This year’s Parish Feastday Triduum themed Be Disciples of Hope (Creative, Inclusive & Bridge Building), culminated with a multilingual Mass on Monday, July 31 at St Ignatius Church (SIC). The Eucharistic celebration at 8.00pm coincided with the feastday of St Ignatius of Loyola, the patron saint of SIC and founder of the Society of Jesus who passed away 461 years ago. Representatives from both English- and Mandarin-speaking Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) and ministries processed into church before the Mass started.

Fr George Harrison, parish priest from the Church of the Visitation, Seremban, was the main celebrant, with SIC parish priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD, assistant parish priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD and Fr Francis Ng CDD as concelebrants.

In his homily, Fr George advised the parishioners to not just pray, pay and obey. They should not just be onlookers but to also serve in church ministries and BECs. They should reach out to those outside the church, such as the migrants, visit the homebound, the suffering and the sick in hospitals and build bridges with people of other faiths. They were encouraged to be active members of the Body of Christ.

At the close of Mass, Fr Wong thanked his fellow priests and organisers who had made the event a success. Thereafter, everyone was invited to a fellowship.

On July 29, the first day of the Triduum, Fr VA Michael (parish priest, Church of St Paul the Hermit, Bestari Jaya) was the main celebrant at the 6.00pm sunset Mass with a focus on healing. Parishioners had the opportunity to be prayed over for healing after the Mass. Concurrently at the Costantini Community Centre, Fr Aloysius Tan, parish priest from the Church of the Sacred Heart, Kampar, Perak, was the main celebrant at the sunset Mass for Mandarin-speaking parishioners. Fr Tan also celebrated Masses at 6.45am and 11.15am (Mandarin) July 30 during which he focused on Being Creative.

During the 8.45am Mass celebrated by Fr Alberto Irenus SJ, assistant parish priest from the Church of St Francis Xavier, Petaling Jaya, the homily was about the importance of Being Inclusive. He said that everyone is welcome in the Kingdom of God. However, in the Church, the Kingdom of God on earth, parishioners serve in ministries geared to their talents and capabilities.

Fr Gregory Chan, assistant parish priest from the Church of the Assumption, Petaling Jaya focused on Bridge Building in his homily at the 6.00pm Mass.

A movie titled Ignacio de Loyola on the life of SIC’s patron saint was screened at 8.00pm. Other activities organised as part of the Triduum included a nine-day Novena to St Ignatius, Liturgy of the Hours, and recitations of the rosary and Litany of St Ignatius.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online