Category Archives: Nov 2018

It was a seminar that will remain etched in the minds and hearts of the 109 participants who went home feeling very well-informed, inspired and invigorated in their earnest desire to mature in their Catholic faith.

A two-day Basic Christian Maturity Seminar was conducted by Martin Jalleh, whose trademark humour kept everyone awake and attentive to what was presented. This was held at the Church of St Anne.

Jalleh began his introductory session by stressing that the pressing need of the day is maturity, and the problems that we encounter, whether at home, in church or in society, are often related to the lack of maturity (or immaturity).

Quoting from the scriptures, he said God’s ultimate plan for us is that we “…press on to maturity” (Heb 6:1-2) and that we “grow up into Him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Eph.4.15). He also recalled Jesus’ invitation to Peter to “Put out into the deep.”

He added that the pressing need for spiritual maturity is made evident in the document The Vocation and

Mission of the Lay Faithful (Christifideles Laici), which reduces the lay calling to:

(a) The Call to Holiness
(b) The Call to Community
(c) The Call to Mission and Ministry (d) The Call to Christian Maturity.

Jalleh then touched on the six myths about spiritual maturity. Spiritual growth

(a) is automatic once you are born again
(b) is mystical and maturity is attain- able by only a select few
(c) can occur instantly if you just find the right ‘key’
(d) is measured by what you know
(e) is a personal and private matter
(f) All you need is Bible study to grow.

Jalleh then highlighted 10 profound, practical, personal and powerful ways towards spiritual maturity. He reminded the participants that their spiritual life is an on-going process and not a finished product, that there are no “instants” but constants in spiritual growth.

Sharon Yong, a young mother of one said that what resonated in her was the point that similar to technology, our faith too needs updating from time to time.

“Martin made me realise that community building is very important for personal growth and growth of the Church,’ shared Mrs Tan Lee Huan, a retired teacher.

Many were also inspired by Jalleh’s point that spiritual maturity requires us to change our perceptions of God.

For instance, God is searching for us and not so much about us searching for God, and from a serious and judging God to a humorous God.

Edward Tye best summed up how the majority felt after the seminar: “It was the first time attending Martin Jalleh’s seminar and the impact on my spiritual faith is so great! The seminar is so compact, well planned, practical, full of guidance in deepening and maturing our faith. Martin was so hilarious with his jokes as he brought out his points. He is indeed a gem in our Roman Catholic Church.”

In his conclusion, Jalleh said that to be “Disciples of Hope” one needs to strive towards Christian maturity to be able to offer the hope which the Holy Spirit brings.

The seminar was organised by the English Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) group of the parish. At the encouragement of the assistant parish priest, Msgr Henry Rajoo, shared his belief that all Catholics need to grow in maturity in Christ.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

On the blessed occasion of Silver Jubilee celebration of CMI Church, it would not be complete without a dedication to its founder.  As an honour to his memory and contribution, here is a tribute to CMI builder, Fr. Thomas Sham (1920-2004):

Born on 15 Feb 1920 in Putatan, Thomas was the fifth child in a brood of three boys and four girls born to Lucas Sham Koi Yun and Helen Lee Kyun Yin.  The elder Sham was from China who sought his fortune in Borneo and later settled down in Putatan with a local girl.  He was converted to the Catholic Faith by Thomas Lee (Father of Abp Emeritus John Lee) who founded the Putatan Chinese School.

Thomas studied at the Putatan Chinese School from 1928-1932.  With his mother’s blessing he entered the Jesselton Minor Seminary.

Thomas attributed his vocation to a “man in white.”

When he was nine, he was walking with his brother to school when he saw a man in white clothing. “I was awestruck and attracted by the way the man was dressed up, especially in white.  Somehow, something happened and I wanted to dress like him when I grew up,” Thomas said. He asked his brother who the man was and was told that he was a priest (Fr. Joseph Felix Shek).

Baptised in 1932, Thomas was sent to the Major Regional Seminary in Hong Kong with Francis, the brother of Abp Emeritus Lee. He was ordained on 16 July 1946 in Canton China. Back in Borneo by ship in October 1946, Father Thomas served in Tawau, Papar, Kudat, Jesselton, Sandakan, Telipok, Kota Kinabalu, and Tanjung Aru.

Fr. Thomas decided to stay in Tanjung Aru after retiring from active ministry in 2000. Despite failing health, he continued to concelebrate Mass with his successor Father Fundes Motiung. He died on 17 Nov 2004 at the Sabah Medical Centre, Likas where he had been admitted since Nov 6.  He was 84. He was buried at the Mile 4.5 Catholic Cemetery Penampang Road by his nephew Father David Sham.

Well-known as a builder, Thomas acquired mission lands for construction or extension of church and school buildings, one of which is the Church of Mary Immaculate Bukit Padang.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

Today, as the Church Saint Michael celebrates the second World Day of the Poor,at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, mobile medical clinics have been set up to treat anyone in need of general and specialised medicalcare, including cardiology, dermatology, and ophthalmology Nov 12 – 18.

In Malaysia, the Mobile Clinic servicesof Assunta Integrated Social Services (ASSISS)brings health care to marginalised or under privileged members of Malaysian society.

ASSISS was initiated in the 1960s by the religious sisters of the Franciscan Missionariesof Mary who visited remote areas to providefree and simple medical services.

The services include basic primary carecomprising health consultations and the monitoring of medical conditions that include diabetes or hypertension. ASSISS started with four clinics permonth, serving 200 patients.

Currently weare running 30 clinics per month with 24 clinics in the Klang Valley, five clinics in Sabahand 1 clinic in Sarawak, serving more than 6000 patients.

The success of the mobile clinic servicesis attributed to its dedicated staff and volunteers (medical and non-medical) who come from all walks of life, professing different faith traditions; all of whom are united to serve under the ASSISS tagline “For the Poorest of the Poor.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

LIMBANG, Miri: The Church of St Edmund celebrated its golden jubilee on Nov 4.

“As we thank God, we must also remember to thank and pray for all the Mill Hill priests and all the local priests who have served in St Edmund’s Church. Some have gone back to the Lord while others are still serving in different parishes. We ask the Lord to bless and reward them accordingly,” Bishop Richard Ng said in the souvenir booklet

“Today, as we celebrate 50 years of God’s faithful love and mercy, we not only look back at the past with grateful hearts.

We must also look to the future with hope and confidence and ask ourselves, how can we make the church more relevant, dynamic, inclusive and out-going,” he added.

Bishop Ng also installed Fr Peter Hwang as Rector of the new parish of St Edmund, Limbang. The new parish has 53 longhouses, camps, schools and plantation under its jurisdiction.
Short History of the Church

In 1955, an Irish priest came to Limbang and started a school. In 1958, a priest house and three classrooms were built at mile one, Kubong Road. A room at the priest house was used as a chapel (which is now used as a library room.) As the Catholic community began to grow, the small chapel was always overcrowded, especially on Sundays.

A church was built at a cost of RM80,000.00 and was blessed by Bishop Anthony Galvin MHM on April 30, 1968, with the Mill Hill priests serving the community.

The first local priest who had served in Limbang Parish was Fr Philip Empalah, an Iban from Sebauh in Bintulu. He served in Limbang from 1977 to 1979.

Unfortunately, from 1987 until 1991, the parish was without a resident priest. Occasionally, a priest from Miri or Bandar Sri Begawan came to celebrate Masses on Sundays.

In the mid 1980s, there was a plan to build a newer and bigger church. Many fundraising activities were organised by the Church Building Committee. In 1996, the old church was pulled down to make way for the new one. It was a joy for everyone when the new church was ready to be used for Christmas 1996.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

All these saints, and more, were “present” at the Night of Light celebration after Sunset Mass at the Church of the Divine Mercy (CDM) in Sg Ara on Saturday November 3.

The event was organised in conjunction with All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. These two days in the liturgical year are traditionally dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs and all the faithful departed. In the past, the eve of All Saints’ Day was known as All Hallows’ Eve, which was later shortened to Halloween (“hallow” being an archaic word meaning “saint”). This day was traditionally a vigil for the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, marked with prayers, hymns, fasting, and the reading of various scriptures. The Night of Light celebration was organised to counter the culture of death and reclaim Halloween for Christ and his Church by turning it into a beautiful night of fun, light, and Christian joy.

The evening programme began with a short video presentation about the origins of the Night of Light. This was followed by a message from parish priest, Fr Martin Arlando, in which he reminded us that saints are examples for us as they were real people who loved God and lived beautiful lives for God. Through their examples, they point us on the path that will lead us to God. Therefore, when we choose a saint’s name for ourselves, we must be prepared to emulate the holiness of that saint in our daily lives. In the same way, we must be careful to name our children after saints whose qualities we would like them to possess and whose lives we hope they will emulate. He reminded us that as we embark as one family into the parish Year of Family in 2019, we may look to the saints for inspiration to live our Christian faith and serve God with all our hearts so that we may become a Jesus to others.

Fr Martin then invited a group of adults and children, all dressed as their favourite saints, to present the life stories of those saints.

The congregation then proceeded to the Garden of Mercy where Fr Martin led the countdown to the switching-on of the Christmas lights around the church. The church grounds were transformed into a Christmas wonderland.

Of particular interest was the specially commissioned mural which covered a whole wall in the Garden of Mercy. According to Organising Committee Chairperson, Simone Lee, the painting had been created by her non-Christian artist friend. Billy had been very keen to do the project and worked on it for many days, putting in long hours in order to complete it within a tight schedule. The result is a stunning mixed media painting depicting the Nativity scene with a 3D lighting effect.
In another part of the Garden, a group of “saints” were going around quizzing people about famous saints and rewarding correct answers with a sweet treat from their trick-or-treat bags.

A number of people commented that the event had been a positive and enlightening experience for them. Kelvin said that he had been reminded of the values embodied by his patron saint. Doris, an RCIA inquirer, said that even though she had learnt about saints in class, they had not seemed real to her. The event made her more aware that saints were real people who had led extraordinary lives. Another parishioner said that the Night of Light was something positive that parents could pass on to their children to let them know that they do not have to be afraid, for Christ has conquered death.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

“The Church celebrates! The people celebrate!” were part of the opening words of the main presider, Bishop Bernard Paul, at the Sacerdotal Ordination of Deacons Alexuchelvam, Paul Sia and Martinian Lee on Tuesday, November 6 at St Theresa’s Church. He added that “we are disciples of hope. We bring hope and make a difference in the world.”

There was much rejoicing and expectations of something new as the people waited for the ordination of these three Deacons. It was truly wonderful to see about 60 priests present, including Archbishop Julian, Bishop Sebastian and Bishops Emeriti James Chan and Paul Tan. The ordination celebration was joyful, smooth, solemn and spirit-filled — a blessing as the three Deacons were about to begin their journey anew as priests of God’s people, witnessed by their families, friends and many parishioners from the parishes in Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Johor. The church, adjacent hall and space beneath the sky-roof were packed with close to 2,500 people. LCD screens were provided so that everyone could participate fully in the rhythm of the liturgy.

In his homily, Bishop Bernard Paul said ,“priests come from the people and they are given back to the people. As Priests, they pray, as Prophets, they listen to the Word and, as Pastors, they serve with love. They are sent as shepherds to the people. They have passion for God and His people. The priesthood is linked to servanthood, not to lord it over people. (Jn 13:1-15) God is giving the gift of priesthood but, much more than that, He is entrusting His people to us, Priests.”

He shared 3Ts for priests:

(i) TRUST: People trust their children, youths, married …please don’t take advantage of the people’s trust.

(ii) TEACH: People listen to priests and the people have plenty to teach us: practical things, common sense, sense of right and wrong…people say ‘please don’t terrorise us.’

(iii) THANK: People thank us and are grateful to us. A little kindness takes the people a long way… Don’t take anything for granted, ignore or make fun of the people’s gratitude.

He further quoted the words from John 21: “If we say we love Jesus, then the word of Jesus to us, priests, is “feed my lamb, feed my sheep.” Priests must be after the heart of Jesus Christ.”

At the end of the Eucharist, Fr Alexuchelvam said that among many priests, persons and friends from Assumption Church and St Francis Xavier, P.J., it was Fr Simon Labrooy who confronted him and said that he was running away from the priesthood. Fr Simon Yong, SJ had accompanied and encouraged him. His priesthood motto is, ‘For your love is better than life.’ (Ps 63:3). He will continue to be in St Louis Church, Kluang (posted as Deacon there on October 1, 2018).

For Fr Paul Sia, the support and encouragement of the late Fr Francis NG, CDD, the prayers of the parishioners of St Ignatius PJ and BEC SS19 were contributing factors that encouraged him to become a priest today. His priesthood motto, ‘For God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Cor 9:7a). He also told the young people, “The Church in Malaysia needs you.” He will continue to be in St Theresa Church, Masai. (posted as Deacon there on October 1, 2018).

As for Fr Martinian Lee, a chance encounter with Bishop Paul Tan gave him the courage to take the leap of faith to respond to the call to the priesthood. His priesthood motto is expressed in a prayer that he had composed ‘The Gaze of Christ.’ (…I see all this, in the penetrating Gaze of Christ. His gaze draws me in, closer, nearer, until I reach out and place my life into His hands). He will continue to be in St Theresa Church (posted as Deacon there on October 1, 2018).

The parish priest of St Theresa, Fr. Thomas Chong SJ, expressed that this was indeed a grace-filled occasion. We continue to offer our prayers and support for the newly ordained priests. He thanked the organising committee for a job well done.

Bishop Bernard Paul, in his speech, thanked the parish organising committee and the families for giving their sons to serve the Church. He also thanked the KL Archdiocese for live-streaming the event. In addition, he said, “If you love your priests, please do not spoil them. But expect ‘F’ from them, i.e. to be — men of Faith, Friends to all and Fit.”

After the Eucharist, many queued up to be blessed by the three newly ordained priests. Others met up with priests whom they had not seen for some time. The celebrations ended with lunch and fellowship at the Catholic Secondary School Hall, behind the Church. It was truly a memorable occasion of blessings, joy and thanksgiving for the Diocese of Malacca Johor to welcome the three newly ordained priests.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The Seven Pillars of BEC Culture
The BEC is not just an activity or programme. It is a way of life. It has its own culture.

Community Culture is defined as a way oflife which includes patterns of interaction, behaviourand the underlying values, beliefs andworldview. It is the kind of environment thatprevails in a community.

Community culture therefore: 
— includes the rituals, symbols, creed, andcode of ethical conduct.defines what behaviour is right and wrong,appropriate and inappropriate.
— defines patterns of relationship — whetherpersonal/intimate or impersonal/functional.
— defines the boundaries.
— defines how leadership is exercised, andhow decisions are made.

A BEC without a clear culture cannot grownor can it be sustained.

What are the elements of BEC culture?What follows are the seven pillars of BEC culture.

1. Awareness as Renewed Christians(metanoia)
2. Communion (koinonia)
3. Word of God (kerygma, catechesis)
4. Prayer and the Eucharist (leitorgia)
5. Social Action (diakonia)
6. Option for the Poor (anawim)
7. Participative Membership and Servant-Leadership

1. Awareness of self as Renewed Christian — metanoia
–We are renewed Christians
— We have accepted Christ as our Lordand Saviour.
–We have turned away from sin and areliving a new life.
— We have become aware of the presenceof the Spirit in our life, the Spirit that renewsus, unites us and empowers us formission.
— We have gone through a process of conversionand commit ourselves to live astrue disciples of Jesus in community, andcontinue his priestly, prophetic and pastoral mission

Communion — koinonia
–We are family/community, we are closeto one another, we live as friends, we carefor each other, we share with each other,we take care of each other.We regularly spend time together todeepen our relationship.
—
–As we strive to be close to one another weobserve proper boundaries and respect foreach other. We will never exploit or takeadvantage of each other.
— We are a community of equals and we recognise our diversity of temperamentsand gifts.When conflicts arise we will always strive together for dialogue and reconciliation.
–We are connected to other BECs in the parish, we are part of the bigger community— the parish, diocese, universalc hurch.
–We will never isolate ourselvesfrom the wider Church to which we are connected. ln view of this we affirm our solidarity with our pastors — the priests,bishops and our Holy Father, the successo rof St Peter.
–We are open to a dialogue of faith and life with people of other faiths and religious traditions — especially other Christians belonging to other denominations and with Muslims.

3.Word of God — kerygma, catechesis
–The Word of God as recorded in the Bibleand reflected in the tradition and teachingsof the Church is the guide of our life.
–We come together regularly to listen tothe Word and share it. We allow the Wordto challenge us and to continually transformour life.
— We continue to study to deepen ourknowledge and understanding of theWord and the teaching of the Church.We proclaim the Word to others and togive witness to it with our life.
— We uphold the teachings of the Church inmatters of faith and morals — includingits social teachings that promote peace,justice, freedom, human rights and respectfor life.
— When necessary we will speak outagainst any manifestation of evil and cultureof death in our midst — i.e., abortion,war, capital punishment, injustices, oppression,corruption, violation of humanrights, ecological destruction, etc.

Prayer and Eucharist — leitorgia
— Prayer expresses and deepens our relationship with God and with one another.
— We come together at least once a week for community prayer or liturgical celebration (Bible-service).
— We gather regularly as a community to celebrate the Eucharist (depending on the availability of a priest).
— We celebrate communally the liturgical seasons — Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.
— We fully and actively participate in the liturgical celebration in our community and the parish.

5 Social Action — diakonia
–We believe that faith without good works is dead.
–As a community we are concerned about our brothers and sisters who are in need and we show our love and care for them concretely.
— We meet regularly to assess our concrete situation — social, economic, political, ecological. We identify the problems, issues and needs that we have to respond to as a community.
— We actively participate in the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating programmes and projects that will address these problems and needs.
— We are guided by the social teachings of the Church, especially the principle of the common good, total human development, human dignity, justice, peace and integrity of creation.
— We affirm our commitment and option for the poor.
— We live simply and share our time, talents and resources.
— We collaborate with other communities, groups and people of good will in the struggle for social transformation.
— We do not allow ourselves to be used and controlled by ideologies, political parties and movements. We reject terrorism and violence as the means in bringing about social transformation.

6. Option for the Poor — anawim
— We embrace evangelical poverty. We totally depend on God.We affirm our commitment and option for the poor. We live simply and share with others our time, talents and resources.
— We make sure that the poor in our midst will fully participate in the life and mission of the Church and our local community.
–We strive to become truly the Church of the Poor

7. Servant Leadership andParticipative Membership
–We recognise the authority and leadership of our diocesan and parochial pastors (bishops and priests) over our community.
–Through them we affirm our communion with the Universal Church and our universal pastor — the pope.
— We avail of the structures in the parish and the community that enables us to actively participate in the process of decisionmaking.
— We recognise the authority of the local leaders of the community.
— Leadership and authority are to be exercised in the spirit of humble service. Leadership should never be regarded in terms of power, privilege and prestige. There is no place for an autocratic or dictatorial style
of leadership in the community. The leaders will function collegially — as a team or council and will adopt a participative model.
–The leaders are chosen or elected after a prayerful process of discernment on the basis of their integrity, commitment and competence.–By Fr Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, CBCP-BEC

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

SINGAPORE: The Archdiocese of Singapore has introduced a new policy to ensure couples are taking the time they need to properly prepare for marriage.

Catholics looking to getting married in any of the archdiocese’s 32 churches have to book their wedding date at least one year in advance, according to Catholic News.

Previously, the couples only had to notify the church six months before the wedding. Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye of Singapore made the decision in October after discussing the move with the archdiocese’s priests.

Couples must still undergo the same marriage preparatory programs, including a marriage course and a meeting with the priest who will preside over the wedding.

A Catholic spokesperson for the archdiocese told Strait Times that the new policy emphasizes the importance of the commitment of matrimony and helps Catholics prepare for it.

“In response to the feedback and to help our fellow Catholics prepare for such a major commitment in their lives, the Archbishop, in consultation with his Senate of Priests, is looking to refine the recommended policies presently in place,” he said.

“It marks the beginning of a journey that the Church and the couple take together to prepare the couple for their commitment to each other,” he added.

Numerous other Christian dominations in Singapore have similar requirements, which may range from six to nine months prior to the wedding day.

Daniel Seah is an engaged Catholic in Singapore who plans to get married in 2020. He told Straight Times that he was happy with the new policy.

“In my opinion, the divorce rate is quite high and I think the Church is looking at ways to help couples discern deeper if this is the right person for them before they walk down the aisle,” he said.

“Even if you book a hotel, you may also need to book one year in advance but people don’t grumble about that.”

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The Church of St Ignatius (SIC) will focus on BEC (Basic Ecclesial Communities), Family and Youth for 2019.

This was revealed to the more than 260 parishioners from both the English and Mandarin-speaking communities representing BECs and parish ministries at this year’s Parish Assembly (PA) convened on Saturday November 11 at 1.00pm.

After praise and worship, enthronement, reading of the Bible and reciting of a community opening prayer, SIC Parish Priest

Fr Andrew Wong CDD commenced proceedings with a welcoming address. Roeshan Gomez (English) and Raymond Hoo (Mandarin) were the co-Masters of Ceremony at the gathering at the Rooftop of Costantini Community Centre.

Richard Lai (Acting Chairman, Parish Coordinating Council) gave a review of activities carried out in 2017-2018 followed by his counterpart Paul Tan doing likewise for the Mandarin community.

Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) member Sharma Rajadurai explained the rationale, background and roll-out of the Parish Plan for SIC for 2018-2019 in line with the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur Five Year Plan.

A Parish Planning Workshop was held on October 13, 2018 to come up with a draft plan which was later refined by the PPC.

The three clusters chosen are BEC (Basic Ecclesial Communities), Family and Youth. Strengths, Weaknesses and Areas of Concern for these three clusters as well as their action plans and collaborating ministries were projected.

PPC Chairman Lourdes Abishegam then took the floor to urge parishioners to support the plan. After two new members were formally elected and two members re-elected into the PPC, Victoria Ho (Parish Finance Committee) presented the Parish Finance Report.

The Parish Assembly ended with a closing prayer and a blessing from Fr Andrew Wong.

SIC Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD and Bro Joseph Lim CDD also attended the assembly.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

This year’s First Holy Communion was extra special for the 22 children in Std 4 of the Church of the Divine Mercy (CDM). Parish priest Fr Martin Arlando greeted the children on October 21 before the morning Mass and led them in a prayer.

At the Mass, Fr Martin read a shorter version of the gospel (Mark 10: 42-45) and allowed the children to re-enact the fuller version in a skit (Mark 10: 35-45).

He also prepared a laminated bookmark of a picture of the mustard tree with a Bible quote from Luke 13:19, accompanied with a story printed on its flipside. In his message to the First Holy Communicants, Fr Martin explained that even though they were very young and small, they could be like the mustard seed. They just need to break away from bad habits and make Jesus known to others by serving everyone. This love will bring them closer to Jesus. They also need to focus on the Word of God and grow closer to Him through prayer. In this way, they will all grow into big mustard trees.

Fr Martin explained that the apostles had not understood Jesus’ teaching. James and John wanted a promotion. The others were indignant. as they thought that they were more deserving. Jesus showed them that true greatness is all about humility by coming to serve and giving up his life. The first step to entering heaven is humility. We all have a mission, be it through our prayers, financial contributions or awaking others to the faith. We can all do this in our BECs.

After Mass, all the children gathered at the church basement for fellowship. They joined in the cutting of a cake and received a rosary each.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online