX wrote: "...When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony... That these blessings may be abundant and lasting in Christian society, it is necessary that the kingship of our Saviour should be as widely as possible recognized and understood, and to that end nothing would serve better than the institution of a special feast in honour of the Kingship of Christ." (Quas primas, 19, 21)

Fr. Paulus Waris Santoso, O.Carm

St Anne's will hold a pot-luck Christmas Party on Dec 1st at 12:30 in the Parish Hall. Parishioners are asked to bring a dish to share for this pot-luck. There is a suggested donation of $40 or more to cover the cost of drinks and supplies.

As we just celebrated St Anne's 60th Anniversary with a Mass and Dinner, we will not have the Annual Parish BBQ this year. 

Volunteers are needed to help out on Dec 8th at the Cheshire Home Christmas Party. St Anne's will be providing food, a Christmas tree, presents and our Filipino sisters will be performing for the residents of the Cheshire Home. Please contact Linda Law at 9832 0239 or Sister Wu for more information.

The Acolyte Ministry is seeking new members to join a dedicated group of altar servers, particularly during the Saturday vigil mass.You must be at least ten years old and have received your First Holy Communion. Please email AhYoung Chi at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested.

In today's Gospel, Jesus defends the truth of the resurrection against the Sadducees' attack for two reasons.

First, there is life after death. Heaven is real, and so is hell. Jesus taught this many times. The New Testament teaches it many times.

Second reason, we live in a fallen world.Sin, self-indulgence, and self-glorification are natural tendencies in this world - even for Christians.

But true happiness, true and everlasting life, is incompatible with sin and selfishness.Therefore, in order to begin experiencing true life now, and to enter into it after we die, we have to go against some strong natural tendencies.

How can we possibly persevere in following Christ when we are surrounded by such difficulties and opposition?One of our best weapons is the Resurrection.

Keeping the bigger picture in mind can, just as it did for the seven brothers in the First Reading, give us the courage we need to resist temptations and stay faithful to Christ - no matter the cost.

Paulus Waris Santoso, O.Carm 

Christ's whole life on earth was dedicated to bringing people back into friendship with God, and to establishing his Church to continue that mission throughout history.

This is the Good News of Jesus Christ: that in him we can once again live in friendship with God, our sins can be forgiven, we can become what we were created to be: children of God, members of God's family.

Original sin had shattered the relationship between the human family and God. Christ came to rebuild that friendship, to reconcile that broken relationship.

We all want to experience more deeply this transforming power of Christ's presence in our lives. And the best way to do that is by helping others experience it.

That's what Zacchaeus did. Jesus reached out to him; he came into his life. Jesus has also reached out to us. He has made us Christians, members of his Church.

Fr. Paulus Waris Santoso, O.Carm 

​Today Jesus gives us a parable of two men who went up to the temple to pray: one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. There could be no greater contrast between these two. In the opinion of the people of that time, a tax collector was worth nothing and could not address himself to God, because he was an impure person, in so far as a tax collector, while the Pharisee was an honoured person and a very religious one.

The sinner in this parable are people we usually try to avoid. But Jesus doesn't. He reaches out to them. Jesus did go after them, and he's still going after them. Jesus wants absolutely everyone to come to his Father's house.

This is one of the characteristics of our Lord that we should think about. He loves saving big sinners. And this is one more reason why we can trust him without limits.

Fr. Paulus Waris Santoso, O.Carm

 Jesus presents us with two persons from real life: a judge who neither respects God nor persons and a widow who will not stop fighting for her rights before the judge.

The simple fact that Jesus presents these two persons reveals that He knows well the society of His time.Not only does the parable present poor people fighting in court to have their rights recognized, but it also shows us the violent contrast among social groups.On the one hand, an insensitive and irreligious judge, and on the other, the widow who knows which door to knock on to get what is owed to her.

Through today's parable, Jesus is reminding us that we should have unlimited faith and confidence in God.

No prayer that we utter goes unheard.God is never out of his office; he is never on vacation. He is longing for us to bombard him with our prayers. He is eagerly searching for hearts that trust him enough to ask him unceasingly for everything they need. He always answers our prayers, even when the answer is "no."

Because God is our Father, all-wise, all-loving, and all-powerful, there should be no limit to our confidence in him.

Fr. Paulus Waris Santoso, O.Carm

With thanks to Dennis Montecillo for compiling this video and to all of our current and former parishioners for contributing!  

At the end of St John's Gospel, we are told that if everything Christ did during his brief earthly life were written down, the entire world would not contain the books. We can infer, therefore, that many of Christ's miracles and encounters were not recorded in the New Testament.

So why did St Luke include the miracles of curing the leper? Clearly because of the lesson that Christ teaches us by it: the beauty of gratitude.

The one leper who came back to thank Jesus is praised for this gratitude. We can almost hear the sadness in Christ's heart at the lack of gratitude in the other nine who were healed. Why does Christ value gratitude so much? Is he vain? Is his self-esteem so weak that he gets depressed if we don't praise and thank him?

No. He values gratitude because gratitude is valuable - it's valuable for us, for the health of our souls.

In the first place, gratitude keeps us grounded in the truth, which is key for our ongoing relationship with God. In the second place, gratitude is the perfect antidote to sin. Sin turns us in on ourselves, like an ingrown toenail; gratitude opens us up to God and neighbour.

Gratitude is one of the most beautiful flowers in the garden of virtue - what a pity that it's so rare!

Fr. Paulus Waris Santoso, O.Carm 

The Acolyte Ministry is seeking new members to join a dedicated group of altar servers, particularly during the Saturday vigil mass. You must be at least ten years old and have received your First Holy Communion. Please email AhYoung Chi at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested.  

The buffet dinner for celebrating the 60th anniversary of St. Anne's Church will be held at the Hong Kong International School cafeteria (Tai Tam campus) from 5 pm. There will be entertainment and a buffet. Tickets are limited, on sale now. Parishioners are encouraged to bring a dish or a dessert to share!

The parish will arrange a shuttle bus after the 3 pm Mass for guests, senior citizens, families with children, and other people in need. Other participants are advised to take public transport.

As advised by the Hong Kong International School, all guests need to be checked in on arrival by the security. (See announcement overleaf.) Please remember to bring your ID cards or passports for entry. You can also pre-register your name and get an electronic pass. For pre-registration, please contact our staff, Mr. Desmond Lau, after the mass to provide your name (full name in English as shown on ID card) and email address. 

Security Clearance for St. Anne's Anniversary Party

If you have purchased a ticket for the 60th Anniversary celebration party or are planning to attend but have yet to buy a ticket, please submit an email address, with your first and last name, for security clearance at HKIS (not required if you already have a Hong Kong International School ID).

A sign-up sheet can be found at the back of the church. Alternatively, you may give the information directly to Desmond.

Names and email addresses will be submitted to HKIS security and an e-pass (similar to a boarding pass) will be sent via the email submitted.

Please be sure to bring the e-pass along with identification document (HKID or Passport) to the school on Sept 22nd for entrance to the party. 

We are looking for your generous support in donating potted flowers such as orchids and roses to decorate the newly restored Blessed Virgin Mary Grotto and the icons for the blessings ceremony at the 3pm Mass on 22 September.We hope we can receive as many as pots possible for this special day.Please feel free to go take a look at the grotto and icons after mass and decide how you can contribute.

For those who wish to donate, please arrange with your florist to deliver the flowers on the 19th & 20th September so that the flowers stay fresh for Sunday and we can line them nicely.

Your Contributions will be greatly appreciated!

Delivery Address:

St. Anne's Church
1 Tung Tau Wan Road
Stanley
Hong Kong
Tel: 2813 0206

The parish is planning to construct a Grotto in honor of the Blessed Virgin. The Grotto will be built on the side of the church near the current structure that houses several icons and the goal is to have it completed before the St Anne's 60^th Anniversary celebration that will take place on Sunday, 22^nd September.

While the construction of the Grotto is important, so is ensuring that there are sufficient plants, flowers, and greenery to make the Grotto aesthetically pleasing and a desirable place for prayer. Therefore, we are making an urgent appeal to any parishioner who has a green thumb, is interested in gardening or simply wants to get involved in designing and coordinating the planting and vegetation.  If we want the Grotto to look presentable at the 60^th Anniversary celebration, then planning and ordering plants and other greenery should happen now.  Please consider volunteering and contributing to the beauty of St Anne's. 

If interested, please contact David Lamb at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 6771-1787. 

In line with St. Anne's 60^th Anniversary, we will also be celebrating the golden jubilee and silver jubilee of the services of Fr. Cuff and Sr. Antonysamy, respectively, on 22 September (Sun).The event will start at 3pm with a special Mass celebrated by Cardinal Tong.This will be followed by a party at the Hong Kong International School cafeteria from 5pm. There will be entertainment and a buffet.

Tickets will go on sale next weekend from 31 August (Sat) for St. Anne's 60^th birthday party! Parishioners are encouraged to bring a dish to share!Regular (adult) tickets are $120 per person, and discounted tickets are $80 for helpers, elderly (65+), and children (under 12).The ticket will include transportation from St. Anne's to the HKIS campus and back.Please get the tickets before they are sold out!Enter your text here ...

The Acolyte Ministry is seeking new members to join a dedicated group of altar servers. You must be at least ten years old and have received your First Holy Communion. Training will take place in September and you will begin your new service in October!If you are a current acolyte and have not received an email from AhYoung regarding your September availability, please send her an email as soon as you can. If you are interested, please email AhYoung Chi at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..