Category Archives: Sept 2018

For the love of the orphanage children at Woori Jib St Francis Xavier here, three talented artists flew all the way from South Korea to perform live in a charity concert aimed to raise funds for the welfare home.  The home is run by the Clerical Society of the Most Holy Trinity of Mirinae, South Korea on 21 July 2018.

The Korean trio, Kim Su-Yeon, violinist, Concert Master at Gwangmyeong Symphony Orchestra and Professor at Catholic University of Korea, her husband, Hyunkang Lee, clarinettist, Principal Clarinet of Gwangmyeong Symphony Orchestra, and Kim Si-Yeon Agnes, singer, astounded the audience with 11 classical and spiritual instrumental numbers.

Among others were “Gabriel Oboe” by Ennio Morricone, “Air on G String” by Bach, St Ignatius Prayer, Lord Here Comes Your Servant, and a couple of pop-jazz numbers “Moon River” by Frank Ocean and “Fly me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra.

The first-ever Woori Jib charity concert attracted close to 200 people from around Kota Kinabalu,Penampang and Putatan itself.

The one-hour show opened with a singing performance by Woori Jib children, followed by the main performance, and closed with two songs, performed by combination of the trio and the harmonious choir group of Woori Jib Home.

Fr Andrew Kim Youngjun said that God’s grace has enabled the concert to take place and that it was dedicated to the children of Woori Jib. He hoped that through this show, they would become more motivated to live in the joy of Jesus Christ.

Archbishop John Wong, invited guest, said that the music that night lifted up their spirit and was very entertaining and very encouraging. Personally, he especially awaited the instrumental piece of St Ignatius Prayer.

Talking about the role of music in a person’s whole development, the archbishop said, “Our new federal minister of education has suggested that the amount of time allocated for music and arts in schools might be increased.

The minister said that given the fact that learning is not entirely academic, “by increasing more time to learn music and arts, our students will be more balanced in their development as human being”.

“I fully agree with him because education is for the development of the whole person’s mind, spirit and soul,” said Archbishop Wong in agreement.

He encouraged Woori Jib Home, “I hope through this musical performance, Woori Jib will promote greater interest among the children here in Potuki that in time to come, they will take up music.”

Encouraging the audience too, he said, “And all of us adults, I hope we too will learn to give time to music and allow music to calm our mind and our heart so that we can be wholesome in life.”

Taking the night’s concert as a beginning that leads to this development, the Archbishop said he hoped to see more concert in the future.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu has renamed its Justice and Peace Commission to Creation Justice Commission in March 2018, following the trail of the renamed Episcopal Commission for Creation Justice in May 2017.

In adopting this new vision-mission framework of Creation Justice, the Archdiocese takes a concrete step to respond to the call by Pope Francis to “hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” caused by a global crisis of climate change.

Fr Bernard Hyacinth, sj, of Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese, chairman of Episcopal Commission for Creation Justice of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei facilitated a seminar on Creation Justice at Sacred Heart Parish Centre  on 11 August 2018.

The seminar was to provide exposure and explanation on the Commission to all parishes under the archdiocese, and was attended by 53 participants from 17 parishes.

Fr Bernard explained the emergency in which the earth is currently in, “The global climate crisis is at its breaking point…where ‘business as usual’ is no longer an option…” he said, quoting from Laudato Si’(LS) 61.

“A healthy relationship with creation is one dimension of overall personal conversion. This includes recognizing our errors, sins, faults and failures (to care for the environment), that leads to heartfelt repentance and desire to change,” (LS 218) he said.

He summarized that the whole process of upholding creation justice is actually an act of gratitude to God, “If we acknowledge that all are gifts, therefore we are grateful to God. The more we are grateful, the more we care.”

He said global warming is degrading earth and its inhabitants, causing atmosphere’s temperature to rise 1°C; this has led to numerous undesirable impacts such as ice-sheets destabilizing, rising of sea level, ocean acidification, droughts, double river floods, less food on land and sea, 400,000 deaths a year and 21.5 million climate refugees per year.

These are impacting the global communities, more so the poor who cannot afford to defend and rebuild lives; a reality which we cannot turn a blind eye.

Participants of the seminar said these global impacts are also happening in their own places; rise of temperature causing highland such as Kundasang to lose its coolness, frequent floods caused by development activities, plastic usage, imbalanced management of earth’s resources and many more.

This call of ecological conversion was issued by Pope Francis in his second Encyclical Laudato Si Mi Signore: On Care for Our Common Home.

Archbishop John Wong reflected on the renamed Commission as a fruit of the Archdiocesan Prayer said every Eucharistic celebration.

“The world is already talking about it but we are not behind time, we have always been praying for the environment in our Archdiocesan Prayer,” said the Archbishop, referring to the prayer line ‘to care for the environment, to promote peace and justice in our society’.

Efforts of creation justice in this region have begun since 2013 with the formation of Episcopal Regional Commission for Justice and Peace.

It was renamed as Episcopal Commission for Creation Justice in February 2017, in line with its focus in responding to the global climate emergency.

The Episcopal Commission carries the vision “People living in oneness with all creation, upholding creation justice”. Meanwhile its mission is “to advance creation justice and resilience”.

Its long-term objectives are: 1) To build a movement of ecological citizens and 2) Establishing living pathways of creation justice and resilience.

The same commission under KK Archdiocese supports the Episcopal’s vision and mission. Archbishop Wong has appointed Deacon Russell Lawrine as the Protem Commission’s spiritual adviser and Sr Calista Saliun fsic as its chairperson.

Moving forward, the Protem Commission’s immediate plans are to identify needs, local issues and existing capacities, celebrating Season of Creation (see separate story), training of facilitators and study of Laudato Si’.

Season of Creation will be held on 17 September 2018 at Pace Bene, Purak Papar, from 9am-4pm. It is open to all parishes and the FSIC congregation who upholds the spirituality of St Francis of Assisi, championing the cause of environment.

The celebration will carry the theme “Walking Together” in line with the universal theme; two inputs will be given during the morning session on Climate Change and Laudato Si, followed by an activity in the afternoon.  For further information, contact Sr Calista at 013-873 9396.

The Commission hopes that each parish will form their own Committee of Creation Justice (Environmental Committee) and walk together to realize its vision and mission. 

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The 114-year-old iconic boys’ school, St John’s Institution, went dark on August 20 when its electricity was disconnected following its inability to pay its outstanding bill of RM245,348.54.

The mission school, which receives an allocation of RM16,000 from the Government per year, did not always get the funds it needed to cover operational and maintenance costs. The monthly operational expenses at St John’s is almost RM20,000, out of which RM13,000 was for electricity consumption.

In a statement signed by La Salle Brothers coordinator Andrew Loke, Infant Jesus Sisters provincial, Theresa Chua and Canossian Sisters provincial, Christin Low, the representatives had requested the ministry to provide sufficient funds to meet their monthly utility bills.

“Mission schools’ utilities bills should be paid in full by the government.

“The obligation of the government to provide full support for mission schools is set out in the Education Act 1996,” they said.

They referred to the electricity disruption at St. John’s Institution on August 20 as “a disaster waiting to happen” due to years of insufficient allocation of grant-in-aid by the Federal government.

They explained that the disparity in allocation was because of the classification of national schools as “government schools” and thus such schools were fully subsidised by the government.

However, they said, mission schools were classified as “government-aided schools” and thus only received grants on the discretion of the ministry.

“Why is there this discrimination and disparity against mission schools?” they said.

They pointed out that grants from the ministry have consistently been reduced for some schools since 2015.

They said SMK Canossian Convent Segamat in Johor received RM27,000 from the government in 2015, but only got RM20,000 in 2016.

“This year, until August, the government only gave RM4,000 for half year,” they said. Currently, they said, mission schools have no say in collecting student fees.

The directive from the ministry, they said, was to channel all receivables to the parentteacher associations.

“The mission school boards have zero power to seek supplemental fees from students to meet the expenses or even to instruct for the same,” they said.

“With a new government elected by the people, we call upon the newly appointed minister of education to revisit the status and position of the mission schools,” they added.

They urged Putrajaya to conduct a complete study of the mission schools and hold dialogues with stakeholders to understand the challenges faced by these schools.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

You must be wondering what is going on in the minds and hearts of the Archbishop and his priests with regard to the revelation in August 2018 that some 300 priests had sexually abused over a thousand minors in Pennsylvania over the last 70 years.
Like you, we are shocked and dismayed at the severity and extent of the abuse described. Some of the clergy implicated operated at the highest echelons of power in the US church. We feel extremely sad that those young people have been hurt, and are suffering even now, the effects of the trauma of being abused by the very people who were entrusted to protect and to shepherd their souls.  As clergy, we feel terribly ashamed and betrayed by the evil and selfish acts of our brother priests who slaked their lust on the young and vulnerable children placed under their care, stripping them of their innocence.  We are even more scandalized to read that some Church leaders deepened the pain by snuffing out evidence and shielding their subordinates.

We are as bewildered as you with regard to the many diverse and conflicting reports on the sex abuse of minors in the United States. We are in no position to judge the merits of the various allegations.  We have to depend on those responsible to seek out the truth so that justice can be done. It is best at this stage not to speculate but to wait for the events to unfold, as the gospel says, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” (Lk 8:17) Let us trust that good and sincere leaders of the Church are searching for the truth and will get the answers for us.

Our hearts grieve at the deplorable state of the Church’s affairs. With the growing number of revelations and scathing reports from the media, we cannot but begin to doubt our Church leaders.  The faith of the People of God has been greatly shaken. Some have left the Church. Many who have embraced the faith against all odds wonder if they have made the right decision.Yet others who are on the fringe are now convinced that this is not where they want to be. Those whose faith is not strong are ashamed to be associated with the Church. This is understandable, because the credibility of the Church’s leadership has been greatly affected. The entire Church is suffering because of the wolves who have infiltrated the Church in sheep skin.

Nevertheless, we must also recognize that there is much goodness in the Church founded by Christ.  Of the more than 400,000 priests in the world, the great majority have striven to be faithful to their calling, and to live good and holy lives.They have given their lives in service to the people of God generously and humbly, attending to the sick, burying our loved ones, counselling the wounded, praying for us, leading us in worship and instructing us in our faith.They are there when we need help and support most.Sadly, they have been tarred with the same brush by the world, shouldering the blame for the failures of their fellow priests, just like those who are unjustly implicated when their spouse commits a crime. We must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  More than ever, with all the negative reports, our faithful must stand up and show their support for the good priests they have encountered in their lives. As human beings, we priests need your encouragement and support. We also feel ashamed and disheartened at the state of affairs.

The scandals abroad are a wake-up call for us, as the Catholic Church in Singapore has not been spared allegations of child abuse.Over the years, a handful of cases have been brought to our attention.  These were handed over to the Professional Standards Office (PSO) of the Archdiocese for investigation. Thus far, all the cases have been judged to be inconclusive by the PSO, and confirmed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome.

As Archbishop, I want to assure you that,to the best of my knowledge, there has been no cover-up in our archdiocese.  The PSO, set up by my predecessor in 2011,and subsequently enhanced during my tenure as Archbishop,is the instrument by which the Church deals with sex abuse complaints. Staffed by lay professionals, its investigations are conducted at arm’s length from the Archbishop. This is to ensure total impartiality and non-interference from the Archbishop’s Office.

Any allegations of abuse must now also be reported to the police when the PSO takes up the case. This is to discourage falsified or exaggerated claims which malign the innocent, as the pain of being questioned and living under suspicion while waiting for judgement to be pronounced can be as traumatic for these priests as it is for those who have truly been abused.

Since prevention is better than cure, the Archdiocese has also put in place systems and processes to protect the People of God by reducing the risk of sexual abuse.The PSO has already issued guidelines for the creation of a safe environment in our parishes and organisations, and will soon announce how they are to be enhanced. All priests, religious and workers employed by the archdiocese must declare that they have not been convicted of any sex offences. Those with known records will not be allowed to work in ministry or mingle with the vulnerable.  Soon, all seminarians and novices who want to join priestly or religious life will not only have to sign this declaration but they would be subjected to more stringent psychological tests and background checks. There is a need also to ensure that our Church volunteers, especially those dealing with children, are vetted and cleared of sexual crimes against children.  I seek the understanding of Church volunteers why such a step is necessary. I would like to appeal to those who are lawyers, doctors, psychiatrists, and counsellors to offer their service to the PSO.

Finally, every scandal is also a stepping stone for growth.  The Church is undergoing testing and purification.The exposure of such crimes is good for the Church in the long run. It purifies the Church, ensures the highest integrity of our Church leaders, and helps them to be more discerning in accepting Church workers or candidates to the priesthood and religious life.  Guided by the Holy Spirit, we will come out of this crisis stronger. In the meantime, I appeal to you to pray for the victims and for the Church; for Pope Francis and the leaders of the Church to have wisdom and to find courage to take the necessary actions to rectify the abuses and prevent future incidents.  We need your prayers and mortifications.  Please pray for me, your archbishop, for wisdom, courage and strength.  Pray for your priests, religious and Church workers to walk the way of truth and holiness. I encourage all parishes to organise Holy Hour and prayer vigils to pray for healing and unity in the Church. More than ever, we need to pray for God’s forgiveness for the evil that we have allowed into the sanctuary of His Church, for the pain and suffering of her wounded children, for the divisiveness that these scandals have brought to the Church, and for abandoning Jesus Christ who never abandons us even in our darkest hour.

I invite you to join me in a day of Fast, celebration of Holy Mass and Holy Hour for the healing and purification of the Church in holiness on the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross:

• Date & Time: Friday, 14 September, 2018, 6.30pm
• Venue: Cathedral of the Good Shepherd

Let us take heed of the advice of St Paul. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.”  (Eph 6:10-18)

United in love and prayers for the healing of the Church,

Most Rev. William Goh
Archbishop of Singapore

1 September, 2018

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

In the spirit of ‘Muhibbah and Merdeka’, the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur jointly hosted a luncheon with members of Parti Se-Islam Malaysia (PAS) on September 1 at the De Palma Hotel in Ampang.

The day’s theme Unity in Diversity was the central focus of each speech as it fittingly described Malaysia and its multi-racial, multi-religious, multilingual, multicultural as well as its various traditional attires, ideologies and innumerable array of food choices.

The gathering included Archbishop Julian Leow, Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam, Fr Dr Clarence Devadass, Fr Gregory Chan, Fr Leo Lefebure, PAS Deputy President Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man; PAS VicePresident Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad; PAS Secretary-General Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan; YB Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz, members of Archdiocesan Ministry of Ecumenical & Interreligious Affairs (AMEIA), PAS delegates and friends of PAS.

Fr Clarence Devadass, in his opening prayer, thanked the heavenly Father for the special day and the chance to gather as one in an initiative that was made possible by His will and grace. He prayed: “Open our hearts so that we may walk together in peace and unity that will benefit our country Malaysia.” He shared the analogy of the blind men and an elephant to emphasise the importance of being open to sharing and accepting each other’s views to “get the full and correct picture” in any situation. Fr Clarence said in the context of diversity, to attain unity, we need a framework, and he felt St. Augustine’s quote: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity,” was suitable to guide us.

“When we understand each other’s differences, we can attain unity in the diversity we encounter as Malaysians.”

He ended with a quote from Mother Theresa, “‘I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things’, so friends, together, let us achieve great things to make Malaysia better.”

Co-organiser YB Nik Abduh, was thrilled with the success of the gathering. He hoped it would be meaningful not just to those present but to all Malaysians who continue to live in peace and harmony in a country that is revered around the world for uniting its citizens from varying backgrounds.

“We have become an example to the world that we are capable of living together in peace and unity. However, we must note that the peace can be lost if we become careless and do not take care of it.”

PAS Vice-President Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad brought to light the misconception that many believed PAS was merely a religion-driven political party that only focused on issues concerning Malay Muslims in the country.

“If you look around you this afternoon, you will notice we have many non-Muslim members. In Kelantan and Terengganu, PAS continues to rule the states while looking after the well-being of all its constituents regardless of their race and religious beliefs.

“I look forward to many similar gatherings like today to help us reach a better understanding and creating a better Malaysia.” He too ended with a quote from Mother Theresa, “Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

Archbishop Julian Leow likened the relationship of Christians and Muslims as that within a family. “It has often been said that we should have dialogue with one another so as not to have any misunderstanding. But in reality that should not be the reason to organise dialogue sessions as it should happen naturally. As people who have much to share, people who are part of the same Abrahamic family, spending time together to talk and share ideas should be spontaneous and natural. Planned initiatives towards interfaith dialogue is necessary during the initial stages but it is my hope that in time to come such initiatives would become a natural course of action and not a once a year or once in two years.” While acknowledging that both religions have some theological differences, the archbishop said that it is through these differences that we get to know each religion better.

“We have a great deal to learn from one another, and this can enrich us without undermining our own identities. Together, listening and responding with openness and respect, we can move forward to work in ways that acknowledge genuine differences but built on shared hopes and values. When individuals and groups can put aside their religious differences and work together for the common good of society and for the betterment of the nation as a whole, the barriers of mistrust can easily be dispelled,” added Archbishop Julian.

PAS Deputy President Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man was also pleased with the afternoon’s success and looks forward to having future inter-religious gatherings at state level to discuss sensitive issues as well as looking into the country’s economic and environmental issues.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

This is the talk given by Archbishop Joseph Marino, Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia, to the clergy at the 1st Malaysian Catholic Clergy Assembly (MCCA) on July 16 at Majodi, Plentong

The renewal in holiness given to the priest at ordination, is not a mere spiritual personal holiness nor does it guarantee moral perfection. It is a holiness, which imparts the dignity of the priesthood and assists the priest to be faithful to his ministry. He becomes another Christ for ministry, which must reflect the mission of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve, going from village to village preaching the Good News. It is essential that we read and meditate on the recent Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate on holiness in today’s world. Just briefly, the Holy Father tells us that holiness is going into the world to live the Beatitudes, the radical law of the Lord, which changes the way we think and consequently the way we act.

The final part of the prayer of the consecration is profound, but simple, “May he be a faithful minister.” This phrase verifies, represents the goal, the end or the scope of becoming men of God, not for ourselves, but for others. It never means to be separated or arrogantly above the people, as if members of the clergy are perfect or ideal chaste, like a tribal priesthood. And above all, we never define our priestly ministry in terms of power; it is only one of service. Or as Pope Francis said to the Missionaries of Mercy on April 10, 2018: “Let us be careful: It is not a question of becoming ‘obsessed’ priests, as if they were depositaries of some extraordinary charism. No. Priests are normal, simple, meek, balanced people, who are capable of allowing themselves to be constantly regenerated by the Spirit, docile to his power, interiorly free — above all, of themselves, because the are moved by the ‘wind’ of that ‘blows where it wills’” (Jn 3:8).

There it is so beautifully stated, the meaning of priestly consecration: simple men (servants), regenerated by the Spirit (renewed in holiness), to an active and intimate engagement with the people (faithful ministers of service). In other words, we are consecrated to be close to the people.

Close to the People
To another Christ, who live the smell of the sheep, can only mean to be close to the people, and on this phrase, “to be close to the people,” the Holy Father devoted his entire homily at the Chrism Mass of this year (Homily on 29 March 2018).

He affirmed that to be close to the people arises from the very essence of our being anointed and sent and reflects the fundamental choice that God made in our regards. “God’s great choice” – the Pope preached – was itself “to be close to the people.” This closeness “is more than the name of a specific virtue; it is an attitude which engages the whole person, our way of relating, our way of being attentive to ourselves and to others” (Homily of 29 March 2018).

Our Holy Father went on to state that “when people say of a priest, ‘he is close to us’, they usually mean two things. The first is that ‘he is always there’ (and) the other is that he has a word for everyone.”

There are situations in which we distance ourselves from the people or they distance themselves from us. Do you know what one of them is? The homily. How many complaints are voiced about homilies throughout the whole Church! These complaints cannot be ignored. Pope Francis wrote in The Joy of the Gospel (EG), “we know that the faithful attach great importance to the homily, and that both they and their ordained ministers suffer because of homilies: the laity from having to listen to them and the clergy from having to preach them! It is sad that this is the case” (EG, n. 135).

There are many reasons for this suffering. Often it is poor delivery; often the homily is more a lecture than introducing the people to the joy of the Gospel; often they are enormously long and boring, and often they are more than one homily, but a series of unconnected ideas. I recall the story of the priest who was proud of the work he had done to prepare his homily, and after Mass, he asked a lady: “Did you like my homily?” And she answered: “Which one?”

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

In Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic letter, Porta Fidei for the Indiction of the Year of Faith – the Pope speaks about the importance of Charity, specially the concern for the poor and less privileged, (cf. No. 14).

As St Paul reminds us: “So faith, hope, love abide, those three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). With even stronger words St James says: “What does it profit my brethren if a man says he has faith but has not works?

Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to him, ‘go in peace, be warmed and filled without giving him things needed for the body, what does it profit o faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2:14-18).

The BECs have much to do with the Church’s solidarity with the poor and the marginalised. In fact, the Church has numerous institutions that look after the poor. These should continue, perhaps, in a much bigger way.

There should be clear structures in parishes to look after the economically poor and the needy. Nevertheless, it doesn’t speak merely of feeding the hungry or housing the homeless. Poverty is often the result of unjust structures. It is also the effect of selfishness on the part of a few. The Word of God calls the Church to take up the cause of the poor and to seek justice on their behalf. Holy Father Pope Francis reminds us of the urgency of this task.

The advocacy on behalf of the poor is a demand that arises from scripture. We are not just to clothe the destitute, but also to speak up for them and uphold their rights. The call of the Church, no doubt, is to render aid for the physical needs of the poor. But the call is also to be committed to the need of justice for which advocacy is necessary, (cf. FABC Papers No. 133) and to create a better world for the poor. In order to do this task effectively, the Church engages in a dialogue today with various international organisations which are committed towards the same task. This has to be done locally too, depending on the challenges in each country. The Church becomes credible when the poor and the marginalised are part of it. This is the path that Pope Francis opened to us by calling a special ‘Year of Mercy.”

There are thousands of Church institutions throughout the world engaged in this task. There are situations of alarming poverty and absolute helplessness. Often, children and women are the worst victims of such situations. Human trafficing child labour seual harassment of migrant workers and domestic violence are some of the most alarming issues. A new evangelisation has to take these issues seriously. The concern for the poor should arise from one’s faith. Faith without charity bears no fruit; while charity without faith is a mere sentiment. (cf. PF. 14). Issues of this nature will be too formidable to handle in the BECs without the backing of the local Church.

Forming Lay Leaders
The local churches have a responsibility to form their leaders. Often, lack of preparation of lay leaders is seen as the cause for failure in forming the BECs. Preparing the ground is essential for the success of the BECs. A well formed group of lay people should animate the entire programme for which they should be empowered. Formation of the Lay Leaders is an essential tool for the BECs to function smoothly.

A small group of committed and interested lay people should be motivated and given special training about leadership.

This preparation should be seen as an investment within the framework of a participatory church.

There should also be on-going formation for the leaders who will be the animators of this programme. Constant care, encouragement, support and guidance of the leaders will go a long way for the sustenance of the BECs. In every parish we have people of good will who serve in various lay apostolates. They include the catechists and other lay missionaries who are concerned with evangelisation. They are a real resource to the local churches.

This group should be essential participants in BECs. We should target first towards a well confirmed group of leaders and second, towards a group of essential participants.

They need to be motivated as well. They should be convinced that the final goal of being connected to the lay associations,(eg:- Liturgy Group, Legion of Mary, Vincent De Paul Society, Charismatic Group, Family Apostolate Group, Caritas Group, Youth Group, PMS Group) should have a necessary connection to the BECs in their own locality.

Their impact should be felt by the parish. This impact to the parish could only be felt by way of their connectedness to the BECs. If not, these groups will be only serving themselves; like a stream or a river that does not meet the ocean. Another topic of great importance for most of our Asian countries where we live as minorities is the need to relate to people of other faiths. Therefore in our BECs, we need to make an effort to relate with these people of different faiths. — By Bishop Devsritha Valence Mendis, Bishop of Chilaw, Sri Lanka This was the keynote address given at the AsIPA General Assembly VII in Thailand from October 22-28, 2015

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

Deacon Lazarus Jonathan conducted a formation on Salvation History in the parish of the Church of the Divine Mercy (CDM) on Aug 11. This was a follow-up formation as the parish has been focusing on the theme of The Word of God this year. Sixty-seven parishioners attended the formation.

Deacon Lazarus started with a reading from Matthew 15:21-28. This Bible verse is about the Canaanite woman asking
Jesus to heal her sick daughter. Even after Jesus refuses her, the woman was persistent in her request to heal her daughter. Throughout the Bible there are stories of how Jesus reacts to different people. The reading teaches us that we must be persistent in prayer.Deacon Lazarus reminded us that as Christians we need to be ready to encounter Jesus in our daily lives. We are also required to share the faith, not just with friends and family, but throughout the whole world.

Deacon Lazarus then addressed the definition of Salvation History.It is the pattern of events in human history where God reveals his presence and saving actions. In Salvation History, the presence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is always active and present in the lives of the people from the beginning of time. The Father’s nature is to Create, the Son’s is to

Redeem and the Holy Spirit’s is to sanctify. God’s desire is to Love us. Salvation History reveals God’s love for his people.

In the Old Testament, humanity’s inclination to sin stood in the way of God’s plan. The Israelites continued to turn away from the covenant and the law again and again, even while God continued to send his message through prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Nevertheless, God remained faithful to the covenant when the people did not.

The life of Jesus reveals the New Covenant, which brings us to the fullness of salvation. The transmission of Divine Revelation, commanded and entrusted to the Apostles, is communicated through Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture.

The bishops, in communion with the Pope, form the Magisterium of the Church, and use these pillars to interpret and teach the faith.

Deacon Lazarus then reviewed the Book of Genesis, which is “the book of Generation of Heaven and Earth” in Greek. He brought about a deeper understanding and coverage of creation, sin, marriage and the generations that followed. The discussions surrounding the lives of Cain and Noah, the Ark and the flood, were also compared to the events and persons of Jesus and Mary. Many examples of real life situations were cross-referenced to the bible stories to allow a deeper understanding of the events.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The Diocesan BEC Animation and Formation Team (BECAFT) had an assembly for the core teams of North Johor parishes on Saturday, August 11 (9.30am – 1.00pm) at the Church of St Matthew. The ‘Three Burning stories’ was used as part of the BECCOT Assembly in Melaka Vicariate in July (8/7/18) and North Johor Vicariate (11/8/18).

The Three Burnings’ session was done at the MJPT 2nd Assembly in March 2018. Seventy-four people were present – Bishop Bernard Paul, 11 BECAFT members and 62 people from the parishes of Muar, Tangkak, Segamat, Batu Pahat and Kluang.

There were two groups who were Mandarinspeaking, one group from BMspeaing and five groups who were English-speaking. The BECAFT members sat with the groups to facilitate sharing. The ‘3 Burnings’ are the Burning Bush (Moses), Burning House (Book of Esther) and Burning Heart (Two Disciples on the road to Emmaus). For each of the ‘Burnings’, we watched a short video clip followed by personal sharing in the ‘table groups’.

For Moses’ encounter with God in the ‘Burning Bush’, we shared our personal encounter with God. The ‘Burning House’ represented the people of Israel under threat of being destroyed.

Queen Esther saved the whole Israelite people even though she knew that she would die if she went to the king without being summoned. We looked at moments in our lives when we were courageous in living out our faith and service to others. In the Road to Emmaus – the two disciples eperienced sadness after Jesus’ passion and death.

Their eyes were opened when Jesus broke bread with them. Then the two disciples were filled with oy returned immediately to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples that ‘JESUS IS ALIVE’. We were asked which Burning story touched us the most. One group said that the ‘Burning Heart’ spoke to them the most. et we had half an hour of Eucharistic Adoration.

It was a time of being with the Lord, offering what we had lived in the ‘3 Burnings’ and allowing Jesus to encounter and enlighten us. Then, Bishop Bernard summed up the ‘Three Burnings, followed by his vision for the BECs in the Diocese.

The BEC is a Diocesan option and a centre for evangelisation. God calls the laity to build His Kingdom. We are called to listen to Jesus and witness by our actions. Bishop, Priest, Religious, Laity – all are to become 4E Catholics, and develop family spirit to build believing communities. In the year 2022, our Diocese will be 50 years old and Bishop Bernard hopes that we can have a grand Golden Jubilee celebration in Majodi.

We are reminded to work with the Bishop to implement his plan for the Diocese so that as many people can participate meaningfully in this Golden Jubilee. We had a wonderful time being with each other, with Bishop Bernard and in listening to God.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

The training conducted by Neal Patrick Gonzales of Bridge ICD Sdn Bhd on August 19 at Costantini Community Centre, St Ignatius Church (SIC), was refreshing and invigorating.

“What I initially thought was the usual team-building session turned out to be a team-bonding session. I was attracted by the facilitator’s method of engaging with us, the participants. I personally felt the approach was good as the facilitator allowed us to learn key principles in an active way. To enable me to bond with my team.

“I was intrigued with the science of how we learn. We learn best by combining activities that use our left-brain and right-brain. Apart from that, I learnt that we should listen to instructions carefully and not make presumptions. Furthermore, I learnt to take time to plan and try and influence my team-mates by focusing on the end goal of the activity.

“Lastly, I learnt to trust and, though blindfolded, I could encourage my team-mates. I have gained a lot from the team-bonding session, especially in the need to organise activities that stimulate active learning.”

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online