Musings
Rosaryhill and the Conversion of China
The spot where it stood had a commanding view of lower Hong Kong, particularly the area where now stands the famous Hong Kong hippodrome
(St. Albert’s Priory in Hong Kong stands slightly off center of the photo, at the highest point of the shaded area)
One of my fondest memories of my former religious life back in the late 1950s was the daily visit with my fellow novices to a shrine of Our Lady of Fatima that overlooked mainland China from Mt. Nicholson in Hong Kong. The shrine was supposed to be a replica of the original located in Portugal, with the three shepherd children — Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta — kneeling in front of the Lady in white who looked at them tenderly like a mother.
We would surround the image in a semi-circle in the manner of the three children and, together, pray the Holy Rosary and chant the Salve Regina, a moving paean to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our main petition: the conversion of China to Christianity.
It was quite a sight, particularly during the winter months, when we covered our heads with the cowls of our religious habits to protect us from the biting cold.
One could always feel the solemnity of that prayer activity. We were brand new in religious life. We came from different countries. We had just said goodbye to our respective families. Here we were now, high up in the hills of Hong Kong, looking quite alike in the Dominican religious habit which we now wore instead of our secular clothes, and learning new ways of behaving and thinking with each passing day. This included caring and praying for other people we hardly knew. Like the Chinese in Communist China.
But the shrine itself inspired fervor and sublimation of its own. It stood close by, slightly to the left of the imposing Saint Albert’s Priory building, with about two hundred rooms in it. The shrine was set in a beautifully landscaped garden which was kept clean, spotless, and well-trimmed by the hardworking brothers of the community. The spot where it stood had a commanding view of lower Hong Kong, particularly the area where now stands the famous Hong Kong hippodrome. Beyond it, veiled as it were in a symbolic haze, lay mainland China in the horizon. At that time, there were no buildings to mar the view from the hill.
At this point, I think St. Albert’s Prioriy should merit more than mere passing mention here, if only because of the historic role it played in the life of the Dominican Order in Asia from 1935 to 1962.
The building itself was designed by a Dominican priest who also designed the Colegio de San Juan de Letran building in Intramuros, Manila, the Dominican Hill building in Baguio City, and the University of Santo Tomas main building on Espana Boulevard in Manila. (That is why the uncanny resemblance of the facades of the four buildings never failed to catch the attention of every Filipino who saw Saint Albert’s Priory from the ferry boat as it crosses over from Kowloon to mainland Hong Kong.)
The Dominicans built St. Albert’s to house their seminary for future Dominican priests and brothers in the whole Far East. Their dream became a reality in 1935, and the place became known throughout the Colony by the enchanting name ROSARYHILL. The new monastery stood conspicuously on the slope of a hill above Happy Valley and was visible from all parts of the harbour and Kowloon. It was for a long time one of the great Catholic landmarks of the island.
St. Albert’s functioned as the main Dominican training center for the Far East from 1935–1959. Hundreds of missionaries were trained in its hallowed halls. They came from various nationalities: Chinese (mainland China and Taiwan), Portugese (Hong Kong and Macau), Malaysians, Ceylonese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Spaniards, Dutch, and Germans.
People also liked to come to pray at the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. Others sought the inspiring tranquillity of Rosaryhill for annual retreats.
Unfortunately, in 1959, the increasing difficulties and risks arising from Communist harassment from the mainland, forced a decision to close down the House of Studies. All members of the religious community were dispersed to the Philippines, Vietnam, the U.S. and Europe.
At the time, the value of the land on which St. Albert’s stood had increased multiple times. Its location was too strategic for real estate developers to pass up. They offered a swap to purchase the land of the original priory to put up new and more modern real estate structures. In return, they would construct a completely new campus for a school for the Order in an adjoining property.
This paved the way for the Rosaryhill School on Stubbs Road in the Wanchai District of Hong Kong. For close to 60 years now, it has served as a private school for boys and girls from families in Hong Kong and Macau.
The old image of Our Lady of Fatima still graces the campus of the school. But, of course, it is not quite the same as the shrine that we knew. In the meantime, are prayers for the conversion of China still being offered? Is Our Blessed Mother still being implored to intercede for such an intention?
A chance bit of information assures me that the Rosaryhill tradition of prayers to Our Lady of Fatima lives on, albeit, perhaps, with some modifications. When I googled Rosaryhill to make sure I was properly updated about the school, I found quite a bit of information that has given me the assurance to my questions above.
One of these bits of information was about my old colleague and brother, the late Father Lionel Xavier, O.P. I now know that he passed away in 2011, when he was 81 years old. Father Lionel was among those who remained with the remnants of the old Dominican Province of the Holy Rosary when this was subdivided in the mid-1970s in order to spin off an autonomous Philippine Dominican Province. He was assigned to Hong Kong to administer the Rosaryhill School. He served the school and its community for decades until he fell victim to cancer, which ultimately caused his death.
But the google files contain much information on how much Father Lionel was loved and held in high esteem by the students and alumni of the school. Having known him up close and personal for many years, I am not surprised at all. He was always a good and committed religious and a humble, sincere, and warm human being. He was a great devotee of the Blessed Mother and her Holy Rosary.
From Hong Kong, he had come to Manila with the Filipino Dominican seminarians. He resided in Santo Domingo Convent and studied at the University of Santo Tomas like the rest of us. He was ordained priest in Manila. His contemporaries included Father Pompeyo de Mesa, O.P., one of the revered elders in the University of Santo Tomas community.
Knowing that Father Lionel Xavier, O.P. was one of those who took care of Rosaryhill School from practically its inception, I am certain that the old tradition of special prayers to Our Lady of Fatima for the conversion of China has continued through the years. My brother Lionel would never have allowed it to cease.
What plans do the heavens have for China and its people? We do not know. We can only hope for the best. And the best way to buttress this hope is to nurture our faith by praying the Holy Rosary. It is Our Lady of Fatima’s constant advice. ###
Ave Maria!
