Category Archives: Oct 2017

Chancery Notice – Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur
October 19, 2017 chan/MC/04/2017

1. His Grace, the Most Rev Julian Leow, has appointed the following persons:

a) Rev Fr Christopher Wilvaraj Soosaipillai, the Parish Priest of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Setapak, as the Priest-in-Charge of’ Burial Grounds, Columbaria and cemetery matters with effect from the 1st October 2017.

b) Rev Fr Albet Arockiasamy, the Parish Priest of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puchong, as the Priest-Liaison for all expatriate communities in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur with effect from the 1st of October 2017.

c) Rev Fr Jude Gregory Chan, the Assistant Parish Priest of the Church of the Assumption, Petaling Jaya, as the Acting Administrator of the chapels under the Terengganu Catholic Mission, with effect from the 1st of August 2017. Rev Fr Alan Pereira, the Administrator of the chapels under the Terengganu Catholic Mission, is currently on sabbatical leave until the end of 2017. He is pursuing a renewal course in Australia.
Canonical Erection of Religious House

2. At the request of the General Delegate of the Order of Discalced Carmelite (O.C.D.), and in accordance with canons 610-612 of the Code of Canon Law, His Grace, the Most Rev Julian Leow, the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, has consented and granted permission for the erection of a house of friars of the Order of Discalced Carmelite within the territory of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. The first house is located in the town of Seremban.
Other Matters

3. With the permission and at the direction of His Grace, the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, the lay ecclesial movement of Communion and Liberation, has been placed under the pastoral care and guidance of the Church of the Holy Family, Kajang and its pastors.

4. With the permission and at the direction of His Grace, the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, the members of the Servants of Yahweh Covenant Community have been placed under the pastoral care and guidance of the Church of St Thomas More, Subang Jaya, and its pastors.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

This year, the Catholic Church celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions at Fatima, Portugal, witnessed by three shepherd children who reported that they saw visions of Mary, beginning on May 13, 1917. Whatever the significance of the Fatima apparitions is for each of us personally, this 100-year anniversary of the apparitions is a reminder of the central message of the Gospels, calling everyone to conversion and bringing us closer to Christ. Most of the parishes in Malaysia celebrated this historical event. Below are some of the celebrations.

Mary will never desert us

Hundreds of Catholics from far and near converged at the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Brickfields on October 13, 2017 for the Special Thanksgiving Mass at 8.00pm to celebrate and commemorate the 100 years since Our Lady’s Apparition at Fatima, Portugal. October 13, 1917 marked the Miracle of the sun and was the last of the six apparitions to the three children — Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta.

Fr Patrick Massang CSsR was the preacher. Parish priest Fr Ferdinand Magimay and Resident priest Fr Paul Hu were the concelebrants.

In his homily, Fr Patrick said we have heard so many stories of Mary. Recently, we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Knock, then Our Lady of the Rosary. But. not many know about Our Lady of Victory.

In the 16th century, the Turks were conquering many territories. Pope Pius V knew there was no way he could defeat the Islamic Turks. So he called all people of Europe to gather in prayer. He asked them to pray the Rosary for victory. At the battle of Lepanto in October 1571, the Turks were defeated and that is how the title — Our Lady of Victory came about.

The Rosary is a beautiful gift to us. We celebrate today the gift of our loving Mother who will never desert us. She is with us here today at this sacred place, called Fatima. She is the Lady of the Rosary. We not only behold her, but one another.–By Bernard Anthony

The parish of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (NBVM) celebrated the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima with a triduum Mass Oct 13-15.

Fr Victor Louis, the parish priest, in his homily explained that when Our Lady appeared at Fatima, her first words were “Do not be afraid.” These were the same words said by Jesus on many occasions. Her apparition to the young children was to give hope and invoke their trust in God. Similarly we too should not be afraid but place our trust in God.

At Fatima, Our Lady introduced herself as the Lady of the Rosary. So we should continue to recite the holy rosary. Fr Victor Louis high-lighted that Francisco and Jacinta offered their sufferings as a sacrifice of penance for sinners. We, too, should offer our difficulties as penance.

The 100th Anniversary was celebrated with a candle light procession of a decorated statue of Our Lady of Fatima around Butterworth Town.

On the last day, the movie, Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima Portugal 1917 was screened. — By Sheila Rose Darma-raj

In conjunction with the Marian month of October and in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Apparitions at Fatima in Portugal, the Church of the Divine Mercy (CDM) commenced daily Rosary, October 13-31.

With the theme #CDMprays4Malaysia, the nightly prayers and Rosary at the grotto were from 8.30pm on Mondays to Fridays, and from 7.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

A daily schedule has been drawn-up where the various Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) and parish ministries will be encouraged to pray together as we consecrate Malaysia to God and to Mary.

A mini exhibition about Fatima and the Divine Mercy has been set in the grotto area for the faithful. — By Bernard Anth

The closing of the 100th anniversary of the Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima was celebrated at the compound of St Gabriel Kindergarten on Oct 13. The once in a lifetime celebration was experienced by the parishioners of Sitiawan, who travelled to Pantai Remis. There were also parishioners and well wishers from the surrounding areas.

Prior to the celebration proper, the Rosary was recited in all the four languages. The multilingual evening Mass was presided by Fr Vincent Paul, parish priest of SFDS. In his homily, he stated that the celebration was to commemorate the closing of the 100th year Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.

At that time, there was only a chapel in Pantai Remis. Then, a new church was built named the Church of the Holy Rosary.

After Mass, there was a candlelight procession, followed by benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Fr Martin Arlando announced to the 22 First Holy Communicants on October 8 that he was going to give a key to a house to each one of them. He gave each one a tag bearing their name and a blank key. He mentioned that the grooves made on the key will depend on how they live their lives. St Thomas, the doubting apostle, when he was asked to touch the side of Jesus, exclaimed “My Lord and my God.” Now that they were going to experience the body and blood of Jesus, they need to learn this acclamation. They were asked to eat Jesus every week in order to remain spiritually alive.

Fr Martin said that the house is in heaven and that the grooves made on their keys will open it for them. He asked them, “ What good have you done today that was a blessing and how did you share these blessings? … Jesus is with you and you need not be afraid to become his disciple by living a good life and sharing your blessings with everyone.”

In his homily to the congregation, Fr Martin asked how many of them remembered what they were taught when they were in kindergarten and quoted some nursery rhymes. He remarked that these rhymes are short and simple, making them easy to remember. However, some rhymes were composed to make fun of the times. Baa Baa Black Sheep was to ridicule the King for his export tax on wool in 1275; Jack and Jill made fun of King Louis XVI of France and his Queen, Marie Antoinette, who were both beheaded in 1793. Humpty Dumpty was no egg but a nickname for a large cannon which protected the city of Colchester during the English Civil War (1642-1649).

Similarly, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. In the gospel (Mt 21:33-44), Jesus related the story about the wicked tenants from the First Reading of Isaiah 5:1-7. In Isaiah, the Lord asked what more He could have done for His people, who were not satisfied with his actions. When He gave them peace, they sowed war, goodness they chose evil, humility and they chose to be proud. Yet God is loving and merciful and sought only to give love and justice. This is also apparent in parents today who sacrifice a lot for their children in terms of time and money and, in spite of this, the children sometimes do not live up to their expectations. Yet, they still keep on loving them and will continue to help them do better.

Fr Martin reminded the congregation that every task given to us is from God who expects us to return it in goodness. If we fail or reject Him, He always gives us another chance to succeed. With God’s grace and blessings come responsibility and accountability. It is imperative to listen and do His will as God expects us to bear good fruits — to change our lives and do His will, not ours. Fr Martin then reminded the parents of what they should be doing for their children. Are you teaching your children to pray daily, to produce good fruits for their families and to share these fruits with their BECs and their communities? Do you give them a chance to grow and be a blessing to Jesus and to one another?

Towards the end of Mass, a representative of the First Holy Communion students thanked Fr Martin for being a Jesus to them and the teachers for being the remote control every Sunday, switching them back to the right path. She also thanked all the parents for their care and love.

Then the children gathered in front of the altar to sing a song entitled 10,000 Reasons, expressing the many reasons they were proud to be Catholics.

Fr Martin then handed out the certificates. Later, everyone assembled for fellowship at the church basement, to cut a cake and receive a souvenir mug to remind them to pray daily.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KUALA LUMPUR: The Archdiocese Liturgy Commision is organising a half-day session on Liturgy and Marriage.

This formation is in light of the soon to be released Order of Celebrating Matrimony for Malaysia- Singapore-Brunei.

This is the first session in a series which will be conducted.

The details are as follows:

Date: Sat, 18-11-2017 Time: 9.00am – 12 noon (Registration starts from 8.15am)
Venue: Community Centre, St John’s Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur Cost: RM10 per person.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

College General was instituted by the MEP as a Centre of formation for Asian priests. The first College was a major seminary and a minor one at the same time, and this has been the status of College General until the year 1921, when it was made a fully “Major Seminary.” Humanities and Latin were taught in the early years and emphasis was placed on imparting knowledge on philosophy and theology, so much so that the older seminarians became well versed in these church sciences. In 1685, the French king sent an embassy to the King of Siam. Some of the members wanted to test the standard of the College; theological discussions were organised with a couple of seminarians, and they passed the test so well that they were invited to go to Europe and hold the same thesis before the King of France and the Holy Father in Rome.

In the first hundred years in Ayuthia, the College General saw its enrolment fluctuate between twenty and fifty students. Wars (in Siam) and persecutions (in Vietnam) were the main cause of a slow increase in the number of seminarians (1665-1762).

This forced the College to move to Chantaburi (Thailand) for a few months and, later, to Hondat (Cambodia). The political instability of that period resulted in the seminarians living in poverty and although a new building was built, it was razed to the ground by rebels. The deteriorating political situation and constant persecutions forced the search for a more tranquil location for the seminary.

India was chosen and in 1770, two professors and 41 seminarians arrived at Pondicherry, India by sea. The Seminary was established at Virampatnam.

Despite its peaceful calm, Pondicherry proved unsuitable as it was too far from China and Indo-China where most of the seminarians came from. As a result, the seminary was temporarily closed in 1782 until a more suitable place could be found.

Mandated by the MEP of Paris, representatives of Propaganda and missionaries, it was decided to revive the College General in Penang in 1808.

The new College in Penang had a small enrolment and the new students were mostly from China, due to the persecution in Sichuan at that time; so much so that the name of “College of Chinese” was given. The first Rector, Fr Michael Lolivier, who was in charge for 25 years, saw to it that his College would remain the “General” College, that is, opened to all Missions and at all times, either in time of war or persecutions. His wish was fulfilled, for students were coming, besides from China, from Vietnam (North and South), Burma, Japan, Korea and Malaya so that the year 1847 saw peak enrolment of 154 students, including junior and senior boys.

LOCAL COLLEGE
Since the College was instituted to train and form a local clergy for a local Church, it was logical that, sooner or later, the College which until recently had been MEP, would be taken over by the local priests and bishops. The last MEP Rector of the College in Penang was Fr J. M. Bosc, Mep (1966-1971).

The Malaysian Church had already been officially entrusted by Rome to the leadership of two local bishops in 1955, just two years before the country obtained its independence.

The first local priest, after his training in Rome, to join the MEP staff in Penang was Fr Gregory Yong in 1965.

In 1969, there were still seven MEP on the staff of the College, with only three local priests for 96 students, 53 Malaysian and 39 Thai. The first local Rector was Fr Achilles Choong. He was succeeded by Fr Anthony Soter Fernandez and Fr Murphy Pakiam, who both became bishops.

Source : History of the Church and Churches in Malaysia and Singapore (1511-2000) B Fr Paul Decroix MEP

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

South Johor Vicariate BEC Coordinators and their core teams gathered for their Core Team Assembly at Majodi on Oct 7.

The vision of the BEC Animation and Formation Team (BECAFT) Melaka-Johor Diocese is to have BECs rooted in Christ and to help parishes transform into a Communion of Communities. Thus, the aim of the assembly was to foster dialogue among participants and to revitalize their commitment to their BECs in accordance with the MJ Diocesan Option 2016-2020.

The programme for the day centred on the 4E strategy; Encountered, Enlightened, Empowered and Evangelising.

The first session saw participants getting to know each other through a song activity to share about themselves.

This was followed by reflecting on His Word taken from Luke 19:1-10 about Zaccheus’ encounter with Jesus. “Salvation has come to this house today, for this man is also a true son of Abraham,” and in Mark 10:17- 22, Jesus’ encounter with the rich man, “Then come and follow me.” Participants shared on how the Holy Spirit strengthens them to forgive trespasses, commit to doing His work and to be excited about our faith!

Bishop Bernard Paul continued with session two, on Enlightened. He commented that the rich man in Mark 10:17-22 lacked patience. It is our impatience that makes us lose sight of how God is in control. He went on to explain the journey of the BEC, from when it started in 1976, to its current form and function. He stressed that the BEC provides the opportunity for all Catholics to serve, regardless of status. In serving, we discover our potential and that of others. Bishop Bernard Paul called upon us to be witnesses of our faith — a spark that ignites the fire of the Word, especially to ‘the least, the lost, the lame, the lepers and the little.’

He also suggested that in addition to electing leaders, we must also identify new leaders and provide them a conducive environment to grow.

Session three focused on how we are Empowered by Jesus to be leaders in our BECs and, in turn, empower our members to participate actively. The text from Hebrews 10:23-25 exhorts us to “Hold fast to our hope without wavering… spur one another to love and good works… encourage one another.” The text from Ephesians 3:14- 20 sees St Paul’s prayer for us, “May He strengthen in you the inner self through His Spirit… may Christ dwell in your hearts…”

Each participant made a paper outline of their hand and wrote key phrases taken from either text in it, as a personal commitment of how they would exercise their special gifts in their BECs.

The fourth and final session on Evangelising concluded with Mass. Bishop Bernard Paul reminded all present that everyone has the opportunity to evangelise in any environment — on campus, at the market place. We can evangelise by our attitude, actions and way of life. He also advised all participants to open their hearts to the Lord, “know me, teach me, strengthen me and send me.”

Head of BECAFT, Francis Ong, echoed this sentiment with this parting statement, “everything is done by God but nothing is done without us.”

We were then commissioned by Bishop Bernard Paul to be the Light of Christ in our BECs.

Participants were from the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (JB), the Church of the Immaculate Conception (JB), Church of St Joseph (Plentong), Church of St Theresa (Masai), Skudai Catholic Centre (Skudai), Church of the Holy Family (Ulu Tiram) and Church of Christ the King (Kulai).

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

SINGAPORE: Fr Jean Marie Bosc, M.E.P., Professor, then Rector of College General, Penang from 1956 to 1970, passed away in France on October 2, 2017. He was 89 years of age.

Fr Bosc arrived at College on Nov 1, 1956 as a professor. He was the last MEP rector from 1966 to 1971.

In July 1971, he left for France for medical treatment. We keep him in our prayers.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

By Bernard Anthony
The Church of St Theresa celebrated the 80th anniversary of its establishment (1937 – 2017) and the 120th death anniversary of its Patron Saint, St Therese of the Child Jesus (also known as St Thérèse of Lisieux) (02/01/1873 – 30/09/1897). The parish celebrations began on September 21 and culminated on September 30, with a procession in honour of St Theresa.

Joining in the procession, after the Rosary and Novena prayers were Melacca-Johore Diocese Bishop Bernard Paul, parish priest Fr Adrian Francis Mathews and Permanent Deacon Offic Joseph Veangany, with close to 800 faithful.

After the procession, the multi-lingual Mass began in the church. Bishop Bernard Paul was the presider and preacher on September 30. The theme was Be Disciples of Hope. The prelate preached in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Tamil.

After Mass, Fr Adrian thanked all for coming to join in the celebration. He also thanked the prelate for his presence. Fr Adrian also expressed his appreciation to his parishioners who did a splendid job to make the anniversary celebrations meaningful and wonderful.

Fr Adrian appealed to all present for funds as the church is in dire need of repair and renovation. The parish is currently waiting for approval from the local council before renovation works can be carried out.

Many bought the ‘Help Build Our Future — Donate a Brick’ tickets at RM10/- each, to donate towards the fund raising project.

Dinner was held in the parish hall and grounds. As the faithful feasted on nasi briyani, there was a presentation of songs to keep the guests entertained. As Fr Adrian also marked his second Sacerdotal Anniversary on Oct 1, 2017, the parishioners brought out an anniversary cake. Bishop Bernard Paul and everyone present sang Happy Anniversary.

Today, after 80 years, the composition of the once mainly Indian parishioners includes Sabahans and Sarawakians. More than 1,000 faithful come here for worship.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

PAPAR – A pre-marriage seminar organised by the parish Christian Family Committee here drew 20 couples.

The seminar was held on 20-21 Oct 2017 at Fr John Tsung Hall.

The programme began with a Bible Enthronement by Father Rayner Bisius, followed by his presentation entitled; Marriage in the Context of The Catholic Church, and Marriage in God’s Plan/Sacrament of Marriage.

The second day began with a session by Richard and Grace Lim on Communication in Marriage.

Dominic Lim presented Theology of the Body while Joseph Sipalan gave a talk on infectious diseases.

After tea break, Judith Sideh presented Economics in the Family in accordance with the Bible.

The afternoon session continued with a workshop session on Responsibilities of Christian Parents in a Family, moderated by the PPC Chairman, Johnny Sitamin.

The 40 participants were divided into two men and two women groups, where they discussed and presented the chosen topic on what are the responsibilities of husband/wife after marriage?

The final session dealt with Natural Family Planning Approach with a practicum on the process of charting.

After Sunset Mass, the participants returned for the summary and Q&A session handled by Jeffery Anjuman, chairman of the family life committee.

The seminar ended with a certificate presenting ceremony to the participants by Margaret Lee, coordinator of Christian Family Committee, and a group photo session. – William Charles Mindus

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

KOTA MARUDU – After a year of learning English, a group of learners from St Peter Claver Parish decided to celebrate the completion of their “English for Beginners” programme with a two-day trip to Serinsim Park here on 12-13 Oct 2017.

The group was accompanied by their tutors, the parish staff, SOCCOM members, Franciscan Sister Caroline Duli, and OFM Friar Aiden Peter Jr.

The trip was filled with laughter, jokes, splashes, barbeque, companionship, singing, hiking, prayer and sharing.

“We had a fantastic time. We all really enjoyed the event and everyone had great fun. The location was also excellent and it really suited us. The food was addictively delicious – all in all, it worked out very well and we were very happy with the thanksgiving event,” Sr Caroline said.

The parish organised the course from July 2016 to August 2017 for 40 participants.  However, only 12 were able to graduate from it.

Hilda Lajip, one of the participants, said she realised how fun writing can be in a different language.

“I’ve learned different writing techniques which are currently helping me. The writing techniques I have learned so far are how to organise and plan a paper which is comprehensible, related to subject matter and logical to the readers. I also have learned how to analyse, critique and evaluate resources, and finally how to express and translate the main idea of a subject matter. I strongly believe it is very beneficial for all of us. Because not only this course prepares you for your academic writing, but they also teach and prepare you well for your future. I would like to thank all my tutors for all their hard work, and making writing in a different language more fun for me and my classmates,” said Lajip.

Rayner Sausun also shared that it can be both easy and fun to learn English grammar if one goes about it with a positive attitude, an open mind and a clear goal for the learning experience.

For example, he said, what is the purpose of the student who wants to learn English grammar? Is it for school or to enhance work opportunities in the global economy? In order to succeed at work, it is almost a necessity to learn English grammar if one wants to be part of the greater global economy. In addition, if one wishes to attend school in an English-speaking country, one needs to understand the English language and learn English grammar in a way that will allow him or her to communicate with native English speakers both effectively and professionally.

Sausun added that a goal needs to be set as far as the time commitment that will be necessary to learn English grammar.

Friar Aiden Peter Jr  used the opportunity to reflect on the benefit of learning another language.

He said, “There are lots of good reasons to learn English, from the professional to the personal. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, and more than 67 countries have English as their official or native language, more than any other language in the world. The majority of electronic communication is in English – being able to read and write emails is a big advantage. In addition, learning a language can give you a great sense of personal achievement and fulfilment. Some of the world’s best music, films, and TV shows are in English. Understanding the language will give you a better appreciation of these cultural highlights. Furthermore, speaking English will help you meet all kinds of people and make great friends especially with Ranau being a tourist spot. I hope that the English programme will continue to be a perfect jewel of an experience for all.”  – friar aiden peter jr ofm

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu