R.I.P.
Fr. John Russell went peacefully to the Lord on September 22, 2023, at St. Paul Hospital, Hong Kong, at 3:27 p.m. Cause of death: pneumonia
Fr. Russell was born in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 24, 1926. He entered the Society at Emo, Co. Laois, Ireland, Ireland, on Nov. 12, 1943; was ordained to the priesthood on July 31, 1957 in Milltown Park, Dublin, and professed the final vows on Feb. 2, 1961 at the church of the Gesù, Rome. (In Loving Memory of Fr. Russell)
It is with great sadness to receive the news from her family that Ms. Gertrude Chan of Maryknoll Convent School passed away peacefully on June 1st at Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital. Ms. Chan had been an enthusiastic and active supporter of WYKAAO’s functions and activities since the formation of our alumni association decades ago. She will be dearly missed.
Here are the details of the arrangements for Ms. Chan's funeral.
James Tong Memorial Service can now be seen in full. Please follow the link to view.
Access Passcode: 1UCLACCS!
Update - It will be held at 18h00 Pacific time on April 8, which will be James’s 74th birthday. It will be 21h00 Eastern time or 09h00 April 9 HK time.
A fellow professor of James at UCLA reached out to us to let us know that they are planning a virtual memorial service for James, most likely via Zoom. The dates suggested are March 5, 13, 18 and 20. The likely time will be 4:00 pm Pacific time which is 8:00 am the following day in Hong Kong and China. If there is enough interest coming from Asia, they might consider having another one just for that time zone. So please
We received the sad news from Dermot’s family that he passed away peacefully on January 20 in Toronto. The funeral service and arrangements had been taken care of already by the family.
Dermot is remembered as a key member of his class year and a dedicated supporter of all activities organized by the alumni association, even with his declining health in recent years. His contributions to the association in the early formation years are well respected. He will be dearly missed in the whole Wah Yan community.
Our beloved legendary music teacher, Mr. LEE Tak Kuan, Tak Suk (Uncle Tak), passed away on 30th October 2020 at the age of 92. His family accompanied him at his bedside during his final hours.
Tak Suk studied composition and music theory under the tutelage of the first generation of Hong Kong composers, YE Chun Zhi and others. He also took vocal lessons from Russian soprano Madame Oshayev. He was featured in many operas as the lead singer and performed in many church services. His active music life won him many lasting friendships in the music circle.
Between 1974 and 1991, Tak Suk was the Head of Music at Wah Yan College, Kowloon. Under his baton, the School Choir won more than twenty championships in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. His humorous approach to education impressed many of his students and he maintained a close friendship with his choristers beyond retirement.