 
Archive : December 2004
Christmas Open House Celebration Christmas message from the Bishops of Peninsular Malaysia
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Unity is strength. Although it has become a cliché, it still holds true. In his wisdom, our Prime Minister, Datuk Sri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi has made unity a corner stone for the building up of Malaysia as a progressive, prosperous and peaceful society rooted in spiritual values. A department for unity has been set up to promote and monitor unity in Malaysia.
The "open house" concept during religious festivities has become an avenue for fostering unity among citizens of Malaysia e.g. the recent "open house" celebration of Hari Raya at Putra World Trade Centre on November 14. Our Prime Minister is quoted by NST to have said, "I see so many Malaysians of various races coming together ... (to this open house) ... and celebrating together. It looks like Hari Raya has become a Day of National Unity." In like manner, Christmas should also become a festivity in which people of different ethnic groups and of various faiths can share our Christmas joy.
The core of our Christmas message is that Jesus Christ has come so that all peoples may share the infinite love of God. This love does not wipe away the basic freedom that God has given to each and every human person. In fact, it enhances one's liberty. Acceptance of the other's freedom to be different is intrinsic to the love preached by Jesus Christ. Love cannot be forced. Forced love is a farce that will ultimately destroy peace and build discord. Love and freedom are like the two sides of a coin. One cannot exist without the other. Consequently, unity the fruit of love, respects diversity. From this springs another catch phrase: UNITY IN DIVERSITY.
The philosophy of “unity is strength” can only be successful when it is coupled with philosophy of “unity in diversity.” Uniformity which comes from force is not unity. It is a parody of unity. This forced unity will not last as is proven by history, e.g., the collapse of the communist regimes.
As freedom is to love, so is diversity to unity. True lasting unity can only exist when there are respect for and acceptance of diversity.
In this light, again our Prime Minister very wisely advocates inter-religious and cultural dialogues. It is through sincere and open dialogue that we can achieve respect for and acceptance of others - the two, so to say, legs of unity in diversity. We pray and hope that true dialogue will lead to the formation of a genuine Malaysian inter-religious council.
Hence, we, the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, the Bishop of Penang and the Bishop of Melaka-Johor, exhort Christians to throw our weight behind our government under the lead-ership of our beloved Prime Minister to build a united plural Malaysia so that it can achieve progress, prosperity and peace. Let our commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ be also an "open house" celebration!
Yours sincerely in Christ
  
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KL archdiocese’s Vicars General bestowed Prelate of Honour
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Kuala Lumpur : Monsignor Daniel Lim and Monsignor James Gnanapiragasam were bestowed the Prelate of Honour of His Holiness Pope John.Paul II recently. The investiture as Prelates of Honour were held at two separate ceremonies during the Eucharistic celebration at the Church of the Holy Rosary on Dec 11 for Msgr Daniel Lim and at the Cathedral of St John on Dec 12 for Msgr James Gnanapiragasam The investiture was officiated by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam who spoke of the leadership qualities possessed by each vicar general.
He commended their commitment and determination in doing the work of God. The archbishop also requested those present to pray that the good Lord will continue to bless them in their vocation and service to God. During the ceremonies, a decree bestowing the "Prelate of Honour" by His Holiness was read out in Latin. Fr Moses Lui, read out the decree at the Church of the Holy Rosary while Fr John Gnanapiragasarn did the honours at the Cathedral of St John. The decree was later translated in English for the benefit of those vicar general with a purple sash. A fellowship was held after the Mass on both the occasions.
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KL central district alter servers attend retreat
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Kuala Lumpur : A one-day retreat was held for altar servers of the Kuala Lumpur central district parishes recently. Ninety altar servers from the parishes of St John, Holy Rosary, St Anthony's and Our Lady of Fatima attended the retreat which was held at the St John's old parish house. For a long time, the clergy of the district and the voung men themselves had expressed a need to come together and meet other servers. The forthcoming Golden Jubilee of the Archdiocese in May next year had served as an impetus for this retreat. Mr Michael Tan from the Church of St Ignatius in Petaling Jaya animated the retreat With his well prepared presentation of the structures of the church building and the sanc-tuary and the various vessels and materials used during the Mass, he guided the servers to a better understanding of the Mass and the privileged role they play. He emphasised the sacredness of the
celebration and the due reverence that was therefore needed. His multi-media presentation brought out the message in a vivid manner. This had struck a deep chord in Mervyn, one of the participants, who felt more proud than ever before to be a server. Mervyn added that he had learnt much during the day and this has encouraged him to carry out his duties more diligently henceforth. Another participant, Markus, concurred with him. He added that he had now learnt more about all that he has been doing over the years. For Michael Tan himself, the day was challenging. Prior to this, he had been accustomed to presenting to the RCIA. But in this retreat, he had to adapt his presentation to a younger audience who are quite familiar with the faith. The participants ended with the hope that more of such days be held on a regular basis and over a longer period of time. - By Astin Miranda
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Klang churches have joint Christmas celebrations
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Klang : The various Christian churches in Klang and Port Klang came together for the very first time to have a joint Christmas celebration. Christians from about 27 churches of different denominations gathered at the, Pandamaran sports complex on Dec 11 to join in this festivity celebration. About 2000 People, Christians and non Christians, began assembling at the field as early as 7am. The VIPs invited to join in the celebrations were 240 children from 9 different charitable homes around Kiang and Port Kiang. The event began with praise and worship after which all churches joined in the Christmas parade. There were 15 participating churches, each with their own get-up. Some were dressed as santarinas, some dressed as angels, some carrying banners, some doing the tambourine dance and the Catholic paraded the nativity scene. The parade brought Christmas cheer to the neighbourhood.
As they paraded along the streets, passers-by waved and some even stopped to extend Christmas greetings. The performances began at around 9.30a.m. The various participating churches presented Christmas carols and liturgical dances. The performances were in all the different languages, English, Bahasa Melayu, Tamil and Chinese. One church presented a Sarawakian dance to the song ‘United We Stand’. Being the only Catholic representative, the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes presented the Nativity play.- By Jacelyn Johnson
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Archbishop Vendargon celebrate 70 years of priesthood
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Cheras : Archbishop Emeritus Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon celebrated the 70th anniversary of his sacerdotal ordination amidst bishops, clergy, religious and laity at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged on Dec 8. The celebration commenced with the Eucharist which was held at the chapel. Looking calm and regal in a wheelchair, Archbishop Emeritus Vendargon was seated at the sanctuary before the Mass began. The Eucharist was presided over by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam. Concelebrating with the archbishop were Archbishop Emeritus Anthony Soter Fernandez, Bishop Emeritus James Chan and more than 30 clergy from the archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. The Eucharist was celebrated in English with much of the singing in Latin. No doubt a posture to someone who spent more than half his life in the days preceding the Second Vatican Council. In his homily, Archbishop Pakiam spoke of the importance of arranging our minds and hearts to accept God's gifts and God's
plans for us. Citing Our Lady as an example of one who arranged her heart and mind to totally embrace the will of God, Archbishiop Pakiam said that Archbishop Emeritus Vendargon too was one who had arranged his heart and mind to accept the will of God Archbishop Pakiam said that regardless of where he served (be it in north as far as Kangar or to the shores of Johor Baru, and even Singapore) or what mode of transportation he used (walking, cycling or bus), Archbishop Vendargon had accepted in his mind that this is what God had entrusted to him – that this was what was best for him…
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Goodwill Games bring 15 parishes together
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Bangi : More than 1000 Catholics from the various parishes in theArchdiocese of Kuala Lumpur gathered at the BSN Sports Complex on Dec 4 for the Goodwill Games. The participants, all in the mood of some serious sportsmanship assembled at the stadium grounds as early as 8am. The opening ceremony began with a march past by the participating churches. It was a colorful sight as each contingent had a theme colour to which they dressed accordingly. Loud cheering and clapping were heard from the spectators as each parish made their, ‘royal wave' while marching past the grand stand. The 15 participating churches: Church of St Ignatius, Church of St Francis Xavier, Church of the Assumption, Capel Kurnia Kristus, St John's Cathedral, Church of St Anthony,
Church of the Holy Family, Church of the Sacred Heart, Church of St Francis of Assisi, Church of St Joseph, Church of the Good Shepherd, Chapel of Christ the King, Chapel of Christ the Light, Our Lady of Lourdes, Church of the Visitation. This was followed by the raising of the Goodwill Gaines flag, which was carried by leaders of all. The Golden Jubilee song was sung while the flag was being raised. In his speech, Dempsey Fernandez, Chairman of the Inter-Parish Goodwill Games Organising Committee expressed his gratitude towards all the participating churches, especially parishes from the Petaling Jaya district who had jointly organised the games and all the other parishes who had come from near and far. He specially thanked Fr Simon Labrooy as the spiritual director
for all his support to make the event a reality. "We hope to make this an annual or bi-annual event and maybe next year there will be more churches participating and may be more games to choose from," he said. Fr Simon Yong was then invited to say the opening prayer and cut the ribbon to release the Goodwill games banner and balloons …
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Klang parishioners profit from Advent retreat
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Klang : Parishioners of the Church of the Holy Redeemer were blessed with an Advent Retreat on 27 and 28 November with the theme, Harmony Through Reconciliation. Through their talks and sharing, retreat presenter, Fr Andrew Manickam, OFM, Cap together with Bros Alan Fernandez and Silvanus, led the participants on an 'Inward Journey) of looking into them-selves, and later, the 'Outward Journey' of walking with the Lord. In the Inward Journey, participants were asked to examine and free themselves of ‘issues' by talking and praying about them. Then each participant drew the name of a 'prayer partner' from a container to pray for him/her. In explaining the Outward Journey, Fr Andrew quoted Matthew 14:25-32 (Jesus walking on the water)
to emphasise that, to walk with our Lord, we have to first get out of' ‘whatever' that holds us back. Like Peter, we must 'step out of our boats' - our comfort zones - and 'walk on water', trusting Jesus and, through our eyes of faith, recognise Jesus in the 'storms of our life'. Fr Andrew also took the participants through the passage about Jesus healing the blind man of Jericho (Mark 10:46-52), 'opening their eyes' to understand the message and the healing power of God. Like Bartimaeus we need to cry out to the Lord in faith for healing and help. When called to serve in any ministry, expect to give up some comforts, like the 'cloak' that Bartimaeus threw away and, like Peter, face the 'wind and storm', should there be. Forgiveness and
reconciliation lead to inner healing. In order to forgive, it is necessary to acknowledge and admit the hurt and anger we hold, pray for the person causing the hurt and also for ourselves. Ultimately reconciliation is achieved. Otherwise, we become 'spiritually handcuffed' to that person. – By Patricia Wong
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Christian cemetery for Shah Alam approved
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Shah Alam : The need for a Christian burial ground for the 5,000 Christian residents in Shah Alam will soon become a reality. The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) has allocated a 3.68 ha piece of land in Section 12 near the N4 at Matsushita Electrical Factory for a Christian burial ground. Representatives from the Christian Cemetery Advisory Group comprising Tan Sri Lim Leong Seng, Dato' Lim Bob Ang, Rev Dr Hermen Shastri and Tony Wee together with representa-tives from the Shah Alam Christian Fellowship comprising Fr Raymond Pereira and Teresa Lai raised the Christian burial issue at a meeting with the Datuk Bandar of Shah Alam, Encik Ramli bin Mahmud and town planner, Encik Noraznizam bin Alias on Nov 24.
The Datuk Bandar requested that a proposal be submitted to the Council for approval on the management of the burial ground. Representatives of the Christian Cemetery Advisory Group and the Shah Alam Christian Fellowship thank the Datuk Bandar for his cooperation and in making a concerted efford to fulfil the need foe a Christian burial ground in Shah Alam.
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Dato’ Peter Mooney honoured with Papal Knighthood
Klang : Dato' Dr Sir Peter Mooney who was knighted by Pope John Paul 11 with the Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory in October last year was honoured once again at a simple ceremony held at the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Brickfields recently. During the ceremony which took place at the sunset Mass on Nov 27, Dato' Dr Sir Mooney was presented with the papal medal and certificate from the Vatican. Earlier, the Parish Pastoral Council Chairperson Dr Edgar Frank read out a citation on the many achievements of Dato' Dr Sir Mooney: "Dato' Dr Sir Peter Mooney hails from Ireland but spent most of his early years in Scotland. His tertiary education was at the Sacred Heart School and St Aloysius' College in Glasgow, Scotland. He then went onto complete his degree in M.A. and LL.B at the University of Glasgow. During his university days he received various prizes for his proficiency in Forensic Medicine, Jurisprudence, Evidence and Procedure and was a Robertson Scholar in Scots law. "His o ther appointments include Extramural Lecturer in Law, Lecturer in Law to the Institute Company of Accountants, in Mercantile Law to Glasgow and West of Scotland Commercial College. In 1952 he was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates, Edinburgh and called to the Scottish Bar. "A good 50 years ago in 1953, as a young man he landed on our shores and was appointed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies as Crown Counsel for the State of Sarawak. He moved on to be appointed Acting Attorney General and Public Prosecutor, Member of the Supreme Council Negri (Cabinet and Legislature), Chairman of the Select Committee of the Legislature on the Land Code in Sarawak. In 1961, he was admitted as Advocate in Sarawak, as Advocate and Solicitor to the Malaysian Bar and Singapore Bar respectively. "He was one of the five founding partners of the Law Firm Skrine, where he served as Senior Partner and Consultant from 1963 to 1988…
For the story in full kindly refer to page 5 of the Herald.
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St John’s bids reluctant farewell to teachers
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Kuala Lumpur : The Catholic Community of St John's Institution bade a sad, reluctant farewell to two of its teachers, Mrs Dorothy Teoh Gentil and Datin Mathilda Ho Toyad who are retiring. Mrs Gentil and Datin Toyad, two of the school's long-serving teachers, had served at St John's Institution for 25 years and 16 years respectively. A thanksgiving Mass presided over by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam was held at the school's chapel. As a token of appreciation, the St John's Institution Catholic Community dedicated a poem to each of the teachers.
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Book warns against postmodernism
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Petaling Jaya : The word "postmodernism" does not pop out of the mouths of common men and women as easily as "popcorns". The fact that the subject of "postmodernism" is immense, that giving a single definition to it is near impossible - Parishes in Postmodernism seems to have made a timely arrival. The modernist era has quietly run its course and now the post-modernist culture has come to stay, with its accompanying perils, that could impact Christian souls in more ways than one. This seems to be the core message of priest-author, Fr Joseph Stephen CSSR, in his third book to be released this weekend in lpoh, may mean something, everything or nothing to each individual, Fr Joseph Stephen is provoked to hint at the changes that are prevailing now. In his fast and tightly packed presentation, he thinks aloud on two major dynamics - can people in the post mortem period continue to live a life of faith? The other point
he raises is -how can the Church be a "meaningful presence" in the lives of Catholics? Even though Fr Joseph Stephen has not accomplished a literary bravura on the subject his thoughts will create enough tumult in the mind of the reader, whether Catholic or Christian. By all counts, Fr Joseph Stephen's attempt to connect the Catholic laity to this difficult sub-ject, looks quite set to win unanimous applause from parish communities in Malaysia and Singapore. Trained in pastoral theology at the Loyola University in Chicago Fr Joseph Stephen cautiously steers away from painting an evocative picture of a turbulent apocalyptic era. Instead, he merely outlines the symptoms of this 21st century spectre in his book, dedicated to his former novice, the late Bro James Kennedy Muthu who passed away recently. According to him, social phenomena such as the breakdown of marriages, rise in single parenthood, the idea of living together
without marriage as well as fundamentalism, liberalism and new age movements are more than just fringe issues. Admitting that he does not have the last word on the subject, in his epilogue, thrown in for good measure - Fr Joseph Stephen is hopeful that the Church will be purpose-driven in its mission, as it continues in its own axis, while postmodernist culture spins its sinister web. With "postmodernism psyche" affecting the life and spirituality of every common man and woman, Parishes In Postmodernism is a must-read for those who want to get a foretaste of what is to come.- By Joseph Masilamany
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Each Person has an important task and mission in the church
Kuala Lumpur : Archbishop Murphy Pakiam expressed great joy at seeing the presence of so many parishioners at the parish pastoral assembly at the Church of Our Lady of Fatima.
"This is a sign of your great interest in being Church," said the archbishop.
"We must remember that we are the body and blood of the risen Christ in the church today. While each individual has his own hang-ups and weaknesses, he has been chosen to be Christ's body. You are all (a) sacrament." He continued to say that each person had an important mission and task. Namely, each person had to go beyond being just a good person and move towards being Church. The three-hour assembly, held on November 21, was attended by the core teams of the 19 BECs belonging to the parish. Also present were members from other parish organisations such as the faith educators and hospitality ministry.
The event looked at the progress made by the BECs throughout the year and focused on planning two parish events for the coming year. While reviewing the BECs' performance, parishioners cited difficulties in meeting up and discouragement due to poor response as their main challenges towards being able to successfully hold the two events which each individual BEC was supposed to have planned. Archbishop Pakiam was quick to reassure the parishioners that Word sharing in BECs was not dependent on the number of people present…
For the story in full kindly refer to page 5 of the Herald.
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OLL Klang one of the most active parishes in the archdiocese
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Klang : Archbishop Murphy Pakiarn congratulated the clergy and laity of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes (OLL)in his speech during the annual parish pastoral assembly on Nov 2 1.
"I am impressed at the many activities held in this parish - 54 activities in 52 weeks. No doubt OLL is one of the most active parishes in the archdiocese.
"As Catholics, we have great devotion to the presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, "he said adding to parish priest Fr Gerard Theraviam's speech on the focus on the Eucharist .He was also impressed that the assembly started with there citation of the vespers as it is the heritage of the church.
Fr Gerard on the other hand stressed on the growth of BECs in the parish.
"The BEC must become away of life in our parish. Indeed BECs have grown from simple gatherings to something more specific. A great deal of progress can be seen. Do not be discouraged by small numbers in BEC reflections as it is the quality that counts, not quantity."
He particularly stressed on Biblical sharing and the Eucharist. "Without the Word of God as a focus, we can't claim that we are Catholics. The Eucharist has been an emphasis in all our gatherings and occasions this year. Catholic life cannot be divorced from the Eucharist."
Fr Gerard then thanked Fr George Harrison, Deacon A.P. Thomas, Bro Surain, the office staff, PPC, PCC and members of all other parish groups for their efforts in building a vibrant parish.
The assembly then took a vote on the extension of the balcony. The extension of the balcony was to accommodate more people seated inside the church so as to lessen the 'outstanding Catholics.' The majority voted for it to be carried out; however no consen-sus was reached.
Issues discussed at the assembly included the accounts statements, report of the year long activities, a questionnaire answered by the BECs and the sensational multi-purpose building project. This was followed by the election of the new board of PPC members as the present members have ended their two year term. - By Jacelyn Johnson
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Batang Berjuntai parishioners prepare for the Year of the Eucharist
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BATANG BERJUNTAI, Selangor : The Church of St Paul the Hermit is preparing its parishioners to celebrate the Year of the Eucharist more meaningfully with a series of activities.
The parish priest Fr Terrance Thomas together with the Parish Pastoral Council have drawn up a programme to create and instill an awareness on the importance of the Eucharist in the life of every Catholic.
For the past 6 months, six zones of the parish had a Eucharistic Awareness Seminar which was attended by some 400 parishioners. A 25-member team from the parish made a great effort to bring this programme to the heart of the people so that they would under-stand and fully believe that the Eucharist is truly Jesus Christ and that He is truly present among us.
The programme will culminate with a three-day spiritual activity to be held from Dec 10 to 12 at the parish.
The first day (Dec 10) has been set aside as a day of fasting for the parishioners with all-day adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. This will be followed by the Advent Penitential service at 7.30pm
On the following day (Dec 11), there will also be ll-day adoration followed by the 'Procession of the Eucharist' during which the Blessed Sacrament will be taken in procession for the first time through the town of Batang Berjuntai.
A mini Eucharistic congress will be held on Sunday (Dec 12) from 8amto 5.30pm. The day will begin with the 'pilgrimage' of the parishioners from all the zones of the parish followed by various sessions Including talks on the Eucharist by guest speakers. The highlight of the day will be the Eucharistic celebration.
One of the spiritual preparations for the three day event was a series of Bible competitions which was held over a period of 5 months. The celebration on Dec 12 will conclude with the prize giving ceremony to the winners of the Bible competitions. – By S. Jesudass
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Migrants are part of our community
Cheras : The parishioners of the Church St Francis of Assisi were congratulated for having representatives from the various races including the migrant workers at the parish pastoral assembly.
"In Malaysia we are Chinese, Indians, Eurasians, Sabahans, Kadazans, lbans, all here to form a community, all here to build bridges," said Archbishop Pakiam.
The archbishop who gave his speech after observing the proceedings said that he was happy to know that the parish was running the Parish Renewal Experience (PRE)and advised PRE participants to follow-up with the Community Spiritual Experience because both these programmes help in our understanding of spirituality.
The archbishop ended his talk on a note of compassion for our priests. "Understand your priests, theirs is a high tension job with so many things to attend to. They need support from the parish and they need your prayers."
Earlier, Mr G. Anthony, chairman of the Parish Pastoral Council, stated that the purpose of the Pastoral Assembly was to review the events of the past year, their strengths and weaknesses and to plan the events for the year 2005 one of which was The Bible in l00 Weeks. He stressed that the spirit of the assembly was one of co-responsibility and the ability to overcome all difficulties.
He briefly touched on one of the major problems of the church - that of constant flooding at the entrance to the church grounds. He informed the assembly that action had been taken and that the matter was now in the hands of the Majlis Perbandaran Kajang.
Mr George Singaram, chairman of the Parish Finance Committee, presented the Financial Report during which he made it known that the front walls of the church were cracking and restoration work needed to be carried out immediately…
For the story in full kindly refer to page 6 of the Herald.
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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TAN SRI DOMINIC VENDARGON
On Dec 8, 1934, Archbishop Emeritus Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon was ordained a priest.
When the archdiocese of Singapore-Malaya was split into three dioceses - Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang, Fr Dominic Vendargon who had served as a priest for 21 years ,became the first Bishop and later on Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur.
Next year, we will be celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the Episcopal Ordination of Archbishop Emeritus Vendargon and the Golden Jubilee of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur.
I have served as a priest in the archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur for 50 years and I cannot remain silent in front of His Grace without wishing him a very Happy 70th Sacerdotal Ordination on Dec 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I was only 10 years old when he was ordained priest. I was ordained priest in 1947 and I came to know Archbishop Vendargon when I came to Malaya at the end of 1954 – after five and a-half years in China. From the moment I came as priest to Kuala Lumpur in 1955, 1 was appointed as Parish Priest in Mantin. That was the same year Fr Dominic Vendargon became the bishop of Kuala Lumpur.
From that moment until now, I have been a priest of the archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur and have served under the authority of His Grace until his retirement.
Now I pay special homage to His Grace Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon for his wonderful dedication to his apostolic work. It is very difficult to find a bishop like him. He has been a very good example for me in my priestly ministry. Many of our young priests have not seen His Grace working in the archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, but I admire him. Nobody can compete with him. And on the 70th anniversary of his priestly ordination, who can say, "I will challenge him"?
Today, let us thank the Lord for having given us such a good shepherd for the archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur.
His Grace Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon, Archbishop Emeritus of Kuala Lumpur, I wish you a very "Happy Anniversary of your priestly ordination".
Rev Fr A. Henriot Cheras
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