Category Archives: Nov 2017

Experiencing Hope Through the Holy Spirit was the theme for the Parish Formation Weekend for the Taiping Catholic Church, October 20 – 29. It was conducted by Fr Johny Panamthanam from the Congregation of the Society of St Paul who told the participants that “every disappointment is an appointment with God.”

SIN is definitely not a hot topic among Catholics and many would like to ignore it and dive straight into receiving blessings from the Lord. Yet, at every session, the participants were reminded that as long as we are living in sin, it will block the flow of God’s blessings, and without confession and repentance, we can never hope to experience Christ’s promise of an abundant life.

Fr Johny spoke of the healing power of Christ’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Each time we receive Holy Communion, Jesus enters into our hearts to liberate us from all that enslaves us. However, he warned that receiving Holy Communion without preparation by an examination of conscience, confession and repentance can lead to condemnation instead of grace. He mentioned the incident at the Last Supper when Jesus dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas and, as soon as Judas took the bread, ‘Satan entered into him.’ Judas’ life ended tragically because, unlike Peter, he did not confess his sin or seek forgiveness. The same thing can happen to us when we receive Holy Communion without being in a state of grace.

In the session on the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Fr Johny took the participants through a detailed analysis of the Ten Commandments, expanding on the significant effects of each sin in our lives. He compared sin to a nuclear bomb, where you suffer the effects long after the event is over. Sin can be summarised as a refusal to love God and to fulfil His mission for our life.

During the session on Inner Healing, the participants learned that character defects are rooted in how we were conceived, born and nurtured during our first year of life. The following six years are important foundational years in the life of a child as the hurt or nurturing received during that period will determine how the child will function for the rest of his/her life. He urged parents to be aware of this and to seek the root cause of a child’s difficult and problematic behaviour instead of blaming it on others. Every present problem has a past history. To be transformed, we must review our past and allow the Lord to forgive us.

Speaking about the Holy Spirit and hope, Fr Johny stated that a true believer can face the trials of this life through the power of the Holy Spirit and with hope in the Lord. As in the parable of the sower, the seed that is sown will inevitably meet with obstacles but, finally, there will be an abundant harvest. Whatever the worries, pleasures and discomforts that may come our way to choke the Word, we must persevere, and the Word, which never disappoints, will come to dwell in us.

During the talk on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) and the Church, Fr Johny stressed that the CCR is IN the Church and FOR the Church and that its ultimate purpose is the complete renewal of Christian lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. The CCR is not confined to a particular group of people who exercise the gifts of the Spirit, but is the whole Church being energised by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The two challenges facing prayer groups today are the integration of the CCR in the life of the parish and the renewal of parish life by the CCR. The goal of the Renewal movement is to work as leaven within the Church. It cannot exist indefinitely as a specialised group, but must be integrated into the dough.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Advancement of technology in communications opens up a whole new style of information distribution to the masses and needs to be adopted by today’s media practitioners while staying true to the principle of journalism.

Rector of St Peter Claver Ranau Church, Fr Nicholas Stephen said, in this era of easy and open access to communication media, thanks to technological advances, people can share and desseminate news directly and widely.

“Towards that end, I urge the media today to engage in building constructive communication, rejecting prejudice against others and promoting the culture of fellowship, while helping us all to see the world around us in a real and convincing manner.

“I also want to convey this message to everyone, who, whether in professional work or personal relationships, to daily ‘grind’ a great deal of information with the aim of providing a useful and good intake to people with whom they communicate,” he said.

Fr Nick was speaking when officiating the SPCR Social Communication and Multimedia (SOCCOM) Mini Retreat 2017 at Kam-Kam Joyful Garden, Bongkud near here recently.

He added that it is obvious in the world today that the new media has to break the spirits of anxiety and spiralling fears that arise as people are constantly focusing on ‘bad news’ like wars, terrorism, scandals, and all kinds of human failures.

“This is the message that our Holy Father Pope Francis urges of us, to let us not be misguided deviators who neglect the tragedy of human suffering and naive optimism that blinds us to the scandal of crime,” he said.

Fr Nick urged retreat participants to look for an open and creative way of communication, which never glorifies evil but is solution-oriented and inspirational towards a positive approach.

“I urge everyone, especially media practitioners, to be ‘good news’ agents for this world we are living in today,” he said.

The one day retreat, which was attended by over 30 members of the recently formed SOCCOM SPCR, was aimed at introducing the roles of the committee within society, as well as to foster fellowship among the participants.

Also held at the retreat were talks entitled Introduction to News Writing by Clarence G Dol and Basic Media Photography by Jimmy Akau, as well as personal sharing by the participants.

At the event, themed Service Through the Media, were Franciscan Friar, Br Aiden Peter, Chairman of SOCCOM SPCR, Zebius Karim, and other committee members.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

BUKIT PADANG – The coordinator of the Catholic Women’s League (CWL) of Sacred Heart Cathedral Kota Kinabalu called for fresh blood to join the ministry at its 46th anniversary dinner on 15 Nov 2017.

“There is so much to do to help the parish and the church through the Catholic Women’s League and we really need more than just 150 members to help us.  With more hands we can do more and work will be lighter,” Anita Tunggolou said in her welcoming speech.

The CWL was formed on 16 Nov 1971 with seven members and currently, it has over 130 active members.

The dinner took place at the Putera Ballroom Bukit Padang with over 800 diners including Archbishop John Wong, Archbishop Emeritus John Lee, Msgr Primus Jouil, Father Max Hontor, Father Joshua Liew,  religious sisters, aspirants and Initiation Year (IY) seminarians.

In his speech, Abp Wong warned the diners not to be trapped by  the current “instant-maggie mentality.”  He was referring to the four years it took for the CWL to spread from Stella Maris Tanjung Aru (1967) to then Sacred Heart Church (1971).

He said it “was not slow” but “wise” because the “Spirit has His own timing.”

“Our task is to focus on watering and cultivating, to make sure that the roots are not dried up and the shoots are not infested.  Listen to the Word of God and put it into practice, and the group will stay longer,” the prelate concluded.

As in the past, the coordinator gave a summary of the activities carried out by the CWL members in the past year – from cooking to works of mercy.

She presented a mock cheque of RM70,000.00 to Abp Wong for the seminarians’ fund (same as last year’s) and several tokens of appreciation to all those who were involved in the CWL in one way or another.

The dinner was interspersed with lively stage entertainment by choral or solo singing as well as lucky draws.

Earlier, some CWL members and their spouses, religious sisters, aspirants and  IY seminarians attended the Thanksgiving Mass presided by Abp Wong and concelebrated with Fr Liew at the cathedral chapel.

In a brief address after the Mass, the prelate expressed his gratitude to the CWL for the services they have rendered to the parish for 46 years and hoped they will continue to do so in the future.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

Individual Confession 8:30 am – 10:00 am

Siapa menaruh belas kasihan kepada orang yang lemah, memiutangi TUHAN, yang akan membalas perbuatannya itu.” (Amsal 19:17)

SANDAKAN: Pada 5hb November 2017, dua perwakilan daripada Pusat Pastoral Keuskupan Sandakan telah menyampaikan sumbangan berupa wang tunai kepada enam pelajar Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM), Sandakan. Penerima-penerima sumbangan ini telah dikenalpasti melalui guru Katolik mereka terlebih dahulu dan acara penyampaian sumbangan diberikan di Gereja St Mark selepas Misa Kudus.

Sumbangan dana ini adalah untuk menambah wang saku para pelajar yang kurang berkemampuan. Bapa Uskup Julius Dusin Gitom dan para kakitangan Pusat Pastoral berharap agar sumbangan ini dapat memberi makna dan sukacita kepada mereka.

‘Projek Satu Ringgit Sehari’ merupakan satu projek musim Pra-paska dan Adven yang telah dilaksanakan atas saranan Bapa Uskup Julius kepada kakitangan Pusat Pastoral Keuskupan Sandakan sejak beberapa tahun yang lalu.
Projek ini dijalankan bertujuan menyalurkan dana yang terkumpul untuk membantu individu dan keluarga-keluarga yang kurang berkemampuan termasuklah golongan pelajar.
Pada musim pra-paska tahun ini, 11 kakitangan Pusat pastoral Keuskupan Sandakan termasuk Bapa Uskup Julius telah sebulat suara memberikan dana tersebut kepada pelajar-pelajar MRSM yang lebih memerlukan.

Sebagai umat Kristian Katolik, kita amat digalakkan untuk memberi bantuan kepada mereka yang susah dan yang memerlukan. Salah satu cara untuk membantu adalah menderma dalam apa juga bentuk.

Kakitangan Pusat Pastoral Keuskupan Sandakan akan terus mempraktikkan amalan ini terutama sekali pada musim Pra-paska dan Adven.

Article reproduced from Diocese of Sandakan

SENTUL: As part of their annual school uniform sponsorship programme for the underprivileged children, a “fitting” session to determine each child’s uniform and shoe size was held on Sunday, 12th November 2017 at the SJC Dewan Monsignor Anthony Thomas (Community Hall) from 9.00 am to 2.00 pm. A total of 305 children took part in this exercise. The school uniforms will be distributed on Saturday, 16th December 2017.

A big thank you to our dedicated volunteers and PIHDM members for successfully organising this event.

At the funeral of Monsignor Anthony Thomas on 27th September, 2017, many parishioners of St. Joseph as well as a few priests asked me why the funeral did not take place here in our parish of St. Joseph Sentul, as the late Monsignor Thomas had served here for 22 years, which was longer than he had served in any of the other parishes in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur.

After some deliberation and discussion with a few individuals (clergy and laity), I decided that holding the 40th Day Memorial service in our parish would be a fitting tribute to Msgr. Thomas who had touched the lives of so many people here.

Some of the individuals who came forward included Neubert Ambrose, who volunteered to take on the responsibility of Organising Chairman for the 40th Day Memorial Mass, Jillian Thomas (booklet preparation), Gabriel Moses, Mary Bernadette Peters, Gregory William, Nicholas Asirvatham and Joshua Jude (committee members in charge of logistics, food & beverage and the evening entertainment). In a short period of time, they managed to coordinate, plan and execute this memorial celebration successfully.

Close to 1,000 people attended the memorial Mass which was held on Sunday, 5th November. The 13 clergy and con-celebrants included Cardinal Soter Fernandez, Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam and Archbishop Julian Leow. We began the celebration of life of late Monsignor with the Vespers (the evening prayer of the Church) at 5.45 pm. The Memorial Mass started at 6.00 pm celebrated by Fr. V.A. Michael and assisted by Frs. James Gabriel and Jean Claude. These three priests were sent by the late Monsignor to the seminary in 1980s.

Immediately after the Mass the congregation adjourned to the St. Joseph Community Hall where Archbishop Julian Leow unveiled a plaque renaming the Hall “Dewan Monsignor Anthony Thomas.” The late Monsignor had built the St. Joseph Community Center in 1987 and it is the first legacy of his, followed by two other community centers at Church of Visitation, Seremban and Church of the Sacred Heart, Kuala Lumpur. During dinner, both our Tamil and English choral groups entertained us with music and songs composed by the late Monsignor. All those who came that evening felt contented and went home with fond memories.

On behalf of the 40th Day of Memorial Mass Committee, I would like to   personally thank our parishioners and the parishioners of the Church of St Aloysius, Mantin as well as everyone who had penned down your thoughts and fond memories of the late Monsignor and for sparing your memorable photographs of him for us. There is a saying, “Memories are old but the pen is fresh.” Your fresh pen through contribution of articles and also  photographs for the booklet has revived and refreshed many people’s old memories. This Memorial Mass and fellowship was our tribute to the late Monsignor Anthony Thomas who had rendered his service to the Church in Malaysia. He lived his priestly life for 52 years and grew faithful communities with love, faith and charity. During these five decades he was truly a priest, pastor, friend, builder, liturgist and a musician. We love you and we cherish you always!

“In you, Lord. I have found my peace,” (Ps 131)

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KUNAK – Fifty-three youngsters attended the Youth Alpha Camp organised by the Silam Catholic Youth Apostolate (SCYA) on 6-8 Oct 2017 at Borneo Paradise Eco Farm Resort here.

The participants came from Our Lady of Pilar Silam and St Nicholas Tampenau.

The objective of the Youth Alpha is to bring youth closer to God, to build a relationship between them and Jesus, and to strengthen their faith.

The camp consisted of ten sessions: Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die for us? How confident am I in my faith? How and why do I pray? Why and how do I read the Bible? Who is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do? How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? How do I overcome evil?

There were also group sharing, praise and worship, healing sessions, Faith in Action (FIA), and Journey to Unity (Amazing Race).

Father Marcellinus Pongking gave a session on confession, examination of conscience and the meaning of the Sacrament of Reconciliation while Father Simon Kontou presided at the Mass.

In his homily, Fr Kontou said the camp has helped the youth to become better persons and stronger in their faith.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

KUALA PENYU –  The winning entry from the youth choir of St Peter Bundu here will be used as the theme song for the Silver Jubilee of the Keningau Diocese next year.

The choir, under the guidance of Batholomew Cornelius, defended their victory for three consecutive years at the Pesta Koir Belia on 14 Oct 2017 at St Peter Bundu here.

They won for Best Lyrics for their song Rayakan Jubli Keuskupan Keningau.

The song was composed by Batholomew and written by Michael Kimsin.

However, the overall champion of the choir competition was St Theresa Tambunan.

The first competition was held in Sook Keningau in 2013 while the second took place in 2015 in Toboh Tambunan.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

BUKIT PADANG – The Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) ministry of the Church of Mary Immaculate (CMI) here celebrated its 19th anniversary on 12 Nov 2017.

The celebration has become the sub parish’s annual children’s Mass with children taking part in the choir and the Presentation of Gifts.

Archbishop John Wong presided at the Mass.  A simple fellowship took place at the canteen after the Mass.

CLOW managed to raise RM425.00 for the Catholic Centre building project through the sale of coffee, cakes, and pastries.

Entertaining the children, parents, and members of the Parish Pastoral Council were two young girls: 7-year-old Angelina Liew’s recital of the Parable of the Good Samaritan by heart while Caelan Sham, 9, sang and played two songs on her ukulele.

The ministry started on 22 Nov 1998, Solemnity of Christ the King, under Rose Chu with the consent of then-pastor Father Cosmas Lee.  The first facilitators were Janet Lee, Catherine Kung, Vera Kung, Stephanie Chin, Janet Ho, and Victoria Voon.

In 1973, the Congregation for Divine Worship promulgated the Directory for Masses with Children. This document offers principles and guidelines for adapting the liturgy for children so that they may gradually take a more active and conscious part in the full Eucharistic assembly. The Directory attempts to respect the nature of childhood and the age and abilities of the young.

The priest calls the children (pre-first communicants) forward, before the first reading, to listen to God’s word at an adapted Liturgy of the Word, blesses the leader and hands the Lectionary for Masses with Children to the leader, who processes with the children to a separate place (chapel). As the children are sent forth, the liturgical musicians lead the assembly in singing a suitable song.

The children and leader exit down the main aisle, singing in procession until they reach the chapel to continue the Liturgy of the Word with Children. The Liturgy of the Word continues as usual for the main assembly.  Children then return during the collection of the offering and participate with their parents and caregivers in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

CLOW is a part of the entire parish’s worship, not a separate “children’s time”.  It is considered as an extension of the Mass itself.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu