Chinese community hits high note
News
Around 80 people are expected to attend a special Mass in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs on Sunday March 1 to celebrate not just the start of the lunar new year but also a special anniversary.
Fr Dean Marin, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Adelaide, will celebrate the Mass at St Joseph’s Church in Tranmere, marking the next stage of the 45th anniversary for the Chinese Catholic Community of South Australia (CCCSA).
Recognition of the anniversary has already begun with Archbishop Patrick O’Regan blessing senior members and founders of the CCCSA at Mass at St Joseph’s in January.
Formed in 1981 by Philomena Koo, Phyllis Lim and Bernadette Li (deceased), the community’s 40th anniversary celebrations were derailed by COVID.
The community’s coordinator, Louisa Au, who has been in the lead role for the past three years, said it was decided to recognise the 45th anniversary.
The Lunar New Year – which ushers in the year of the horse for 2026 – began on February 17.
Louisa said the March 1 Mass promised to be a joyful occasion for everyone and a particularly hectic day for Louisa.
An accomplished musician and choirmaster with duties at two churches, Louisa will be one of 22 volunteers helping on the day.
She emigrated from Hong Kong in 2012 to study social work at UniSA and has worked for St John’s Youth Services for the past 14 years.
Her musical ability was recognised by the Archdiocese’s Cathedral Music leaders when they brought her into their Young Organists program two years ago. She has been learning to play the renowned Casavant Freres pipe organ in St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral for the past year with regular practice and lessons.
“When the Young Organist program became available two years ago, I expressed an interest to the Archdiocese to see if they could give me this opportunity to learn alongside them. Thankfully my services throughout the years got me into the program.
“I have fully enjoyed what I have learnt and now able to play a few Masses in the Cathedral.”
She also teaches four young students who are members of the Chinese choir to play certain parts of the Mass.
“I think I was designed to play (the organ),” the diminutive Louisa said, adding she always wanted to serve the Church in this capacity.
“I wasnʼt able to play the organ in Hong Kong because my skills werenʼt at that level.
“They have rigid rules around how to do it but then God gave me the opportunity to be a migrant here.”
The Chinese choir, which was formed about 10 years ago, has become the anchor of the CCCSA.
Louisa said it “touches so many people” as well as the “formative role played by music more widely within Mass”.
Fr Roderick O’Brien has been involved with the Chinese Catholic community since its early days and celebrated the first Mass in Chinese on Christmas Day 1981 at the Otherway Centre in Pirie Street.
“It has always been a joy to celebrate Mass with the Chinese Catholic Community but there is a special joy when the beautiful choir is such a wonderful dimension of the community life,” said Fr O’Brien.
“Not only do they give their time to practising, they also support one another beyond the Mass. And the choir consists of younger families, spanning the generations. It is a special delight to see a father singing with his new infant tucked into his arms.”
The community is made up mainly of young families from China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
After the anniversary Mass, everyone is invited to join in the festivities with many people bringing along Chinese food to share.
