Author Archives: Ken Wong

KOTA KINABALU: This year’s St Simon Feastday celebration saw a record number of First Holy Communicants with 51 candidates and 46 confirmands on Nov 4.

The event started with Mass at the main church where Archbishop John Wong led the celebration, and concelebrated with Archbishop Emeritus John Lee, parish rector Fr Cosmas Lee and Fr Paul Lo.

Archbishop Wong, in his sermon, highlighted the roles of a disciple and apostle. He urged the parishioners and churchgoers to serve like Jesus did — a selfless service through the various ministries in the parish.

“What made this man — St Simon — willing to give his life to Jesus to the point of death?

“I believe St Simon was able to lay down his life for Jesus because Jesus was someone important and special for him.

“What about us? We are also called to be with Jesus and to go forth and share the Good News that God is love, He cares and He is here in this moment,” the archbishop said.

Later Parish Pastoral Council chairperson Anne Wong congratulated the First Holy Communicants and the newly-confirmed.

She also urged them to continue their faith journey through serving in the ministries or sub-ministries in the parish.

Speeches were also given by Archbishop John Wong and Fr Cosmas Lee followed by a cake-cutting ceremony and the singing of the parish’s patron saint song, “Simon Our Patron.”

Fr Cosmas in his speech thanked all the guests for their attendance and also expressed his gratitude to the Archbishop Emeritus for never failing to attend the parish’s feast day since it became a parish in 2008.

For the first time, the Boys Brigade, a new ministry at the parish, and under the guidance of Godfrey Moey, presented a dance performance during brunch at the hall.

Among the invited guests were representatives from the various religious congregations in the State and parishes under the Kota Kinabalu Archdiocese.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Her Excellency Kamala Shirin Lakhdir paid a courtesy call to the Church of St. Joseph on Thursday 8 Nov 2018 in conjunction with Harmony Walk, a visit to several places of worship in Sentul. This is a yearly programme on her agenda and close to her heart. She was accompanied by YB Senator Waythamoorty, the Minister of Welfare and Social Wellbeing, representatives of various religions in Sentul and staff of the Embassy.

On hand to welcome her was Mr. Gabriel Moses, the Parish Pastoral Council Chairman (PPC), Ms. Eleanor Tennakoon, Coordinator of the Parish Ministry of Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Affairs (PMEIA) as well as several senior members of the parish. She was scheduled to spend 15 minutes but ended up being here for a good half hour.

She had earlier been to the Hindu and Buddhist temples in Sentul, enroute to the Taoist temple and Masjid Al Hidayah in Sentul Pasar. She took interest in the history of the church and wanted to know the origins of the parish. Gabriel as PPC Chairman spoke on behalf of the parish community.

He elaborated on the composition of the faithful, programmes for the poor and inter-religious programmes as well as the Myanmar migrants. She inquired on what problems the migrants were encountering being here in Malaysia.

The church celebrates 110 years this year and has its origins with the Railway Depot which is why the church was built. Our guests were impressed on the role played by the church in the community and with the migrants. Gabriel also spoke about the Cathechism classes for the Tamil, English and Myanmar communities held every Sunday. Ambassador Lakhdir asked, “What is the current biggest challenge?” To this, Gabriel said the involvement of youths in the ministries due to the current priorities of the world. However, on-going programmes were organised for the youths in church. Ambassador Lakhdir was keen to enter the church and was ushered in.

The group left at about 9.30 am after a fulfilling visit to enhance inter-religious dialogue.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

BUKIT PADANG: When a momentous occasion such as a Silver Jubilee approaches, the first thing that everyone would be looking forward to is a celebration to commemorate the occasion.

When it comes to a church such as Church of Mary Immaculate (CMI), not only is it momentous but it is also a historical event for many people over 25 years and beyond that.

Although the celebration would be looked forward to, but it is the past that we have to go back to so that we are reminded of how God had worked through these individuals, both religious and lay people, who were chosen to build a church, where the communities have grown bit by bit over the years, and now has become one family.

This is reflected in the theme of CMI’s 25 years dedication: “Celebrating Our Journey Together as a Family of Faith”.

The Uniqueness of CMI

CMI is a triangular-shaped building with a 60-ft hands-clasped-in-prayer bell tower equipped with an electric chime.

The concept of the unique bell tower came from retired Town and Regional Planning Department Director, Datuk Thasius Joeman, a member of the building committee in 1990.

This was disclosed in an interview with him by the Silver Jubilee Committee at the church canteen on 8 April 2018 in conjunction with CMI’s 25 years of dedication. Present also was Thomas Koh, a PWD senior officer who was the treasurer of the building committee.

Joeman said he proposed the concept to founder Father Thomas Sham who in turn brought him to see Bishop John Lee.  It is utterly unique as Joeman said, he has not seen that design during his years of travel around the globe.

Joeman said he was thankful that the bishop accepted the proposal just as he did the idea of having a church on the ground and not having a hall beneath the church.  Earlier, the original design by Paul Chong to have a hall beneath the church had been approved by the bishop.

The retired director said he related to the bishop his experience in Sibu when he attended a Mass in a church that has a hall beneath the church.  He could not concentrate on the Mass because of the noise coming from the basement hall.  He also highlighted the point that it might be difficult to climb the stairs to enter the church as one ages.

After 25 years, the praying hands bell tower with electric chime is still unique and has become a landmark in the suburban area of Bukit Padang.

The Dedication

For the Silver Jubilee celebration, an organizing committee was formed to plan and carry out the jubilee activities from May 2018 onwards. It began with the monthly movie nights featuring “Mary of Nazareth”, “Lourdes” and “Fatima” from May to July; Parish Pilgrimage to the Church of Divine Mercy KKIP in August;  Exhibition by Ministries/Groups in September; Triduum leading to the Thanksgiving Mass and dinner on Sunday Oct 28.  As a weekly preparation until October, a Jubilee prayer was recited during Saturday and Sunday Masses as well as petition for specific groups/ministries in the Prayer of the Faithful.  A souvenir magazine and some souvenir items have been on sale as well.

The Future of the Church is the Community

“Now that the construction of the building of the Church of Mary, Immaculate is completed, it is important that we proceed with the community building.  A Church without a community is not a Church. A Church’s community is a Christian Community. A Christian Community is a believing and evangelizing community and, a community in dialogue with God and at the service of others.” (Message from Bishop John Lee on the occasion of the Blessing of the Church of Mary Immaculate on 31 October 1993).

The church community has been steadily growing and now is in need of better facilities. With this in mind, an approval was given by Archbishop John Wong to proceed with the extension of CMI.

This extension will see the construction of a multipurpose hall, classrooms, additional toilets, canteen and rectory. An unveiling of this extension was done alongside the launching of the Silver Jubilee Exhibition in September.

In his message, parish priest Fr Paul Lo said the building of the multipurpose hall will provide facilities for the church activities, especially catechetical ministries and youth programs.  He added that he believed that this building project would mark the beginning of the establishment of this church as a parish in the near future.

Sources: Silver Jubilee Committee (Sr Anna Yap) / CMI SOCCOM / CMI Building Committee

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

SINGAPORE: The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore, and the Taoist Federation of Singapore (TFS) jointly organized the Second Christian-Taoist Colloquium in Singapore from November 5-7, 2018. The theme of the Colloquium was “Christian and Taoist Ethics in Dialogue.” Seventy Christian and Taoist scholars and practitioners of interreligious dialogue mainly from Singapore but also from China, France, South Korea, Malaysia, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the Vatican, took part in this event. The participants included a representative each from the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences and the World Council of Churches.

Tan Thiam Lye, Chairman TFS, gave the welcome address and several other representatives offered their greetings. H.E. Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, Secretary PCID, delivered the keynote address.

The Colloquium focused on the following topics: Today’s Crisis of Ethics and Hope for Tomorrow; Taoist and Christian Responses to the Crisis of Ethics; Social Institutions and the Transformation of Human Persons; Spiritual Development and Self-Cultivation; Global Ethics and the Interdependency of All Human Beings; Fostering a United and Harmonious Society; and Emerging Orientations for Future Christian-Taoist Engagement. The program also included cultural and interreligious visits to the Taoist Kew Ong Yah Temple, the Catholic Church of the Transfiguration, and the Harmony in Diversity Gallery.

Following their spiritual and interdisciplinary exchanges, the participants agreed on the following:

We acknowledge that the Second Christian-Taoist Colloquium has helped strengthen our bonds of friendship and nurture our desire for further collaboration.

We shared our concerns and hopes for the future.

We affirm – because of the fundamental ethical teachings of our religious traditions to do good and avoid evil – that no one can escape the moral responsibility of transforming unjust socioeconomic, political, cultural, religious and legal structures.

We recognize that today’s crisis of ethics requires a rediscovery of universal values based on social justice, integral ecology, as well as the dignity of human life at every stage and circumstance. Therefore, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) remains a shared fundamental expression of human conscience for our times and offers a solid basis for promoting a more just world.

We believe in the capacity of our religious traditions to inspire a multi-faceted response to the challenges of our times. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the methods of communication our traditions and stories in a language that is easily understandable.

We believe that families, educational institutions, and religious communities are places of spiritual and moral formation where today’s youth can learn to shape tomorrow’s world into a better place.

We have seen that interpersonal and scholarly exchanges between our religious traditions enabled us to work together to shape the ethical frameworks needed for the common good of this and future generations. 

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Christian lawmakers and Church leaders pledged to combat corruption and act justly with the lead of one of the Best Domestic Battery Attorney Overland Park. The MPs include Works Minister Baru Bian, Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong, Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh and Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Steven Sim.

The MPs and Church leaders signed a pledge at the parliamentary prayer and worship meet at the Royal Lake Club on October 30.

Liew said that the last day for MPs to file their declaration of assets would be on October 31 and that their assets would be made public on Nov 1.

“That is how we measure corruption, especially those who are in public office.

“The pledge of the Pakatan Harapan government is to be transparent and accountable,” said the minister in charge of law.

Baru said Christian MPs were to uphold proper conduct in their work.

“In my first briefing and speech to my ministry staff, I said, ‘you all know me, I am a Christian, and I want to tell you that whatever it is that you are doing on your own, remember God is watching’,” he said.

Also present were Oriental Hearts and Mind Study Institute chairman Dr K.J. John and Archbishop Julian Leow, who is also the Christian Federation of Malaysia chairman.

Archbishop Leow urged politicians and those in the government to create “new politics” that would work towards the betterment of all the people in the nation.

“To the current government, the temptation is to blame the previous administration.

“We are aware of the wrongdoings in the past but you are no longer in the opposition.

“You are now in the driver’s seat,” he said.

He added that a stronger and more equitable Malaysia was needed, given the challenges such as the country’s debts and the impending global recession.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

At the age of 12, Martinian Lee wrote in an essay that his ambition was to be a priest. Little did he know, that 25 years later, he would achieve his ambition.

“I was very young and immature then, and so I didn’t really fully understand what the priesthood is,” he said.

As he entered into adulthood, Lee wanted to fall in love, get married and have children with a good career and enjoy the ‘good life’ but there was a restlessness in his heart.

“I felt something wasn’t right. A feeling deep within me was trying to tell me that marriage was not for me. I was in denial, of course, but God was very gentle in his approach and never gave up on me.”

It was fear that kept Lee from saying ‘yes’ to God. Fear of not being able to live a celibate life. Fear of being lonely.

“Somehow, I realised that being controlled by fear is really no fun.My life was not giving glory to God because I wasn’t living out God’s will for me. I was missing true joy and freedom.

“After many years, I realised that God wouldn’t leave me alone. I was tired of running away from him and so I decided to say yes to God. Immediately, I felt a sense of peace and calmness in my heart. I had a sense of joy and freedom that I had never experienced before. Fear suddenly did not have a grip on me anymore. I felt like I could fly. That’s when I knew that God was truly calling me to the priesthood,” he said.

Being a cradle Catholic and the youngest in a family of three, Lee was very involved in his home parish, St Theresa’s Church, Melaka, from a very young age.

“I learnt so much from serving in church as a teenager, such as self-confidence, public speaking, punctuality, responsibility, respect, and camaraderie among the community. I know at times, I spent more time in church than at home but my parents didn’t mind because they were very active in church too. The community in church, in a way, planted the seed of the priesthood in me,” he said.

Although very active in church, Lee did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. However, he slowly learned about Jesus through the relationship he built within the community.

“I always thought the more I did in church meant the more Catholic I was. But as I grew older, I realised I knew very little about my faith. My relationship with Jesus needed to go beyond just doing. I needed to befriend the Bible. I needed a prayer life,” he said.

Before joining the priesthood, Lee described his family as his first ‘seminary’ as he was surrounded by many role models at home.

“They taught me how to love Jesus by showing me how to love and treat people. My family showed me great leadership qualities by serving others. My dad is a great role model. He was teaching Catechism long before I was born. My dad has this tremendous love and connection with God. He is truly an inspiration to me,” he said.

The turning point came when Lee had a meeting with Bishop Emeritus Paul Tan SJ who asked Lee to give up his life and serve God as a priest. I replied that I was not ‘holy’ enough and that made me unworthy to be a priest.

“I told him that I had a girlfriend and wanted to get married and would love to have children of my own.

To which he replied, ‘That’s great! It means you understand what love is and we want priests that understand the meaning of love.’ He then continued, ‘You must take the leap of faith. This means that in front of you is a deep and dark hole and you are to jump into that hole but trusting that God will catch you safely in his arms.’ That conversation moved me to tears. I knew then that this was God’s will and I was humbled,” he said.

To Lee, giving up married life was a gift to God and not a sacrifice, as it was the best gift anyone could give to the person you love the most.

“We should always give the best to God. In truth, it isn’t me that is doing God a favour. It is God that is blessing me abundantly when he called me,” he said.

Lee spent his initiation year in St Peter’s College Minor Seminary Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and then continued to St Peter’s College Major Seminary Kuching, Sarawak from 2012-2017.

“In the beginning, I would miss my family but, over the years, seminary life became a norm and Kuching became a second home to me. There were challenging times but never any moment of regret or despair,” he said.

Among the surreal, happy and emotional feelings that Lee had leading up to his ordination, he said he would love to bring people to experience who Jesus is.

“I wrote a prayer on my ordination prayer card entitled, The Gaze of Christ, which sums up my theme:

Love where there is no love. It is easy to love when you are loved but Jesus calls us to love when you have no love shown to you. This is needed, especially in this world today,” he said.

Lee’s message to the young people out there is that the priesthood is not boring. To him it is more like an adventure and worth all the struggles.

“No matter what, God loves you for youself and therefore you must love yourself, only then can you love others,” he said.–By Lavinia Louis

If God calls, he will make a way
Fr Paul Sia is the second among six boys and two girls. Born on August 10, 1956, he studied at Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus in Melaka whilst his secondary years were spent at St Francis Institution. He worked in Malaysia Airlines System in Customer Service Division, Operations Division and Human Resource Division.

Fr Sia was accepted into the Pontifical Beda College in September 2015. He was ordained a deacon at St Paul’s Basilica in June 2017, and completed his studies in June 2018. While studying in Rome, he had the opportunity to serve during the Bishops’ Ad Limina visit in 2018 and met the Pope.

For him, to be a diocesan priest is to be “attached to the parishioners for at least five years where I can ‘LABOUR, SEEK, HEAL, SET-FREE’ 2 Cor 9:7b (this is also my motto). I also follow the adage,‘… God loves a cheerful giver’.”

“I have a bad habit of not answering calls after 10.00pm and it was on March 23, 2014 that I made an exception. The call was from Bishop Paul Tan who gave me the good news — Pontifical Beda College had accepted me as a seminarian.

“My desire to join the seminary for priesthood goes back to 1975 when Fr Francis Ng CDD, a newly ordained priest, took charge of the Church of Saint Ignatius, Sungei Way from Fr Sullivan, a Jesuit priest.

“I attended the St Ignatius Church (SIC) because it was the only church I knew since coming to Petaling Jaya in 1974. The added advantage was that Fr Ng hails from Ayer Salak, Malacca; the same village where I came from. He was the priest that encouraged me to pursue my desire. He gave me much insight about the CDD Fathers and the priesthood. When I told my parents and aunty of my intention of joining the priesthood, the reply was no. However, I did not give up on the idea. It was always in my mind.

“I attended the Life in the Spirit Seminar (LSS) in 1998 at Assumption Church at the invitation of a colleague (Vincent Nathan). It was during this LSS that the thought of the priesthood became serious.

This thought became more serious with my involvement in the Divine Mercy Devotion in Sabah. The LSS also made me realise that going for Sunday Mass is insufficient. As days passed, I became thirstier for the Word of God. I registered to attend a Bible course at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute (API), Kuala Lumpur. My involvement in the various ministries at St Ignatius Church grew, beginning with the Charismatic Prayer Group, to teaching in Sunday school, followed by RCIA, Divine Mercy Group and the Youth ministry. I also participated in retreats organised by the Maranatha Retreat House where I later became one of the team members.

“My involvement in the Divine Mercy Group brought me to Kota Kinabalu. I worked with Fr William Polis to promote the devotion to the Divine Mercy. It was one of Archbishop John Ha’s sermons at the Divine Mercy Congress that prompted me to share, for the first time, my thoughts about the priesthood, first with Fr William and then with Msgr Gilbert Engan.

“When I returned to Peninsular Malaysia, I served the students from Sabah and Sarawak. I then shared my desire with Frs Paulino Miranda and Simon Labrooy. Fr William Michael and Fr Paulino helped me in my discernment. After the death of my dad in 2010 and my aunt in 2012, I wrote officially to the Bishop of Keningau to join the priesthood (as I was mostly based in Sabah). However, my request was unsuccessful. Frs Paulino and Simon Labrooy advised me not to give up and to continue praying saying, ‘If God wants you, he will open another door for you’.

“Yes, God opened another door. SIC had their yearly Youth Rally (which I coordinated) at Kuala Kubu Bahru. There, I met Fr Eddie Rayappan (who was then the Vocation Director of MJD), Martin Jalleh and Benedict Lo. It was Jalleh who asked about my application and Fr Eddie took it from there. It was a great Christmas gift for me when I received a call from Bishop Paul Tan on December 22, 2013. That call was the beginning of my journey to Beda. Praise and Thanks to God.”–Fr Paul Sia

Always searching for love
“For I was never involved in church. I was only baptised when I was about 14 or 15,” said 42 year old Fr Alexuchelvam Mariasoosai. “I did not get involved in church until after an LSS just after Form 6. I then became very involved, first in the charismatic group in Assumption and then, slowly, with some of the youths in Assumption and with the choir at weekday Masses. I tried to go for whatever formation that was being offered in church then.

From my early 20s, others seemed to think that I had a calling to the priesthood! I never accepted their hints as I thought it was ridiculous. One priest challenged me and told me I was running away from my calling. I cried, honestly thinking that I had given my all to Christ and felt that my vocation was to take care of my parents.

One influential priest in my journey is Fr Simon Yong, SJ. It was probably because, for the first time, I was able to engage with a priest in a proper conversation. He was able to relate to me, even challenged me and spoke to me like a friend. He believed in my vocation to the priesthood when I had given up believing that I did have a vocation as there were too many obstacles.

The then Bishop Paul Tan invited me to stay in Majodi to further discern my call to the diocesan priesthood. That moment when Bishop Paul Tan met me, I remembered the Parable of the Workers in the vineyard. The landowner found people doing nothing at different hours and called them to work in his vineyard. I was one of those standing doing nothing. Bishop Paul was like the landowner asking some people at 5 in the evening, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ and my answer seemingly corresponded to what the workers said to the landowner.. ‘Because no one has hired me’…. And he said, ‘You also go and work in the vineyard’…

I was then sent to Pontifical Beda College in Rome for four years. It was a beautiful experience for me. I felt that I found myself again, truly knowing better who I am and who God is to me. It was humbling to know that I am blessed by God who was, and still is, with me. I was already prepared by God to be away from my family members when I left my home and stayed on my own and so detachment was not an issue for me. Then my Dad passed away and I got my mom baptised.

My personal theme is taken from Psalm 63:3 for your love is better than life. It is because what I have chased after all my life is love, knowingly and unknowingly, and God found me and showed me true love; so, why should I settle for something lesser than God’s love? My answer to life would be that God’s love is better…and so it is God’s love that I want and that’s what I want to share and give to others here on earth.–Fr Alexuchelvam Mariasoosai

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Malaysia
It was represented by:

1. Kevin Chung from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur
2. Sr Sagaya Mary Joseph from the Penang Diocese
3. Sebaestiammal Rina from the Penang Diocese

The representatives from Malaysia will propose to their dioceses to look into these following areas:

1) To explore the use of various Gospel Sharing methods with the aim to encourage BEC members to be more active in the sharing of the Word of God.
2) To continue to raise awareness and provide guidance for BECs to engage in interreligious dialogue
3) To provide on-going formation on spirituality and facilitating skills for the BEC coordinators.

India
Recognising the fact that Jesus Christ Jayanti (Jubilee) 2000 supports the formation of BECs as a pastoral priority for the Church in India and keeping in mind the significant progress achieved so far, we propose the following:

1. To promote and assist in the formation of Diocesan Animation Teams in all the dioceses.
2. To develop appropriate formation programmes, modules for priests, religious and bishops for the concept of the New Way of Being Church and its implementation
3. To promote suitable formation programmes for Seminarians and Novices in all formation houses to enable them to take up leadership roles in the model of NWBC as they start their ministries after their ordinations and professions.
4. To promote awareness on inter Religious Dialogue and collaboration with people of other faiths with the long term objective of rnoving on to BEC. We propose these objectives to the National Service Team (NST) for BECs in India for their consideration to draw appropriate Action Plans for the Dioceses of India.

Indonesia
The Objectives for the next three years : Diocese of Tanjungkarang :

1. Report to the Bishop about the AsIPA GA VII
2. If the Bishop decides to start AsIPA Pregramme, then the plan to introduce and to promote AsIPA and BECs be set up soon for some selected parishes and among priests
3. Promoting AsIPA Programme in cooperation with Pangkalpinang

Diocese Diocese of Pangkalpinang :

1. Reinforce the 7 Steps Gospel Sharing and initiate Group Response and Look-Listen-Love method
2. Raise awareness of BECs on Inter-religious Dialogue
3. Introduce the AsIPA method to all BECs in all parishes around the diocese
4. Have more skilled, faithful and humble leaders and facilitators Specific

Action to realise the objectives :

1. Strengthen the animation team with refresh programme at Vicariate and Parish level
2. Prepare and produce materials and modules to be used during the sessions of getting the objectives realised.

Korea

1. We have a national gathering of BECs every year
2. To promote BECs we will meet more people and parishes
3. We find the AsIPA Texts very effective so we will make efforts to translate them.
4. We will use other methods of Gospel sharing
5 We will collaborate more using IRD Texts
6. We find it difficult to sustain our training and developing resources so we are planning to establish a kind of BEC centre or Institute for sustainable support.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

During the AsIPA General Assembly VII (2015), there was a meeting between all the bishops present with the AsIPA Resource Team (ART). It was presided by Bishop Francis Viva Du, Bishop of Changmai, Thailand. Twelve Bishops from lndia, Indonesia, South Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand were present.

Six of them were attending the AsIPA General Assembly for the first time. After the prayer led by Bishop Cyprian, Bishop Vira thanked them for joining this event. Ms Bibiana Roh, Executive Secretary of AsIPA Desk, gave a brief explanation of what AsIPA stands for and its efforts since 2010. Eight of the members of the AsIPA Resource Team: (ART) were present. Ms Wendy Louis, Executive Secretary of the FABC Office of Laity and Family presented the composition and areas of concern of each.

The Bishops presented what is being done in their respective countries/dioceses and expressed interest in the tasks of the AsIPA Desk:

— Bishop Vira narrated how Thailand has made the efforts to build Basic Christian Communities to strengthen the faith life of the people. Evangelisation is high priority.

— Bishop Cyprian of India, expressed his gratitude and appreciation for all the efforts being done in India, especially the 30-day Theological Course on BECs. Inquiries were made when the next 30-day course will be held.

Aside from the course in India, it was also announced that a similar course is being offered in Bangkok.

The Bishops of Sri Lanka also expressed their interest that a similar course be offered in their country. The 30-day course gives the participants a chance to do immersion in the communities. The Bishops expressed their appreciation how their seminarians who participate will have a better understanding about BECs and gain some experience as well.

Fr Vijay, who is in charge of the course, expressed the present constraints he is undergoing to finance the courses.

–Bishop Hilarius from Indonesia expressed how he saw his people change after so many years of effort as they pray together with the Word, strengthening one another. He emphasised encouraging the people to read and pray the Gospel. He affirmed how the AsIPA method was most helpful in bringing about this change.

— Bishop Ri of Korea explained the importance of offering a method that will help the people enter deeply ‘into the living word of God,’ which is expressed very clearly in Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium. He also placed importance on the need to face the challenges of the world living out the social dimensions of our faith.

— Bishop Rimando from the Philippines, expressed the challenge to help the people deepen their faith through the Word and the Sacraments.

— Bishop Samson of Pakistan stressed the importance of inviting Religious Sisters and give them training to use this method since they have much infiuence in the Church in Pakistan.

— Bishop Sebastian from India, expressed how the Church is so institutionalised and hence depriving the pastors of time to be with the people and to give them training.

— Wendy expressed the need to invest more in training lay leaders. Her second point was on the need to reintegrate ministries for women and family life and to coordinate efforts at the grassroot level in our small communites. Bishop Vira ended with a word of thanks: “You have made me understand my episcopacy more!” He invited all to continue sharing during the remaining days of the General Assembly.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Fr Michael Chua shared the Church’s stand from biblical times to Pope Francis’ view on the matter.

While the Ten Commandments, particularly the fifth – “Thou shall not kill,” is often the first thought that comes to mind when Christians deliberate this topic, Fr Chua said, to discuss the morality of killing, we must first look at the story of the creation of mankind in the Book of Genesis.

“God creates man but, unlike other inanimate objects, He gives man the gift of life, and not just life which animates, as in all forms of flora and fauna, but an immortal soul. In other words, God singularly confers an aspect of His divine eternal life on man, and this is what makes our lives sacred. We are not just some stardust as some poets and songs would claim. We are gifted with something divine. This is what the Church calls the sanctity of life,” he said.

“Catholic Christians, therefore, believe that all human life is sacred from conception until natural death, and that the taking of innocent human life, whether born or unborn, is morally wrong. Note our constant opposition to both abortion and euthanasia. The Church teaches, ‘Human life is sacred because, from its beginning, it involves the creative action of God and remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can, under any circumstances, claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being’ (Donum Vitae, 5; CCC 2258).

“Since life is sacred and there is an absolute injunction against destroying the life of an innocent human being, how is this enforceable?”

Earlier this year, Pope Francis made a revision to paragraph 2267 of the Catechism, which St Pope John Paul II had amended in 1997 to strengthen scepticism about the death penalty’s use in the modern world and to emphasise the importance of protecting human life. St Pope John Paul II strongly opposed the use of capital punishment and called for Christians to be ‘unconditionally pro-life.’

The new paragraph reads: ‘Recourse to the death penalty on the part of the legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.’ Fr Chua said, “Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of severe crimes.

Also, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, does not deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Malaysia’s death penalty laws have not succeeded in deterring serious crime, according to professionals of both law and faith, when speaking on the topic during a forum on October 29. Organised by the Catholic Lawyers Society and the Church of St Ignatius, the discussion, entitled Death Penalty: Is it a Deterrent? saw four speakers discuss the issue from both legal and religious standpoints.

The four speakers were YA Datuk Mah Weng Kwai, former Court of Appeal Judge, YA Datuk Jagjit Singh, former Sessions Court Judge and Deputy Public Prosecutor, Prematilaka Serisena of Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardana, Buddhist Society, and Fr Michael Chua, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur and Parish Priest of the Church of Jesus Caritas. The speakers addressed the audience who came from all walks of life and across all professions. From a legal perspective, the speakers agreed that the death penalty does not meet its aim of deterring crime, as crime statistics have seen an increase in Malaysia throughout the years.

Datuk Mah shared that according to the statistics of the Royal Malaysian Police, from January 2014 until October 2017, a total of 702,319 individuals were detained for trafficking and possessing drugs. He added that during the same time period, 21,371 arrests were made under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 – for which the mandatory death sentence is applicable. It was contended by both Datuk Mah and Datuk Jagjit that there has been no concrete or empirical proof that the death penalty is effective in deterring crime, adding that the number of drug-related murders and attempted murders have increased.

Datuk Mah added that the law has not had the effect that Parliament had intended when it was passed, and there are other social and legal mechanisms that can be used to discourage individuals from committing serious crimes. Of late, Malaysian communities have been abuzz with opinions on capital punishment and the death penalty, following an announcement by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Liew Vui Keong(who is also the de facto Law Minister) on October 10 this year heralding the abolishment of all death penalty laws in the country – a Bill which he said should be tabled at the next Parliamentary sitting. He added that there will be a moratorium on all executions until then.

The nation’s current premier, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, had also made a promise to abolish the death penalty provisions, a promise which was also part of the current Pakatan Harapan Government’s Manifesto. Malaysia is currently one of the 56 countries in the world that retain the death penalty by law, according to Amnesty International.

Dubbed as being “inhumane” and propagating the idea of “an eye for an eye” the draconian punishment has been receiving opposition from both local and international human rights groups alike, local politicians, as well as the Malaysian Bar.

In Malaysia, death penalty sentences are heard only in the High Court, by a single Judge, and can be either mandatory or discretionary. Mandatory death sentences are imposed for offences such as murder and the trafficking of dangerous drugs under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, as mentioned earlier.

Discretionary death sentences, which are imposed at the discretion of the Judge, are for offences such as gang robbery with murder under Section 396 of the Penal Code, among others. Offences carrying the death penalty are not bailable, which means the accused will remain in police custody until their sentence is carried out.

Both Datuk Jagjit and Datuk Mah explained that the death penalty in Malaysia is carried out in secret.

The offender’s lawyers or families are not informed of their forthcoming execution, much to the chagrin of human rights organisations, as this practice is in direct contravention of international standards.

From a religious standpoint, the concept of rehabilitation is prioritised, instead of retribution.

According to Prematilaka Serisena, Buddhism teaches that all life is precious, and should be spared including animals and insects.

Hatred is not overcome with hatred, and so the concept of retributive justice is ineffective in overcoming the occurrence of criminal activities.

Moving forward, abolishing the death penalty in Malaysia would be a step in the right direction for human rights in Malaysia and for respect for the right to life, which is enshrined in Artilce 5(1) of the Malaysian Federal Constitution.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online