Category Archives: June 2018

In 1978, Fr Gilbert Griffon MEP initiated the formation of the Roh Kudus Prayer group for the English-speaking parishioners of St Thomas Church. This Prayer Group recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary over the weekend of June 9 and 10 with the theme Be Disciples of Hope, Come and be Renewed by the Holy Spirit.

About 100 parishioners participated in the celebrations which began with a series of talks by newly ordained Fr Xavier Andrew. The sessions concluded with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confessions heard by Fr Xavier and Fr Patrick Boudville and also anointing of the sick.

The prayer group is thankful for the support of the parish priest and is confident of forging ahead with renewed zeal by the mercy and grace of God, strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KAMPAR: The 110th anniversary of the Church of the Sacred Heart was a joyful experience of family, prayer and evangelisation to the multitudes.

The feastday Mass was celebrated by Fr Joachim Robert of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, concelebrated with Sacred Heart’s parish priest, Fr Aloysius Tan, on the theme of People of Hope, celebrating diversity, fostering unity and growing in commitment.

Many devotees, both young and old, came from far away towns and cities, including those who had once been parishioners of Sacred Heart Kampar.

In his homily given in four languages, Fr Joachim spoke about embracing the diversity in the community, building unity and making a commitment to build ourselves, our parish and community into one of love.

“We are reminded to look at the Sacred Heart of Christ and how we can experience the love of God in our life, and to give others a glimmer or taste of God’s love as well,” he said.

“Often we make our commitment to family or work due to self-interest and not for God, and this is when the sin of pride takes over.

“When we move according to God’s will, we feel our hearts at peace, because we are doing what God wants. Although, at times, this may be difficult, as we sin and feel a sense of shame. It is because God is reminding us that we need to grow.”

The procession went through the streets of Kampar with the Blessed Sacrament held by Fr Joachim atop a 4WD vehicle. The rosary was prayed throughout the journey. It was a powerful faith experience with others who do not yet know Christ.

The procession stopped three times for the Blessed Sacrament to be held aloft while the people knelt in adoration. It showed that the people’s faith is a community experience of the love of God. By the sharing of this faith, it also strengthened our commitment to Christ.

After the procession, Benediction was celebrated.

Fr Aloysius thanked God for the wonderful weather on the feastday and the nine-day novena with different preachers, as well as Bishop Sebastian Francis for officiating the start of the novena.

He also thanked Fr Joachim for celebrating Mass, mentioning that Fr Joachim served at the church during his pastoral training.

He presented a papal blessing to two parishioners, the late Mr T C Ng, and Patricia Rowland, for their many years of work and help in the parish.

Afterwards, there was a grand fireworks display in the church compound and the people were treated to a sumptious dinner.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

SEREMBAN: Two exhibitions were held to mark the 170 years of the church. At the Visitation parlour, a Marian exhibition organised by the Legion of Mary was held from 23rd May till 3rd of June 2018. Various statues of Our Lady and related information were on display. At the Bible Hall, there was a Visitation Historical Walk.

The exhibition was officiated by the Most Rev. Joseph Salvador Marino on 26th May. Among the items on display were vestments and stoles worn by Priests, Chalice and Ciborium (1900), Altar vases (1945), Candle stands (1950), Cruets (1960). An interesting article about the grandfather of Archbishop Julian Leow was on display.

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At least a thousand Catholics came from the various parishes of the Klang district to participate in a concelebrated Mass for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ on Sunday, June 3. This was followed by a grand candlelight procession along Jalan Tengku Kelana and then a Benediction at the Grotto in the grounds of Our Lady of Lourdes church.

A Klang District Pastoral Working Team was formed more than four months ago, with the encouragement of the parish priests from the district. This team comprised the members of the Klang District Pastoral Team and the Liturgical representatives from the district parishes – Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Church of the Holy Redeemer, Church of St. Anne and Church of Sts Peter and Paul.

To kick start the day, talks on the Holy Eucharist were organised in the four different languages. The aim of the talks was to instill a deeper reverence and appreciation for the Most Holy Eucharist. The invited speakers were Dr Steven Selvaraju, the current API Director, for the English-speaking, Fr Clement Lim from the Church of the Holy Redeemer for the Mandarinspeaking, the newly-ordained Fr Xavier Andrew for the Tamilspeaking and Fr Susilo from Indonesia for the Bahasa-speaking. This was followed by a short tea break and, thereafter, an hour of silent Adoration.

A multilingual Holy Mass was then celebrated by Fr Xavier Andrew and concelebrated with Msgr. Mitchell Anthony, Frs Frederick Joseph, Lawrence Andrew SJ, and William Michael. Deacon A. P. Thomas assisted during the celebration. During the homily, Fr Xavier shared on how he was impressed by the reverence the people showed during the Adoration. He emphasised on how the Eucharist should be the focal point of the life of every Catholic. After the Eucharist, Fr Frederick, the parish priest of the host church, thanked the committee members and all others for a well-organised event which saw no boundary, or race or language in the district. This event ended with a sumptuous fellowship.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

In an age where mobile devices and social media sites reign supreme over ‘mundane,’ old-fashioned talking, the ability to create and foster bonds with loved ones is increasingly challenging. This is in contrast with the teachings of the Catholic faith, as the Lord calls us to be a community, a church, to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.

The recently revamped Family Life Ministry of St Joseph’s Church organised a one-day session on Saturday May 26, for married couples and single adults to understand The Five Languages of Love developed by Dr Gary Chapman.

The Family Life Ministry Team from the Church of the Assumption consisting of Allan and Angeline Lee, Basil and Martina D’Rozario, Josephine Fonseka, led by Joe and Anita Pragasam who are also the Chair Couple for the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission, presented the five components of the Languages of Love.

During the weeks leading up to the event, the St Joseph Family Life Ministry core team, led by Michael and Shelly Gomes, got to work on promoting and inviting parishioners for the session. The one question that was constantly asked was, “What do you mean by ‘Languages of Love’?” Yes, love has a language of ways to convey loving messages to our loved ones. They are: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Physical Touch, Receiving Gifts and Quality Time.

The session kicked off with an Introduction and a Self-Evaluation questionnaire that gave participants an indication of their own primary Language of Love.

Whilst it is good to recognise your own Love Language, it is more important to learn the Love Language of your loved one i.e. your spouse, your son or daughter, your mother or your father and your friends. Knowing the love language of your loved one helps you to understand them better. For example, if you know that Quality Time is the Love Language of your son or daughter, then you will be able to take the necessary steps to spend time with them and show them that they are loved. While love languages cannot fix every relationship, the concept goes a long way in improving communication, which is a vital part of any relationship.

Even those who are single can benefit from understanding the Languages of Love. For instance, a young man whose Love Language is Physical Touch grew up thinking his mother did not love him because he was never hugged as he was growing up. Learning about the 5 Love Languages made him realise that his mother’s Love Language is Acts of Service.

He recalled how hard she worked to put food on the table and provide a comfortable home. This made him aware that his mother really loved him very much, but she simply wasn’t speaking his Love Language.

The Assumption Family Life Team shared their stories and experiences in learning the need and importance of these 5

Love Languages, and how it has changed them for the better. The awareness of the Love Language spoken by the ones they love has deepened their relationship.

Group discussions were held to encourage participants to get a glimpse into each other’s Language of Love. Many were enlightened with the information they obtained from the presenting team and from each other, as they realised that every individual is conditioned differently and that we all express and feel love differently. Understanding those differences can enrich and help our relationship. In fact, it’s one of the simplest ways to improve it.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

“Do we recognise the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist? If we did, we will long for the Eucharist as it is truly the Body and Blood of Christ. We will prepare ourselves because we want to receive Jesus in the Eucharist,” said Msgr Leonard Lexson on June 3, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, at the Cathedral of St John.

The feast of Corpus Christi celebrates the Eucharist as the Body and Blood of Christ. This jubilant feast is celebrated to proclaim the truth of the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the actual Body and Blood of Christ during Mass.

“We do our service to the living God. We come to receive Jesus, He comes to give us life. We recognise we are all sinners.

“We are not perfect. We have our limitations; but we are here.” Msgr Lexson reiterated that the source of our Christian life must lead us to serve the Lord.

“Do not be bystanders, coming for Mass and nothing more. How are we to reflect his holiness? We do this by getting involved in the various ministries. As you commit yourself as ministers of the Liturgy, be faithful in your prayer life. Not only to serve, but to receive God’s words, so that we can grow in the love of the word of God.”

The parish priest also reminded the ministers to find time to adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Msgr Lexson said that every Eucharist is truly joyous. When we receive the Eucharist, we retain the real presence of Jesus. When you come to receive, you must be in the right deposition. Non-Catholics cannot receive the Eucharist unless they first undergo baptism in the Church.

He urged the assembly to develop a sense of reverence for the Body and Blood of Christ by bowing reverently when receiving Christ. “We are servants, humbly waiting to receive the Lord on the palm of our hand. We consume the sacred Host and return to our place and pray in silence,” he added.

Msgr Lexson reiterated that Jesus is real. Humble ourselves to receive Him, so that His grace will be granted to us.

“Be what we believe. We become what we eat and become what we receive,” said St Augustine.

Give glory and praise to Jesus our Lord. Pray that you will not take advantage of the Eucharist, for Jesus Christ is the way, the Truth and the Life.”

After the homily, Msgr Lexson conducted the Rite of Commissioning for the Ministers of the Liturgy, consisting of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Altar Servers, Choir, Lectors and Commentators, Hospitality Ministers, Altar Ladies, Projectionists, Sacristans and BEC Liturgical Reps.

They are examples of Christian living, in faith and conduct, committed to serve God through their liturgical ministry, carry out their responsibilities with utmost care and reverence and to serve this community with love and faith and to work for building up of the parish.

After Mass, there was a procession around parts of the city-centre together with Archbishop Julian Leow. The solemn procession of the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament proceeded smoothly in a chariot through the streets as a statement that the sacrifice of Christ is for the salvation of the whole world. The chariot stopped at four stations for Gospel proclamation, prayer and adoration. The rosary was also recited during the procession.

On returning to the cathedral, Archbishop Leow invited all to pray for more vocations from this parish and for families.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

We have just celebrated two important days on June 16, the International Day of Family Remittances and the 7th anniversary of the adoption of the landmark Domestic Workers’ Convention (No. 189) of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). In light of this, let us take a moment to appreciate the significant economic and social contributions of migrant domestic workers to the homes, communities and countries where they are employed, as well as to their places of origin.

The ILO estimates that more than 67 million people, mostly women, are employed in domestic work around the world. Southeast Asia and the Pacific employ some nine million domestic workers. More than two million of them are migrant domestic workers, constituting nearly 20 per cent of all migrant workers in the region.

Due to an ageing population, lower fertility rates, and women’s increasing labour force participation, the care economies in many countries in the region including Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, are heavily dependent on the work of migrant domestic workers. Projections indicate the demand for domestic workers in the region will continue to grow in the near future, a demand that most likely will require migration.

At the same time, remittances sent home by migrant domestic workers also make a significant contribution to the wellbeing of their families and development of their home countries.

Migrant worker remittances contribute considerably to socio-economic development
A 2017 study by the ILO and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) surveying over 1,800 migrant workers from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam upon their return from Thailand and Malaysia, found that 93 per cent of migrant workers regularly sent remittances home while working abroad. These remittances were used for a range of purposes, including immediate household needs, children’s education, paying off debt, savings and supporting family members.

Remittances remain hugely important to developing economies, and the Asia-Pacific region is the biggest receiver of remittances worldwide. According to the World Bank, officially recorded remittances to low- and middle-income countries worldwide reached US$466 billion (RM1.85 trillion) in 2017, an increase of 8.5 per cent from 2016. Migrant workers from the Asia-Pacific region sent US$256 billion home in 2017 – this is more than 10 times the amount of development aid received in the region. A total of 320 million family members were supported by remittances across the region and remittances contributed, on average, 60 per cent to a receiving household’s income. In Asia and the Pacific, the Philippines and Vietnam remained the top remittance destinations with inflows to the Philippines at US$33 billion and to Vietnam, US$14 billion in 2017.

The average cost of sending a remittance from Thailand to Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam ranges from 3 per cent to 20 per cent, depending on the service provider, according to the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). Given that, we still have work to do to realise the sustainable development goal target of 10 percent which aims to reduce the transaction costs to less than 3 per cent and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent by 2030.

Barriers to sending money back home safely hampers development
Maximising development impact of migrant remittances requires that migrant workers have access to affordable and migrant-friendly remittance and banking services. This is, unfortunately, not yet the case in the Asean region.

The ILO and IOM survey found that informal remittance channels were the most popular among migrants from the Lao PDR and Myanmar. Vietnamese migrants preferred using banks or hand carry, while Cambodian migrant workers preferred money transfer organisations. In addition to a greater risk of the migrant worker losing their earnings on its way home, reliance on informal remittance channels in the region has led to the existence of a significant shadow economy which needs to be brought to formality.

Barriers to migrant workers’ use of formal remittance channels include inaccessibility, high costs, low awareness of available remittance service providers, and a lack of trust. Lack of identification documents poses another challenge, especially for irregular migrant workers. Migrant domestic workers are among the most disadvantaged in accessing banking and formal remittance channels as they typically work very long days, have few days off, and are often unable to leave their places of work.

Realising the development potential of remittances
To make sure that remittances can contribute to development and reach their destinations safely and affordably, the ILO is working on a number of initiatives on both the demand and the supply side of financial services. On the supply side, this involves working with financial institutions so they can develop adequate financial services and products matching the need of the migrant worker. One of the initiatives linked to the demand side of financial services is the soon-to-be-launched SaverAsia. SaverAsia is a digital platform which helps migrant workers compare remittance costs to find best rates and money saving options. The portal also helps migrant workers to find financial services such as savings, payments, credit, and, insurance products, suited to their needs. A first user group testing of SaverAsia will take place in Singapore soon with Indonesian and Filipino migrant domestic workers, and it will be formally launched in September.
More remains to be done

Today is an important opportunity not only to recognise the contribution that migrant domestic workers, most of who are women, make to their host countries, but also to celebrate their important role in supporting socio-economic development of their home countries.

However, in addition to building individual migrant workers’ capacity to make wise choices about their finances, an enabling environment needs to be created to maximise the development potential of their remittances. This requires making safe, affordable and migrant-friendly remittance and banking services available to all women and men migrant workers.

Of critical importance is also partnerships at the national, bilateral and regional levels that make migration a win-win proposition for countries of origin, destination and migrants themselves. Decent work for domestic workers, the essence of the Domestic Workers Convention, can only be achieved through a commitment to improving laws, making employers and workers aware of their obligations and rights, and partnerships among governments, workers and civil society that empower women migrant workers and protect their rights.

— Tomoko Nishimoto is assistant director-general and regional director at the International Labour Organisation regional office for Asia and the Pacific.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

“To know one’s religion is to know none” declared Friedrich Max Muller, the 19th century founder of comparative religion.

This thought-provoking statement opened the talk on Comparative Religions jointly presented by Fr Andrew Manickam OFM Cap (pic) and Br Joseph Gomez at the Holy Family Church on May 20.

The talk highlighted areas of commonalities shared with other faiths and how to build bridges of mutual understanding and respect while keeping their own Christian identity intact. At the same time, both speakers introduced the audience to Nostra Aetate (Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions, 1965), the landmark encyclical from the Second Vatican Council which has paved the way for interfaith dialogue.

The two-hour talk provided a better understanding of this document and its significance in our times. The Parish Ministry of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs (PMEIA) teams of St Francis of Assisi, Cheras and Holy Family Church, Kajang, jointly organised this event.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (CHS) observed a Study Day/Mid-Term Review on May 26. It was important to look at the pastoral activities that took place since January and whether they were carried out in line with the Parish Thrust and Theme.

In conjunction with the Study Day, the Penang Diocesan Animating Team explained the purpose of the Diocesan Synod before the PMPC IV held at Plentong in 2016. At the Parish Pastoral Assembly on December 3, 2017, Fr Fabian presented the theme, Unity in Diversity. The Thrust of the Parish was based on:

1) The teaching of the Apostles
2) Fellowship
3) Breaking of the Bread
4) Prayer

The Ministries, BECs and Teams were categorised under five cluster groups – Liturgy, Catechetical, Spiritual, Youth and Social. Each cluster group would undertake one element of the Parish Thrust for three months during the One Year Journey.

During the Mid-Term Review, the PAT Chairman, Iruthaya Das, reviewed the 24 activities held from January till May under the five cluster groups.

The PPC Chairman, Pedro Geronimo, rolled out the plans for the One Year Journey Towards the Golden Jubilee from June 2018 to June 2019. In order to help the parishioners during this tough journey, there will be Holy Hour on the first Friday of every month and a special Day of Prayer in August.

He added that CHS had more than 3,000 parishioners and 73 ministries, but many were hesitant to take up leadership roles in ministries, especially in BECs. Many parishioners were even reluctant to open their homes for BEC activities because they felt that they had to clean their homes. “However, we don’t have to worry about that, as the Spirit of God knows how to clean our homes. You will be blessed,” concluded Pedro.

There was a feedback session for the participants to share their views. They spoke on how to help migrant university students by providing them transport for weekend Masses. Others spoke on the need to get migrant Catholics to participate in the Offertory during weekend Masses.

Fr Joachim, the Parish Priest, then wrapped up the Mid-Term Review, saying that there were many people who needed the services of the parish. The leaders and parishioners had to bring all these people to encounter Christ. Therefore, everyone had to work like the early Christians to make a change in the life of others. “God is always with us to bless and help us in our journey,” he concluded.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

After more than 60 years in education, with the last 10 years in Stella Maris Pudu, Dato’ A.R. Peter has called it a day.

Highly respected and well loved by his students as well as teachers, principal Dato’ A.R. Peter’s last day at Stella Maris Secondary was truly an emotional affair.

On May 31, there was an outpouring of appreciation for Dato’ A.R. Peter who brought about many positive changes to the school during his tenure here.

Dato’ A. R. Peter always gave inspiring, motivating and caring quotes during Monday assemblies. He introduced the concept of the school annual concert which provided an opportunity to showcase the students’ aesthetic talents and an opportunity for the students and teachers to strengthen their cooperation and relationship living up to the school theme Care, share, love and serve.

The farewell ceremony began with the inspection of the guard of honour, comprising all the uniformed units of the school. In the school auditorium, the ceremony continued with an opening prayer by Fr. Alvin Ho.

The first speech was by the school captain, Yip Puey Kuan, who spoke about Dato’s admirable qualities and dedication to the school. For him, the character, attitude and values of our young are essential aspects that teachers have to mould and nurture. Dr. Stephen Leong, Chairman of the Board of Governors also expressed his heartfelt thanks to Dato’ Peter for his passionate service and efforts in bringing the school to the next level. Dato’ Richard Robless, Chairman of Yayasan Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon, spoke about Dato’s service to the school, stating that it was during Dato’ Peter’s principalship that the school reached its full potential, with maximum capacity. Finally, it was the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Most Rev. Julian Leow‘s turn to acknowledge Dato’s efforts. He requested Dato’ to continue to share his wealth of experience and knowledge and the love of God even after he leaves Stella Maris.

Following that, the school choir sang. The Form One students recited a poem to show their appreciation to Dato’. Then the students and staff presented their gifts to Dato’. To end this emotional day, it was Dato Peter’s turn to give his final speech to his beloved Stella Marisians. He spoke about his career as a teacher and the challenges he faced. Dato’ Peter had the honour of being awarded the prestigious Tokoh Guru Kebangsaan Award by the Ministry of Education in 1995.

Dato’ has fond memories of Stella Maris. He urged all students to uphold the school theme Care, share, love and serve and continue to strive for excellence. “Be the best that you can be, in whatever you choose to do,” were his parting words to the students and staff.

Lastly, Dato’ was driven around the school compound in an open-top vehicle-the AMG. With heavy hearts, students and teachers lined the path leading up to the school gate to bid farewell to their beloved principal.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online