Category Archives: Aug 2018

The 4th General Assembly from November 8-15, 2006 brought together laity, religious, priests and bishops, from 14 countries.

The theme was BECs towards a Church of Communion with the following objectives:

(i) deepening our ecclesiology of communion,
(ii) reviewing the implications of integral and pastoral approach through BECs
(iii) discovering existing and innovative structures to initiate and nurture BECs, and
(iv) planning for exchange and sharing of resources.

Insights obtained
The Assembly affirmed that the Church is a Communion of Communities which is strengthened by the sacraments and nourished by the Eucharist. The Trinitarian God of communion is the source of the Church, a living organism that undergoes a constant transformation. Of course, in the course of her pilgrim journey through history towards realisation of her full identity as a communion of communities, she is challenged by the world and its rapidly changing value systems. The Second Vatican Council has re-projected the image of the Church as a communion of communities which can be achieved through the establishment of many neighbourhood communities in each parish. Since they comprise all Catholics of a given area, they are not just private groups, but they are the most local incarnation of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and are “A New Way of Being Church” as affirmed by the bishops of Asia.

The Church is the expression of the continued presence of Christ in the world which is realised in the celebration of the sacraments, which are expressions of the faith of the community. These celebrations are transformed when the members of the BEC live out their sacramental life by forgiving one another, by caring for the sick, by building and strengthening the domestic Church, by using their gifts for service and by exercising a liberating leadership and working towards the coming of the Kingdom of God. Hence, living in BECs, the sacraments themselves are renewed and the communitarian and liberating dimension is focused upon in very concrete ways. The Basic Ecclesial Community is nourished by the Word of God and enriched by the various ministries and it becomes Church in the neighbourhood according to the mind and heart of Jesus Christ. The community experiences the Risen Lord in the breaking of the word and this experience reaches its culmination in the breaking of the bread which is expressed in solidarity with the poor and the oppressed to build a more compassionate and just society.

The General Assembly shared the efforts of BECs in the journey towards a communion of communities. It mentioned the following efforts in the Church:

There is a gradual change in leadership structure of the parish pastoral council as well as in leadership style. Priests have experienced a transformation towards non-dominating leadership. There are an increasing number of religious sisters getting involved in the BECs. The participation of women in BECs has helped towards their empowerment and is bringing in gradual change towards equal partnership. It has facilitated women’s participation in local government in some cases. Men and women from disadvantaged backgrounds have been enabled to participate in local elections through their involvement in BECs. The gospel sharing experiences are extremely positive in helping people live out their Christian life and mission. There is a growing shift towards social change, e.g. actions taken to organise coop credit, protection of the environment and attempts at interreligious outreach.

Areas of challenges
The Assembly indicated areas of challenges for the development and growth of BECs in Asia. First, it mentioned the challenges for the bishops and priests. All faithful share in the common responsibility in building a community of communion, a participatory co-responsible Church, where the bishops are the chief promoters and all play a complementary role.

Since BECs are the most localised expression of being Church, BECs should be the clear priority in the diocesan pastoral vision.

Hence, the bishop has to motivate the priests who are their direct collaborators in shouldering this responsibility at the parish level. The bishops and priests need to take an active interest in the growth and flourishing of communities through BECs. For this, a non-dominating and enabling style of leadership is crucial in the building of BECs. The priest enables the leaders in the community and inspires them to work relentlessly to build and sustain small communities. Therefore, seminary formation should necessarily include an orientation to and training on BECs and several opportunities for reflective and guided learning through immersion in BECs.

Secondly, religious congregations of men and women are called to put their charisms and energies at the service of the Church because they are also important partners in building BECs. The religious sisters have contributed significantly towards growth of BECs. The religious men need to contribute greatly to enhance the promotion of BECs.

Thirdly, lay leaders have to take their rightful place in decision-making bodies in the parish and diocese. Hence, there is a need for a paradigm shift in the understanding of leadership and structure on the part of church leaders to accept and acknowledge the potential and charism of the laity, especially of women, towards a more collaborative ministry. Continuous training programmes at the diocesan, deanery, parish and BECs levels are very important to sustain BECs. The bishops, priests, religious and lay animators should aim at “A New Way of Being Church” in their own personal relationship with others and their associates.

Conclusion
As the Church in Asia enters into a new phase of her existence, the ecclesial community in Asia has to be a leaven in the midst of an enormous mass of dough. Therefore, every Christian becomes a person enlightened by the Gospel, empowered by the sacraments especially the Eucharist, and emboldened to proclaim the good news. To achieve this dream, the Assembly recommended the following:

— On-going contextualised formation and training for all sectors of the parish community in order to enable them to share and own the common vision.
— The use of AsIPA texts for deepening the understanding and spirituality of a participatory Church.
–More sustained efforts to be fostered and encouraged in building inter-religious understanding, harmony and ecumenism.
— Opportunities to be provided for bishops and priests to live and learn as a community.

The BEC team in the parishes has to make conscious efforts to integrate men, children and youth into the mainstream of the BECs. Ensure emerging and rotating leadership and teamwork in BECs and other Church structures to bring about qualitative growth held in Maria Rani Centre, Trivandrum, India. Source: Basic Ecclesial Communities and Parish Pastoral Care .

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

“We love you like crazy!” These emotive words from a team of Redemptorist priests were directed often to parishioners of St Ignatius Church (SIC, as well as to the priests concelebrating Masses during the Redemptorist Mission Month in July 2018, coinciding with the 30th Anniversary Celebration at SIC. As their preachings were interspersed with personal testimonies, accounts of real-life experiences and anecdotes, spiced with doses of wit and humour, it can be safely assumed that the attendees could relate to these experiences.

Focusing on the theme Celebrating Family of Faith, Hope & Love, Fr Patrick Massang (Vice-Provincial, Singapore & Malaysia Redemptorists), Fr Simon Pereira (Novena Church, Singapore) and Fr Terence Wee (Novena Church, Singapore) celebrated daily Masses at homes of BEC members, visited the sick, the elderly and the home-bound and held numerous formation talks to help families reconcile, bond and stay connected. They also preached at SIC’s weekend Masses of July 28 and 29 with SIC parish priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD and Assistant Parish priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD as conclebrants.

As the numbers were much smaller compared to Mass in church, there was much more rapport and banter between priests and BEC members at the home Masses. For instance, Fr Simon regaled BEC SS25 St Emmanuel members in sharing his encounters with the supernatural. Fr Simon had jokingly forewarned that those who listened may not be able to sleep but members took up the challenge nevertheless. The great thing is that good will always triumph over evil and God is supreme over all.

Fr Terence focused mainly on the Mandarin-speaking community where weekday Masses and a formation talk were held at the Roof Top of Costantini Community Centre. Amongst other things, the Redemptorists reminded families about the sacredness of human life; the dignity of the human person made in the image and likeness of God; the importance of the Eucharist, prayer and forgiveness and, critically, the place of God at the centre of family life.

Also contributing to the celebration were Redemptorist priests Fr Joseph Stephen (parish priest, Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Ipoh), the main celebrant at the Mass on July 25, and Fr Robin Lomangkok, a concelebrant at one of the weekend Masses. Fr Michael Raymond OFM Cap (Custos of Malaysia-Singapore Capuchins) gave a talk on the Child Protection Act on July 7.

A nine-day Novena with Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration was held from 13 to 22 July to prepare parishioners for this year’s celebration. Another nine-day Novena was held from 23 to 31 July with the rosary and recitations of the Litany of St Ignatius of Loyola, followed by Mass. Anointing of the Sick was held after the penultimate Mass on 30 July. At the culmination of the celebration on Tuesday 31 July, SIC was fully-packed for the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola — patron saint of SIC — with a multilingual Mass at 8 pm. A procession comprising representatives of church ministries and BECs filed into church before the Mass. In the congregation was a group of visitors from Sabah in bright orange T-shirts.

Fellowship was shared after Mass to celebrate 30 years of spiritual growth.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The annual feast of St Anne’s was celebrated July 20 to 29. The theme for this year was My Family, My Hope. Every day there was a sub-theme related to Family. Parish priest Msgr Henry Rajoo said that the family is the basic unit of society and it’s the first place where we learn to communicate and live together.

“All values and habits come from early childhood formation in the family. If individuals are brought up in families with proper religious and moral education, many problems in society can be curbed. The solution to many problems is not out there in society, it’s at home,” he said. “Even Mother Teresa said that love begins at home,” he stressed.

There were daily Masses in English, Tamil and Mandarin, with Bahasa Malaysia Masses on the weekends.

A total of 1,200 volunteers offered their services in many areas to ensure a smooth celebration of Masses for all pilgrims.
Free pilgrim meals were provided daily after Mass. Msgr Henry thanked all donors who contributed for the pilgrim meals.

There were two processions in honour of St Anne. First, on the actual date of her feastday, July 26th, and the second procession on the 9th day, the final day of the Novena.

Bishop of Penang, Rt Rev Bishop Dato Sebastian Francis, celebrated the feastday Mass on July 26, with priests from all over the country. Priests from Taiwan and Macau also joined in this celebration.

In his homily, Bishop Sebastian stressed on Asian families as the sub-theme for the day was Family is a sanctuary for our children.

“Today is the actual feastday of St Anne and St Joachim, grandparents of Jesus Christ. The theme given by the Holy Spirit to us is about FAMILY. The Asian Bishops in 2016 consecrated all Catholic families in Asia to the Holy Family of Nazareth.

“Today, I want to salute all Asian families and say thank you, because Asia is largely young, energetic and hopeful. In our recent general election, it’s our young people who made the difference.

“Asian families are self-sacrificing and, because of this spirit and their values, Asia has a future. All you grandparents, fathers and mothers who made sacrifices for your families, I want to place all your sacrifices on this altar today.

“Pope Francis said there is no perfect family. There can be no healthy marriage or healthy family without the exercise of forgiveness. Forgiveness brings joy where sorrow has brought sadness; it brings healing where sorrow has caused the disease.”

Bishop Sebastian ended the homily by inviting all pilgrims to recite the prayer to the Holy Family of Nazareth.

The bishop and priests joined thousands of pilgrims for a procession, followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on returning to the church.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

On the weekend of July 28 and 29, the church compound of St Anne was filled with pilgrims from far and near and from all walks of life. There were Masses in Thai, Kadazan and Bahasa Malaysia.

Many people were seen lining up to go to the Shrine of St Anne (the old church) to offer their petitions, candles and flowers.

On July 28, the 8.00pm Mass was celebrated at the open area where thousands of pilgrims from all over the country had gathered. The Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia, Archbishop Joseph Salvador Marino, was the main celebrant. He was joined by Bishop Sebastian Francis, Archbishop Marino’s secretary and intern for diplomatic training, Fr Vjeko Holik, parish priest Msgr Henry Rajoo, permanent deacon Lazarus Jonathan and a host of priests.

The new Finance Minister, Lim Guan Eng, was present along with YB Steven Sim, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports.

A candlelight procession was held at the church grounds, followed by the burning of petitions.

This year, the modern gospel group by Revival Praise Band from Kuala Lumpur entertained the crowd for the night concert which is held every year. Our local parish youths also entertained the crowd with some songs and dances.

On Sunday, Masses were held from 8.00 am onwards.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

CHERAS: The Church of St Francis of Assisi embarked on a month-long formation of Healing and Transformation in the BECs. This session was conducted by Fr Sebastian A, OFM Cap.

The formation began with the reading of the Word of God (Luke 19:1- 10), after which the BEC members were asked to close their eyes as he guided them through a meditation on the said reading.

Fr Sebastian then went round and blessed each person with the sign of the Cross on their forehead. He emphasised that we must make it a practise to meditate daily on the Word of God in silence and feel the presence of Jesus.

He also advised all present to use a Bible quotation as their daily mantra e.g. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Fr Sebastian said that it is important to remain positive and to trust God in all our circumstances. He then shared the mirror technique. Before the start of the day, everyone should stand in front of a mirror and say positive things to themselves. This is so that they can radiate positivity through out the day.

He then led the BEC members through a laughter therapy session which was filled with fun and laughter for both the young and old. He ended the formation by sharing with them on the ways to deal with their fears and anger.

Overall the formation was enriching mentally and spiritually. It was full of positive vibes and faith in God. The night ended with a sumptuous potluck dinner.–

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The new State Government is setting up a State-level committee on Buddhism and Christianity to study the two faiths as well as creating guidelines towards treating all religions equally.

Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew, who disclosed this, said the State Government is serious in taking into consideration all religions in Sabah for better harmony and mutual respect.

“We have ministers and assigned officers involved in setting up the committee which my Ministry is not involved.

“The guidelines are being drafted. The basic idea is to show that every religion is to be treated equally,” said Liew, who is also State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister after officiating the International High Pole Lion Dance Competition and International Traditional Chinese Dance Competition organised by Sabah Kuan Shen Lion Dance Club at the Suria Sabah Shopping Mall, on July 28.

Eighteen teams involving 300 people aged between 18 and 45 from 17 countries took part in the four-day competition July 26 — July 29. The participating countries were China, USA, Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia.

She said the new State Government has the will to do it and will walk the talk to make the committee a reality.

Earlier, Liew said she is very pleased to see people from other countries, cultures and races taking part in the competition to become Chinese lion dancers.

She said the State Government fully supports this and plans to do more research on Chinese traditional culture so that other people from different races and cultures would gain knowledge and better understanding.

Meanwhile, the Sabah Kuan Shen Lion Dance Club Chairman Dato’ Chee Chi Seng said this international competition was being held for the second time and received encouraging response. The first one was held at the Likas Sport Complex in 2016.

He said the competition has three categories namely: local teams ground competition without the high pole), international High Pole Lion Dance and international teams ground competition.

He said the main prizes for the first category is RM1,000 for the winner followed by RM800 for second place and RM500 for third place. The winner in the second category will receive RM10,000 followed by RM8,000 for second place and RM5,000 for third place.There is also a special award for seven prizes of RM1,000 each.

For the third category, Chee said the winner will receive RM5,000 followed by RM3,000 and RM2,000 for second and third placings, respectively.

Also present were Youth and Sport Minister Frankie Poon Ming Fung, Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Junz Wong, Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin, China Consul-General Liang Caide and other officials. 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

SUBANG JAYA: The recent Women’s Retreat organised by the Servants of Yahweh Catholic Covenant Community at the Church of St Thomas More on July 21 upheld a simple retreat theme this year, My Significance IS Christ. Although simple, this theme is, in fact, imperative to all women as it touches the very core of a woman’s heart, that is, their significance.

After all, the most common question googled by people in the world today is “Who am I? What is my significance?” This retreat played a key role in addressing this matter.

The retreat consisted of three sessions tailor-made to the needs of women. The first session, led by Ann Felix, was themed, Is beauty only skin deep?! This aptly themed session addressed a key factor plaguing women in the world today, namely, their sense of identity. In today’s world, women are often torn between two concepts, first: the licentious sense of beauty portrayed by the media (though not always) and second: the reality of true resounding beauty shown by the Lord. With the constant conflicting messages that keep coming our way, one’s sense of identity can become marred. Ann Felix gave examples of three celebrities who based their identity upon success, fame and outward beauty, which led to depression and eventually a tragic end. She stressed on building a true sense of identity in Christ.

The second session adopted a different concept whereby the married women and single ladies had separate breakout sessions. The session, themed The Best of Me is Yet to Come, was led by Charlotte Peter for the singles, and Carol Curzon for the married women. This session touched on the RENEWED sense of identity of the single women who, through Charlotte’s sharing, identified themselves with the Bible passage, The Woman at the Well. Charlotte touched on — a before, during and after encounter with Christ, where God renewed that woman’s identity in Him.

Carol led the married women through a practical yet reflective group discussion, identifying how they viewed themselves currently and what identity the Lord truly wants them to adopt. The married women made posters of their sharing within their small groups and later courageously shared their convictions.

The more we seek, with our own efforts, the less we find ourselves. We lose our identity and, eventually, our significance.

If the word ‘Significance’ truly means an event or person who has made a lasting impact in one’s life, then the question to be asked is “How do we measure our significance?”

The third session, led by Michele Peter, took the theme of the retreat, My Significance IS Christ. This session first touched on three forms of worldly expectations that women are often faced with: the expectations of the media, expectations of family and the expectations of ourselves. The women were later led through one truth, which is, knowing that “You are Incredibly Significant.” Michele led them through three passages in Luke Chapter 15 which spoke about God’s joy of our return to Him, knowing that our significance is indeed in Him.

The ministering session was led by Barbara Neoh and Constance Noronha. The session first began with a skit named I Surrender. This skit depicted the issues faced by women in their homes today and how, in surrendering everything to the Lord, they find their significance. As a participant, Brigitte Januarius,31, put it, “In a time when I needed clarity and assurance, I was reminded of who I am.” The ministering session was then followed by a beautiful dance named “Resurrection Power,” by Carol D’Cruz and Charlotte Peter. In a testimony, one participant spoke about how the dance ministered to her in her time of need.

Colours are a wonderful way of representing true feminity. The ministering session therefore, took a very different spin this year. During the healing session, the participants walked underneath five different colours of cloth, each colour representing something significant. The first colour black depicted Sin and the final colour, purple, depicted the Royal Significance in Christ. A participant, Angelicia Anthony, 27, spoke of this renewed significance testifying that, “somehow God was asking me to take a breather and reassuring me that He loves me beyond all measure.” God’s love surpasses all understanding. The women’s retreat this year was able to touch the hearts of women in ways unimaginable.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

SOOK – Holy Spirit Parish here hosted the priestly ordination ceremony for its second son on 11 Aug 2018. The first ordinand was Father Bonaventure Unting in 2001.

Some 3000 faithful turned up for the ordination ceremony of Deacon David Richard Gasikol, 33, officiated by Bishop Cornelius Piong.

Among the invited guests were his classmates – five priests and two deacons –  from Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching as well as his mother, siblings, and relatives.

In his address after the Mass, Bp Cornelius urged the neo-ordained to remain obedient after his ordination for he has observed that many priests turn “sombong” or proud after ordination.  One can only be obedient if one has humility of heart.

Born in Sook on 29 June 1985, the neo-ordained entered the aspirancy at the Catholic Archdiocesan Centre Penampang in 2010.  After a year at the Initial Formation House in Kota Kinabalu in 2011, he went on for his philosophical and theological studies at St Peter’s College Kuching from 2012 – 2017.

After ordination, the neo-ordained remains posted at the Katedral St Francis Xavier Keningau where he has been assigned since his diaconal ordination early this year.  He is also the spiritual advisor to the Keningau Diocesan Social Communications Commission.

Sook, 148 km from Kota kinabalu,  is a small town and district located in the Interior Division. It serves as a timber and agricultural town as well as a transit town for motorists travelling from Keningau to Tawau via the Keningau-Sook-Sapulut-Kalabakan-Tawau road.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

PENAMPANG – Members of the main organising team held a two-day meeting to launch the 5th Sabah Youth Day (SYD-5) on 5-6 Aug 2018 at the Bamboo House Riverside Kampung Notoruss here.

The 13 participants represented the Kota Kinabalu Archdiocese and the Dioceses of Keningau and Sandakan.

The theme of the SYD-5 will be “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let what you have said be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).

The gathering was a time for prayer, reflection and brainstorming on enfleshing the rationale and objectives of the youth event in countering the issues brought up in the March 2018 meeting at Pace Bene Papar.

The objectives of SYD-5 are threefold:  1) bringing the youth to celebrate their Catholic faith; 2) helping the youth to follow Mother Mary in obeying the call of God; 3) strengthening the youth to become witnesses to Christ in this millennium.

The Main Organising Team (MOT) together with Father Joshua Liew and Father David Garaman paid a courtesy call on Archbishop John Wong at his office on Aug 7.

Franciscan Sister Dora Obod, as SYD5 coordinator, presented the rationale, objectives and progress report to the prelate.  In response, the prelate expressed his support for the programme presented.

The launching of SYD5 will be at Holy Trinity Tawau on 22-24 Feb 2019, followed by the Journey of the Youth Cross and Marian Icon across Sabah until the culmination in 2020 at St Joseph Papar / Holy Rosary Limbahau.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

KENINGAU – Some 100 people including members of the Institut Sekular Komuniti Betania (ISKB) gathered to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the diocesan secular institute on 27 July 2018 at the Keningau Diocesan Retreat House here.

The anniversary Mass was concelebrated by Bishop Cornelius Piong, Father Ronnie Luni, and Father Bonaventure Unting.

ISKB was founded by Bishop Cornelius Piong and formally established at the Katedral Francis Xavier Keningau in 1997 with the first profession of Rita Titing (Sook), Losia Tumpangon (Tuaran), and Anita Uliti (Toboh).

They were founded to help the local Church.  Currently there are 20 members serving in Kota Kinabalu Archdiocese and Keningau Diocese.  They serve in the fields of catechetics, running retreat houses, canteen, and religious articles shops.

They live as lay religious, actively promoting the Kingdom of God in the church, workplace and society.

In his homily, the bishop said the institute was formed through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the commitment and perseverance of the members.  He exhorted the members to be open to the Word of God so that they will be fruitful and effective in their ministry.

After Mass, all adjourned to the open hall for the reception cum birthday celebration of two of the members.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu