Cho Wan Liu

Liu entered the local seminary in 1886 for his philosophical and theological studies. After two years of pastoral practice in Hoi Fung District, he was ordained a priest on 1 Nov 1894. He was assigned back to Hoi Fung, where, according to a witness, “he worked humble and happy among many tribulations and fights, bringing to the troubled hearts the evangelical patience.” He was always on the move, ever ready to visit even faraway villages on foot and satisfied with very little food. In 1910, he was recalled to Hong Kong, having won intense admiration from all those who knew him; they would remember him for a long time to come.

In Hong Kong, Liu helped at Rosary Church in Kowloon and, later, in the direction of the West Point St. Louis Orphanage. A man of exceptional learning and a gifted linguist, his advice was constantly sought, and family disputes were often referred to him. Because of his wisdom, experience, and acknowledged fairness, his decisions were invariably accepted as final.

Liu died in 1923 while staying in his native village, but his body was brought back to and buried in the Catholic cemetery in Happy Valley at the insistent request of Hong Kong Catholics.