Category Archives: Dec 2017

PENAMPANG – Over 50 new participants from Penampang have completed the Alpha Course recently.

In its fifth round, the course was organised by the Penampang Evangelisation Pastoral Committee from August to October 2017.

Alpha is a series of sessions exploring the Christian faith, typically run over eleven weeks. Each talk looks at a different question around faith and is designed to create conversation. Alpha is run all around the globe, and everyone’s welcome. It runs in cafés, churches, universities, homes.  No two Alphas look the same, but generally they have three key things in common: food, a talk and good conversation

Lewis Juit presented the certificates to the participants in a simple ceremony at St Michael Parish Hall on Nov 7.

Rose William described the course as very easy to understand, not boring and consistent in its time duration.

“Even though I did not complete the whole programme because I came in at the half-way point through the invitation of a friend, I felt as good as having completed it during the weekend programme,” she said.

Another participant, Callistus Majalang said the programme was interesting and flexible.  He said he did not really experience it in a spiritual way but looked forward to explore it further in the next round.

Agil Bajarai, organising chairman, said the follow-up course will be held early next year for those who have attended the basic course. – Soccom Penampang 

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

TANJUNG ARU – The Eucharistic Adoration Ministry (EAM) of Stella Maris Parish here marked its 2oth anniversary on 8 Dec 2017 with yearlong activities.

The programme began with a retreat on Jesus the Eucharistic Healer facilitated by Putri Karmel Sister Maximilliane Soon at Pace Bene on 10-12 March 2017 with 100 attendees.

On June 18, the members celebrated the anniversary Mass at the parish church during which they renewed their commitment to spend an hour a week before the Blessed Sacrament.  A Eucharistic procession was held after the Mass.

Over 200 members, families and friends attended the anniversary dinner on June 25 at a local restaurant.

The concluding activity was an overnight visit to the Holy Family Pilgrimage Centre Nulu Sosopon Keningau on July 29.  They had a guided tour of the church, Cross Tower, the statues of Mary and of the Holy Family.

They had fellowship with the Betania Komuniti Adorers who hosted a lunch for them and took them to visit Bishop Cornelius Piong at the Katedral St Francis Xavier.

The Keningau prelate celebrated Mass for the visitors, inspiring them with further insights of Eucharistic Adoration.  The day ended with a fellowship dinner where the visitors presented tokens of appreciation to the bishop and the Betania Komuniti Adorers.

The visit concluded the next day with a visit to the Gethsemane Garden in Tambunan.

The ministry was initiated by then pastor Father Francis Tsen.  It was officially launched by Bishop John Lee on 8 Dec 1997 with an exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

Since then there has been a committed adorer every hour, Monday-Saturday, 5:00 am-10:00 pm. Members are committed to spend an hour a week to adore the Lord, but some are committed to more than an hour a week.  Some have been coming for 20 years.

For those who wish to commit themselves,  please contact Elizabeth Chia @ 012-828 0409 and Cindy Tsen @ 016-817 5169 for further details.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

KOTA KINABALU: Catholic writers in the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu have been urged to look into ways of serving the needs of those actively engaged in the social media by supplying them with appropriate materials that would communicate the Gospel message in a subtle, appealing and yet effective manner.

Archbishop John Wong made the call in his address at the close of a two-day advanced journalism training workshop here on Saturday (2 Dec 2017) organised by the Social Communications Commission (SOCCOM) of the archdiocese.

“Now that you are better trained and equipped, I invite you to move beyond. Watch and see the needs of our people, especially our youth. Seek God’s inspiration to enter into new fields of communication,” he said.

He encouraged them to broaden their outlook and to expand the scope of their journalism work beyond the confine of merely writing news for the Catholic media, like the diocesan website and the official publication, the Catholic Sabah.

“For instance, reflect on how to make a wider use of graphics and video materials in the social media, the use of art and culture as vehicles to communicate the Gospel message,” he suggested.

He also stressed that  “It is our duty and responsibility to have eyes to see the needs of our time and to give these pressing needs a clear and definitive answer.”

The archbishop said he was confident the writers could rise to the new challenge of this so-called “New Information’ age.”

The advanced practical journalism workshop, held at the parish centre of the Sacred Heart Cathedral here, is a follow-up of the training course organised by SOCCOM in December last year on basic techniques and skills in news gathering and writing.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

PENANG: The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP), Conference of the Assumption made 30 primary school children from the Convent Light Street happy with their donation of RM1,800.00.

One of its members, Molly Mark, had come across an appeal from the school’s Persatuan Ibu- Bapa Guru-Guru (PIBG) to provide educational assistance to 30 needy students from Std 4 to Std 6.

On 16 Nov, three members representing the Society, namely Molly Mark, Patricia Loo and Elizabeth Teoh were at the school to present a cheque of RM1800.00 to Puan Chan, the acting principal of the school.

The presentation was held in the presence of the pupils, their teachers, office staff and the honorary treasurer of PIBG.

Puan Chan introduced the three members from SSVP, a charitable organisation for the poor and underprivileged, and thanked the Society for their generous donation.

Molly, in her speech, informed the audience that SSVP is a church-based organisation that caters to the less fortunate people, regardless of race and religion.

She encouraged the students to work hard and excel in their studies. The audience’s interest perked up when Molly recalled fond memories of being an ‘anak’ in the same school.

After the formality of the presentation and speeches, there was some fun when everyone joined in singing and dancing to the beat of music in the school hall, ending with the popular Rasa Sayang Eh. The presentation ceremony ended when the students dispersed for their tea break. –– By SSVP, Conference of the Assumption, Penang

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

By Shaun Chan
The start of the Season of Advent in St Ignatius Church (SIC) on Dec 3 coincided with the welcoming of the new batch of catechumens into the community.

At the 8.45am Mass, celebrant Fr Lawrence Ng CDD invited the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) enquirers to come into the church after the sounds of “knocking of the church door” were heard. A total of 43 enquirers, with their respective sponsors, then walked into the church for the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens.

The Rites included welcoming, signing of the cross on the forehead as well as presentation of crucifixes. All these signified a commitment from the entire church community to accept and share in the growth in faith, and work towards giving these new members love, guidance and prayers.

Fr Ng reiterated that although these catechumens cannot participate fully in the Lord’s Eucharist, they should stay with the community as a sign of hope that all God’s children will eat and drink with the Lord. After Mass, the catechumens, their family members and sponsors were invited to join in a breakfast reception initiated by BECCOT (Basic Ecclesial Communities Coordinating Team) where they had the opportunity to mingle with the larger church community.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

By Daniel Yeoh
The Good Shepherd Church successfully organised the second Spelling Bee competition for underprivileged children on Nov 18. Due to the good response and positive feedback received from the previous year’s competition, the Parish priest, Fr Christopher W. Soosaipillai, gave his blessings to conduct this event again this year. The objective of this competition was to provide an opportunity for the students to enhance their spelling skills and to expand their vocabulary in a fun and competitive manner.

Thirty-seven children from Standard 1 to Form 3 participated in this competition. Compared to last year, the number of participants has increased. With much enthusiasm, the competition became intense as many of the participants were able to spell all the words correctly and it took a few exciting rounds of tie breakers to determine the winner from each age group. It was truly a proud moment for everyone to witness the participants displaying a marked improvement in their spelling skills. While waiting for the results to be announced, the parents were invited to participate in some fun games prepared for them.

After the event, all the parents, children and teachers were invited to a luncheon. The parents were very proud of their children and appreciative towards the teachers for their time and effort. With the success of this year’s Spelling Bee Competition, Good Shepherd Church English teachers are even more motivated and committed to work towards helping more underprivileged children to improve their English proficiency.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

By Ken Cham
Forty two participants received certificates for attending at least four out of five sessions of A Biblical Walk Through the Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do in the Liturgy module which ended on November 27 at the Church of St Ignatius (SIC). Conducted by the SIC Scripture Study (SSS) group over five sessions, the study was also attended by six SSS facilitators and led by 12 other facilitators. During each session, attendees watched a video presentation by theologian, author and scholar Dr Edward Sri, followed by group sharing for an hour each time.

There was a good mix of parishioners, from the newly-baptised to mature Catholics, for this module which is the shortest conducted by SSS. Amongst other aspects, attendees learnt the biblical background to the words, prayers and gestures experienced in the Liturgy and discovered how the Mass is a ‘true re-presentation’ of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice on the Cross. This marked the second time the module was conducted, the first time was in 2015.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

By Dr Ivan Filmer
The Church of the Divine Mercy (CDM) organised a dinner on November 18 and raised RM122k for a Learning Centre to be housed in a new building next to the church.

The Learning Centre will provide dynamic instruction that inspires lifelong living skills to the less privileged and disadvantaged. These include short courses on baking, cosmetics and make-up for single mothers, language classes for migrants and social activities for old folks and the youth.

It is estimated that the new building would cost approximately RM10 million.

The dinner started off with a dazzling display of fireworks from the stage at the Majestic Theatre at 7.30pm. 52 tables were filled by generous patrons. Tables were also sponsored for three orphanage homes: Crystal Home, Sunshine Home in Kulim and the St Joseph Home in Penang, as well as for the Little Sisters of the Poor in Penang, giving them a chance to have a fun time. In addition, 60 lucky draw prizes were given out throughout the eight-course dinner.

The occasion was attended by Bishop Sebastian Francis, the guest of honour, YB Sim Tze Tzin, the Member of Parliament of the area, as well some officials from the local government who had helped CDM to obtain the parcel of land adjoining the church for a new building.

Local comedians from the MACC namely, Douglas Lim and Phoon Chi Ho entertained the audience with their interpretations of local dances and various humorous meanings of the English language interpreted by our Malaysian public.

In addition to this, the audience were also entertained by Leonard and Friends as well as Evelyn and Friends. CDM parishioners also put up some items. There were dances from the Youth, the Migrants, Tamil Apostolate and the CEC children who presented a ‘live’ painting of the nativity scene. Parish priest Fr Martin Arlando also came out of 15 years retirement to entertain the guests with a fast paced Indian dance. For his enthusiastic effort the delighted crowd donated more than RM 3k. It was heartening to see the great community spirit that was on display for everyone who came to contribute towards this project.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

By Patrick Gerard Au
The Church of St Anthony began the new liturgical year on Dec 3 by celebrating the Sacrament of the Eucharist for 11 children.

At the beginning of the Mass, parish priest Fr Francis Xavier lit the first of the five candles that are placed in the Advent wreath. Three of the candles are purple, one candle is pink and the last is white. The first purple candle symbolises Hope, the second Peace, the third pink candle means Joy, the last candle is Love. The white candle in the middle of the wreath signifies Jesus Christ, the only person who can bring hope, peace, joy and love to the world.

The 11 candidates who received Holy Communion for the first time symbolise God bringing HOPE into their lives.

The theme of the homily by Bishop Sebastian was Protect Humankind From Destruction. He asked everyone to be awake and ready for the Second Coming of Christ. He said that we should also be awake and aware of the dangers of the current climate changes. We must protect Nature in order for nature to protect us. Bishop Sebastian said that the floods and landslides in Malaysia and other parts of the world are due to the indifference of the people. Rivers are polluted by toxic waste and used as rubbish dumps. Hills are being cut down and trees are felled for development. This is not what Christ wants from us. He gives the best to us and we do not cherish what God has created. Thus, we need to do something before it is too late.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

By Christine & Francis Ong
The Parish of St Theresa, Melaka, launched its first ‘Parish 40 Day Mission’ on November 1. Msgr Peter Ng had invited the Redemptorist Priests for this Mission. One of the events was Mass at BEC level for the six-English speaking BECs and 15-Mandarin speaking BECs.

In preparation for the ‘Parish 40 Day Mission,’ the English speaking BECs of the parish launched a one-month long registration drive for all persons who attended the 11.15am English Mass on Sundays. Msgr Ng said that the purpose of the registration was for the BECs to contact them and to invite them for Mass in the BECs during the Mission in November/ December and also for pastoral care of the parishioners.

We were indeed taken aback when a number of Sunday church goers were reluctant to give their names and contact numbers — possibly because they did not want to get involved. It reminded us of what was expressed during the Diocesan Synod/PMPC IV regarding the ‘minimalistic’ attitude of Catholics who only want to attend Sunday Mass. The BEC/Parish/ Diocese needs to address this issue so that we can move together in the direction set out by the Diocese ie ‘4e Catholics’, Church as Communion of Families, creative, inclusive, bridge building, visionary and missionary.

The Mass for BEC Kampong Lapan was held on November 8 at the home of Ms Chin Siok Hoon and family. Before the Mass, the core team met to prepare a leaflet for the Mass so as to assist all to participate fully. BEC members (present and old), including two new persons (from the recent registration exercise) and elderly family friends joined us. We were also happy to have Sr Felix IJS and Sr Clara IJS with us as they live in our neighbourhood. Together, we were about 40 persons celebrating the Lord’s presence in the families of Kg Lapan BEC.

Fr Patrick Massang CSsR was the celebrant. The theme for the Parish Mission was become 4E Catholics and Church as Communion of Families. In his homily, Fr Patrick spoke on the 1st E — Encountered. He shared that coming together as community and celebrating Mass — to be recharged by Jesus in the Eucharist, is so wonderful. Communities gathering together were like the ‘twelve apostles’ gathered with Jesus in the beginning, and the result is the Church today. Thus, coming together as a community with Christ, we meet Christ and are enlightened by him through his words and nourished by his flesh. The Lord reminds us to love and to forgive when we are hurt in relating to one another

All of us were very much energized by the passion, witness and commitment of Fr. Patrick as he put us all in constant touch with the presence of the divine among us. We were absorbed and lifted in this great mystery of the Trinity of the communion of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

After Mass, there was a fellowship meal with a variety of delicious food cooked/bought by our BEC members. The regular BEC members also brought food containers for eating — as we always do, in caring for the environment — the result of one of our responses to the BEC’s reading of Laudato Si last year. It was a time for the community to share food, stories, renew and deepen relationships among us. The elderly also took the opportunity to ask for a special blessing from Fr Patrick. Everyone felt comfortable and enjoyed the presence of Fr Patrick. We had a memorable time.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online