Category Archives: Dec 2017

KUALA LUMPUR (Herald Malaysia): “Is there anyone present here who has pain in the shoulder or neck?” Immediately, the hands of thirty-five parishioners shot up eagerly. In response to a common problem, the newly formed ASSIST Ministry of the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Peel Road organised a show and tell session regarding neck and shoulder pain on Sunday November 26.

Medical and allied health professionals comprising a medical doctor, physiotherapist and a counsellor shared their knowledge and skills in English, Tamil and Cantonese. The Ministry adopted an inclusive approach to ensure that parishioners were not left out due to language barriers. In the coming year, ASSIST looks forward to enriching parish life with various year-round programmes by professionals in the fields of medicine and allied health, education, counselling and law, as well as outreach services for special groups like migrants and our Evergreen senior parishioners

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KAULA LUMPUR: The prison ministry of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur sends volunteers and priests to the prisons regularly for visits and spiritual encouragement. We have many volunteers, priests from various parishes here, as well as bishops visiting and sharing the good news to all prisoners .

Visits to the prison have always brought about God’s abundance of love and compassion to these, the least of our brothers and sisters. “I was in prison…. You visited me” Mt 25:31

Keep up the good works. The season of Christmas is approaching, so let’s write a card with a message of hope for all these prisoners who are waiting for your support. Contact the prison ministry volunteers in your parish today! Praised be God for his goodness.

I was in prison…. You visited me!
It was in 2014 during my visits that I came across three Catholic lady inmates from the Togo Republic, Africa. I was told of their need to see their embassy officials for some legal help and assistance. The prison department was not able to assist them as there is no embassy in Malaysia. This prompted me to write to the Nuncio in KL who advised me to contact the Togo embassies in Japan and India. Requests were made through letters and email but they were not able to assist. This case was even later taken to the commission of justice and peace in Rome by the Nuncio, who assured of prayer support of the Holy Father.

Since then, some of my letters to them of prayer support and encouragements from volunteers have kept them going in life faithfully.

This year, one of them was released from the Kajang prison and was sent to the depot in Bukit Jalil. The volunteers were told of this release and made an attempt to visit her to assist while at the immigration camp here. All she needed now was a travel pass from the Togo government and a flight ticket. This inmate was assisted by these volunteers who, through some efforts and help, had finally gotten a travel pass given by the Togo embassy in Beijing, China. Travel arrangements were made and on November 6, 2017, Amavi returned home safely. Thanks to Catherine Boon and Theresa and the entire prison ministry team for this help. She is very grateful for all the great help given her by the prison ministry.

There was another similar case of a lady inmate from Georgia, with no embassy here, who needed assistance. It was during prison visits that I got to know an official from the Romania embassy, Kuala Lumpur who helped to refer this matter to the Romanian foreign ministry who helped to arrange officials from Georgia to visit the inmate here. Continuous visits and efforts given will surely bring goodness to these inmates .

Another story is of a child born in prison and growing up with her mother, a Guinea national who was sentenced for life in prison. At the age of three, this child had to be given up for adoption or to the welfare department. The mother requested that the child be sent to her home country to be raised by her family. This needed the help of the embassy and it was not easy. The case was taken up by then Archbishop Murphy Pakiam who took it to the cardinal in Guinea. Immediately the Guinea government made all arrangements to take the child. Three-year-old Chantal was flown home on May 16, 2014.–By Fr George Harrison

Education… Anytime, anywhere!
I went to the Kajang prison for the first time in 2007 and visited a young inmate whom I knew well from my home parish. This visit created a great opportunity for counselling, guidance and confession. These visits slowly encouraged me to make regular monthly visits to other sections and the female prison, as well. Visits like this give hope and cheer to the inmates.

This young inmate, Moses Anthony, while in prison, was held in good standing because of his character and conduct. He was offered to take up a special course through distance learning. The OUM university offered him a Bachelor in Business Administration four year study-course. This would only be possible if the family could pay the fees for the entire course. The family was not able to manage this. It was at this time that Moses asked the Church for assistance. With the help of Tuan Ranjit from the prison who made every possible effort and Herbert and Theresa from the Holy Family Church Prison Ministry, all arrangements were made. We approached the Archdiocesan Office for Human Development (AOHD) for help and they approved to pay for the entire course. Special thanks to Fr Mitchel Anthony who was then the director of AOHD.

Moses is a bright student who obtained high marks in all the subjects and passed with flying colours. He successfully completed the course and also finished serving his sentence and was released this year in March. After his release, he made time to visit all the friends and prison volunteers who helped him in his journey.

Though life is very tough and hard for Moses, now 35 years old, who had spent almost 11 years in prison, it was the Word of God and the spiritual guidance that strongly encouraged him to be what he is today.

Moses is now giving his best to live a new, good and purposeful life. On Nov 26, 2017, he was conferred the Bachelor in Business Administration by OUM. He and his family are very grateful to the prison ministry and all faithful for the continuous support given. — By Fr George Harrison

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

PETALING JAYA: It was a joyous occasion for children, parents and catechists of the Assumption parish when 80 children received the Holy Eucharist for the first time on the Feast of Christ the King on Nov 26. Joy radiated from the faces of the children as they came into the church, as the moment they had been preparing for was now a reality.

At the beginning of the Mass, gifts were offered by the children. Potted plants to symbolise their growth in faith, boxes containing all the sacrifices that they had made preparing for this moment, their prayers of thanksgiving for God’s blessings and their religious education books that have helped them build their faith.

Parish priest Msgr Mitchel Anthony Joseph, VG, began by telling the children that Jesus humbled himself to come down from heaven to be with them when they receive the Eucharist. In his homily, he told the story of Mother Teresa and the young man who told her that even if he was given 10 million rupees, he would not be able to clean the sores of a homeless old man. However, she explained to him that she did so because she sees Jesus in that man.

Thus, Msgr Mitchel pointed out that this is the beautiful characteristic of saints: they see nature as an extension of themselves and everything is connected to Jesus. He went on to say that since our spirituality flows from the life of Jesus, therefore in receiving the Eucharist, the life of Jesus will grow in the children’s lives — to live the way He taught us, by helping the ‘poor, the marginalised and the sick’. He told the children to humble themselves and to see Jesus in others. He ended his homily by thanking the parents for bringing up their children in the faith and the teachers for their commitment in imparting Faith to the children.

After Mass, there was a fellowship which helped everyone get to know each other better.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

By Patrick Lan
BEC St Andrew under the jurisdiction of the Church of St Francis of Assisi (SFA) celebrated its feastday on November 30, 2017 in the home of one of its members with Mass.

It is the norm for the BECs in this parish to have the Eucharistic Celebration in the BEC to celebrate its feast day.

The BEC members were truly blessed with the presence of three priests, Fr Andrew Andrew Manickan OFM Cap, Fr Michael Raymond OFM Cap and Fr Sebastian OFM Cap.

There were also two brothers, Bro Joseph and Bro Christie, present. The area Mass was well attended with 20 BEC families, BECCOT Chairperson Christine Danker, guests from Australia and faithful friends from BEC St John the Baptist.

As it was also his feastday, Fr Andrew was the main celebrant for the Mass.

In his sermon, Fr Sebastian shared that St Andrew was a fisherman, brother of Peter, a disciple of John the Baptist who later followed Christ. He posed a question to all of us asking if we were ready to follow Christ like St Andrew.

The feastday celebration ended with cake cutting by Fr Andrew followed by fellowship. We praise God for the active participation of our BEC members and the cohesive community.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

IPOH (Herald Malaysia): St Michael’s Church has welcomed Advent in a special way by coming up with a crib that’s in tune with the Penang diocese’s call to recycle, reduce and reuse.

Its crib and Christmas decorations this year are the work of BEC Chateau Gardens and Greentown, headed by its BEC coordinator, Agnes Wong.

With the theme Lights and Bright Christmas, some 20 volunteers of the BEC took part in decorating the church and created the crib starting from September. The Altar servers of SMC helped in putting up the decorations after the feast of Christ the King.

The crib itself is the focal point, using branches and twigs gathered from trees after they had been pruned, with palm leaves sheltering its roof.

There is a green forest of Christmas trees behind the manger and behind the main altar, giving the interior of the church a “green forest” look.

Lights have been put in between the palm leaves to light up the interior of the small crib.

The “carpenter” of the crib is Bernie Wong, who is from another BEC but has been making the St Michael’s cribs for several years now. Mary Jo Moh is the artist behind the work, with her clever decorator’s passion for Christmas and her love of handcrafted things.She was assisted by Dominic Chong.

Old pieces of planks obtained from a wooden house demolished at the car park area were salvaged and kept. These were then recycled and handpainted as large Christmas candles, and outdoor Christmas trees placed near the statue of St Michael. Huge poinsettias surrounded the Christmas candles placed in the church and outside. The poinsettias adorn the area above the Cry Room area and the choir loft.

In all, the BEC members made up 12 outdoor Christmas trees, painted them and decorated them with musical lyrics in English and Mandarin.

In the porch area, there is the Star of Bethlehem, surrounded by two angels.

Within the church, there are tapestries of the Nativity starting from the Annunciation and leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. These tapestries were meticulously handsewn by the same BEC several years ago, but have been re-used, because many of the parishioners admired them when they first came out.

All these things called for a great degree of emotional involvement as they put heart and soul into the process as well as a genuine sharing of self and time.

But perhaps the most wonderfully welcoming thing was the message in the sewn tapestries: that Christmas is all about the Hope, Peace and Love of Jesus Christ.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

By Paul Peter Fernandez
A cultural night held on Nov 18 showcased the many talents of the Catechism children of the Church of the Visitation.

With the theme Unity in Culture – One Lord for All and All for One Lord, the show brought together the children of four language groups from the primary to secondary schools and their teachers. By evening, the Visitation Community hall was filled to capacity by parents, catechists, relatives and parishioners.

Parish priest Fr George Harrison, in his opening speech, said the show exposed the wonderful and hidden talents of the children who were supported and encouraged by their parents, grandparents and catechists. He said the cultural show was a night to remember as part of the on-going celebration of the church’s 170 years anniversary celebration.

The show was emceed by Daryll Darshan and Audrey Sumitra Dass, both catechists themselves. Helping them was Wilson Yeo, Overseeing the running of the programme were Juliana Cantius, Anthony Param and Gerald Victor who provided the music. Also in attendance were Assistant Parish Priest, Fr Andrew Kooi and Jerome Selva Ratnam, the Chairperson of the 170 years anniversary celebration of the Church of the Visitation.

The first performance of the day was by 20 children from the Nursery and Kindergarten who were dressed in traditional costumes and greeted the audience in various languages.

The three-hour show saw a total of 23 performances. Among the performances were cultural folk, Portuguese and Bollywood dances, solo dance, singing by a children’s choir, a fashion show, a sketch and Wushu demonstration by two Form 3 girls. The singing of the 1985 song We are the World by the Standard 5 children got the audience singing along.

There was a short break for dinner cum fellowship.

The show then continued with performances by the secondary students. Some of the dances were choreographed by the students themselves.

In his closing speech, Fr George thanked all the parents, catechists and children for a wonderful show. After that, the catechists led by Anthony (Chief coordinator), performed a dance which got the audience cheering. The show ended at 11.00pm.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Archbishop Julian Leow was the main celebrant at the Mass for the Differently-Abled on Dec 3 at St Joseph’s Church. Fr Edwin Paul and parish priest, Fr George Packiasamy were the concelebrants.

In keeping with the theme The Unseen Brought to Light, the differently-abled took an active part in animating the Mass: an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (EMHC) and the First Reader were wheelchair-bound, the Second Reader has autism and the commentator is visually-impaired. Other differently-abled persons from across the archdiocese (Catholic Ministry to the Deaf, Assisi Beloved Community, Faith & Light and Wheels) also took part as Hospitality Ministers and bearers of the Offertory gifts.

After Mass, there was fun at the Dewan Msgr Anthony Thomas, with various ministries performing. In conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Eagle’s Wing Ministry at St Joseph’s Church, Archbishop Leow cut a cake and released helium-filled balloons as a sign of joy that differently-abled persons find in the love of Jesus, who enables them to fly beyond their perceived disabilities.

Parishioners and visitors were also able to purchase handcrafted items prepared by the differently-abled from the booths set up around the church grounds. A hearty lunch rounded off the day’s celebrations.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

1. At the meeting of the Regional Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei in Majodi, Plentong from the 11-15  July 2016, it was confirmed that:

a)    The Fourth Sunday of Advent is observed on 24 December 2017 at the morning masses and the sunset masses (anticipated) on December 23;

b)    The Sunday evening Masses on  December  24 is to be treated as the Vigil or night masses for the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord.

2. It is strongly encouraged that the faithful attend masses on both days (Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas) unless there is a just reason that impedes them from doing so.

3. In the case of the faithful being unable to attend both days due to a just reason, they are to observe some special way to pray or perform works of piety and charity.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

TELIPOK – The first publication of the  Youth Ministry Team of Holy Family Parish here was launched by Father David Sham on 21 Oct 2017 at the parish hall.

Entitled Our Journey, it records the journey of the parish youth starting with the arrival of the Sabah Youth Day cross in 2015 until the end of Year of Mercy in Nov 2016.

Some 200 guests attended the simple launching ceremony including Father Mitchelly Kiun, assistant pastor, Father Paul Lo, former assistant pastor, and Franciscan Sister Terry Loukang, coordinator of the Archdiocesan Youth and Pastoral Team.

Fr Sham said this is one of the good ways for the youth to share their faith journey through pictures and stories documented in the book. He encouraged every family to purchase a copy as a way to share the good news with their family members and communities.

The book is now on sale at RM30 and there are still about 60 copies left (at the time of printing) since the launching. Those who are interested to get a copy may contact Leo Chong at 016-8231993. – Leo Chong

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

KOTA KINABALU – Kota Kinabalu High School (KK High School) ogranised a faith-deepening seminar for the Catholic students on 27 Nov 2017 at the school hall.

Sixty students – mostly Form Five – attended the seminar.

The main speakers were Franciscan Sister Dora Obod and Ms Imelda from the Archdiocesan Youth Commission and Father Paul Lo of Sacred Heart Cathedral Karamunsing.

The objective of the seminar was to help soon-to-be school leavers to deepen their faith so that they will still attend Mass when they leave home.

Sr Dora and Imelda handled the first session on the meaning of Mass.  The sister led the students to reflect on their blessings and their purpose in life while Imelda shared her experiences as a student.

In his session, Fr Lo explained the important areas of Catholic Apologetics. This was followed by a question and answer session.

He urged the students to truly understand the faith they are embracing and to live it out. In that way, only then can they answer any questions with a strong conviction and firm belief. – Grace Phan Yiing Ling

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu