Category Archives: Oct 2018

To commemorate the 101st Anniversary of the Apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, the parish of Our Lady of Fatima of the Holy Rosary celebrated its Parish Feastday with the rosary, Mass and a procession. Led by Fr Jude Miranda and Fr Francis Andrew, the beautifully decorated float of Our Lady set out on a 4-km walk from the Church towards the city centre.

The celebrations started at 5.00pm with the recitation of the rosary, the litany to Our Lady, followed by Mass. Then the pilgrims and parishioners joined in the candlelight procession, praying the rosary in BM and English. Voices singing Ave Maria were heard after each decade of the rosary. Benediction and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament by Fr Francis followed.

In his speech, Gerard Yeo, the Parish Pastoral Council Chairman, thanked Fr Jude and all who had come to join us in our celebrations. He also thanked all the parishioners who had worked tirelessly to prepare for the feastday, in particular, Philip Tiau, Primus and Laura and the flower ladies, Mrs Shirley Bates, Gina Sanchez Lai and Marianne Lim, who decorated the float, and coordinators of the various committees. A big thank you to the KCCS (Kelantan Catholic Campus Solidarity) and Youth Choir under Dr David and Max and also all the altar servers under Nicholas Martin.

We are grateful to our parish priest, Fr Francis Andrew, who inspired parishioners to Let Mary be Known, which was the overall theme for this year.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Fifty young students from Blessed Sacrament Church received their first holy communion on Sept 2 after months of preparation.They had their first confession at the beginning of September.

Fr Felix Au complimented them on their appearance and took the opportunity to also advise them to always dress well for Mass. He shared the importance of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and why they must fully participate at Mass. They should listen attentively to the Scripture Readings as this is the Word of God.

He also thanked all the catechists and parents of the students for their hard work and dedication.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The second annual Men’s Retreat organised by the Servants of Yahweh Covenant Community was held on September 22 at the Church of St Thomas More. The theme Live Like A Beloved Son was taken from the Bible verse Mark 11:1, “This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

This one-day retreat centred on being the kind of man that each of us was created to be. In the Old Testament, the last words of advice of a loving father, King David to his son, Solomon were, “Take courage and be a man” (1 Kings 2:2). King David knew that if his son was going to be a great leader, he would first have to be a great man. To do this does not require perfection, for David was certainly not perfect but he was a man who knew who he was – a beloved Son — and strived with all his being to be a better man. This enriching day event was attended by 42 men from various parishes and included both married and young single adult men.

Session 1, Be A Man Who Lives As A Beloved Son, was a breakout session between the married and the young bachelors. Anthony Felix spoke to all the married men. He led us to see that we are precious in God’s eyes and He loves and honours us (Isaiah 43:4). He reminded us that most of the time, our perception of God the Father is influenced by our relationship with our earthly father. That is why it is important to let go of the past and forgive all who have hurt us over the years. He concluded by asking the men to always step up, speak out, stand strong, stay humble and serve the King of kings, Jesus, all the days of their life.

Jahaziel D’Cruz, in speaking to all the single men, spoke of three biblical characters that represent an alpha male: John, David and Jesus Christ. He shared on John the Apostle, who reclined on the bosom of Jesus. That is how we should imitate John because God wants to have a personal relationship with His beloved children. Next was King David, who was a man after God’s own heart. David recognised that he was God’s beloved and in doing so was able to defeat the mighty Goliath. Jahaziel encouraged us men to also believe in the truth that we are God’s beloved and because God is for us, nothing can come against us. Presented last was the person of Jesus. Jesus is the image of God’s Salvation. Through Jesus, we come to know that we have a loving Father and so we must never be afraid to come to God just as we are.

In Session 2, Abbot D’Cruz shared with the married participants on how to Be A Man Who Is Holy. He said that holiness was not an option (Hebrews 12:14) and that St Paul teaches us that all men are called to be the spiritual leaders of their households (Ephesians 6:4, Joshua 24:15). He reminded them that there is no holiness without the Blessed Mother. As a young child, Jesus needed Mary to change him, to feed him, and to form him. He encouraged all the brothers to say the rosary regularly. He concluded by encouraging all the brothers to accomplish three tasks in their lives: Better be men who strive to be saints, who practise Catholic devotion, and who always pray and love.

John Paul, in his sharing to the young adult men, compared a bad man, a good man and a holy man. The definition of good is satisfactory in quality, quantity or degree but God has called us not to be bad or good but, rather, to be holy men of God. Holy men are those who are set apart and dedicated to God’s call in their lives. His key Bible verse was taken from Hebrews 12:14, “Strive for peace with all men, and for holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” He went on to share four key points of what holiness entails to be fighters, to be chaste, to die to self and to lead and serve. He concluded by encouraging the brothers to rise up and be saints in this world, to be set apart in our thoughts, words and deeds.

Session 3 was a combined session for both the married and the young single adults led by Christopher
Felix who spoke on how to Be A Man Who Lives In The Holy Spirit. He shared the prophetic message of the current times, where men have lost the sense of sin when they commit any wrong doing. He shared that the solution to this problem is to be led by the Holy Spirit. Only by the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives can we overcome the spirit of sin and death. He encouraged all of them to daily fan into flame the gift of the Holy Spirit which is within every baptised Catholic. This is accomplished by a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit. He concluded by facilitating the prayer ministry using the six prayer postures; all the brothers prayed over each other in their respective small groups.

Wilfred Netto, John Joseph and Jude Pinto, together with Justin D’souza and Royston Peter, shared their personal testimonies, which inspired all the brothers in their respective breakout sessions. At the end of the retreat, some of the participants gave short testimonies on how the retreat has affected their lives.

We praise and thank God that all the brothers felt uplifted and encouraged from this one day retreat.

With the knowledge that we are to live like beloved sons of God, let us allow the Holy Spirit to transform us to be men after God’s own heart.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

PENANG: The 4th Asian Apostolic Congress on Mercy (AACOM 4) organised nine sessions over three days.

The Vatican representative from the Pontifical Council for the promotion of the New Evangelisation, Msgr Krzysztof Marcjanowicz, delivered the first talk on Mercy in the life and writings of St John Paul II.
He related the struggles of the early life Karol Wojtyla, with the loss of his father and elder brothers and the effects of World War II leading towards his life as a Pope. He also mentioned the role he played in granting the sainthood to St Faustina and the decree of the Divine Mercy Sunday as the Sunday following Easter. This was followed by a brief testimony by Dr Tony Dayot from the Philippines.

Mercy in the New Evangelisation
Popular preacher Fr Simon Pereira from the Singapore Redemptorist Order spoke on his experiences of reaching out to the people in the streets, prisons, hospitals and even in the pubs. He emphasised that these people are hungry for Mercy. He said that we needed to recharge ourselves and the Spirit will speak to us. He reminded us that God wants not just praise and thanksgiving but also works of mercy, prayers and adoration. In her testimony, Mrs Jennifer Yeo related in detail how the Divine Mercy saved her from a life threatening rare sickness and also gave new life to her youngest son, who was expected to die in early childhood but is now completing his fifth year in medical college.

Mercy and the Sacrament of the Eucharist
Bishop Ruperto Santos explained how St Faustina was drawn towards the Holy Eucharist early in her life and how she drew strength from it. She also deemed it to be the greatest of all gifts. His Grace went on to explain the four elements of the Eucharist in Divine Mercy, namely the Image of Jesus, the Chaplet, the 3.00pm Hour of Mercy prayer, and finally the Feast of the Divine Mercy. He reminded us to go frequently for confession and Think of Mercy, Speak of Mercy and Perform Mercy in our lives. In his testimony following this talk, Msgr Josefino S. Ramirez mentioned the pivoting role the Eucharist had played in his priestly vocation.

Mercy and the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Indonesian Archbishop Anicetus Bongsu A. Singa said that Grace is the greatest attribute of God. His Mercy is greater than our sins. We are called to share in God’s Joy, of which there are three dimensions. The first is to totally trust in God’s Mercy. The second is to be merciful to others, and lastly to spread the Divine Message message to the world. Peter Chang, a very successful businessman from Indonesia, gave a most remarkable testimony of how his and his wife’s devotion to the Divine Mercy had saved his wife, his daughter and his own life in miraculous ways.

Mercy is a Joyful Mission
Bishop Sebastian Francis explained the four types of mission: Personal, Family/Community, Ecclesiastical and Ecological missions. He went on to quote St Catherine of Genoa: “Renewal without conversion/metanoia is the corruption of the Church”. He spoke about the conversion process and how the Church is fully equipped with the sacraments, theological virtues, the Word of God and the Gifts/Fruits of the Holy Spirit. He also quoted Pope Francis: “ … the only tragedy in life is not to become a saint”. He emphasised that Joy and Mercy cannot be separated to be meaningful in our lives. In her testimony, Elizabeth Simon, a retired nurse, mentioned the many times the Divine Mercy had touched her life and helped her overcome the loss of her child.

Mercy in the Youth Ministry
Archbishop Simon Poh began with a lively action song which the delegates all joined in. He gave a definition of Youth and spoke on the current characteristics and dynamics of the youth today. He said that the youth are eager to learn and can accept new ideas. They are also cautious about their health and value their privacy. Most are open to entrepreneurial ventures. He also provided suggestions on how to engage the youth to get their involvement and commitment by way of adopting Divine Mercy programmes. He also gave the four elements needed in a Church community, namely the Eucharist, Word of God, Fellowship and Service. He emphasised that Service in the ministries is an important way to draw the youth and inspire them. He even offered a formula for all to adopt. In the testimony, Paul Julianose, a student testified that the healing power of the Divine Mercy was given to him after all his family resources were exhausted towards finding a cure. He strongly advocated putting complete trust in the mercy of God in all things.

Mercy in the Light of Spiritual Considerations
Archbishop Michale Jude Byrnes of Guam began by saying that the message in the Bible is that Jesus loves you. He briefly ran through the Old Testament with regards to how we were meant to be partners with God. God made various covenants with man and never gave up on us but continued to work with various individuals to bring us back to him. In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of a new way of living.

We need to be merciful, be peacemakers and keep the commandments. Mercy, in the Hebrew translation of that word, means an obligation. God takes on an obligation by himself and gives up his life as a cost of it. Mercy is the obligation that Jesus presented to us because of his steadfast love for us. As such, we also need to exercise mercy through works of mercy. Fr Joel Delos Reyes then gave a testimony of how his recitation of the Divine Mercy chaplet with family helped the recovery of a lady friend in a coma whom doctors had given up all hope on. He also related how it helped him to source funds to sponsor all the delegates of the Guam Youth Choir to this congress.

(The other two talks were on Mercy in the Life of Consecrated Men and Women and Mercy in the Life and Writings of St Faustina (in theform of video presentations.)

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Heeding Pope Francis’ message for the 104th World Day of Migrants and Refugees with the theme “Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees”, the Human Development Committee (HDC) of Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish organized an “international bazaar” on Sep 16 to express solidarity with the migrant brothers and sisters of our parish in celebrating the 104th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

The event was a concrete gesture of welcome extended to the three migrant communities existing in the parish: the Koreans, Filipinos and Indonesians.  The running of the stalls by the migrant communities was a recognition and putting value to the abilities and gifts that they bring with them to the parish.

This year’s bazaar was the second edition, after the first which was successfully organized in 2017. Besides the migrant stalls, other supporters also opened three additional stalls.

Showcasing their traditional recipes, the communities made available an array of enticing food for everyone to savor, such as the lechon which needs no introduction, potu, adobo, grilled bangus (milk fish), star bun, pandisal, bubol, pudding, jeon (Korean vegetables pancake), and others.

The event launched off with a prayer and blessing by parish priest, Fr Paul Lo. In honour of the 55th Malaysia Day, a cake was cut by Fr Paul, together with Korean priest Fr Lawrence and other community leaders.

The crowd who patronized the bazaar was seen as a positive response from the parishioners who took up the opportunity to meet and greet the migrants present in the parish, and at the same time to appreciate their gifts and abilities in the delicacies sold.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KOTA KINABALU: Franciscan Friar Claurence Motoyou, 47, ordained to the Diaconate at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Johor Bahru on 5 Dec 2017, is to be ordained priest at Sacred Heart Cathedral Karamunsing by Archbishop John Wong on 27 Oct 2018.

Motoyou will be joined by Friar Cruzender Alex at Mass for a joint Ordination, where Alex will be ordained to the Diaconate. The Mass will begin at 10.00 am.

Hailing from Kg Lokawi, Putatan, Deacon Claurence, 47, is the fourth of a brood of six born to Fredoline Motoyou (deceased) and Rose Onis Mosoly.

After completing his tertiary education in 1989, he went on to Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang where he graduated with honours in Computer Science in 1994.

What led him to pursue priestly formation?  As undramatic as it sounds, Motoyou was nevertheless attracted to the call to priesthood through his frequent contact with the Franciscan Sisters of Immaculate Conception (FSIC) and joining them in their activities and monthly mission outreach programs to share the love of God to others.

Under the spiritual guidance of Franciscan Sister Frances Mani, presently Mother General of FSIC, he realized his call to the religious vocation.

Without much ado, he resigned from the IT company, where he worked as a system analyst and computer programmer, to join the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) in Singapore.

It was mainly through the FSIC, especially Sr Mani, that he had gotten to know the friars.  The life of the friars in sharing the Gospel after the example of St Francis of Assisi eventually led him to want to share their mission.

Motoyou completed his seminary studies at St Francis Xavier Major Seminary, Singapore.

In less than a month to being ordained a priest, Motoyou reflected on the moment of grace and acknowledged that “It is only by God’s grace that all things are made possible.”

Humbled by the lengthy years of priestly formation, he added “I know that I am far from being perfect.  God’s call is a journey of life that each of us has to respond individually, yet at the same time, it is a pilgrimage that I make with my brothers and sisters…”

Currently, Deacon Motoyou is serving at the Church of Immaculate Conception in the Diocese of Melaka-Johor.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

IPOH: The 128th parish feastday Mass of St Michael’ Church (SMC) on Sept 30 was filled with exceeding joy and the peace of Christ. The church itself was filled to capacity.

The bilingual feastday Mass was celebrated by SMC parish priest Fr Stephen Liew and concelebrated by priest-in-residence Fr Robin Andrews and Fr Francis Andrew from Kota Baru.

In his homily, Fr Francis Andrew said the most important event leading to the veneration of St Michael was when a terrible plague raged all over southern Italy and St Michael appeared at Gargano, Italy. After that, the town was rid of the plague and St Michael came to be known as the protector of people.

Touching on the Gospel reading, Fr Francis said that as Christians, we must be accepting of others and recognise outsiders, including migrants. “The disciples of Jesus refused to accept outsiders who exorcised demons in Jesus’ name, and asked Jesus about this. However Jesus did not agree and told them to leave the outsiders in peace, and instead asked them to extend the same favour to others.

“Many of our parents and forefathers came from different countries. Today, if we are not hospitable to others, how do we expect to be given God’s favour? Jesus calls each of us to be accepting of others.

“Christian acceptance is reverence for the truth and for the greatness of God who gave us life and so many things. Acceptance brings love, humility and joy.

“If there are problems in your family, BECs or work, can this (non-acceptance) be the reason? We ask St Michael for his help against the powers of darkness, to become people of peace, joy and love,” he said.

After Holy Communion, the Latin choir sang a thanksgiving song to God for Fr Stephen Liew’s eight years in the parish. A video presentation on Fr Liew’s work was shown to the congregation.

In a short speech, Fr Liew said he was extremely grateful to God for the chance to serve the wonderful and lovable parish of St Michael.

He thanked the people for their love and support and asked them to extend the same towards their new parish priest. He especially thanked Fr Robin Andrews who has been a loving companion at SMC and helped to celebrate Masses despite being retired. Fr Liew also put in a word for the Orang Asli, from Pos Kemar in Gerik and asked the people to help them by buying handicraft from them.

The Temiar are under the Sahabat Orang Asli (SOA) formed at St Michael’s Church during Fr Liew’s tenure.They had sent many handicraft such as miniature Orang Asli homes and fish traps, as well as bangles made from rattan, to St Michael’s Church for sale to raise funds.

In addition, the parishioners of the Church of the Holy Name of Mary in Permatang Tinggi also came to sell cookies to raise funds for their new church.

After Mass, there was lunch for all, including 200 guests under SMC’s monthly soup kitchen.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

LABUAN, Sabah: The English Prayer Group of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament conducted a Life in The Spirit seminar Sept 7 to 9, facilitated by Jude Antoine from Kuala Lumpur, with the theme, IGNITE the Flame Within.

The response from the participants was very encouraging, with a group from a church in Seria, Brunei. The local participants included the parishioners from the English and Bahasa Malaysia speaking groups, including students from the colleges in Labuan itself.

Many were touched by the Holy Spirit during talks on New Life, God’s Love, Transformation and specially to have a personal touch of the Lord through Inner Healing and Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The facilitator spoke on getting ourselves to be renewed. “No one can force you to be renewed or changed if you do not surrender or submit to the flow of the Holy Spirit,” said Jude.

This message is strongly ringing in our hearts today. Are we ready to seek salvation with the Lord Jesus as the end times are near?

Those who yearned to have the Charism of Tongues were touched and some miracles were testified to by the participants during the sharing session.

Indeed, with the sins of this materialistic world, in our parish, our Lord is always blessing us in this island of ours. May his name be praised always.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

PENANG: Migrant Sunday was celebrated during the 9.00am Mass on September 23 at the Church of the Divine Mercy (CDM) in Sg Ara. The theme for that Sunday was Greatest in the Eyes of the Lord are Those Whose Heart Has Room for Everyone. This was very much in line with Pope Francis’ message for the 104th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2018 Welcoming, Protecting, Promoting and Integrating Migrants and Refugees. In his message, the Holy Father wrote, “Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age.” The message put forward an action-oriented initiative and a template for a shared response based on the four key concepts: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate. In his homily, parish priest Fr Martin Arlando explained that it is not easy for newcomers to be accepted in a foreign land. He cited the example of the first Christian missionaries in Korea who were mercilessly persecuted and killed for being true to their faith. He reminded us that such persecution continues today and will continue in the future because the forces of evil are at work. Evil needs no reason to make the innocent suffer and the first reading for the day (Wisdom 2:12, 17-20) illustrates this point, giving an insight into how evil works. Similarly, Jesus, too, was innocent but was cruelly nailed to a cross; he served with love, performing only good deeds but ended up being put to death. However, Jesus entrusted himself to God, and God, though He did not save Jesus from death, did something far greater.

Fr Martin then expounded on the Gospel reading (Mark 9:30-37) in which Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.” True greatness does not come from undertaking ambitious projects or resorting to ruthless methods to get what we want. Instead, the way to greatness entails serving others and submitting to God’s plan for us. Fr Martin then put this into context with the Pope’s message. We can be of service to migrants and refugees by making them feel welcome. We can protect and promote them by making an effort to help them achieve better lives for themselves. We can integrate them into our shared goal of becoming more like Jesus so that they too may serve others for the glory of God.

During the presentation of gifts, representatives from the migrant community offered up a basket of fruits and an original artwork by a Nigerian parishioner, symbolic of the community’s commitment to their work and the variety of talents that they possess. At the end of Mass, a video prepared by the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrant and Itinerants in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (ECMI-MSB) was shown. Fr Martin then invited all migrants to come forward for a special blessing.

After Mass, our migrant brothers and sisters from various countries — India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines and Vietnam — were ushered to the Faustina Hall to partake of a hearty lunch. The dishes had been lovingly sponsored, cooked and served up by CDM’s local parishioners, some of whom also dropped by just to meet the migrants.

A number of them commented on how touched they had been by the Psalm sung in Vietnamese by Martha Oanh Nguyen. The first reading was proclaimed in the Yoruba language of Nigeria by Adu Emmanuel Ifedayo, and the second reading was proclaimed in Bahasa Batak-Toba by Erni Juntak. This made an impression, as some in the congregation had felt that they were truly hearing the Word of the Lord even as their eyes followed the English translation.

Even the ECMI video received the thumbs-up with its heartfelt visuals and the very apt reminder at the end that when we welcome one another, we welcome the Lord.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online