Father Aloysius Lou Biography 盧湛明神父生平簡介

Father Aloysius Lou was born on November 14, 1933, in Hong Kong as the youngest son to parents, Francisco and Sau Wah. At the age of four, he fled with his family to Macau to escape the Japanese invasion. There, he attended the Istitudo Salesiano with his older brother Pedro, where his father worked as a secretary.

In the following years, his family faced a punishing twist of fate when his father died. Coping with distress as a young widow, his mother found work with the Precious Blood Sisters and through the missionary, she found grace in knowing God. As a devout Catholic, she instilled her spirituality in her children. Fr. Aloysius was baptized in Macau in 1944. After the war ended in 1945, he followed his family and settled in Hong Kong.

In 1949, Fr. Aloysius responded to his calling and joined the Salesian of Don Bosco. In 1953, he went on to study philosophy at the Novitiate Salesian Seminary in Naples, Italy where he stayed for several years. In 1959, he studied theology at Melchet Court, Sherfield, England, where he entered his lifelong journey into priesthood.

Fr. Aloysius was ordained in Macau on December 18, 1965. He started first as a teacher and administrator in Salesian schools and then discerned the call to serve as a diocesan priest. He came to the Archdiocese of Vancouver in 1972 and was incardinated into the Presbyterate of the Archdiocese in 1979. He is most remembered for having served for a long time with dedication and zeal at Saint Francis Xavier Parish, in Vancouver.

As a former teacher, Fr. Aloysius was dedicated to nurturing the spiritual maturity of his ministry. He founded the local Council of the ‘Knights of Columbus’ in St. Francis Xavier Parish in 2005. He was very supportive of the Knights which earned him a 4th Degrees member ranking, titled ‘Sir Knight’. He was also the founder of ‘Saint Joseph Sodality’ for family heads.

Like a good shepherd who is constantly on the lookout for green pastures, Fr. Aloysius tirelessly devoted himself to his ministry. With keen observations and confidence, he identified areas in which promotion and upgrade were apparent. Under his leadership, he led the building of a home for the elderly – Happy Manor was opened in July 1979. In the following year, the new parish daycare center was also completed. Father was always committed to help and respond swiftly to requests. Since 1975, he took up additional ministry work in Seattle for the Catholic community there. His heart was moved with compassion when he learned that ‘they were like sheep without a shepherd’. He commuted to Seattle once monthly over a period of ten years.

In 1995, Fr. Aloysius was invited to serve at Our Lady of Good Counsel, in Pearl City, Honolulu, Hawaii. The congregation grew quickly, and in the summer of 1997, a Chinese ministry was established at Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, where he was appointed associate pastor. After four happy years in Hawaii, father was called back by Archbishop Adam Exner to oversee the new Saint Francis Xavier School and church projects. Fr. Aloysius witnessed the inauguration of the new Saint Francis Xavier church and retired from active ministry in 2008.

Fr. Aloysius studied and spoke many languages and believed that language is the key to broadening one’s horizons. Since his retirement, father devoted his time to work with the Sisters of the Epiphany, a member of the Salesian family in Shaoguan, China, as a volunteer English teacher. Although technically retired, he continued to contribute much of his time and expertise to serve at St. Theresa Roman Catholic Church.

In his later years, another door opened at Saint Joseph’s Seminary and Church in Macau. Invited by the bishop of Macau as a guest pastor, Fr. Aloysius immersed himself in a seminarian’s life of quietness and solitude. There, he reconnected with his distant memories of living in Macau during his childhood. In his retirement years, Fr. Aloysius maintained a part-time presence in Vancouver and led several pilgrimages to Europe, South America, and Asia.

Over his fifty years’ span as pastor, Fr. Aloysius touched the lives of many. His presence was found in every facet of our lives, through baptisms, sacraments, housewarmings, marriages, celebrations, and beside hospital beds. We have known him as a pastor, teacher, confessor, counsel, brother, and a friend. Father fell ill in the beginning of 2022 and bravely fought his illness. He passed away peacefully on May 20, 2022, in the comfort of his home. At the end of his life, Fr. Aloysius felt that he found contentment and fulfillment in his life as a priest, servant, man of prayer, preacher of the Word, mediator and man of the people.

盧湛明神父於一九三三年十一月十四日在香港出生,幼年時曾居澳門,並於慈幼會小學就讀。其父親離世後,母親曾在教區聖心女修院做事,自此認識及接受了主。受到母親的影響,他自小已建立對主的信賴。一九四四年，正式受洗為天主教徒。一九四五年二次大戰和平後，與家人返回香港居住。

一九五三年，赴意大利攻讀哲學,其後分別在意大利及英國攻讀神學, 在歐洲渡過了八年留學生涯。一九六五年於澳門晉鐸神父。作為鮑思高慈幼會會士的他，曾任教於香港及澳門慈幼會屬下多間男子中學。一九七二年，應周若漁神父邀請來温哥華教區服務,協助周神父打理堂區牧民事務，並於一九七五年晉升為聖方濟堂主任司鐸。盧神父在聖方濟堂區服務數十載,直至二零零八年退休。任內, 他盡心盡力推動傳教工作, 期間成立了多個堂區服務小組及靈修團體, 如騎衛會及聖若瑟會等,以加強教友間之聯繫,並增強教友們信仰上的培育。

除牧民工作以外,他也十分關顧教友們各方面的需要,如興建了頤園長者院舍,新建堂區托兒所,聖方濟小學校新校舍和籌建新聖堂等,全面顧及長者、幼童、中年及青年人的需要。除本堂工作外,盧神父也不遺餘力,騰出時間去協助其他有需要的教區。自一九七五年以後的十年期間,他每月抽身到西雅圖市聖伯多祿堂,主持主日彌撒, 服務當地華人教友。一九九五年,盧神父獲邀到美國夏威夷教區服務,協助發展華人教務。任內四年,教區人數大幅上升。期後被主教派回溫哥華教區完成興建校舍及聖堂的使命。

退休後的盧神父並沒有真正退下來,反而積極響應海外華人教友團體的要求,到當地協助及發展華人傳教事務。他曾在中國韶關教區(昔日顯主會的德蘭修院)教授外語及建設,募捐興建多元化服務中心、教區長宿舍,在當地花了不少心力,對當地教區有深遠的影響。他在人生最後的日子裏,留任於澳門教區耶穌會聖若瑟修院,深得澳門主教喜愛及重用。退休後的盧神父,多次組團帶領教友到海外朝聖,曾往歐洲、南美洲及亞洲等地。

盧神父的一生曾為多個教區服務,勞苦功高。他愛主愛人,用心做事,不遺餘力,務求盡善盡美的作風,給人留下深刻的印象,深受學生及教友的愛戴。盧神父在這五十年的牧者生涯中，與我們密切聯繫, 一起走過生命中的每一段落, 正面地影響著我們,尤如在入門領洗聖事、喬遷之喜、婚姻慶典，以至在醫院施放傅油聖事，及關懷和鼓勵病弱衰老的教友。他是我們敬愛的善牧、良師、輔導、弟兄和朋友。他在本年一月中起卧病, 於本年五月二十日蒙主寵召,安詳返回主的懷抱,享年八十八歲。盧神父在踏入生命終結時感到安慰,覺得他已完成使命，一生已圓滿充實,準備好回天父的懷裏。親愛的盧神父，我們永遠懷念你。