Patrick Comerford
The Most Revd Paul Kwong is visiting Dublin this week. We have met on many previous occasions, in both Hong Kong and Dublin.
We first met when I visited Hong Kong on nehalf of the Dublin University Far Eastern Mission, and we met again when he first visited the Church of Ireland Theological Institute in April 2007, when he preached at the Community Eucharist. During that visit, he also delivered the Godfrey Day Memorial Lecture in Trinity College Dublin, when I was chairing the DUFEM which hosted his visit.
He was back in Dublin two years ago for the meeting of the Anglican Primates in the Emmaus Conference Centre in Swords, when I was chaplain to the conference.
Last night, Archbishop Kwong preached at the Community Eucharist in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and later he addressed the Dublin and Glendalough Diocesan Synod.
Archbishop Kwong’s great-grandfather was one of the first Chinese Anglican priests. Archbishop Kwong is the second Archbishop and Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and Bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island. He was elected Bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island in 2005, and Archbishop of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui in 2007.
A graduate of Lingnan College, Hong Kong, and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and he has a DD from Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. Dr Kwong was ordained in 1982, and he is the founder of two mission churches. He has been a lecturer at Ming Hua Theological College and a member of the Anglican Communion’s Mission Commission.
During this visit, Archbishop Kwong is accompanied by the Dean of Saint John’s Cathedral, Hong Kong, the Very Revd Matthias Der, and the Principal of Ming Hua Theological College, Dr Gareth Jones.
Their visit is at the invitation of the Archbishop of Dublin and DUFEM. On Tuesday, they met the Dean of Residence and Chaplain in TCD, the Revd Darren MacCalling, and in Saint Patrick’s Deanery they met the Dean, the Very Revd Victor Stacey, and staff and students of the DIT Conservatory, led by Dr Kerry Houston.
On Wednesday morning, Archbishop Kwong and Archbishop Michael Jackson of Dublin meet school principals in the See House, before meeting the staff and students at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute.
This evening [Thursday] the visitors from Hong Kong are attending Evensong in TCD Chapel, where Archbishop Kwong will preach.
Tomorrow [Friday] they visit Bangor, where they meet the Revd Michael Parker and Canon Simon Doogan in Bangor. In Belfast, they are attending the lunchtime Eucharist in Saint Anne’s Cathedral and meet the Bishop of Clogher, church and public figures, and visit the Revd Chris Bennett at ‘The Dock’ in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. In the evening, they visit Armagh Library, and meet the Archbishop of Armagh and the Dean of Armagh before returning to Dublin.
The following picture appears on the website of the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough today [17 October 2013]:
