St. Michael Catholic Cemetery, Happy Valley

Today, I accompanied 4 students to a North Western Deanery Catholic School joint school visit to the St. Michael Catholic Cemetery in Happy Valley. Fr. Patrick Sun was the Spiritual Director and he led a very meaningful morning prayer before our journey. It rained and sometimes poured the whole morning. However, God had been very kind to us. When we were indoors (say inside the Chapel), it was pouring. When we walked among the tombs, the rain stopped. May God be praised forever.
The Cemetery is a familiar site for me. Here lies a lot of memories. I said a little prayer before the tomb of Mr. Joseph Liu, my secondary school principal, under whom I attended my instruction class and got baptized. He drove an Italian Fiat. May he continue to pray for this incompetent student.
What remains of Fr. Tapella P.I.M.E. is only a plaque in the Chapel. The altar was decorated with symbols of A and W; CR. Above the altar, there was a mural of "Our Lady of Sorrows", sort of Michangelo's Pietà. There is an inscription "In Pace Christi, Hic Requiescupit" above the mural. In those youthful good old days, Fr. Tapella led a group of enthusiastic youngsters to visit the physically and mentally handicapped children in Choi Hung. We went picnicking and camping in Sai Kung. These formative years left deep impressions in my soul. I am deeply grateful for his selfless sacrifice for the service of the needy and the formation of youngsters. I learned the true meaning of charity from him. Dear Father, re-enkindle in this fragile man Christ's love for the needy.
I went to the burial ground of the LaSallian Brothers. The last Brother I know of is Brother Austin. In my LaSallian days, he had already retired and spent his days giving private tuition of French to La Salle boys, free of charge. He carried with him a chess set and played with students on the campus. When he saw me and Erminia, he politely lifted his cap and greeted her mistress. Dear Brother, may I follow your footsteps and devote my retirement days for the formation of young men.
Then, I brought my students to visit the ossuary of Fr. John Baptist Wong, the founding principal of Shung Tak. He also composed sacred music which we still sing in Masses on Sundays. Dear Father, pray for Shung Tak. She will be celebrating her Golden Jubilee. May she start a new era and continue to render Catholic education for the young people in the region.
The Cemetery is full and there is no more room for burial. It is a history book recording the early years of Colonial Hong Kong. There is a burial ground for the Canossian Daughters of Charity. They came to Hong Kong in 1848. There were a lot of abandoned girls and the living environment was extremely poor. They worked hard for them. 1850 recorded the first casualty. Sr. Calixle Forcade died of exhaustion.
On the civilian side, there were government officials old and new (e.g. Peter Tsao who retired as the Chief Secretary in 1991), medical practitioners who fought rampant plagues, a King's Counsel, John Joseph Francis, who fought for Bishop Raimondi over educational issues against the Colonial government, a Portuguese printer Noronha and the legendary movie actress Lin Dai（林黛）etc.
As for the bishops of Hong Kong, I could find the ossuaries of Raimondi, Valtorta, Francis Hsu and Peter Li (I might probably have missed those of Piazolli and Pozzoni). I couldn't locate that of Bianchi. He was fondly remembered by the ShungTakians. Cardinal John Baptist Wu rests on the burial ground together with some priests whom I know. When one more priest dies, the oldest occupant will be moved to the ossuary, leaving room for the newly arrived.
The most remembered sign of the Cemetery is the couplet at the main gate. It reads 「今夕吾軀歸故土，他朝君体也相同。」Notice that the word 「体」is in simplified Chinese instead of traditional. It was supposed to be a translation from Latin by a priest. Many people have tried to trace its origin. Fr. Louis Ha has given us a valuable reference. He said that it was part of a quotation from Ashes and dust by  Alcuin of York.  It reads
Quod nunc es fueram, famosus in orbe, viator,
You are now, traveller, what I once was,
et quod nunc ego sum, tuque futurus eris.
and what I am now you will one day become.However, who was the priest that penned the Chinese couplet?

My dear Advocate, thanks a lot for this wonderful history lesson. It is a perfect ending for this academic year. Our D&T teacher, Mr. Ng Wai Leung, died an untimely death in this academic year. His demise reminds us the vanities of life. May we treasure every day that You give us and lead it fully for Your glory. Amen.