Catholic diocese asks parishes to hold special masses to mark Tai Po fire anniversary

The head of Hong Kong’s Catholic diocese has asked all of the city’s parishes to hold special masses and prayers to mark the first anniversary of the deadly Tai Po fire later this month.

Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan invited parishes to offer mass for the deceased on November 26, one year after the blaze broke out, according to a notice issued by the Hong Kong Catholic Diocesan Liturgy Commission on Friday.

The inferno at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate raged for more than 43 hours, killing 168 people and displacing nearly 5,000 residents.

Chow also requested that special intentions be included in the prayers at all masses on the following Sunday.

The recommended prayer asks God to console the souls of those who died in the fire, while also praying that the Lord would teach people “to practice charity, uphold the truth, and work for justice”.

A church in Tai Po had earlier planned to hold a memorial mass for victims of the fire but subsequently removed the reference to it being for the Wang Fuk Court dead, prompting speculation that it had come under pressure.

In a social media post last week, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Tai Po said it would hold memorial masses to pray for those who died, the survivors and their families.

The first was scheduled to take place on Sunday afternoon at the Tai Po church while the second one was to be held on the eve of the tragedy’s anniversary at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Mid-Levels, it said.

According to the now-deleted post, a memorial plaque inscribed with the names of the 168 victims would be placed before the altar during the second mass, allowing attendees to pay tribute, pray for the deceased and offer incense.

But it later put up another post, saying the Sunday mass would be for “all brothers and sisters who died this year” instead.