Category Archives: Sept 2018

A Day of Prayer for the Sick was held on August 25 at the Church of Divine Mercy (CDM). The infirm and the immobile, their ages ranging from 5 to 92 years, came in their wheelchairs, hobbling on walking sticks or carried on stretchers to place before God their needs for physical, emotional and spiritual healing. They were warmly welcomed by the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC), the main hosts for the day, and were ushered to their seats in the front pews of the church.

In his greeting, parish priest, Fr Martin Arlando, reminded us that Jesus can heal us only if we surrender our doubts, lack of faith and place our trust in him completely. So often, we concentrate so much on ourselves and all that is wrong with us when, instead, we should be focusing on Jesus whose name alone holds so much power. We need to believe in the power of that name and we need to have faith that Jesus wants to heal us of our sickness.

The sick must not think of themselves as being a burden to their family and caregivers. They should, instead, be aware of how closely linked they are to Jesus through the Stations of the Cross. Fr Martin explained that a careful reflection on the Stations of the Cross will reveal that the story of each Station is actually our personal story, as our sufferings are similar to Jesus’ sufferings.

For example, isn’t sickness a heavy cross on our shoulders, similar to the heavy cross that was placed on Jesus’ shoulders at the second Station? Just like Jesus, we must carry our crosses forward and, just as he did, we will also fall due to our fear and our tendency to give up easily. As we carry our crosses, we will meet people along the way who help us (just as Jesus was helped by Veronica and Simon of Cyrene). We will also meet people who experience the pain of helplessness because they are unable to help us (cf. Jesus meeting his mother). Fr Martin reminded the sick that they had an important role to play by praying for others whose situations are similar to their own.

He also reminded them that, in the Sacrament of Anointing, it is Jesus who is laying hands on them. Fr Martin then went up to each sick person, anointing 48 Catholics and blessing two non-Catholics.

After Mass, all those who had been anointed or blessed received candles, encased in a glass holder. Everyone then proceeded to the Faustina Hall for a hearty brunch served up by the EMHCs. Several people commented on the celebration, saying that they had experienced feelings of happiness and inner peace during the Mass.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

On August 31, 1993, the young VA Michael prostrated himself in front of the Altar of God and was ordained in the Church of St Joseph.

He served in five parishes before being posted to the current parish, Church of St Paul the Hermit (Bestari Jaya).

His portfolio also includes being the Regional Director of Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) for Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei for 11 years and Ecclesiastical Assistant in the Diocesan Service Team (DST) and a member of the Peninsular Malaysia Service Team (PMST) for 15 years. Presently, he is the Ecclesiastical Assistant for Mission & New Evangelisation (INE).

On August 31, 2018, Fr VA Michael celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his priesthood in the Church of St Paul the Hermit.

The celebration was attended by Archbishop Julian Leow, Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam, ten priests and 700 people comprising family members, parishioners and friends.

Fr James Gabriel preached about the extra oil (gift of the Holy Spirit) that Fr VA Michael has been carrying with him all these 25 years. He shared about how Fr VA Michael and he grew up in the same kampong in Sentul and what burning zeal and desire they had to serve the Lord. They were thirsting for God and always wanted more and more. They both formed prayer groups in the Church of St Joseph and brought young people together and had BEC gatherings. At that young age, God had pruned Fr VA Michael to accept God’s call to the priesthood and just like Mary, he said “yes” to God.

Ever since then, Fr VA Michael has reached out to many people here and, even during his travels, he has touched many lives and brought Jesus to them. He wants to reach as many people as he can. The extra oil that he always carries helps bring light to the poor, the lost, the lonely and the sick. Fr VA Michael’s ordination motto was “Lord, make me Your servant”. A servant means being a slave and that is what Fr VA Michael is. He surrendered his hands, feet and heart to walk the pathway that Jesus trod to shepherd his flock.

Fr VA Michael thanked everyone for coming and to those who were involved in this celebration. After his speech, he knelt before Archbishop Julian Leow and Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam to obtain blessings from them.

Souvenir cards of the anniversary were distributed. As a sign of respect in the Indian custom, two elders of the church placed a silk shawl over Fr VA Michael. A cake was brought forward for him to cut. A portrait by Annamary, was presented to him as a gift.

Finally, lunch was served for everyone.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Over two thousand Catholics from across Sabah as well as the neighbouring state of Sarawak gathered for the Mt Rosary pilgrimage in Kg Toboh Baru.

Ranau Parish Priest, Fr Nicholas Stephen, told those who came that miracles happen everyday here, especially on Aug 31, where the real miracle is people coming from all corners to Mt Rosary.

“Last year, we carried the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, in procession across all of the villages in Ranau.

Many prayers were answered. Families that were separated by all sorts of circumstances were reunited, and many people who had lost track in their faith were reconciled and found their way back home,” he said.

“Not everyone who has money, car and possessions would come here unless God had called them. That is why you are the miracle, because you came here.”

One of the participants, Hillary Henry Ripan from St Theresa Parish, Serian, Sarawak, said the Mt Rosary Toboh Baru Ranau pilgrimage is an experience that he will never forget.

“This is my first time to Mt Rosary and I can tell you that I will remember this pilgrimage experience for a long time. Praise the Lord that I am here today. One day I will surely come again,” he said.

Another pilgrim, Rustina Amburus and her group from St Anthony of Padua Nunuk Ragang, Ranau Parish, said their love for Jesus brought them here despite many obstacles that would have weakened the hearts of others.

“Truly, our journey here was blessed despite so many obstacles that came in our way. Firstly, the only car we could find was faulty. When travelling uphill, the engine would stall.

“But there was some sort of excitement in our hearts, not because of the problematic transportation, but because of our longing for Christ, like He was calling for us to come here,” she said.

After a 2.5 kilometre procession with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima from Kg Tambiau to Mt Rosary in Kg Toboh Baru, many of the pilgrims admitted that they did not expect how uplifting the setting of the place would be for them.

Palmela Esther Mosinoh from St John Tuaran said she was impressed by what the little community has done in transforming the area in just a little time to become a place of worship and devotion.

“I believe that this Mt Rosary will, one day, become a very important and well known pilgrimage site. This will be a place where the faith of many, today as well as in the future, will be restored,” she said.

After the Holy Mass on Mt Rosary, Fr Nicholas signed a plaque symbolising the opening of the Kg Toboh Baru Ranau Mt Rosary as a pilgrimage site for all. Those who are interested to know more can contact the St Peter Claver Ranau office at 011-26271801.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The Parish Ministry of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs (PMEIA) of Christ the Light and Christ the King, together with other religious groups around the Selayang and Kepong areas, jointly organised a blood donation campaign to celebrate Merdeka on August 31 at the Selayang Mall Complex.

Malaysians of all races and religions, young and old, came forward to donate their blood. In total we collected 160 pints.
We wish to thank the General Hospital’s Blood bank and their team, Selayang Mall for the free space and religious groups and volunteers.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

It was Merdeka Day and an auspicious day for a BEC group to make a visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor (LSP) in Batu Lanchang Road to celebrate the nation’s 61st independence day.

BEC Area Group 4 (BAG4) in Tanjung Bungah, under the jurisdiction of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, mooted this idea of a visit to the home as part of their outreach programmes and share the blessings which God had bestowed on them.

BAG4 coordinator of the event Paul Fletcher said the committee decided to make this trip to the LSP on Merdeka Day, which received the support of everyone present and also the blessings of Sr Marie Jeanne of the LSP.

“The committee planned the programme to include distributing food, a singalong with residents of the home, fellowship and, most of all, to celebrate the independence of our country.

“A donation drive was conducted and we received overwhelming response in cash and kind from our members and soon, we had collected more than what was required.

“After purchasing food, drinks, mini Merdeka flags and sundries, we still had a balance of RM600 which was donated to the home,” said Paul.

The donation was presented to Sr Marie Jeanne who was the LSP coordinator for the event, by BEC coordinator Jillian Theseira and her assistant Dorothy Ong.

More than 40 residents of the LSP joined the 40 BAG4 members for a singalong of patriotic songs, hymns and oldies with guitarists Michael Gregory, Francis Ooi, Philip Chye and Tom Neville Thomasz on his harmonica.

The hall of the LSP was a scene of merriment and gaiety.

Sr Marie said, “I believe it was the first time that a BEC group has visited this home for a get together with the residents. I was delighted when Paul called me to ask if the BAG4 could visit us during Merdeka Day and I was thrilled to arrange the programme with Paul and Jillian.

“It was a busy day for the residents as we had a few events lined up for the day and the visit by the BEC fitted in nicely.

“As you can see, the residents love to join in the singing and dancing, making this Merdeka Day a memorable and happy occasion for everyone present.”

She also said the BAG4 was always welcome to visit the home whenever they want as part of their outreach programme.

Paul added that everyone worked hard to make the event a success. It was a collective effort which everyone involved should be proud of.

“The BAG4 recently distributed free food packages to the homeless in the streets of George Town at night, visited old folks homes during Christmas and other festive ocasions, conducted home visits of sick members and raised funds for the needy within the group.”

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Most parishes in the KL Archdiocese have a Migrants and Refugees Ministry which is under the Parish Integral Human Development Ministry. The Kuala Lumpur Archdiocesan Office of Human Development (AOHD) after feedback from these ministries have compiled the following challenges faced by them.

No burial grounds/columbarium for migrants and refugees therefore the migrant ministry has to source for burial grounds.

— Lack of committed volunteers to join and lead the parish migrant ministry.
— Limited temporary shelters makes it difficult, at times, to place vulnerable cases, especially in the case of men.
— Bringing in visiting priests who have to apply for missionary visa. It is difficult to get approval from the Immigration. Therefore, we apply under social visit pass and where there is a high risk of being sent back by Immigration.
— Some volunteers prefer to assist locals than foreigners in the parishes because of their “Xenophobia” mindset.
— Lack of knowledge of the different cultures makes it difficult to know the mind-set of migrants and refugees. Likewise, migrants and refugees find it difficult to adjust to the local way of thinking.
— Migrants and refugees prefer to gather at a city centre parish rather than in the parish where they belong. The risk of gathering in the city centre is that they are vulnerable to extortion and arrest, especially for those who are undocumented and have to travel far.
— Advocating for alternatives — cremation than burial. Due to traditional beliefs, refugees prefer to be buried.
— Bias and weak mechanisms to protect workers by the authorities make it a challenge to advocate for the rights of Migrants and Refugees.
— People in the ministry prefer to assist documented migrants rather than undocumented, ones because according to Malaysian Law, we can be charged for harbouring illegals.
— Lack of knowledge and how to respond to people’s need according to Christian values.
— Unable to find catechism teachers for refugee children.
— Due to the language barrier, migrants and refugees find it difficult to go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
—  Lack of funds to assist refugees who have gone beyond their insurance limits.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Twenty-five years ago, Msgr Leonard Lexson was ordained a priest with the motto, To serve and not to be served. On August 30, 2018, he celebrated his 25th Sacerdotal Anniversary with the theme Jesus, My Lord, My God. In You I place my trust. All I am is Yours. Do as You will with me.

The Mass was held at the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist. Concelebrating with him were Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam and 13 other priests.

In his homily, Msgr Leonard, who is also the Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, said, “Today I want to thank God for the gift of life and love in Jesus Christ. St Paul always thanked God for all the graces received. I want to thank God very profoundly for He chose me, despite my limitations and weaknesses, to be one of His priests.”
Msgr Leonard, who is also the parish priest of the cathedral, said priesthood is about thanksgiving to God, about how God had chosen him to be a priest in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Whilst mentioning that his journey as priest these past 25 years could be described as a roller-coaster ride, Msgr Leonard said he always saw the hand of the Lord. “Never once did God abandon me, His presence is so real,” the parish priest asserted.

Msgr Leonard thanked God for the gift of family and for moulding him to be the person he is today. His first faith formation began in the family. “Every Sunday, my family went for Mass and everyday there was Rosary recitation in the home. All these helped me in my journey towards the priesthood.

“The seven years in the seminary was a time of learning and understanding what it means to be a child of God. After 25 years knowing and serving God my wisdom comes from Him, not my own.” Msgr Leonard also expressed his appreciation for the gift of community.

Touching on the day’s Gospel, Msgr Leonard said it was a reminder for him to be a faithful servant unto the Lord and not take his priesthood for granted. He also asked the assembly for their continued prayers for him, so he would be able to live a life pleasing to the Lord.

He then shared on the parishes he had served, including his two years as resident priest in Our Lady of the Assumption in Dublin, during his Post-Graduate Studies in Liturgy and Theology and seven years in Guadalupe Parish in Puchong. Msgr Leonard told the assembly, “Pray that I will be fervent and serve you all well in my capability.”

A Thanksgiving dinner was held after the Mass at the Community Hall. Archbishop Pakiam in his speech praise Msgr Leonard for caring for the marginalised. “When Msr Leonard was in Puchong, he made sure the Sabahan and Sarawakian students were taken care of with the “Adoptive programme”. Guardians would meet these students at the airport and bring them to stay and attend Sunday Mass. ”

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KUALA LUMPUR: It was truly an ecstatic moment for Fr Paul Hu, a student of HELP University, when he successfully obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.

After having endured some amount of failure, it was the hard work, perseverance and sheer determination to succeed that had won Fr Hu this success.

Fr Hu came from China in November 2011 with the sole purpose of learning English. He enrolled himself at “English First”, a learning centre in Centrepoint Bandar Utama for a period of ten months to do a course in English Proficiency. He successfully completed his course but found himself still not proficient in the English Language, lacking confidence in speaking fluently.

So in August 2013, on the suggestion of Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam, Fr Hu enrolled himself at HELP University for a degree course in Psychology, as some of the topics in the curriculum would be useful to him as a priest. However, his main objective was to improve his English Language communication skills, both oral and written.

Over the years, Fr Hu improved tremendously. He has even acquired the ability to express himself in idiomatic language effectively. He has really worked hard to be able to converse fluently in English. His inspiring and motivational homilies, delivered in English, are a testimony of his competence in the English Language.

Fr Hu arrived in the Church of Our Lady of Fatima on February 8, 2013, and has been a Resident Priest since then. While in the parish, he has assisted in numerous ways, especially celebrating Mass on weekdays and faithfully celebrating the 7.00am Mass every Sunday.

The parish of Our Lady of Fatima is really going to miss a truly kind, generous and selfless pastor. Fr Hu returned to China on Saturday, September 8.

There is no doubt that BECs give the Church in the 21st century a great hope. Dioceses like Mangalore in India testify that BECs have really provided our faithful with a strong bonding that they no more join other sects looking for more meaningful worship or fellowship. Our parishioners encounter the Risen Lord through Gospel Sharing and witness to Him with great joy in their neighbourhood through many activities rooted in faith.

If all the parishes in our countries were fully transformed into a Communion of Communities and if animation of BECs becomes a major pastoral activity of the dioceses and parishes, I have no doubt in my mind that Asia would be evangelised in ways we can never imagine.

It is topto- down evangelisation which may be difficult; but we have so many thousands of BECs engaging in evangelising their neighbourhoods.

I agree with His Grace, Archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangara of Nagpur, India, when he said,“I am deeply convinced that BECs are the only way to achieve full faith maturation of a parish community. BECs, when facilitated well, have the potential to get the whole community to create a sense of belonging and be empowered to be at the service of the community and society.

There needs to be no doubt that, in the future, the basic structure of the Church will be BECs. In BECs, people to people conscientisation happens and they become responsible for the living out of the faith within their local context of time.”

His view is a reflection of the changes which have taken place in the theological understanding of BECs and the pastoral significance of these communities today. Our gathering here on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Vatican II and the Silver Jubilee of the FABC Vision of the New Way of Being Church, is of paramount importance in discerning the mind of the Holy Spirit for the Church in Asia and our journey into the future. The completion of that journey can happen only if we give appropriate responses.

Some Suggestions

— The bishops of Asia, in consideration of the definite stand FABC and all our Bishops National Conferences have taken to make BECs a pastoral priority, should give BECs a prominent place in the organisational set up at national, diocesan and parish levels. Since it is given the status of a pastoral priority, it should get that status in pastoral organisational set up.

— We need to think of ways of animating all those people who still hesitate to be part of the BEC and promote BECs, and they still make the majority in every segment of the faithful.

— Motivate those good priests and sisters out there, who think that BECs is not their business, to get actively involved in BECs.

— Ensure that transfers do not lead to destruction of BECs built by the previous priest.

— Let the bishop of every diocese stipulate a time when all the parishes in his diocese will be transformed into a communion of BECs and make sure that there is a well-trained team at every level for continued formation.

— Provide necessary resources in adequate measure so that the BEC animation work can be sustained without delay or hindrance.

BECs make the merciful God visible
Pope Francis tells us, “Since we have received mercy in abundance from God, we are obliged to be merciful. ‘Should not you have mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? (Mk. 18:33)’. Mercy is the very foundation of Church’s life. It is absolutely essential for the Church and for the credibility of her message that she herself live and testify to mercy.”

“Let us open our eyes and see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity, and let us recognise that we are compelled to heed their cry for help! May we reach out to them and support them so they can feel the warmth of our presence, our friendship, and our fraternity! May their cry become our own, and together may we break down the barriers of indifference that too often reign supreme and mask our hypocrisy and egoism.”

BECs all over the world have borne witness to the infinite mercy of God. Let me cite one example. In St John the Baptist BEC in the Parish of St Martin de Pores in Nagpur, a child had leukemia and he needed blood transfusion for the rest of his life. His blood group is A+ which is a very rare group. The BEC tried to find persons with that blood group without any success. So they went to the blood bank and made an agreement with them to give an equivalent amount of blood every month in order to provide the required blood for this child for the rest of his life.

BECs are the fountain of God’s mercy and the most concrete location and source for making God’s mercy visible. It is, however, very important that we help every BEC to become aware of the significance of the Holy Father’s call to make God’s mercy visible and encourage and train BECs to be agents of God’s mercy in the neighbourhood.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

A one day camp was held on August 18 for young parishioners at the Church of Divine Mercy, (CDM) to come to a better understanding of the second sacrament of Catholic initiation, the Holy Eucharist.

After praise and worship, the children in Year 4 were helped to understand that the Holy Spirit that came to them when they were baptised is now present in their lives. This same Holy Spirit is always there to protect and help them become better Catholics. A simple activity was carried out with plastic bags filled with water that remained intact when pierced with pencils. This was to illustrate that if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are protected from harm. To further stress this point, a lighted match was held to the plastic bag which still remained intact.

The children were asked to solve a string puzzle to illustrate that when we are in trouble, we need help to escape. When they were unable, they were given a demonstration of how it could be done. However, they repeatedly came back to obtain help. This is similar for them to understand the need for regular confession when they need help.

The next session began with a video on how the communion hosts were made. Another video was on how to receive Holy Communion properly. This was followed by an explanation given by an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (EMHC). A mock demonstration was carried out with un-consecrated hosts. Each child was given the experience of receiving the host. The children were told that this bread is similar to the bread at the Last Supper but different from unleavened bread eaten at the time of the Exodus. Then the children made the unleavened bread with the help of their parents and teachers.

After that, the children were taught how to enter the church. They were shown the proper way to genuflect and to respect the house of God. They were also taken on a tour of the altar, the sanctuary and shown the garments worn by the priest to celebrate different Masses.

The final session was a practise or mock confession with the teacher acting as the priest.

The camp gave the children a chance to better understand the important sacrament they were going to receive and how it will help them grow further in their faith journey towards confirmation.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online