iSurprise Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Catholic missionaries

This church is one of the few religious structures along Praya Road. It was abandoned a long time ago, but you can still see the entrance to the church and its name in Chinese characters, 天主堂.

The formation

After the Chinese Civil War, missionaries helped alleviate the need for humanitarian aid, education and community building for Hong Kong's quickly growing urban population. This church was established by the brother of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM), a Belgian congregation that started with a small mission to Inner Mongolia in September 1863 and grew into a global missionary organisation.

Planting the seeds

Next to the church is Tak Kei Kindergarten (德基幼稚園), set up by Belgian Father Octaaf De Vreese, CICM, in 1962. Because of Lei Yue Mun's dwindling population, the school closed its doors in the 1970s.