Adoption or Foster Care?

Baptismal Font
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Hong Kong 

Alas, the harsh reality came too sudden for James, the widower, whose only choice now was to have someone take care of the new-born baby. Less than two weeks, a wealthy couple, George Taufer (German-American engineer) and Leopoldine Marie Magedo (Macau-Portuguese), took the cudgels as new godparents to the infant who christened her Leopoldine Bracken at the nearby Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. In a couple of weeks later, however, her birth was registered as Josephine Bracken, a name she would carry on in her life as an adult that would have significantly etched in the patriotic cause of the Philippine Revolution of 1896.

It was not clear whether James Bracken's three elder children, Charles, Nelly and Agnes, remained with him at Victoria Barracks. Most probably they did and they all travelled together when he left Hong Kong in January 1878 for his new deployment to Singapore. Now under the care of her foster parents (not ‘adoptive parents’, because the child did not lose her legal identity) Josephine must be close to one and half years old by the time of separation with her biological father and siblings.

Paying a visit to the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was a hard find as this old church is now nearly obliterated by skyscrapers surrounding it. Although its official address is 16 Caine Road, we were only able to access it through a narrow driveway between Caritas House and Raimondi College - off a small roundabout at the end of Glenealy Street. One has to have strong legs to negotiate the inclined road. Since it was raining at the time of our visit, walking made it more difficult for us.

Directions: from Star Ferry, walk over the footbridge to Central, cross Des Voeux Road to Pedder Street, cross Queen’s Road to Wyndham Street, cross Lower Albert Road to Glenealy Street, pass through subway to get to the other end, climb steps and as you emerge on Glenealy Street again, in front would be Caritas House, turn left till you reach the end of this building and take the steps towards the driveway fronting the Cathedral. Distance to cover from Star Ferry: 1300 meters.

Catch your breath, rest and appreciate your environs. The old building that houses the Foreign Correspondents Club and the Fringe Club of Hong Kong (non-profit Arts organization) with its late Victorian-era architecture located at the junction of Wyndham and Lower Albert Road is quite an attraction. Built in 1890 and renovated 1913.

next page: Growing Up




My other blogs:

Traditional Hong Kong Herbal Tea House
Jou San! Sham Shui Po
Caramoan: Island-Gems of Camarines Sur, Philippines