Students fro remote Kiulu attend Soccom’s Year of Mercy programme

KIULU – About 120 students from remote villages of Kiulu District in the West Coast of Sabah joined adult Catholics to listen to a catechesis on the mercy of God and the need for repentance during Lent at St Joseph Husband of Mary Church here on 2 Mar 2018.

The students are from the girls and boys hostels of San Damiano located within walking distance of the church.

The talk, given by a panel of speakers from the Social Communications Commission of the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu (Soccom ADKK) was centred on the Gospel reading on “The Samaritan Woman”.

Father Thomas Madanan, the parish priest and the Commission’s Spiritual Adviser, told the gathering, “For Christians, seeking God’s mercy and showing mercy to others, is an endeavour of a lifetime.”

“That’s why although the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy (YoM) officially ended in November 2016 Soccom has continued with its special YoM programme,” he said.

Ramin Ebi, head of the Soccom committee at the local parish here, welcomed the delegation from Soccom ADKK, in the presence of Rinus Katong, chairman of the Parish Pastoral Council.

Soccom ADKK members, Joseph Leong, Gideon Abel and Jenney Juanis, who jointly gave the catechesis, told the parishioners here that the same love and mercy shown to the Samaritan woman by Jesus was available to them too as long as they were open to the Lenten call for conversion and willing to believe in the Gospel.

The speakers invited them to be reconciled with each other in their respective family by way of forgiveness and other acts of mercy, particularly during the season of Lent.

The students also had the opportunity to watch a video on various celebrations during the YoM in the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu and were given a free copy of an information leaflet on the Jubilee Year, entitled, “What ‘Mercy’ Means to Me and My Family.”

Patricia Regis, another Soccom ADKK member, responsible for documentation and research work, was also present to lend support for the event.

Since the programme was held on a Friday, it was preceded by Stations of the Cross and a Eucharist both conducted in the Kadazan language, the common lingo of the local community.

Fr Madanan dedicated the Mass for the repose of the soul of Irene Obon, a former chairperson and long- serving member of Soccom ADKK who was called to eternal rest on Feb 21,.

St Joseph Husband of Mary in Kiulu is the fourth parish where this special YoM programme was conducted in the archdiocese.

Previous occasions were at the Holy Rosary Church Limbahau (11 Nov 2016), the Holy Nativity Church Terawi (28 April 2017), and St Catherine’s Church Inanam (18 Aug 2017). – Soccom ADKK

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu