Year	Date	Events
1941	25 Deemver - 15 August 1945	Japanese occupation; destruction and hardship forced many people to evacuate; Catholic personnel evacuated or interned, activities stopped almost completely; Vatican War Victims Funds distributed; in Wai Yeung, foreign missionaries first interned, then released; those in Hoi Fung expelled to Ka Ying (3 years).
1945	August - September	Post-war reconstruction started.
	9 November	Official opening of the Catholic Centre.
1946	1 March	"Sunday Examiner", an English language Catholic paper, founded by Fr. N. Maestrini.
	11 April	The Eccl. Hierarchy in China established; Hong Kong Vicariate raised to Diocese, Bishop Valtorta installed as 1st Bishop of the Diocese on 31 October 1948.
1947		New Territories West District divided into Taipo and Tsuen Wan Districts.
		Franciscan Missionaries of Mary arrived for pastoral and educational work (St. Rose of Lima School: 1947).
1948		Franciscan Biblical Institute transferred from Peking, (the complete Chinese translation of the Bible published in 1969).
	¡@	Society of the Divine Word established their Procure.
1949	1 January	Sisters of St. Columban took charge of the Ruttonjee Hospital.
	25 January	9 urban churches raised to parish status.
	18 February	The Holy Spirit Minor Seminary reopened in Sai Kung (moved to new premises in Pokfulam in 1957).
	February	St. John Baptist Brothers arrived, the first to work among refugees (in Junk Bay, 1950).
	21 April	Fr. Lawrence Bianchi appointed Auxiliary Bishop (consecrated bishop on 9 October).
	May	Marist Brothers arrived (St. Martin's College, later St. Francis Xavier's, in 1952).
		Brothers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus arrived.
		With the Communist take-over of the mainland, refugees started to pour into Hong Kong, among them many Catholics and clergymen from all over China; the diocesan activities were restricted to the Colony area.