Category Archives: Sept 2018

The Food & Fun Fair Day at the Church of Divine Mercy (CDM) was held on Sept 1 with the theme #JomENJOY.

People from other parishes, many non-Catholics and well-wishers, came to participate in the Fun Fair.

The games stalls started off with people being offered a chance to dunk the parish priest, Fr Martin Arlando. The children were entertained by a clown and other games. Entertainment was provided by Ronald Vic DeLeon (Pianomaniac) and Friends, which included our very own young musicians at CDM.

Older people had a chance to have a head and shoulders massage carried out by a couple who decided to help out at this fair at the invitation of their Catholic neighbours.

The #JomENJOY Food & Fun Fair brought out the best display of community spirit and fellowship among the ministries and parishioners at CDM. The event also brought together peoples of various other faiths and different cultural backgrounds and made everyone more aware of the rich diversity found in Penang.

Fr Pawel Boguslaw from Korea remarked that he had never seen such a spirit of cooperation even in Korea. Twelve less privileged families were sponsored to join in the fair, together with children and residents from 12 orphanages and homes.

The target of this fundraising event is for the building of our new Community Hall and Free Learning Centre for everyone, irrespective of religion and status. We have only another RM 9 million to go.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

By Lavinia Louis
After two years, the parishioners of St Francis of Assisi will finally return to the place they call “home” on October 4, 2018. They will not only be celebrating the re-dedication of their new church but also the parish feastday, as well as the silver jubilee of Fr Paul Cheong OFM Cap.

“We are truly blessed to re-open our church on the feastday of the Church’s patron saint, St Francis of Assisi,” said Parish Priest, Fr Andrew Manickam OFM Cap.

This new church still retains its original structure, with an extension to the left and right wing, as well as to the back where the current altar is situated. The church also has a new bell tower.

This new church also comes with a five storey community centre that will be named “St Francis of Assisi Community Centre.”

“There are 14 classrooms that will be used for Sunday school and also a chapel called “Portiuncula” dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels, located on the ground floor,” said Fr Andrew.

Throughout the past two years since the closure of the church, SFA has been blessed with six first-class relics: St John Paul II, St Francis of Assisi (2 relics), St Pio, Blessed Angelo (a Capuchin Martyr) and St Teresa

All are welcome to join and celebrate with the parishioners of SFA on October 4, 2018 for their triple celebration.

The celebration will begin at 5.00pm with the Blessing of the St Francis of Assisi Community Centre by Provincial Minister, Fr Eugenio Juanilo P. Lopez, OFM Cap

Thereafter, the Eucharistic celebration will be presided by His Grace Archbishop Julian Leow at 7.00pm.

To end the night, all the faithful are invited to a reception and entertainment.

Veneration of the relics will be from 3.00pm to 6.00pm, and again from 9.30pm to 12 midnight.

A shuttle service is available from the Tmn Connought MRT station to the church from 4.00pm onwards.

Anyone requiring accommodation to attend this grand celebration should contact the parish office at 016-3258236 for further enquiries.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Peninsular Malaysia Pastoral Assembly III (Aug 30-31, 2001)
The Peninsular Malaysia Pastoral Assembly III was held on Aug30-31, 2001 (PMPA III) at the Mint Hotel Kuala Lumpur. (Peninsular Malaysia consists of the Penang Diocese, Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese,and Malacca Johore Diocese).

The event focused on:

1) Recalling the Past with gratitude;
2) Living the Present with enthusiasm;
3) Looking forward to the Future in confidence.

Over 450 Bishops, Priests, Religious,lay adults and lay youths participatedin the two-day Assembly.

The Theme of the Assembly was:Restore My Church. Reports of thethree Arch/Dioceses of PeninsularMalaysia were presented.

Various activities targeting the Vision and Mission of the Peinsular Church and the transformation of the Parishes into Communion of Communities as envisaged at the PMPC II (1996) were reported ashaving been carried out in the three Arch/Dioceses.

The Assembly focused particularly on the priority of the Peninsular Church in the building of Small Christian Communities more popularly known locally as the BEC(Basic Ecclesial Communities).

After noting the “successes and failures” of the BEC, the Assembly ended with a “Paradigm shift”on how the NEW BEC will function,following the directions of the Pope, the Asian Bishops and the Bishops of Peninsular Malaysia.

The end result was 10-point directionsof the Assembly:

PMPA III, the 10-Point Directions

1. Structural Organisation of Parish
BECs are seen as central and vitalin the organising of a parish(BECCOT). Towards this end,that serious efforts are made for BEC to be structured or restructured according to 10-15 families per BEC.

To facilitate the necessity for aParish BEC Coordinating Team(BECCOT) made up of all Area BEC Core Team members.The other coordinating structural body in the parish (PCC)should be reduced to two or three times a year due to the importanceof the monthly gathering.

2. Understanding BEC as Relational Communities
To understand BECs as relational communities, we should realign ourselves to small numbers, inter-personal relationships, ‘faith sharing’ and fraternal gatherings’.

Relational communities arewhere people relate for ‘faithsharing’ and ‘faith commitment’to society.

3. Interest for all People
That the members of the AreaBEC Core Team make regularvisits to all the families in thearea, especially families who areabsent or shy away from BECgatherings and also to visit the new families who have been identified at the level of the parish.

4. Attention to Youths in the BEC
That we minimise “MACRO youth activities” at Diocesan,District and Parish levels and concentrate on “MICRO youth gatherings” at BEC level.

5. Consensus for a Common Designated Day
That we work towards a common designated day for all BEC relatedevents — monthly Parish BEC Coordinating team gatherings,monthly Area BEC gatherings,monthly Area BEC Core-teammeetings, regular family interactions at BEC.

Ideally consensus should be arrivedat the Peninsular level butit can also be arrived at the Diocesanor Parish level.

6. Formation by BEC Animating Team (BECAT)
That the Parish BEC Animatingteam, made up of eight to tenmembers, be responsible for thelife of prayer, animation and formationof BEC Coordinators.

7. Preparation by Area BEC Core Team
That the members of the AreaBEC Core team, made up of fourmembers from each BEC (Coordinator,Asst Coordinator, messengerand youth), meet everymonth, prior to the Area BECmonthly gathering to evaluate thepast and plan for the future.

8. Change Stereotype of Priestly Ministry
Besides being a ‘Proclaimed ofthe Word and Minister of theSacraments’ which is an essentialdimension of his priestly ministry,the Parish Pastor should commithimself as the ‘Leader of theCommunity’. Specifically, that hecontributes and participates at allparish BEC Coordinating Team(BECCOT) gatherings and assistsand accompanies the ParishBEC Animating Team (BECAT)

9. Celebration of Eucharistat BEC level
That both the ‘ready offer’ bypriests and ‘the repeated requests’by BEC for frequent Eucharisticcelebrations at BEC level shouldcease. That such celebrationsbe reduced and restricted to justonce a year.

10. Diocesan Commitment to BEC
That there be greater commitmentat Diocesan level to ‘provideformation’, ‘instill motivation’and monitor progress and‘assist evaluation’, especially inpreparation for the Parish AnnualPastoral Assembly

Directives of Most Rev Soter Fernandez, Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur
I hereby announcethat Wednesdayevenings be reservedexclusively for BECgatherings and BEC-related activities. Thisadjustment is made asa reminder to all Catholics,especially thosewho are involved inmany varied parishpastoral services, thatthe BEC is the foundationunit of a parish life and consequently,that BEC gatherings are thepriority pastoral concern.It is envisioned that:

1. One Wednesday of themonth is reserved for all theBEC Core-Team to meet forprayer and planning of the BECmonthly gathering.

2. One Wednesday of themonth is reserved for the BECgathering.

3. One Wednesdayof the month bereserved for homevisitation.

4. One Wednesdayof the monthbe reserved for allBEC Core-Teammembers of allthe BECs of theparish to meet inthe parish for eitherprayer, Holyhour or formation sessionson BEC.

I urge all parishes to make necessaryadjustments for all otherparish meetings and programs tobe held on other days so that thisplan can be implemented by thebeginning of the new liturgicalyear.

Dated this 24th day of October,2001 at Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian report at AsIPA III: Towards a more participatory Church
The Third AsIPA General Assemblyheld in Seoul, Koreafrom Sept 2-9, 2003.

The Malaysian contingent reportedat the AsIPA III that themonthly BEC gatherings wereconducted in the English, Tamil,Chinese and Malay Languages.

The Archdiocese of KualaLumpur also reported that it wasworking towards a participatoryChurch and in order to enable herto do this, she has conducted programmesfor the following:

1. Community Building

a) AsIPA Modules (B series)
b) Archdiocese formulated Modules.

2. Participatory Church
a) AsIPA Modules (C series)
b) Communitarian SpiritualityExperience.

3. Biblical and Theological
a) Formation of Laity
b) Bible Courses of differentduration.

The Archdiocese also conducteda survey for the Kuala LumpurArchdiocesan Pastoral Assembly.

The survey showed the followingresults:

Our Strengths

— Many parishes have successfullyimplemented BECs. ManyBECs use the Monthly Reflection-papers published by the PeninsularMalaysia Pastoral Team(PMPT).
— Many parishes have BEC Area Core Teams.
–The Archbishop’s Directives have given a specific thrust to the Archdiocese.
— There were concerted efforts by priests to implement the directions of the Pastoral Assembly.

Our Weaknesses
— Only a small percentage of our Catholics actively participate inBEC. Not enough effort is madeto ‘Reach out’.
— Many parishes have yet to form Parish BEC Animating Teams(BECAT) and BEC CoordinatingTeams (BECCOT).
— Limited or false understandingof the role of PARISH, BECCOTand BECAT among some priestsand lay leaders.
— Secular life and social changesaffect families and individuals.l Most parishes do not have aPastoral Plan (short, mid or longterm).

The five Malaysian participants were from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. They were:

— Archbishop of KualaLumpur, Most Rev MurphyPakiam
— Lourdu Mary a/p JosephThamby Raj
— Sam Bosco
— Maria Yan
— Robert Tan

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KUALA LUMPUR: The ASSIST ministry of the Sacred Heart Church recently held a talk on Emotional Wellness for Children & Teens. This session was presented by Felix Kong Hon Sen, a registered counsellor and paediatric psychologist from the parish.

Kong introduced the 65 parents who attended to the concept of Emotional Wellness — a holistic approach to wellbeing, one beyond the absence of unhappiness or the presence of “surface” happiness. It means the accurate identification, safe expression and regulation of emotions that lead to a peaceful co-existence with internal emotions, life’s upheavals, boredom and triggers even painful memories. Such peaceful co-existence grows into resilience in the face of the ups, downs and plateaus of life.

The session included the developmental processes of a child’s brain, good modelling by adults of ways to handle difficult situations and the need for children to be taught the concept of excellence rather than the illusive idea of perfection.

Parents were made aware of the futility of punishing a child, who is in a frozen state during a fight, flight or freeze reactionary situation. The child should, instead, be supported and taught ways to calm their mind and body with deep breathing or distraction by the use of familiar toys or scents, thus allowing them some time to cool down.

The session finished on a very positive note, with many asking for further sessions on this subject. The ASSIST Ministry of the Parish will be holding further sessions, especially with the catechists to assist them in connecting more effectively with the children in their classrooms. There will also be a career guidance talk for the Form 4 and 5 Sunday school children.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KOTA KINABALU: Arch/bishops, clergy and deacons from the three arch/dioceses of Sabah were given a rare treat for their mid-year retreat with a barefoot priest from Tamil Nadhu, India as their retreat master at Bundu Tuhan retreat centre from 10-14 September 2018.

Natives going barefoot are not rare in the villages, but to have one barefoot Catholic priest walking and ministering amongst his peers, albeit from overseas, is a rare occurrence.  Fr Jerry Rosario  has earned his accolade as the “barefoot priest” internationally not because of his personal gratification but because he has willingly and lovingly accepted to live like this – embracing poverty and extending solidarity with the marginalized.

Fr Jerry Rosario SJ has just two sets of shirts and slacks, walks barefooted, sleeps on a mat and travels only through public transport.  Short distances he covers through his bicycle.  No TV, no mobile phone, no computer.  No bank account, no wrist-watch even.  He is a living legend.  To his credit, he has written 76 books and numerous articles. (Foreword by Fr Antony Pancras in Perspectives, Possibilities, Practicalities of Leadership in the Light of the Life of Jesus)

This being his fifth retreat for Malaysian clergy, the Jesuit priest, who is also a professor, lawyer and social activist, finds Sabah unique and declares that he has put his “heart and soul” in facilitating the retreat exercises for the Sabah clergy.

Given the traditions, the clergy have got into a certain comfort zone.  “Nothing wrong about it” he was quick to add, “but when comforts and conveniences consume the life of the ordained and consecrated, they need to be looked into,” underlined Fr Jerry.

He invited them to respond to this concern in a pragmatic way – to say ‘no’ in their personal life, to be ready to go beyond themselves to “make a difference”, to be at the service of the people of God, particularly the least and the poorest.

To concretize their response, Fr Jerry suggested that they make an analysis of society crossing the boundary of Christianity, to read the signs of times in terms of socio, economics, political, cultural, religious and ideological systems of the State, based on which they should monitor the pastoral responses in order to make their ministries relevantized and radicalized.

Taking the opportunity of the presence of the social activist priest in the State, Catholic Sabah invited Fr Jerry to speak about the minorities aspect shared by Malaysian and Indian Christians.

“Each time that I visit Malaysia, I could vibrate with the Malaysian Church and Society because of the various similarities that exist between India and Malaysia,” said Fr Jerry.

He threw the spotlight on two related issues; a certain amount of “majority complex” happens in any country (religion, culture, language) and creates tension for the minorities.  However, attempts to understand should be made so that response could be made.  For example, certain dialogues (religious, cultural, inter-lingual, etc) between majorities and minorities be freely done in view of a new future where all can live in harmony.

Meanwhile, the emerging and young generations should be encouraged to “think out of the box” in order to enter into a Malaysian Church and Society based on a culture of solidarity.

Secondly, “If you inwardly look into Malaysia or India, we are not going to solve any problems.  We need to widen our horizon of vision in broadening Asia, if not the world at large,” said Fr Jerry, drawing from his sociological inspirations when looking at the bigger picture, the problems within the smaller confine will diminish.

Moving on to the Christian commitment in the political arena, Fr Jerry, founder-director of the Manitham movement in India for political analysis and action,  sees it as two-fold: religion and politics.  He said “In order to be an authentic and matured Christian, one should not be churchy.  In other word, we need to be launching out to bring into politics the values of the Gospel of Jesus – justice, freedom and love.” (In the political language, these values are highlighted as equality, liberty and fraternity.)

He added “If we keep away from politics saying that ‘that is unjust’, it would amount to sin of omission.  God’s kingdom has to be ushered in the totality of society.”

Since we have a new government and lots of expectation on the part of the people, the Malaysian Church can render its service in three ways: 1) It can continue to conscientize people at large, as well as the government, that the policies and programs must respond to the needs of people who are at the periphery of Malaysia; 2) As and when the government does well, the Malaysian Church should extend its appreciation, thereby accelerating the process of progress.  Likewise, when the government does a disservice, the Church must not hesitate to raise its voice in protest; and 3) The Malaysian Church can organize workshops and seminars at both parish and diocesan levels focusing on the political commitment of our Christian faith.

Fr Jerry has also spoken extensively, as well as written, on the fast-emerging concern of eco-protection and eco-promotion.  In total agreement and support of Pope Francis’ contribution to this eco-call in his apostolic encyclical “Laudato Si’”, the green activist said “We need to promote Nature, preserve Nature, and protect Nature because God sustains our life through Nature, through Creation.”

He offered three suggestions to live Creation Justice in our life: 1) To begin with, we should stop throwing away anything that could be reused; 2) We need to learn to recycle the materials that we use on daily basis; and 3) We need to replant whenever we have to cut a plant so as to maintain the balance in Creation.  Imbalance means injustice.  We need to plant justice.”

As he strives to respond to God beckoning him to be His Co-Missioner and entering into a new covenant with humanity and Creation, he has taken the lowest step in the ladder of the Indian caste system, that is to live in solidarity with the poorest of the poor and those who are side-lined in society, the Dalits or the ‘untouchables’.  They are not permitted to wear shoes in public places, hence Fr Jerry’s philosophy of going barefoot to be in solidarity with them is in order to labour with them for their integral development.

In the context of Malaysia, the Church can be more and more one of simplicity, spontaneity and sensitivity, and as such be in solidarity with the poorest of the poor who are the migrants, the internally displaced, the uneducated, the unemployed, the vulnerable elderly, the widowed, the orphaned, and the natives.

The Vision Statements of the Sabah dioceses emphasize on “communion of communities”.  In order to concretize that, we first need to be in communion with the abovementioned “poorest of the poor” or the marginalized sections.  This would then snowball into the other sections of the community.  Fr Jerry believes that preferential option for a priority service to the poorest of the poor is the need of the hour. 

 

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KUALA LUMPUR: Mental health is rarely talked about openly because those who suffer from it are scared of being judged and looked down upon. Society looks down on mental health disorders, thus making sufferers hide their condition.

The best way to deal with this stigma is through facts and a better understanding of mental health dilemmas.

October 10 is World Mental Health Day. It is a day for mental health education, awareness and advocacy, an initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health to raise public awareness of mental health issues worldwide.

In the Archdiocese of KL, it will be celebrated on October 13 with the theme, United We Stand, Divided We Fall. The idea behind this theme aspires to prompt us to view our families with unified and connected kindness. It also aims to remind us about being gentle and considerate to one another.

Archbishop Julian Leow will start the celebration at the Holy Family Church, Kajang with an Opening Address and Prayer.

Events have been planned from 8.00am-5.00pm. The focus of these events is to promote open discussions on mental health disorders, as well as to encourage communities to look at mental health in a more understanding light, in an effort to reduce stigma and make way for more people to seek the help and support they deserve.

Dr Johnben Loy, who specialises in marriage and family therapy, is the chief speaker at the morning plenary session. He aims to bring to attention the issues families are facing in our world today, and begin the conversation around what they need in order to nurture healthy, happy and resilient families.

After the morning plenary session, there will be four concurrent workshops. The main design for the workshops is “Challenges Faced by Families and Marriages Today”.

Dr Nicole Chen will conduct a series of interactive dialogues to inculcate the habits of highly effective parenting.
Dr Yeo Pei Li will talk about giving each other space in the family.

Mrs Tan Ah Eng will show us how to celebrate each other’s unique worth with a deeper understanding of mental health issues.

Mr Warren Tan will explore with us some ideas on how to connect with families on a more profound point.

For those interested to attend the Mental Health Day celebration, please call 017-358 6188 or email mentalhealth@archkl.org to register. The closing date for the registration is Sept 30.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

SINGAPORE: Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei will celebrate Migrant Sunday on September 23 with the theme Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees. In his message to mark the 104th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis stressed the need to create a welcoming environment for migrants and refugees stating that “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 Holy Father calls us to express our solidarity with migrants and refugees at every stage of the “migratory experience — from departure, through journey, to arrival and return.”

Acknowledging the enormity of this responsibility to journey with migrants and refugees, the Pope encourages all who are called to respond “with generosity, promptness, wisdom and foresight, each according to their own abilities.”

Pope Francis proposes an action-oriented initiative and provides a template for our shared response on four related fronts: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate.

In each of these areas, there are practical suggestions for close collaboration with state institutions and other agencies, as well as for individuals.

Firstly, in welcoming migrants and refugees, Pope Francis emphasises that personal safety must be a priority over national security. He calls on states to provide safe and legal pathways to migration, with access to basic services and encourages the involvement of private and community sponsorship programmes to support government initiatives.

Secondly, in protecting migrants and refugees, he focuses on defending their rights and dignity, independent of their legal status. This protection, the Pope suggests, must begin at the start of the journey in the country of origin through to the country of destination. He expresses concern for the protection of underage migrants who are legally provided for under the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and warns against any form of detention of children relating to their migration status. The Holy Father believes that children should be guaranteed access to health, education and the right to nationality.

Thirdly, Pope Francis further calls for the empowerment of migrants and refugees to achieve their potential as human beings. In promoting them, we must recognise and value the abilities and gifts that they bring. Of particular importance is the freedom of religious belief and practice. He calls for a determined effort to promote social and professional inclusion of migrants and refugees, with access to employment being a key factor.

Finally, Pope Francis highlights integrating migrants and refugees as the key to shaping societies and cultures that create opportunities for intercultural enrichment. He invites all of us “to use every occasion to share this message with all political and social actors involved (or who seek to be involved) in the process which will lead to the approval of the two Global Compacts” that states have committed themselves to draft and approve before the end of 2018.

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

MELAKA JOHOR: The Episcopal Commission of Migrants and Itinerants (ECMI) has adopted the theme of Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees. Bishop Bernard Paul, the President of ECMI, said in a video message prepared for the celebration.

“There are two aspects we look into. On a personal level, what do we do? We smile. We give them a smile. We appreciate what they do. We welcome them and include them in our homes and in our families.

“At the parish level, we include them in our communities. We are neighbours to them and they are also neighbours to us.

Let us welcome them just like the Samaritan welcomed the stranger into his own life. Let us include them in our own lives. Let us also organise our parishes to be missionary, to have missionary outreaches to the migrants or even set up parish migrant ministries. And lastly, let us also recognise the ready-made leaders in their midst. Let us welcome them.

Let us include them and let them be part of the parish decision-making process.

“So my dear friends, in very simple ways, we welcome, we protect, we promote and integrate. “A final word, something for us to consider. A Church only becomes a credible witness when it is welcoming, when it is protecting, when it is promoting, when it is integrating the strangers, the foreigners, the poor, the weak and the powerless.

“And I conclude by saying, welcome one another, welcome and you welcome the Lord. Again I say, welcome one another and you welcome the Lord.”

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Let us proclaim the name of the Lord;
And ascribe greatness to our God!
Lord, your work is perfect.
And all your ways are just.
Let Your voice be heard today by all the nations!

O God, Judge of the nations,
Put fear into our hearts
So that we may know that we are only human.
Father, the whole of creation groans
and labours to be delivered from the bondage of corruption,
into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Lord Jesus, send forth Your Spirit of Truth
and let this Spirit prove to ‘the powers that be’ how wrong
they are about sin, righteousness and judgment.

O Lord, declare the power of your works toYour peoples and
let us be filled with the knowledge of Your glory as
the waters cover the sea.

Gather us, O Lord, in Your Name and
may all worship the One True God. Amen.
(A prayer composed from various Scripture verses of the Bible)

 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online