Category Archives: Mar 2018

The Rite of Election, an important step in a catechumen’s conversion to Catholicism, was celebrated Feb 25 at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for the Malacca Johore Diocese (MJD).

Two hundred and ninety-nine catechumens accompanied by their godparents, sponsors and catechists from twenty parishes gathered for the Mass celebrated by Bishop Bernard Paul.

The ceremony, the second step of the Church’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), is traditionally held once a year on the first Sunday in Lent.

Bishop Bernard Paul had requested that the Rite of Election for catechumens for all language groups for both Melaka and Johor be held at the Cathedral.

Bishop Bernard, together with a number of clergy, concelebrated the Mass for the catechumens and candidates as well as their godparents and sponsors who were there with them.

After the homily, the priest in charge of Catechetics, Fr Simon Yong, SJ, presented the catechumens to the bishop as well as the Books of the Elect which had their names inscribed in them.

After the homily, Bishop Bernard invited groups of catechumens from each parish to declare their intentions. Following this, he accepted the Books of Elect presented to him by the representative of each parish and formally declared the catechumens members of the Elect.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The Rite of Election was held at the Church of the Holy Family, Kajang on Feb 25 in the presence of Archbishop Julian Leow, parish priests, sponsors and community.

Five hundred and eighty candidates from 30 parishes in the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese will be baptised this coming Easter which falls on April 1, 2018.

The rite begun with parish representatives carrying banners of their respective churches in procession while the entrance hymn was sung.

In his homily, Archbishop Leow said in the Bible, the place where God is discovered is always on the top of the mountain.

“Your journey, dear catechumens, leading up to this day, may have been a difficult journey. You came from far and wide to discover God on this mountain. I pray that you have discovered and will continue to discover Jesus even more after this,” he said.

He went on to share that to be a follower of Christ is not easy as we would need to remain strong and firm.

“We fear the Lord because we are afraid we might fall short of being faithful and being called the children of God,” he said.

Archbishop Leow concluded by urging the catechumens to build a firm foundation which leads to a strong relationship with God.

“Today, we are strengthened because we know God loves us so much that he had sacrificed his only son for us, for our sins,” he concluded.

Then the service continued with the submission of candidates by the parish priests of all 30 churches to the Archbishop witnessed by the community.

After that the elect were ready to be accepted by the Archbishop. The sponsors then laid their right hand on the elect and prayed for them to remain steadfast by the teachings of the Church.

Before the final hymn, the congregation prayed for the Elect on this journey. They were also asked to support the catechumens.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

IPOH: Catechumens from nine parishes in Perak had their names enrolled into the Book of the Elect at St Michael’s Church during Mass, which included the Rite of Election on Feb 25.

Bishop Sebastian Francis of Penang was the main celebrant of the Mass.

The 145 catechumens came from the Taiping Catholic church, St Francis de Sales in Sitiawan, St Anthony’s in Teluk Intan,

Most Holy Redeemer in Tanjung Malim, Sacred Heart in Kampar, St Joseph’s in Batu Gajah, Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Lourdes and St Michael’s Church Ipoh.

In his message to the catechumens, Bishop Sebastian said through the process of discernment and purification, the Holy Spirit is the constant companion in our lives, and that He wants a Church that is inclusive and creative.

“Today, at the Rite of Election, you will strengthen and purify your motivation. It is something that must take place for all of Jesus’ disciples, especially those in leadership and authority, and the process never stops.

“You exercised your freedom of choice (to be baptised) and the Holy Spirit will carry on inviting you to purify yourself .

“The most important thing is God called you in Christ Jesus.

“You will be a disciple and member of the Body of Christ and the Church’s vision becomes your vision and mission.

“The more you grow into this awareness, the more you enjoy the life and plan God has for you. Each of you must discover this plan in your life,” he said.

At the start of the Rite of Election, Fr Liew presented the catechumens from the Deanery of Perak in the diocese of Penang, to Bishop Sebastian.

“They have undertaken the RCIA journey in the past year,” Fr Liew said.

The sponsors were asked if the catechumens had faithfully listened to the Word of God proclaimed by the Church and the catechumens were asked if they were ready to enter the Catholic Church and they replied in the affirmative.

The names of the catechumens had been recorded into their respective parish books which were presented to Bishop Sebastian by their co-ordinators.

After receiving the books, Bishop Sebastian incensed, blessed and signed the Books of the Elect.

The Elect, as they are now called, were prayed over by the bishop, priests and congregation.

After Mass, dinner was served for all present.

Meanwhile in Penang, the Rite of Election was held at the Church of the Assumption. Bishop Sebastian received the names of 119 catechumens who had their names enrolled in their parish’s Book of Elect.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The Federal Court, in a unanimous decision on Feb 27, dismissed the appeals of three Muslim converts and a Muslim by birth to have their applications to apostate be heard in the civil high court.

The apex court ruled that the Sarawak syariah court had jurisdiction to hear their apostasy applications.

Court of Appeal president Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, in his ruling, said even though there was no provision in the syariah court, there was a section in the Majlis Islam Sarawak Ordinance 2001 that could be used to hear apostasy cases.

The other members of the five-man bench were Ahmad Maarop, Hasan Lah, Ramly Ali and Jeffrey Tan Kok Wha.

The dismissal means that Salina Jau Abdullah, Jenny Peter, Mohd Syafiq Abdullah @ Tiong Choo Ting and Syarifah Nooraffyzza Wan Hosen, who is an ethnic Malay and Muslim by birth, have to go to the syariah court for their apostasy applications.

Zulkefli said the appeal had no merit when responding to the converts’ counsel, Baru Bian, who said the Sarawak syariah court’s jurisdiction over apostasy matters could not be read into the Syariah Court Ordinance 2001 by implication, when there was no expressed provision under the Syariah Court Ordinance 2001 concerning conversions into Islam.

Syarifah Nooraffyzza had left Islam to embrace Christianity, while Salina, Jenny and Tiong had converted to Islam to facilitate their marriage to Muslim partners.

Salina, who is of Kayan-Kenyah ethnicity, was a Christian before her marriage to Malay-Muslim Shazali Saleh.

She had taken on her Muslim name after her conversion, but following her divorce, she returned to Christianity.

Jenny, a Melanau, converted to Islam to marry Nazri Abdul Rahman. After her divorce, she returned to Christianity, too.
Tiong, who is of Chinese-Bidayuh parentage, converted to Islam to marry Siti Aishah Badahar, but when his wife died, he returned to Christianity.

The four had, in 2015, filed applications in the high court for a judicial review, for the declaration that they are Christians; an Order of Mandamus (a judicial remedy in the form of an order from a superior court) to compel the director of the Sarawak Islamic Affairs Department or state Islamic Religious Council to issue them a “letter of release” from Islam, or Surat Murtad and, an Order of Mandamus to compel the director-general of the National Registration Department (NRD) to drop “ Islam” as their religion on their MyKad and other documents, and to change information on them in the national registry to reflect that they are Christians.

Their applications were only at the “Leave Stage,” where objections were raised by their counsel against the grounds that the civil high court had no jurisdiction or power to hear such applications as they related to apostasy, which fell under the syariah court.

The argument was based on an interpretation of Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution, and this argument or submission is supported by three Federal Court cases.

Baru argued that the high court had jurisdiction to hear apostasy cases, saying the state syariah court was “not clothed with that power, to decide on apostasy cases, as the Sarawak Syariah Court Ordinance 2001 does not provide for this issue to be dealt with by the shariah court.”

He pointed to letters from the Kuching Syariah Court to the four, which he said confirmed that it had no power to deal with apostasy cases.

The four converts had, on various occasions, submitted applications to NRD to have their Muslim names on their MyKad changed to their non-Muslim names, while Syarifah Nooraffyzza had applied to use the name “Vanessa Elizabeth.”

Their applications, however, were rejected as they had failed to obtain a “letter of release” from Islam, from the Sarawak Islamic Affairs Department.

The state Islamic Affairs Department later informed them that it had no jurisdiction in Sarawak to issue such a letter.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The launching of this year’s Lenten Campaign at the Church of Divine Mercy (CDM) fell to the parish’s Love Squad. They planned and performed a skit in line with this year’s theme, Heal Our World.

The skit showed the dialogue between a beggar and a former classmate who helped him in spite of criticism by others. It underlined the sub-themes of embracing the poor, upholding human dignity, promoting social justice, loving our families and saving the environment.

Towards the end of the skit, a video of environmental pollution was shown and the students unfurled four banners of the sub-themes. These banners are to be hung up in the church to remind the parishioners of the Lenten Campaign’s theme. Lenten Campaign bookmarks and pamphlets were also distributed to all those who attended the weekend Masses.

In his homily, parish priest Fr Martin Arlando asked those present to begin this time of Lent by recalling the promise of God’s forgiveness and that God’s loving goodness still endures and reaches out to us. The redeeming sign is Jesus, whowas tempted just like us. Often, in this busy world, we find it hard to recognise this sign. It is exactly where Jesus said it is. “The kingdom of God is close at hand.”

Fr Martin then explained that repentance can be looked at in the 5Ws and 1H. The “Who” is ourselves, you and me. We need to change for the better. The “What” is the behaviours or attitudes to be avoided or cultivated better. The “When” is the use of our time, turning away from the useless waste of time to the time of fulfillment. The “ Where” is the circumstances or occasions of sin which we can turn to occasions of grace or life. The “How” is something we alone know best to do along the path of repentance, not neglecting the sacrament of reconciliation. The “Why” is where St Peter gave the reason that Jesus suffered and died for our sins. This is so that we might be led to God.

If we are not led to God, then Christ suffered in vain. Jesus also explained that the Kingdom of God is at hand, which means to turn back to God through repentance. Lastly, to “Hope” for the Kingdom of God, which is well worth repenting for.

At the end of Mass, the CDM Lenten bookmarks for Week 2 were distributed to the parishioners, offering them suggestions of Works of Mercy that they may do in the course of the week and to offer them up the following Sunday.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

IPOH: The Lenten campaign at St Michael’s Church (SMC) was launched on Feb 18 with a short video presentation on the theme Heal our World.

The video outlined ways in which we can make clear and decisive choices, even at personal cost, to make the world a better place, instead of causing harm.

Despite all the wars being fought over boundaries, religions and social and economic problems, there are still ways for us to make some form of reparation for the past and ensure a better future for others.

Some of the ways listed are: visiting the sick, the elderly, helping orphans, animals and preventing pollution.

The Lenten campaign Heal our World shows how most of our actions endanger our world and cause harm, such as the greenhouse effect, drought and floods. There is also unfettered consumption and greed for money.

The Mass for the first Sunday of Lent was celebrated by SMC parish priest Fr Stephen Liew, with Fr Paul Cheong OFM Cap concelebrating.

In his homily, Fr Liew said God does not tempt us, but Satan does. Tempations are not sin, but giving in to them is. When tempted, we should know that the purpose of temption is not to make us fall, but they are sent to strengthen us.

“It is for our good, to make us better people. Sometimes we fail, and sometimes we pass, but our love is stronger and our faith better after we go through temptation.

“Lent is also about almsgiving and fasting, and it is to make us aware of our sin, rather than the consequences.”

Fr Liew said the Gospel of Mark was unique in that it does not tell how Jesus was tempted for forty days in the desert. Instead, it states that Jesus was driven into the desert to be tempted.

The temptation of Jesus in the desert shows Jesus triumph over Satan by his adherence to the plan of salvation willed by the Father.

Fr Liew’s second point on Lent was on repentance. In the Bible, it means a change of mind and heart.

“Very often, when we talk about repentance, we are remorseful and, usually, it is about the consequences of sin rather than hatred of the sin itself. So, we often commit the same sin again and again and feel there is no need to confess. Repentance means hatred for sin, and changing our minds and hearts,” he said.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

In his homily at the Mass on Ash Wednesday, Fr Martin Arlando, the parish priest of the Church of Divine Mercy (CDM), informed the congregation that this was the beginning of 40 days for self-reflection on what we have done with our lives — the good and the bad.

Fr Martin reminded the congregation that the ashes we receive on this day is a sign of admission that we are not perfect, that we want to change and rid ourselves of our bad habits and attitudes.

Fr Martin emphasised that on this day, we are called to be ambassadors for God. “According to St Paul, we are called to be bridge builders for Christ. It is through us that people learn about the one we call Lord or Christ. Imagine that life is a flowing stream, and we are the stepping stones in the stream for others to cross over. These stepping stones are our witnessing and testimonies.

“The prophets have been these stepping stones. It is now our turn to be those stepping stones of faith, to help others cross over to life everlasting. To be bridge builders during this time of Lent through our examples of fasting, prayer, repentance and by the Way of the Cross in our way of thinking and acting. Are you willing to live your lives according to the Way of the Cross and have a loving relationship with our Lord as a reflection for others to see?”

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The Church of St Francis of Assisi (SFA) ushered in the 2018 Chinese New Year (CNY) at the Infant Jesus Convent. The celebration kicked off with a lion dance and fireworks.

The Mass was celebrated by Fr Paul Hu, visiting priest from China, with parish priest, Fr Andrew Manickam OFM Cap concelebrating.

Fr Hu in his sermon recounted the story of the Canaanite woman, a Gentile, who came to Jesus seeking healing for her demon-tormented daughter. Jesus’ apparent attempt to put her off merely spurred her on — “Please Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall off from the table of their masters” (Matt 15:27) Her persistence and meekness serves as a reminder to all of us to remain loyal and steadfast in our faith, seeking refuge in the Lord in all things.

The commemoration of ancestors took place after communion. After Mass, Fr Hu and Fr Andrew gave out Angpows and mandarins to the congregation.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

January 23, 2018
chan/MC/04/2018

APPOINTMENTS

1 During the convalescence of Rev Fr Joseph Pereira, Rev Msgr Mitchel Anthony has been appointed by Most Rev Julian Leow, Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, as Parish Administrator of the Church of Sts Peter and Paul, Banting, with effect from February 21, 2018.

2 Dr Steven Selvaraju has been appointed as Director of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute and Director of the Archdiocesan Catechetical Centre and he has been tasked to head both the Archdiocesan Catechetical Commission and the Archdiocesan RCIA Coordinating Team with effect from February 2, 2018. His duties include overseeing the teams in charge of Theology of the Body, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and others.

— Rev Msgr Mitchel Anthony will continue as the Ecclesiastical Assistant of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute and be in charge of coordinating monthly clergy recollections and represent the Archdiocese in the Peninsular Malaysia Pastoral Team.

— Rev Fr Alvin Ho, SJ will continue as a member and Chairman of the Malaysian Catechetical Commission for the remainder of his term.

Fr Michael Chua
Chancellor
Archdiocecan Chancery
528 Jalan Bukit Nanas
Kuala Lumpur

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

IPOH: Chinese New Year was welcomed joyously at St Michael’s Church with Mandarin Mass celebrated on Feb 16.

SMC parish priest Fr Stephen Liew celebrated Mass and the concelebrants were priest-in-residence Fr Robin Andrews, Fr Paul Cheong OFM Cap, and Fr Rudy Wong CSsR.

As the celebration of the Lunar New Year of the Dog also coincided with the start of Lent, the focus of the homily was on good deeds and good words.

Fr Liew, in his homily, said the ushering of the New Year should bring about a change in us, in speaking good words, and behaving in a godly way so that people around us will be inspired to become good people.

“In the Beatitudes, Jesus pointed out the way to be good people. We should know how to live our lives, share it with others and adopt a give and take attitude.

“2018 is the Year of the Dog. So ask if you are Jesus’ dog, since a dog is known for its loyalty to its owner, and will not betray its master. It is man’s best friend. We must be loyal to Jesus and follow him,” he said.

After Holy Communion, the rite of reverence to God began, with the congregation giving three bows to the Triune God, thanking him for his providence and love for us.

The congregation thanked the Holy Spirit for sanctifying us and leading us to the Father. A Scripture passage from the Book of Sirach was then read, and reflected upon.

In the traditional Chinese way, the Cheok family, led by twins Paul and Michael, performed the rite of reverence to the ancestors.

Then the Priests and congregation bowed as a sign of respect for the ancestors and for their guidance throughout their lives.

The congregation bowed to the priests, in thanks for their love, care and shepherding of the people, before bowing to each other in greeting and thanks for graces and blessings received during the past year.

They prayed for God’s blessing for the New Year, to continue to bless us with good health, love and wisdom.

Ang pows and oranges were then distributed as the people came forward to receive them from the priests and communion ministers

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online