Category Archives: Nov 2018

KUCHING – The Archdiocese of Kuching has a lot to thank God for the gift of Archbishop Emeritus Peter Chung Hoan Ting, who has given his entire life to serving the people of Sarawak.

On 10 September 2018, bishops, priests, the lay faithful and his family and friends, came together to celebrate the 90th birthday of Archbishop Emeritus Peter Chung at his thanksgiving Mass.

The Archbishop Emeritus presided the Mass, which was concelebrated with 10 archbishops and bishops and priests from all over Malaysia.

He recalled how God has shown him love throughout his life and priesthood “My father died six months before I was born, and my mother remarried after three years, thus I was left to the loving care of my grandmother and aunt, who were devout Christians, and gave me a good Christian upbringing,” he said.

Despite the outbreak of World War II and the great famine it caused, followed by the rise of communism in China, he persevered and completed his seminary formation in June 1954.

He was sent to Sarawak on 21 August 1954 and ordained priest on 26 September that same year. His was the first ordination in the land of Sarawak. On 15 November 1970 he was ordained Coadjutor Bishop of Kota Kinabalu and was installed as Archbishop of Kuching on 26 November 1976.

Archbishop Emeritus Chung thanked the archbishops, priests, sisters and all lay people for their kind acceptance, cooperation and support “I promise you, I will continue to pray for you and for the local Church. And I beg your continual remembrance of me in your prayer,” he pledged.

The prelate shared the secret of his joy and strength, that is, the Holy Mass and God’s word. He urged the congregation to do the same. “Make good effort to read, reflect and practise God’s word in the Bible, especially the Beatitudes. You will surely find true happiness as Jesus has promised.”

A birthday dinner was organized by the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council the evening before at a local restaurant, attended by a thousand guests, including his relatives from China.

A video featuring a typical day in the life of the retired archbishop, which was produced by the Social Communications Committee, was shown.

Since his retirement in June 2003, Archbishop Emeritus Chung has not ceased to serve the laity. He continues to minister to the people through daily celebration of the Eucharist, hearing confessions, giving formation, counseling and other assistance.

Cecilia Chung, the niece of Archbishop Chung, thanked all present for having accompanied and supported the archbishop emeritus throughout his life. She requested that they continue to offer him the same loving companionship and support.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

SANDAKAN – Parishioners of St Mary’s Cathedral prepared for the celebration of the parish 134th  anniversary with a nine-day novena, culminating in the Eucharistic Celebration of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 15 Aug 2018.

Prior to Mass, the 500-crowd gathered in front of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre to pray the Rosary, which concluded with the blessing of Mary’s statue by Bishop Julius Gitom before processing to the Cathedral.

At Mass, Bishop Gitom highlighted three words, “struggle”, “resurrection” and “hope” which were the essence of the day’s liturgical readings.

Referring to Mary, the Mother of Jesus in the first reading, Bishop Julius underlined that she always accompanies us in our struggles, and sustains us in our fight against evil. In praying the Rosary, we invite Mary to pray with us and to journey together with us, remembering that in our struggling together as a community, we become stronger because we, the people of God, have come together as a community of faith.

Referring to the second reading, the prelate reiterated the Church’s truth that “Christ has truly resurrected from the dead”. Mary shared the pain of Jesus’ cross and was given the gift of resurrection.

He concluded, the feast of Assumption expresses a fervent hope that our faith in the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven makes our faith in our own resurrection firmer. Though in heaven, she continues to be with us in the struggles of everyday life and strengthens our hope to live out the parish’s vision of a “Christ-centered community serving one another with love”. – Wendy Yong

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

TAWAU – A total of 258 parishioners attended a talk facilitated by Xavier Chung on Pastoral Care for The Sick:How to offer healing and peace of Jesus Christ at Holy Trinity here on 11 Aug in English and on 12 Aug 2018 in BM.

The participants consisted of Sunday School children aged 13 years above, parents and adults from various ministries in the parish.

The speaker, Xavier Chung is from St Francis Major Seminary in Singapore. He majored in Clinical Pastoral Care from the University of New South Wales in Australia and is currently providing pastoral care in hospitals and hospices in Singapore.

Chung reminded the listeners that it is the mission of every Catholic to spread the Good News of Christ’s salvation, and that it is not exclusively to those who are healthy but also it includes those who are sick.

In the church’s catechism No. 1500 “The illness/sickness afflicting a person causes the person to experience helplessness, to feel limited in life and to feel tied down. This in turn can cause anguish, self-absorption, sometimes even despair and revolt against God. It can also lead a person to be more mature in the sense that the afflicted person is able to discern what is more important in life. Often, an experience of glimpsing death provokes a search and return to God.”

Chung singled out the main difference between care-giving by NGOs and care-giving by the church in that care-giving by the church acknowledges the afflicted as a child of God, created in His image and that Christ knows him/her personally.

For Christian care-giving, the need to understand and emphatize with the sick is accentuated. The afflicted will have a myriad of feelings. He may feel anger, despair, hopelessness. While some may be able to smile and joke in the face of their illness, some may be numb and unable to show any feelings about what they are going through.

He explained why the afflicted reacts the way that they do. From his experience, he shared that the sick experiences pain, regrets in life, unfinished businesses, thoughts about death, of unreached expectations and some are overwhelmed by the surrounding happenings.

Chung then shared some tools that care-givers should have.  Using the five stages of grief based on the Kubler-Ross model, he identified the stages the patient goes through in his sickness. The first being denial, followed by anger, then depression which then develops into bargaining and the final stage being acceptance of the condition he is in.

Highlighting on the four basic needs that humans require in life: 1) to have meaning and purpose; 2) the need to give love; 3) the need to receive love; and 4) the need for hope and forgiveness; the speaker said that a person afflicted by serious sickness will experience regret with respect to these four needs.

Chung also introduced the attendees to the Spiritual Screening Tool where the attendees were taught to communicate effectively and personally with the afflicted person.

A series of exercises were done to help the attendees to understand more their role as care-giver. The main aim was to get to know the person more closely so as to facilitate the encounter to be more positive with the goal to have the afflicted know that God is with them in whatever condition they are in.

Feedback from the attendees was positive: the participants have acquired the knowledge and understanding how to provide better care for the sick. They were also now more aware and appreciative of their roles as care-givers.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

MANGGATAL – The Therapy Community of Bukit Harapan, together with its residents and staff, benefactors and friends, celebrated the 77th and 81st birthday of Father Francis Tsen and Father Felix Chung respectively on 20 Sept 2018 at the shelter home for disabled children and abused women here.

From the beginning of his papacy, forging bonds with the elderly has been a special concern for Pope Francis.

He said “The elderly are the future of a people. A people has a future if it goes forward with both elements: with the young, who have the strength, and things move forward because they do the carrying; and with the elderly because they are the ones who give life’s wisdom.” (The Holy Father was speaking to Italian Catholic youth of the Catholic Action movement last December.)

On the happy occasion of their birthdays, after celebrating Mass in the presence of those who were gathered with them, both priests shared with Catholic Sabah the wisdom of their years.

Fr Tsen reflected how alarmingly fast time seems to fly by for him.

He spoke of the need to use time more effectively and the need to curtail the “wasting of time” with more awareness.

For Fr Chung, there was every reason to thank God for blessing him with long life.  He reflected pensively “God has kept me alive and well that I may remain faithful to my priestly ministerial services purely out of His goodness.”

A man of vision, Fr Chung looked towards the coming of the glorious Jubilee year of the Lord’s Resurrection in 2033

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

After Sunset Mass at St Ignatius Church (SIC) on October 20, nine-year-old Ava Marie Maran Low said she felt happy. Why? Because I have received Jesus.

This could very well be the same response of the 57 other children from SIC’s Standard 3 First Holy Communion Class of 2018 who received Christ the Bread of Life for the first time.

SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD was the main celebrant at the Eucharistic celebration, with Fr Paulino Miranda as concelebrant. Fr Wong thanked all who had helped to prepare the boys and girls to receive their First Holy Communion. He also encouraged parents to live and practise their faith and to train their children in the Christian faith and its practice.

Incorporated into the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church through Baptism while infants, receiving Christ in the Eucharist is the third Sacrament received by the children. Apart from bread and wine, the children offered up their First Holy Communion certificates – a symbol of remembrance of the first time they become one in the Body of Christ – and Camp Crafts Prayer Cards during the Offertory Procession. The children also sang a thanksgiving song titled Every Move I Make, followed with a pledge by their parents.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

MALACCA: A Community Home under project HOPE (Helping Offenders Pursue Excellence) in the Diocese of Malacca Johore, initiated by Bishop Bernard Paul for former incarcerated individuals (ex-prisoners) including drug addicts and alcoholics, has been established by the Society of St Vincent de Paul, State Council of Malacca. This project is also co-sponsored by the Malacca Johore Diocese Office of Human Development (MJDOHD).

In Malaysia, very few ex-offenders have a loving or welcoming family waiting for them to come home and a ready job upon their release. Reintegrating into society is difficult. Family members may have died, moved away, or made it clear the ex-offender is not welcome. Sometimes there are legal reasons the ex-offender cannot go home (spouse may have filed legal proceedings for divorce). Most ex-offenders who return to families or friends in their old neighbourhoods often find themselves in the very environment that got them into trouble in the first place. The immediate option for many are sleeping on the streets or taking menial jobs that come their way.

For ex-offenders seeking a full re-integration into society, spending time at the Community Home is vital and a way to break the cycle of crime and establish hope for a better future. A Home that is professionally managed, with zero tolerance for alcohol and drug abuse promotes the opportunity for a new way of life. Ex-offenders who alternate between prison and criminal behaviour upon release find themselves vulnerable, often because they have no choice but to return to their former communities and lifestyles.

Project HOPE helps to find long-term public, private or social housing to rebuild life outside prison.

Project HOPE offers ex-offenders a community-based accommodation, easing transition back into the community and independent living. The project is designed to assist ex-offenders to make the transition from institution to community living in as smooth a process as possible by providing a monitored and structured environment in which residents could gradually accept the responsibility of self-management as members of the normative society through graduated and increasing interaction with its members.

Support through individually tailored case plans.

Help with accessing and maintaining public, community and private housing.

Access to family relationship support.

Access to emergency relief where necessary.

Practical and emotional support.

Support with developing social and positive peer support networks.

Transport to keep essential appointments.

Help with engaging with education, training and employment opportunities.

Referrals to a range of specialist support services.

The facility is specifically designed for low security prisoners or offenders and provides a range of programmes of reintegration and self-management.

The Home is equipped with the basic facilities for this “Stay-in” programme and is for Non Muslim males only.

The potential resident must be a Malaysian, irrespective of where he lives – preference will be given to those living outside Melaka. If you know of anyone who may want or need to undergo rehabilitation, please contact: Anthony Tan 016-314 6518

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The outreach team of St Simon Catholic Church Likas Pastoral Care Ministry visited Kg Gosusu recently.

“Go out as a community to help the communities in need. Remember to give charity to all — be non-selective,” advised parish rector Fr Cosmas Lee as he blessed them.

Nineteen members, in eight heavy-duty vehicles and a lorry packed with goods took three and a half hours to reach the village.

After a small hiccup along the way, the team finally reached its destination — a small but neat village, sitting at the bank of a seasonal river in a valley.
Kampong chief Jose Latah, catechist Alpheus and some 40 women and children were on hand to welcome us at a small but solid community hall built of wood and bamboo.

After a welcome speech, Alpheus shared his vast experience of catechist work in various kampungs in the East Coast of Sabah over the past 30 years.

Although there are about 200 Catholics among the kampong folks here, the village is blessed to have Alpheus to guide them on the Catholic faith.

A tiny but well-maintained chapel of the Assumption of Our Lady sits on a slightly higher ground in the vicinity. In front of it is a grotto that houses an immaculate white porcelain statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Alpheus said the grotto was constructed two years ago with stones from the river.

“The majority of our construction materials such as stones and bamboos are extracted from the vicinity,” he said, adding that they grow vegetables or gather them from the wild. They also rear chickens.

Under lead coordinators James and Dominic, who tirelessly coordinated with the Gosusu community leaders well ahead of our visit, the construction of a Tadika kitchen adjacent to the school had been completed. These were also located near the community hall. A young teacher, Evelyn Vincent, is employed at the Tadika to teach six pre-school students.

The team brought school furniture comprising four long desks and 16 stools, as well as gas tanks, rice and various dried food, sundries and other requested necessities.

The lack of electricity in the area was the reason why few children to go to school.

The team was determined to fix the damaged solar power panels to improve the situation.

Alpheus said there could be even less students next year as the older children would go to the public school in town. He was, however, determined to remain as the catechist and protect every sheep and not let even one be lost.

Besides teaching about the Catholic faith, Alpheus also taught hymns. When they serenaded God with thanksgiving songs, you could feel that they sang from their hearts as their voices filled the valley and rose upwards, merging with the chirping of birds and the cries of the eagles.

This reminded us of what Fr Lee said, “We need to be humble and learn from the people that we are visiting. They lead a simple life, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life.”

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Senior Citizens Day was celebrated at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (NBVM) on October 12 in conjunction with the Universal Senior Citizens Day. The Mass was coordinated by the senior citizens and the fellowship was organised by the Family Life Ministry.

In his homily, Fr Dominic Santhiyagu repeated the first line from Psalm 110: “I will thank the Lord with all my heart.” He asked the senior citizens, “What do you want to thank God for?” Old age is the time to be calm and lead a saintly life. It is the time to be loving, gentle, kind and peaceful instead of being grumpy and hateful. He asked the senior citizens to make life beautiful for their grandchildren and their children. “Thank God for all that you have for ‘great are the works of the Lord.’ Many of our friends have left us and what we have now can also be taken away. So be grateful for what you have.”

After Mass, the Chairperson of the Family Life Ministry thanked the priests and all the sponsors for the event. She hoped for such celebrations to continue for many years to come.

Fr Dom thanked all the donors and assured them that the donations would be accounted for and the accounts would be published. He also encouraged six senior citizens to volunteer as part of the Family Life committee to plan and arrange more activities for the senior citizens on a regular basis to build companionship in the winter years.

During the fellowship, some of the senior citizens shared their journeys and experiences at the parish. Francis Heng proudly shared how his students from the Assumption School entered the priesthood: Fr Michael Sinappan, Fr Arulnathan and Fr Andrew Manickam OFM Cap.

Gomes shared how he began his married life at the parish. Mary, Patricia and others too had their joyful and sad moments at the parish. Both Fr Dominic and Fr Louis Loi also shared that they were happy to be part of this church.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

GOPENG: The feastday of Sts Simon and Jude at St Jude’s chapel on Oct 28, was simple yet touching since the homilies given at all the triduum and feastday Masses were uplifting and reviving for discouraged souls.

Its theme was Hope in the Family and each novena Mass carried a sub-theme drawn from the main theme.

All the Masses were celebrated by visiting priests, assisted by permanent deacon Sandnasamy Peter from Our Lady of Lourdes parish.

St Jude, recognised as the Saint for Hopeless cases, is a saint for those filled with anxiety, depression, and conflict, since he is full of hope, said Fr Dominic Santhiyagu, during his homily at the feastday Mass.

Touching on the sub-theme of The Family Finding Hope in Jesus, Fr Dominic said like Bartimaeus the blind man, we must know who we are, know what we want (to see), and focus on a specific thing in our prayer. Bartimaeus represents all of us, in our spiritual journey. He acknowledged Jesus, and without fear, asked Jesus to have mercy on him. He opens his heart to Jesus and regains his sight, and also follows Jesus with the light of faith.

“Most of all, we must encourage others to progress in their faith, and not be negative people who only discourage others.

“This is important to help others find God,” he said.

Fr Dominic also shared his experiences as a student while attending university in Manila, Philippines.

“I used to go to the small chapel after classes to pray to two saints – St Dominic for wisdom to understand my lessons, and to St Jude, as I was hopeless at Latin,” he said. After three and half years, he passed his exam.

Fr Michael Dass spoke on The Family Repenting in Hope in three languages.

The heart of his message was the need for families to repent (that is, return to God, to make a U-turn) since it is so relevant in present times. Repentence heal relationships, breaks the chains of anger and hatred and brings us back to the right way instead of losing hope in our family.

Msgr Henry Rajoo, based his homily on The Family Discerning in Hope.

Each marriage partner was chosen by God, and even their children were chosen for them by God.

“So spend time to understand and appreciate each other. It is rare to find families praying together nowadays, but shouldn’t husbands be able to discuss and share conversations with their wives instead of their friends?

“Parents must appreciate their children, since each is different. Your children are not your own, but will one day leave you to follow their own vocation,” he said.

“Only when we are sensitive and open to our family members will there be humility, respect and forgiveness towards each other.

“Our families will be filled with strength, encouragement and peace,” he said.

After the feastday Mass, there was a procession in the compound of the chapel, with Fr Dominic carrying the Blessed Sacrament followed by the people with the statue of St Jude. The rosary was recited in four languages.

There was benediction and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after that.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KUALA LUMPUR: Archbishop Julian Leow thanked the Catholic Doctors, Dentists, Nurses and other Healthcare Workers for the good work they had been providing for the poor, the sick, the elderly, the handicapped and the marginalised, including the foreign workers and refugees.

He urged them to continue with their good work in looking after the health of the community. He noted that the Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia (CDAM) had been celebrating its White Mass for the past years, similar to the Lawyers celebrating their Red Mass. It is a good idea to bring along all the various Healthcare Groups including Doctors, Dentists, Nurses, Pharmacists, Councillors, Therapists, etc together as they are all looking after the health of the community in some way or other.

The CDAM held its annual White Mass on October 21 at the Jesus Caritas Church. St Luke is the patron Saint of Catholic Doctors. He was born in Syria and is the patron Saint of Artists, Doctors and Surgeons. He was a physician and it is appropriate for the Catholic Doctors to choose him as their Patron saint. Each year CDAM celebrates its Annual Mass in October to coincide with the Feast of St Luke.

Besides his Gospel, St Luke was also responsible for writing the Acts of the Apostles.

Archbishop Leow said that the White Mass is so called because Doctors and Healthcare Workers wear white overalls in their daily work. He then pointed out that the first doctors in the world were the Bishops who treated people to give them spiritual relief. Then only came the doctors to provide medical treatment.

Prior to the White Mass, CDAM provided a Bioethics talk entitled, Care for the Aged in the Terminal Stage and Advance Medical Directive by Dr Freddie Loh. The medical students were also given an insight on what CDAM has been doing for the local community with a presentation by Dr Juliet Mathew. The session ended with a Mental health talk by Dr Joseph Jacob. The idea of inviting Medical Students for the talks was to inform them about the activities of CDAM and to familiarise them with our Church’s Teachings as they will be future leaders and members of CDAM.

The day ended with the Annual General Meeting at 6.00pm. The present Committee was re-elected for another term of one year. Dr Joseph Jacob and Dr Juliet Mathew were re-elected as President and Hon Secretary of CDAM respectively.

CDAM has been chosen to host the 17th AFCMA Congress in Malaysia Nov 5-8, 2020. Dr Sharon Gopalan the Organising Chairman urged all CDAM Members to give their support to the Congress and make Malaysia proud.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online