What have you found in Shung Tak?

I would like to talk about a word, “found”, with all of you. If we look at the dictionary, we will know that there are two meanings for this word. It could mean to bring something into existence or to establish something, and of course this word is also the past tense of “find”, which means to discover or see where a thing or person is.

As it is the Founder’s Day today, we will have a series of activities and celebrations. But do you know why we have to celebrate this day? In fact, the founding of the church and the school is closely related to our life in Shung Tak now.

As you all may know, one of our Patron saints, St. Peter, had an irreplaceable role in the formation of the church. According to Chapter 16 of Matthew, Jesus chose Peter to be the foundation of the Church. Jesus said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” Since then, Peter led the Twelve Apostles in extending the church and spreading the gospel to different cities.

The formation of the church was very important as it helped the religion to spread to all parts of the world, and eventually to Hong Kong, and to Yuen Long and Hung Shui Kiu. Our school was founded by a priest called Reverend Father Wong King-in in 1958. With all of the hard work of Father Wong, teachers and students of many generations, we could continue to provide quality Catholic and English education for residents in the district for more than 60 years. Therefore, by celebrating the Founder’s Day, we are showing appreciation of the effort of our founding members, and the continuous uphill battles that all the teachers and students are fighting in order to reach success for Shung Tak.

Speaking of the second meaning of the word “found”, I would also like to share what I have found in Shung Tak. For me, it is the life-long friendship that I have formed with my classmates. Studying for the HKDSE had been a tough, marathon-like journey that would have been way more difficult without their support and positivity. And of course, there were many special moments that we shared during school events like Sports Day, Operation Santa Claus, and also Founder’s Day. Even though I graduated quite some time ago, I could still say that my classmates in STC are the most genuine people that I have ever met. I would still talk to them when I have encountered difficulties at work. Even though we might be working in different sectors and even living in different parts of the world, I know that they will always be there for me no matter what.

How about you? What have you found in Shung Tak? As our founders had laid such a good foundation for us to study and enjoy school life at this school, what have you discovered in these past few years? This might be a good question for you to think about throughout the celebration today, and I would love to see your reply when you are attempting the Morning Prayer Challenge.

Ms Wu HY
28 November 2022