Research Project on the Companionship Between the Catholic Church and Chinese Females in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Catholic Church: A Companion to the Growth of Chinese Women and Girls

Research purpose:

The role of women in the Catholic Church has only received more attention in recent decades, and the male-dominated Church structure has been criticized from time to time. Thus, the universal Church is increasingly aware of the importance of “journeying together of the People of God.” Despite the tilting gender roles in the long history of the Church, it is undeniable that the services of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong have not only improved the status of Chinese women but also changed the Chinese traditional mentality of favoring boys over girls. However, this relationship between the Catholic Church and local Chinese females has rarely been systematically written. This study will explore and demonstrate how the encounter between the two helps shape Hong Kong into a more equal society.

Overall plan:

This research will focus on two aspects: society and within the church. It will use literature to examine various backgrounds, supplemented by oral history, to understand how the local Church promotes women’s status, the challenges and achievements it has made, and its relevance for today.

In society:

1. Early days: Besides setting up girls’ schools, different Church groups also established services such as poor girl clubs, homes for blind girls, orphanages for girls, and vocational training such as embroidery training for job employment. As for the abolition of concubinage, although the Church’s focus is to protect the doctrine, it indirectly improves women’s status.
2. Modern times: Church groups offer shelters for girls from troubled families, protect women’s birthright and care for sex workers.

Within the Church:

1. The first local Chinese female religious order emerged in response to the call for localization.
2. Female Catholics have become pioneers in overseas missionary work, changing the clergy-led model of the past.
3. Several Catholic women’s groups actively provide charity services and participate in social welfare affairs.

Canossian Sisters Taking Care of Women Patients at St. Francis Hospital