The Guild of St Luke, St Cosmas and St Damian

The Catholic Church was established in Hong Kong soon after the island was proclaimed a British colony.St Francis Hospital was built in 1852 in Wanchai, and in 1869 the Canossian sisters took over its operation.It was replaced by the Canossa Hospital on Old Peak Road in 1959.St Paul's Hospital also began in Wanchai around 1894 before relocating to its present site in Causeway Bay in around 1918.Two more Catholic hospitals-St Teresa's Hospital and Precious Blood Hospital-were opened before the Second World War.More Catholic hospitals, including Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital and Caritas Medical Centre, were built in the 1960s to meet the unmet demand created by a rapidly increasing population. 1 By the mid-1960s, various Catholic bodies operated 32 clinics serving the poor. 2 Some of these clinics were served by local Catholic doctors who worked pro bono.The Guild of St Luke, St Cosmas and St Damian Hong Kong (the Guild) is an organisation of Catholic doctors in Hong Kong.Its story began in 1953.In March 1953, a number of Catholic doctors were invited to a 3-day retreat at Ricci Hall of The University of Hong Kong.During an after-dinner discussion, it was decided to establish a Catholic doctors' guild.They wrote to Bishop Lawrence Bianchi who granted approval.3,4 The Guild was formed on 28 May 1953 to promote mutual welfare-both professional and spiritual-among Catholic doctors, and to provide opportunities and facilities for social gatherings and medical discussions, especially in relation to the principles of Catholic medical ethics.4 The Guild was named after the patron saints of the medical profession: St Luke, St Cosmas and St Damian.They were all doctors.St Cosmas and St Damian were twin brothers and early Christian martyrs, known for providing free medical services.St Luke is the evangelist who wrote the Gospel of Luke.The Jesuit Fathers, founders of Ricci Hall, were instrumental in the establishment of the Guild.Fr Fergus Cronin, warden of Ricci Hall from 1947 to 1955, was a strong advocate for its founding and served as its spiritual advisor from the beginning until 1980.He was succeeded by Fr John Russell and later by Fr Robert Ng (from 2008 to the present).