 
Archive : April 2004
CATECHISM TEACHERS PORTRAY JESUS TO THEIR STUDENTS
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Kuala Lumpur : Sunday School teachers portray themselves as “Jesus persons” to their students. Archbishop Murphy Pakiam gave this reminder when presenting certificates to catechism teachers who participated in the Action Songs Workshop
held on 3 April at Cahayasuara Communications Centre. “The great friendship you have with Jesus in your personal lives is simply important and beyond all question.
It is so vitally important that Jesus be the person to whom you are dedicated to. Your love for Jesus will simply radiate from your person to the students,” Archbishop Pakiam said. He added that their students would be able to “capture” the faith and trust they have in Jesus. He hoped that the teachers were “daily keeping in touch with Jesus.” Pointing out that the techniques they learnt in the workshop were important to effectively teach catechism, Archbishop Pakiam commended the teacher participants for taking the time and effort to learn these skills for use in Sunday School. Certificates were presented to nine participants who had successfully completed the four Media Toolbox Workshops (MTW) conducted by Cahayasuara: Puppetry, Edutoons, Storytelling and Action Songs. MTW are skill-based programmes to enhance faith education in the parish. (HERALD)
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Archdiocesan Golden Jubilee
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Petaling Jaya : The official launching of the Golden Jubilee celebrations at the Cathedral of St. John on May 3 will be a simple affair. Among the items planned for the official launching is the reading of the Vision-Mission statement, presentation of parish banners and the official launch and speech by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam. “We expect all the parishes to take part in this launch – not only the parish representatives but as many parishioners as possible. We also encourage all religious of the archdiocese to be present,” said Msgr James Gnanapiragasam, Chairperson of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations Organising Committee. On the long-term preparations, Msgr James said that various committees have been formed. “This Golden Jubilee celebrations is a journey of our history. It is important for all – clergy, religious and laity to own this journey and own this history of the archdiocese. We must have a sense of belonging, we must feel that we are part of the archdiocese,” he added. (HERALD)
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SEMINAR FOR BETTER PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP
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Kuala Lumpur : Parents and their teenage children attended a one-day seminar on effective parenting through difficult times with the present generation of youth. The seminar, Better Parent-Child Relationship, held for the first time at St Joseph's Church, Sentul on March 28 was jointly organised by the newly formed Family Life Ministry and the Catechetical Ministry. Two hundred and sixty parishioners attended the seminar. The main facilitator was
Mr Martin Jalleh, a well-known presenter in the local church. Assisting him was Mr Vincent Nathan, the parish charismatic prayer leader. Jalleh stressed the need for change in our methods of parenting and that there must be a paradigm shift in the minds of parents. Talking to parents, he stressed the importance of their role as co-educators of faith. At the end of the seminar, many parents expressed interest in attending other such 'parenting' programmes in the future. The parents also welcomed the idea of having the Parent Support Group meetings, which could provide the opportunity for parents to come together to share their common concerns of parenting and learning from the experiences, as follow-up sessions to the seminar. (HERALD)
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NEW RETREAT CENTRE IN JANDA BAIK
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Petaling Jaya : The Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur has been blessed with a new retreat house. The Maranatha Retreat House was officially opened on April 11, 2004. Run by the Society of Jesus, the Maranatha House is a house for prayer and retreats. Situated in Janda Baik, Pahang the retreat house is surrounded by a landscape of pine forest and gardens as well as gentle streams. Maranatha has individual rooms as well as twin-sharing rooms, which can accommodate a maximum of 28 persons. It is also equipped with a chapel, library and lounge, kitchen/dining room and laundry. The rate per day for one person is from RM 60 to RM 85. This is inclusive of three meals, and morning coffee and afternoon tea. For more information please contact: Peggy at 019-2033199, Christina at 019-3788413, Bernie at 03-20266472 or e-mail: enquiry@maranatharetreat.org. You can also visit the website at: www.maranatharetreat.org (HERALD)
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SECOND PHASE OF CENSUS EXERCISE FOR KL ARCHDIOCESE COMMENCES
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Petaling Jaya : The second phase of the census-taking exercise for the KL Archdiocese is underway. The second phase of this census exercise will be conducted at BEC level. The cards will be distributed during BEC gatherings or family visitations. Each family will be given a card to fill in the
particulars of all those living in that household. The second phase will be carried out until the end of the year. "The census cards were distributed to the parish priests during the clergy recollection in March," said Fr John Gnanapiragasam, Director of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute (API). The first phase, which was carried out on January 10 and 11, was targeted for the weekend congregation. All those aged above 12 were each given a card to fill in. Those below the age of 12 shared a card with their parents. The API, which is collating all the census cards, will enter the information into a database. This information will then be passed on to the respective parishes for their perusal and retention. (Herald)
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TEACHERS NEED TO REDISCOVER THE JOY OF TEACHING
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Petaling Jaya : Teachers needs to rise from the embers and find joy again in teaching. This was highlighted by A.R. Peter, the President of the Catholic Teachers Association Malaysia (CTAM) during a forum held on April 3. Touching on the role of teachers in this era of mass globalisation, Peter said that teachers have had to face all sort of challenges and are constantly receiving negative remarks in the mass media. He said the image of teachers has been battered with accusations of all sorts. Many teachers are demoralised with their profession. He explained that the forum themed Empowering Educators to Enjoy Teaching was to help teachers to rediscover the joy of teaching. Peter also thanked Archbishop Murphy Pakiam for his great support and encouragement to the CTAM. Archbishop Pakiam said that educators are important people to the nation. He reminded the teachers that through their teaching, God’s love and mercy will reach and touch the children. (Herald)
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CHILDREN EXPERIENCE MEANINGFUL WAY OF THE CROSS
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Seremban : A creative endeavour by a BEC group enabled young children to participate meaningfully in the Stations of the Cross during the Lenten season. Instead of just reciting the Way of the Cross, the Taman Ampangan Tamil BEC of the Church of the Visitation had the children re-enact the fourteen stations. According to BEC member George Selvaraja, the idea was conceived to enable the children to understand better the passion and agony that the Lord endured. "Most of the time, the children don't really understand what is
happening and get restless easily. We needed to capture their attention, so we decided to make this an event where all the children would be involved. To ensure full participation and understanding among all the BEC members - elders and children alike, the Way of the Cross was conducted in three languages -English, Bahasa Malaysia and Tamil. George added that since this endeavour proved to be a success, the BEC will continue to organize more activities where the children can be fully involved. (Herald)
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KL ARCHDIOCESE GEARING UP FOR GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATION
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Petaling Jaya : The Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur will celebrate its golden jubilee on May 16,2005. "A special service will be held next month at the Cathedral of St John on May 3 at 5pm to launch the KL Archdiocese golden jubilee," said Msgr James Gnanapiragasam, the Chairman
for the Jubilee Celebration Committee. Explaining the significance of this celebration, Msgr James said, "We want to see how the Church has grown in the past 50 years. From there, we can see the direction it is going. It is also important for the people and the priests to feel a sense of ownership and belonging to the Archdiocese. By examining the Archdiocese's history, we can strengthen our own Catholic identity thus realising that we are one big family, connected to the universal Church." The theme for this celebration is Harmony Through Reconciliation. The basis for this is taken from Eph 1:10, ... that he would bring everything together under Christ as head. In discussing the theme, Msgr James pointed out, "When we speak of being in harmony, it means harmony with everything - with nature, with other religions, among ourselves and in different groups." (Herald)
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KUANTAN YOUNGSTERS DONATE TO PARISH
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Kuantan : Children and youth of the Church of St Thomas saved their money during the Lenten period and donated this towards the St Thomas Community Centre Building Fund. In March this year the Fund was nearly reaching the RM 1 million mark. Parish Priest, Fr Eugene Benedict and the Building Fund Committee then decided to let the children and youth of the parish have the privilege of topping up the Fund to pass the RM 1 million mark. With encouragement from their parents, 88 young people responded to the invitation to take home special tin-cans into which they put their savings over 2-3 weeks. The amount given by the young people totaled RM 2231.95, thus bringing the Fund total to RM 1,001,782. 52.
This symbolic gesture is meaningful as the children and youth were given the opportunity to participate in a project which would benefit them most in the years to come. The RM 3 million St Thomas Community Centre has been designed to house a multi-purpose hall, meeting rooms, an IT room, a library, the parish office and priests' accommodation. Although the Fund has reached RM 1 million, another 2 million is needed to complete the project. (Herald)
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LEGIONARIES RENEW THEIR PROMISE TO OUR LADY
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Kuala Lumpur : About 500 Legionaries from parishes in Klang, Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur gathered at the Cathedral of St. John on March 28 to participate in this great central annual function of the Legion which is called Acies in Latin and which means army ranged in battle array. The function was attended by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam and seven priests. In his address to the legionaries, Archbishop Pakiam reiterated that the Legion of Mary is an important organisation of the Church and shall continue to be a useful instrument especially in building BECs. He highlighted the Legion’s system of giving a minimum of two hours of services per week by each member. Archbishop Murphy encouraged all legionaries to follow the good example of the Holy Father who has a strong devotion to our Lady and his exhortation to all faithful is to contemplate the face of Jesus with Mother Mary in their daily lives. (Herald)
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STAY AWAY FROM CORRUPTION, CHRISTIAN POLICE PERSONNEL TOLD
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Kuala Lumpur : Christian police personnel based in the Klang Valley celebrated the 197th Police Day at the Cathedral of St John on March 27. Among the distinguished guests were Melaka Police Commissioner Datuk Christopher Wan Soo Kee, Senior Police Officers' College Commandant, SAC I Nyomek Nyeap and Assistant Director of Special Branch, SAC II Pakianathan. Also present were some retired police officers and their families. The Eucharistic Celebration was presided over by Capuchin Fr. Valentine Gompok. Concelebrating were Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, Msgr. James Gnanapiragasam and Fr. Amalanathan. Fr. Valentine reminded the police personnel to fulfill their promise of Cepat, Mesra dan Betul. He added, "Let us ask God to open our eyes, minds and hearts to the truth about ourselves. Let us pray that we are freed from selfishness and we do not forget the poor." SAC II, C. Pakianathan, in his speech, reminded them that as Christian police personnel, they needed to "stay away from all forms of corruption, in discipline and other negative elements that can bring your down fall and ruin your professional image". After the Mass, everyone was invited to refreshments prepared by the organising committee. (Herald)
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CANADIAN HONOUR FOR BRO LAWRENCE SPITZIG
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Kuala Lumpur : La Salle Brother Lawrence Spitzig was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his educational work in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. The appointment was bestowed by Her Excellency, The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, during a colourful investiture ceremony in Ottawa, Canada on Feb 20. The Order's constitution permits non-Canadians to be considered for honorary appointments to the Order of Canada as in the case of Bro Lawrence who is a Malaysian citizen. The award of the Honorary Order of Canada is however limited to a maximum of five per year for non-citizens. Bro Lawrence who is now 87 years old, arrived in Malaya in 1938 and has continued to serve the youth of Malaysia and Singapore through his commitment and dedication to education. As a teacher and then as principal of several La Salle schools in Malaysia, Bro Lawrence has left a strong impact on his pupils that even today they hold him in great esteem. In recent years, Br o Lawrence has taken on himself work for the welfare of the children of rural Sabah with great success. (Herald)
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STORYTELLING AS A CORE METHODOLOGY IN FAITH EDUCATION
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Kuala Lumpur : The primary purpose of Storytelling is to nurture the spirit-self. This nurturing is made possible through a heightened awareness of self, a sense of wonder and a reverence for life. This was stated by Augustine Loorthusamy, a facilitator of the workshop on Storytelling for faith educators held on 27 March at Cahayasuara Communications Centre.
The Storytelling Workshop is part of the Enhancing Faith Education through Media Toolbox Workshops organised by Cahayasuara Communications Centre (CCC). These workshops were introduced specifically to address and respond to the needs of Sunday School so that Faith Education in the parish could be enhanced. About 56 faith educators from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, including Melaka and Taiping attended this one-day workshop. They were exposed to various techniques and tools of Storytelling through sessions on Why Tell Stories, Effective Storytelling, Storytelling Tools and Teaching Thorough Stories. The workshop ended with group presentations. “The presentation was very useful and enriching as we saw live storytelling by the teachers themselves”, said Christina Edwin, a participant from the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. (Cahayasuara)
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