 
Archive : January 2004
ORANG ASLI FAMILIES GET NEW HOMES UNDER JSOF 2000
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Seremban : Nine families from the Orang Asli settlement of Kampung Tekir and Kampung Sebir received new homes under the Jubilee Solidarity Offering Fund (JSOF) 2000 allocation made to the Church of the Visitation. The new home owners received their keys from Archbishop Murphy Pakiam in a simple ceremony at the Chapel of Mary Mother of God in Kampung Tekir recently. Also present at the ceremony was the Batin (village head) of the settlement. “The building of new homes for the Orang Asli was among the four projects that had been short-listed for the JSOF 2000 allocation of the parish,” said Fr. Albet Arockiasamy, parish priest of Visitation Church and administrator of the Kg. Tekir chapel. He added that portions of the allocation were directed to the Mawar Kidney Dialysis Centre in Seremban, the Rhema Children’s Home and Seremban Hospice. (Herald)
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INVITATION TO DOUBLE ORDINATION
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Kuala Lumpur : The Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur will be blessed with two new priests following the double ordination of Rev. Michael Chua and Rev. George Harrison on Feb 2, 2004. The ordinations which are the first in the archdiocese for the year 2004, will take place at the Cathedral of St. John in Bukit Nanas at 10.00 am. The duo have chosen for their ordination the theme, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Rev. Michael is from the Church of the Assumption in Petaling Jaya, while Rev. George is a parishioner of the Church of St. Anthony in Kuala Lumpur. (Herald)
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DEVELOP SPIRITUALITY OF FAMILY
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Madonna Heights, Ulu Kelang : “Be responsible in raising your children with Christian values by being role models in family prayers and spirituality. “Spend quality time with your children to appreciate their needs and aspirations. As parents, you are solely responsible to inculcate spirituality in the family,” said Fr. Joseph Stephen, CCsR. The Redemptorist preacher said this during the four-day mission held in conjunction with the feast day celebration of the Chapel of Mary Mother of God. Themed “Renewing Family Life”, the mission commenced on Dec 29, 2003 and ended on Jan 1, 2004. On the last day of the mission, families of parishioners and their friends were solemnly consecrated to God by Fr. Stephen during the Eucharistic celebration. (Herald)
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VALUABLE EXPERIENCE FOR ASSUMPTION YOUTH MINISTRY
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Petaling Jaya : Members of the Assumption Youth Ministry experienced a time of self-discovery and personal growth during their Christmas carolling last month. What was meant to be a period of having fun and singing at various locations in the Klang Valley turned into a journey of discovering one's own strengths and weaknesses and learning how to overcome these weaknesses with each other's help. "Though we may have had many rough edges that needed to be smoothed out, what made us feel special was that we put in a 100 per cent effort and gave a whole-hearted performance,” said one of its members. The group comprising 30 youths and 5 children performed over a ten-day period at various locations such as Lot 10, Star Hill, Mid Valley and several private homes and parties. (Herald)
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CATHOLIC BOOKSHOP FOR PORT DICKSON COMMUNITY
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Port Dickson : A Catholic bookshop geared towards being of service to the churches at large and the immediate Catholic community in particular has begun operations in Port Dickson. The Gloria Bookstore is set to cater to those needing religious and life-related books, stationery and religious articles. In a special ceremony to bless the facility on its soft launch last month, Immaculate Conception parish priest Fr. Leonard John said that the bookshop provides an opportunity for the Catholic community to seek information on the Church and Church-related matters through publications and media. "We can seek to have better knowledge of the Church and of subjects or topics related to our lives. This bookshop is more than just a business enterprise or job. It is a source of faith knowledge where one can, with special effort, deepen one's faith through reading and reference." said Fr. Leonard. (Herald)
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BEC BRINGS CHRISTMAS JOY TO CHILDREN’S HOME
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Cheras : Thirty-five families from St. Theresa's BEC, Church of St. Francis of Assisi, participated in a day of Fast and Penance to raise funds for the Rumah Keluarga Kami Children's Home in Kajang. The members raised RM 1, 233.00 which was utilised to purchase new clothes, an electrical kettle, a bread toaster and two irons for the home. The 29 children from the Home were also the honoured guests at the BEC's Christmas cum Family Day function held on Dec. 28, 2003 at the parish hall. Thirty families participated in the dinner and games event. Parish Priest Fr. Joe Matthews, OFM, Cap, assistant priest Fr. Valentine Gompok, OFM, Cap and Fr. Raymond Michael OFM, Cap were also present. St. Theresa BEC’s Coordinator, Brian Anthony was delighted that everything went as planned. He said that all the BEC members were glad to share their Christmas joy with the less privileged, as Christmas is a time to give. (Herald)
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MESSAGE TO PRIME MINISTER
The Catholics of Malaysia thank you for your unprecedented and personalized greetings this Christmas. It comes to us as a mark of your committed leadership of the nation and reinforces our confidence in your dedication to work for the upliftment of our beloved country. There was an overwhelming response of joy and satisfaction when we communicated your Christmas greetings to our congregation. It was my pleasure to forward to you Honourable Prime
Minister... more
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TRANSFERS AND NEW APPOINTMENTS
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Msgr. James Gnanapiragasam has been appointed the new parish priest of the Cathedral of St John in Bukit Nanas. He will take over from Msgr. Daniel Lim who has been appointed as parish priest of the Church of the Holy Rosary in Brickfields. Taking over from Msgr. Gnanapiragasam as parish priest of the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Brickfields is Fr. Clarence Devadass who will also pastor the Puchong parish. The transfers will take effect on Feb 28, 2004. In the meantime, Fr. Peter Bretaudeau, MEP has been assigned as the Administrator of the Church of the Risen Christ, Jalan lpoh. His appointment took effect on Dec 14,2003. (Herald)
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KG TEKIR ORANG ASLI WELCOME ARCHBISHOP PAKIAM
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Seremban : The Orang Asli community of Kg. Tekir, Labu welcomed Archbishop Murphy Pakiam to their community recently. Cultural integration through prayer, music, attire, headgear, traditional decoration, dances and community meals were the order of the day. Archbishop Pakiam made his first visit to the settlement in a four-wheeler and blessed homes in the settlement. He was assisted by Fr. Albet Arockiasamy. The following day, more than 50 young people from Kg. Tekir, Kg. Sebir and Kg. Belihoi gathered at the Chapel of Mary Mother of God to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. “We are always one in Christ and Christ is one with us. We must strive to be one in prayer and community”, said Archbishop in his address. At the conclusion of the day’s celebration, Archbishop Pakiam handed the keys to the owners of the houses built under the Jubilee Fund Programme undertaken by the Negeri Society of St. Vincent de Paul. (Herald)
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KLANG PARISH ORGANIZES CELEBRATION FOR MIGRANT WORKERS
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Klang : The parishioners of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes brought Christmas cheer to many migrant workers living here in Malaysia, by welcoming them for a Christmas celebration. The celebration was organized by the Parish’s Integral Human Development Ministry (PIHDM). About 260 migrants from countries like Nepal, China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Philippines and Sri Lanka joined in the gathering held on Dec. 28, 2003. Migrants from India, Myanmar and Philippines presented Christmas carols in their respective native language. The migrants joined in the games organized and had fun throughout the event, dancing and singing in the spirit of Christmas. (Herald)
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ST. THOMAS HOLD CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE
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Kuantan : More than 2,000 people from all levels and segments of society attended a Christmas Open House held at the Church of St. Thomas on Dec. 25, 2003. Guests included Information Minister, Tan Sri Khalil Yaakob, children and staff from Rumah Kanak-Kanak Tengku Ampuan Rahimah and the Handicapped Centre, representatives from other churches, religious organizations and non-governmental organizations. Guests were feted with a wide array of sumptuous halal food and entertained with singing and dancing. Acceding to popular request, Dato’ Maznah Mazlan, Pahang Exco for Culture, Arts, Tourism and Women Affairs rendered two songs much to the delight of the audience. The event received press coverage from TV3, RTM and the local papers. In a press interview, parish priest Fr. Eugene Benedict, said that he was glad that this gesture to foster goodwill and community has drawn a good response from the multi-racial society of Kuantan. (Herald)
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EVENING OF CAROLS AT OLL
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Klang : Carollers from 17 BECs participated in an ‘evening of carols’ held at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes on De.c 28, 2003. It was a simple evening of Christmas joy and cheer among BECs in the parish. Most of them, dressed in uniforms according to their BEC’s dress code including some who dressed according to the nativity characters. Each BEC presented a maximum of two carols. Following the presentation, a fellowship was held. Everyone mingled around, extending Christmas greetings and complimenting each other on their singing. The gathering ended with the whole church joining in the singing of Feliz Na Vi Dad. (Herald)
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PILGRIM STATUE VISITS GEREJA KATOLIK FATIMA
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Banting : The month of December was a time of intense spiritual preparation for the parishioners of Gereja Katolik Fatima. In addition to preparing for Advent and Christmas, the parishioners were also anticipating the visit of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima which arrived at the parish on Nov. 30, 2003. Each BEC was given three days of home visit where devotion to Our Lady of Fatima was carried out through the recitation of the rosary. The visit of the Pilgrim Virgin statue was symbolic especially during the Feast of the Holy Family which coincided with the consecration of families which is part of the intentions of the statue's visit. On Dec. 31, the statue was handed over to the representatives from the Church of St. Jude in Rawang where it will remain for one month. (Herald)
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HOLY FAMILY MARKS FEAST DAY WITH TRIDUUM
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Kajang : The parish of the Holy Family ended its Feast Day celebrations on Dec. 28, 2003 when the young and old gathered together for a mini carnival in the church grounds. This time around, the parish had a three-day celebration from 26 - 28 Dec. 2003. Termed, The Holy Family Feast Day Triduum, the main theme chosen for this special occasion was "... and the Lady said, 'pray the Rosary, daily …”. The guest speaker was the very charismatic and captivating Redemptorist priest, Fr. Joseph Stephens. The attendance was encouraging on all three days considering it was just after Christmas. The themes for the three days were, ‘Jesus – Centre of Family Life’, ‘The Role of Family in Today’s World’ and ‘Holy Family – Model of All Christian Families’. On the final day of the triduum, a mini carnival was held. The triduum was a huge success as everyone went home in high spirits. (Herald)
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INTER-DENOMINATIONAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IN SHAH ALAM
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Shah Alam : The Association of Shah Alam Churches (ASAC) organised a com-bined Christmas Party on Dec. 14, 2003 at the Kota Permai Golf Club. Close to 500 people attended the party. Fr. Raymond Pereira is the Chairperson of ASAC. The event was part of ASAC's effort to strengthen the spirit of understanding and promote unity among Christians. Held in three languages, the event included Christmas carols, cultural dance, play and lucky draw. The Christmas message was delivered by Pastor Dr. Henry Ramayah from Grace Church. (Herald)
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BEC BRING JOY TO SPECIAL CHILDREN
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Kepong : BEC members of Bukit Maluri 2 and 3 spent the evening of Dec. 21, 2003 at the Lion Group Home of Taman Daya, Keoong. The centre is the Day-Care Home for about 20 to 25 special children. For the past 10 years, these BECs under the jurisdiction of the Jesus Caritas Church have come together to sing Christmas carols and join in the joy of the Christmas season. The BECs visited children's homes, orphanages and made contributions to the homes for the aged and underprivileged. It was immensely rewarding for the members to see participation of these special children. The children, parents and the BEC members enjoyed themselves very much. Each member of the home also received a small goodie bag to take home. The members of the BECs hope to keep this Christmas tradition alive for many years to come. (Herald)
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