Church spaces offer migrant workers safety, dignity, and belonging in Hong Kong

Catholic parishes in Hong Kong provide foreign domestic workers with space to rest and socialize on their days off, according to a survey released by the Diocesan Commission for Integral Human Development on Sept. 27. The survey found that more than 70% of responding parishes allow migrant workers to remain on church grounds after Sunday Mass to spend time with their communities.

In 33 parishes, migrant communities occupied between one-third and one-half of parish premises. To support these workers, churches provided access to parish halls, activity rooms, playgrounds, kitchens, toilets, drinking water, microwave ovens, and storage lockers. Most parishes also celebrated Mass in English or other foreign languages, and many migrant workers serve as lectors, collectors, or choir members.

Hosting large groups creates challenges for local Church facilities. More than half of the parishes share their grounds with schools, which complicates cleaning, security, and property management. More than 30% of parishes identified inadequate storage as their main difficulty, while others cited utility costs, crowd control, safety concerns, and a lack of volunteers.