The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (abbreviated SKH), also known as the Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal), is the

Anglican church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and

Macao Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a po ...

. It is the 38th

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

. It is also one of the major denominations in Hong Kong and the first in the Anglican Communion to ordain a female priest. The Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui is divided into three

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

s in Hong Kong and one missionary area in Macau. Each diocese is led by a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

and the missionary area is directly led by the Archbishop. The

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...

of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui holds the title of

Archbishop of Hong Kong The Archbishop of Hong Kong () is the senior bishop, spiritual and moral leader of the Anglican Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and the Primate of Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administra ...

, and is elected from the diocesan bishops of the province. Andrew Chan is the current Archbishop and Primate and

Bishop of Western Kowloon The Diocese of Western Kowloon is one of the three dioceses under the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. Its territory covers most of western Kowloon and the western New Territories (excluding the outlying islands of Hong Kong). All Saints' Church, then ...

. Timothy Kwok is

Bishop of Eastern Kowloon The Diocese of Eastern Kowloon is one of the three dioceses under the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. Its territory covers most part of eastern Kowloon and eastern New Territories. Holy Trinity Cathedral, cathedral of the diocese, was established i ...

and

Matthias Der Matthias Clement Tze-Wo Der (; born 14 August 1964) is an Anglican bishop from Hong Kong. He has served as Bishop of Hong Kong Island since January 2021. Prior to his episcopacy, he served as the dean of St John's Cathedral, Hong Kong from Jul ...

Bishop of Hong Kong Island The Diocese of Hong Kong Island is one of the three dioceses under the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, a province of the Anglican Communion. Its territory covers Hong Kong Island and the outlying islands. The cathedral of the diocese, St. John's Ca ...

. The church has approximately 29,000 members.

Anglican Communion

The Anglican Communion is a global family and a fellowship of churches which trace their roots to the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

, with a province being a basic autonomous unit. There are presently 41 independent and self-governing provinces spanning over 160 countries. With well over 100 million members, the Anglican Communion is the third largest church in the world, after the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. In the Anglican Communion, there is no central governing authority. Churches uphold and proclaim the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

Apostolic Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

faith. The front-line unit of Church is the "

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

". Parishes of similar vicinity are then grouped together to form a "

". Dioceses sharing similar cultural and national background would unite and form a "province", participating in the Anglican Communion under the leadership and jurisdiction of an archbishop. The Four Instruments of Unity for the Anglican Communion:Guide to Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui

Anglican faith

The Anglican faith is based on the belief that the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

, the

Holy Scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pra ...

of the Old and the New Testaments, "contain all things necessary to

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

". Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui further maintains the ministry of the Church which it has received through the

Episcopacy A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in the three orders of

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

s, and

Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

History and origin

Sheng Kung Hui was founded in British Hong Kong in 1843, following the

Treaty of Nanking The Treaty of Nanjing was the peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (1839–1842) between Great Britain and the Qing dynasty of China on 29 August 1842. It was the first of what the Chinese later termed the Unequal Treaties. In the ...

. The first colonial chaplain was Vincent John Stanton. The first Chinese church, St. Stephen's Church, was founded in 1865. From then onwards, in the course of development of the

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

and

, churches continued to grow and witnessed the establishment of the Diocese of Victoria () in 1849 under the See of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

; the establishment of the Kong Yuet Diocese () under the Province of the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui () in 1913, which ran in parallel with the Diocese of Victoria, until it resolved in 1951; and the birth of the

Diocese of Hong Kong and Macao The Diocese of Hong Kong and Macao was an extra-provincial diocese in the Anglican Communion serving Hong Kong and Macau. It existed from 1951 until 1998, when it was reorganized as an autonomous Anglican church, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. His ...

() in 1951, which was subsequently completely separated from the national Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui. In the 40th Synod of the Diocese held in December 1991, it was resolved that steps were to be taken to expand the Diocese into a province and eventually in 1998, the Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui was established.

Bishops

Diocese of Hong Kong and Macao

*Ronald Owen Hall (1951–1966) *Gilbert Baker (1966–1980) *Peter Kwong Kong-kit (1980–1998)

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui

Archbishop and Primate of Hong Kong

*Peter Kwong Kong-kit (1998–2006) *Paul Kwong (2007–2021) * Andrew Chan (2021–present)

Bishop of Hong Kong Island

* Peter Kwong Kong-kit (1998–2007) *

Paul Kwong Paul Kwong CStJ (; born 28 February 1950) is a retired Anglican bishop from Hong Kong, who served as Archbishop and Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, Bishop of Hong Kong Island, and Bishop of Macau from 2007 to 2021. Kwong is also the current ...

(2007–2020) *

(2021–present)

Bishop of Western Kowloon

* Thomas Soo (1998–2012) *Andrew Chan (2012–present)

Bishop of Eastern Kowloon

* Louis Tsui (1998–2013) * Timothy Kwok (2014–present)

Structure

Dioceses and Missionary Area

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui consists of three

s and one missionary area. There is a bishop in each diocese. The dioceses are: * The Diocese of Hong Kong Island (香港島教區) * The Diocese of Eastern Kowloon (東九龍教區) * The Diocese of Western Kowloon (西九龍教區) ''(The Diocese of Eastern Kowloon and the Diocese of Western Kowloon are divided and along the Kowloon-Canton Railway in Kowloon and New Kowloon.)'' The missionary area is: *The Missionary Area of Macao (澳門傳道地區)

Parishes and churches

General synod

The Provincial

General Synod The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. Anglican Communion The General Synod of the Church of England, which was established in 1970 replacing the Church Assembly, is the legislative body of the Church of ...

is composedConstitution of the Province of the House of Bishop, the House of Clegy and the House of Laity. Members come from the Diocese of Hong Kong Island, the Diocese of Eastern Kowloon, the Diocese of Western Kowloon and the Missionary Area of Macao. Under the General Synod, there are different Commissions responsible for different areas of ministry.

Mission and pastoral work

The Church is a community with no boundaries in age, social or ethnic status. Members include Chinese, other Asians and Westerners from all over the world. The worship in Churches features

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

Cantonese Chinese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...

and

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...

. ; Pastoral Care : On the parish level, pastoral care is given through fellowships for children, youth, adults, women, elderly and other related groups to cater to the different needs of people of various age groups and background. Retreats, silent meditation,

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

and tours to Palestine are often arranged. Caring for the elderly, family counseling service, spiritual support in hospitals, pastoral care in correctional institutes, mission to Seafarers and religious service at the Airport are some of the Church's services. ; Religious Education : Religious education of parishes are carried out by Sunday Schools, seminars, disciple training courses and catechism class, among others. The whole Church relies on the Religious Education and Resource Centre to co-ordinate religious education research, provision of religious education curriculum and promotion of religious education. Besides training ordinands, Ming Hua Theological College also provides multi-faceted theological, spiritual and biblical studies for laity.

Social service

Social service of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui started in mid 18th Century. At present, many social service organizations and social service models in Hong Kong were those initiated and promoted by the Church. Services provided by the Church are multi-faceted, including services for family and child-care, children and youth, the elderly, rehabilitation service, community development service and other supportive services. There are more than 230 units providing social service run by Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui at present. In January 2010, the Inland Revenue Department began to pursue the SKH for unpaid taxes in the amount of HK$180 million, relating to a parcel of land in

Tai Po Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui () (the original "Tai Po Market") on the north of Lam Tsu ...

which originally housed an orphanage. In 1993, after the closure of the orphanage, the SKH let

Cheung Kong Holdings Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited, is a multinational conglomerate, based in Hong Kong. It was one of Hong Kong's leading multi-national conglomerates. The company merged with its subsidiary Hutchison Whampoa on 3 June 2015, as part of a major ...

develop luxury apartments on the site, and were estimated to have made profits of HK$450 million in cash, in addition to receiving 120 apartments for free.

Social issues

On women's ordination, the church was the first in the Anglican Communion to ordain women to the priesthood:

Florence Li Tim-Oi Florence Li Tim-Oi (; 5 May 1907 in Hong Kong – 26 February 1992 in Toronto) was the first woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion, on 25 January 1944. Biography In 1931, Florence Li was present at the ordination of ...

in 1944 and another in 1971. Churches in Hong Kong and "Christian clerics are often divided on topics such as... gay rights". In 2007, the former primate, Archbishop Peter Kwong, stated that "Anglicanism is inclusive...so why shouldn't we find a common ground on homosexuality?". Beginning in 2013, some leaders in the Hong Kong Anglican Church endorsed social and civil rights legislation under the auspice of providing protection for LGBT citizens from employment and other varieties of discrimination. The Equal Opportunity Commission chair, York Chow Yat-ngok, who is Anglican, said that gay "people should not be discriminated against" regardless of religious views. Later, in 2015,

Peter Douglas Koon Peter Douglas Koon Ho-ming, (; born 1966) is the provincial secretary general of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (HKSKH) and a chaplain of HKSKH St John's Cathedral. He is also a member of the Election Committee and 13th Beijing Municipal Committee o ...

, the Anglican province's secretary general, denounced conservative schools' policies against LGBT relationships as discrimination and reassured the public that Anglican educational institutions would welcome LGBT faculty and students.

Education

There are altogether 33 secondary schools sponsored by Sheng Kung Hui in the territory,Website of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui
link
/ref> amongst which namely:

Primary schools

*Sheng Kung Hui Chu Oi Primary School *Sheng Kung Hui Chu Oi Primary School (Lei Muk Shue) *Sheng Kung Hui Ho Chak Wan Primary School *Sheng Kung Hui Kei Oi Primary School *Sheng Kung Hui Tsing Yi Estate Ho Chak Wan Primary School *Sheng Kung Hui Tsing Yi Chu Yan Primary School *Sheng Kung Hui Holy Spirit Primary School *Sheng Kung Hui MOS Holy Spirit Primary School *Sheng Kung Hui Holy Trinity Primary School * Sheng Kung Hui St Clement's Primary School

Secondary schools

Diocesan Boys' School The Diocesan Boys' School (DBS) is a day and boarding Anglican boys' school in Hong Kong, located at 131 Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon near Mong Kok East station. The school's mission is "to provide a liberal education based on Christian pr ...

Diocesan Girls' School Diocesan Girls' School (DGS) (), and Diocesan Girls’ Junior school, one of the oldest girls' schools in Hong Kong and a well known secondary and primary school in Kowloon, HK, was founded in 1860 by the Anglican (Episcopalian) Church (Hong K ...

Heep Yunn School Heep Yunn School ( Chinese 協恩中學) is an Anglican girls' secondary school founded in 1936, commonly known simply as HYS. It is located in Ma Tau Wai, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The School commenced operation in the DSS (Direct Subsidy Scheme) ...

Holy Trinity Church Secondary School Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ...

* Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School * Chan Young Secondary School * Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School * St. Mark's School * Bishop Mok Sau Tseng Secondary School * St. Paul's Co-educational College * St. Paul's College * St. Stephen's College * St. Stephen's Girls' College

Education reform controversy

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, with its sponsored primary and secondary schools, were embroiled in the School-Based Management Policy controversy with the government in 2002, five years after the handover.

SKH Ming Hua Theological College

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui runs its own theological college: Ming Hua Theological College, named after Bishop Ronald Owen Hall. Ming Hua College was established in 1947 by Bishop R.O. Hall in what was then the Church of England’s Diocese of Victoria. It was at first dedicated to the education of Chinese lay Christians, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds. In 1996, now part of the Diocese of Hong Kong and Macao, the College was renamed Sheng Kung Hui ("Holy Catholic Church") Ming Hua Theological College and given the responsibility of training priests for full-time ministry in the Church. This work continues today as part of the Anglican Province of Hong Kong and Macao, with Ming Hua being the Provincial training centre for clergy and laity. The College’s broader identity, now as in 1947, is to encourage active participation in the thoughtful life of the Church. By providing high quality theological programmes, the College has always encouraged members of the Anglican Church to explore deeper understandings of their faith. Additionally, the strong fellowships founded in mutual respect, support, assistance, understanding and tolerance between all members, helps the study of theology at Ming Hua to move beyond the College and into the wider reaches of our communities. Much like the local societies of Hong Kong, Kowloon, and Macao, Ming Hua embraces local, national, and international perspectives. Visiting professors and overseas scholars are frequent guests at the College, exchanging and sharing with local members of the Church. The College is also closely involved with its ecumenical partners in the territory, and the Three Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China.

References

External links

*
SKH Ming Hua Theological College

SKH Religious Education Resource Center

Anglican Communion
{{Authority control Christian organizations established in 1951 Anglican Communion church bodies Christianity in Macau 1951 establishments in Hong Kong