Joseph Ha

Joseph Ha Chi-shing, O.F.M. (Chinese: 夏志誠, born 4 March 1959) is a Catholic bishop and currently the Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Joseph Ha Chi-shing OFM
Titular Bishop of Simitthus Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong
Church	Catholic Church
Diocese	Hong Kong
See	Hong Kong
Appointed	11 July 2014
Orders
Ordination	9 September 1990 by John Baptist Wu
Consecration	30 August 2014 by John Tong Hon
Personal details
Born	4 March 1959 British Hong Kong
Nationality	China
Denomination	Roman Catholicism
Residence	Hong Kong
Alma mater	Pontifical Urban University Pontifical University Antonianum Saint Louis University
Motto	Pax et bonum (English: Peace and goodness)
Coat of arms

Ordination history of Joseph Ha
History Priestly ordination Ordained by John Baptist Wu (Hong Kong) Date 9 September 1990 Place Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, British Hong Kong Episcopal consecration Principal consecrator John Tong Hon (Hong Kong) Co-consecrators Joseph Zen (Hong Kong em.) Savio Hon (Sec. Sacr. Cong. Prop. Fide) Date 30 August 2014 Place Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Hong Kong
Source(s):[1]

Styles of Joseph Ha Chi-shing
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Biography

Ha was born in Hong Kong, and started learning Catholic catechism and was then baptised during his study in secondary school. After his graduation, he worked in the field of banking[2] before finding his vocational calling after a pilgrimage to a Marian shrine.[3] He joined the Order of Friars Minor in 1984, and received basic religious formation in Taiwan.[4]

He was ordained as a priest on 9 September 1990 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Hong Kong, from the hands of Cardinal John Baptist Wu, the Bishop of Hong Kong at the time.[5] Since his ordination, he has served as parish priest in St. Bonaventure Parish, Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish, and as Parochial Administrator of St. Francis's Parish. He was also appointed as supervisor of St. Bonaventure College & High School, St. Bonaventure Catholic Primary School and Tsz Wan Shan St. Bonaventure Catholic Primary School. He has also been a member of the Hong Kong Catholic Board of Education since 2011. He has also been elected twice as the President of the Franciscan Foundation in Hong Kong (in 1999 and 2010 respectively).

Ha is a theologian and an expert in spirituality,[6] who holds a Master degree in Spirituality from Pontifical University Antonianum.

On 11 July 2014, Ha was appointed as one of the three Auxiliary Bishops of Hong Kong by Pope Francis, holding the titular see of Simitthu, along with Michael Yeung Ming-cheung and Stephen Lee Bun-sang.[7] They were consecrated bishops on 30 August 2014, with Cardinal John Tong Hon, Bishop of Hong Kong, as their principal consecrator.

With Lee's appointment as Bishop of Macau in January 2016 and Yeung's promotion to coadjutor and then bishop of Hong Kong, Ha remains the sole auxiliary.[8]

In September 2019 during the Hong Kong protests he called for people to pray and fast for peace, while speaking up against injustice and corruption, “It's been a tradition for us to fast on Fridays. However, this tradition somehow was abolished. With fasting and prayers, we hope that we can help ourselves to strengthen our mind and soul to fight evil thoughts. Then, we would be in a better position to help fellow Hongkongers.”[9]

Coat of arms

The Coat of Arms of Bishop Ha is unique in two ways: it adopted a simpler design of tassel cord loop, symbolizing simplicity, straightforwardness and sincerity; and it uses a Franciscan cross, instead of the more common Latin Cross, behind the shield.

His episcopal motto is Pax et Bonum, the greeting of St. Francis of Assisi, meaning peace and goodness.[4]

References

1. "Hong Kong: Three new auxiliary bishops ordained". O Clarim. Macau. 19 September 2014. Archived from the original on 8 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
2. "Statement of the Holy See Study Mission, Prot. 3.843/14" (PDF).
3. "天主教夏志誠主教專訪" (PDF). 樹仁大學商業經濟及公共政策研究中心. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-20. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
4. "Bishop of Hong Kong - Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong". www.catholic.org.hk.
5. "Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing". Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
6. "教宗任命楊鳴章、李斌生、夏志誠神父出任香港教區輔理主教 — 鹽與光". saltandlighttv.org.
7. "Rinunce e nomine, 11.07.2014" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
8. "Hong Kong: Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung Dies at Age 73". Zenit. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.