Ladies & Gentlemen,

The economy in Hong Kong continues to be depressed. The wave of redundancies seems to be never ending.

Our worries do not end here domestically. The world at large appears to have taken leave of its senses with recent incidents such as 11th September attack, probable US war against Iraq, terrorist attacks in Bali and else where. So what is in the horizon apart from darkness?

In this regard, I like to share with you a Christmas message I received from a Catholic Priest, Father Antony. I have set out his message to you verbatim and I hope you will share my feeling that despite the dark clouds hovering over us, there is brightness after all in the horizon!

"My dear Family and Friends:

It is rather appropriate that yesterday, the 25th November 2001, one month to the day until Christmas Day, I stood at Ground Zero in Manhattan.

I had taken Kay into the city to show her the Statue of Liberty. As we drove along the road-canyons between the skyscrapers, the streets had been illuminated and decorated for Christmas.

Trees which had been stripped of their leaves by the autumnal winds, had budded and blossomed with thousands of miniature white lights.

Huge stars, which looked as if they had spun out of their natural orbit, festooned the streets with a blaze of light.

At the end of one of the streets there was, what I perceived to be, a massive, grey altruistic painting many stories high.

It was as if a section of New York had haemorrhaged every vestige of life, and stood like a spectre of death, wreathing twisted metallic arms, garbed in remnant of broken cables, wires and shredded material.

It was the temporary tomb of nearly five thousand people and the devastated remains of the Twin Towers. I stood rooted to the spot.

I write these lines with tears in my eyes - but with great hope in my heart.

Life has been certainly challenging since September 11th 2001.

I realise, however, just how privileged I am to have a life to challenge me!

Life is quite definitely a gift to be celebrated and not a problem to be solved.

It is also quite definitely a GIFT and not a Right.

I guess my "Christmas Message" is quite simple: celebrate that Gift of Life each moment of every day and do not take it for granted.

Please look around you, at the people who love you. And the people who are loved by you.

Invest in those relationships because they are the most important dimensions of what this enigma called life is about.

It is so easy to become enmeshed in a net of daily trivia and pettiness that we forget to savour relationships, laugh and celebrate.

Pettiness and trivia can drain the colour and vibrancy from our lives, until every vestige of celebration, adventure and daring has haemorrhaged into tedious routine and self-created mediocrity.

Proust once said that the real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes.

We are about to celebrate the birth of The Prince of Peace.

The words of Zukay come to mind: "If you wish the world to become loving and compassionate, become loving and compassionate yourself.

If you wish to diminish fear in the world, diminish your own.

These are the gifts that you can give. The fear that exists between nations is a microcosm of the fear that exists between individuals.

The perception of power as external that separates nations is the same that exists between individuals; and love, charity and compassion that emerge within the individual that chooses consciously to align itself with the soul is the same that will bring sexes, races, nations and neighbours into harmony with each other ¡K"

Our present age is known as the Technological Age. Humankind seems to be in a constant quest to master every dimension of human life and existence.

The words of the great Jesuit, and palaeontologist Teilhard de Chardin resonate the challenge of our present age: "Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tide and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love.

Then for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire."

Be assured that you are in my thoughts, prayers and heart. Most of all remember me as loving you.

Love
Fr Antony"

Our guest of honour, Mr. Yip Sing Kit was a student of Ning Po College. Mr. Yip graduated in 1977. Father Antony would approve of Mr. Yip because he is not a person that takes life for granted. If he does, he would not have remembered his past and made a donation of HK$200,000.00 to our school.

Mr. Yip's sense of love, care and obligation to his past and to his future are the qualities that are sadly missed in today's world. These are no doubt the same qualities that made him successful.

We thank Mr. Yip sincerely for his generosity.

Before I leave, allow me to wish you health and prosperity in the New Year.