 
Archive : July 2004
MIGRANTS DO THEIR PART FOR OUR LADY OF LOURDES CENTENARY CELEBRATION
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Ipoh : The Migrant community of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes organised a car wash recently to raise funds for the centenary celebrations next year. According to the coordinator Ms. Michelle, parishioners were charged a nominal fee of RM 5.00 to have the exteriors of their car washed during the Mass. Michelle further highlighted that the support given by Frs. Anthony Pillai and Clement Perera and the Chairman of the Centenary Committee were indeed encouraging and this spurred the migrants to go all out in making this project a success. From the encouraging response received, Fr. Pillai has asked the migrants to continue with this project on a monthly basis. Michelle further added that excitement was so overwhelming that the migrants spent their time shop-ping for car shampoos, washing cloth sand even pails and they spent a night in the church to make sure
that there were no problems. In an interview with Martinus, the leader of the migrants, the idea for the 'Car Wash' project was readily accepted by the Indonesians because they felt that the parish has been very accommodating to the migrants. For the past few years the parishioners have taken the trouble to make the Indonesians feel comfort-able by celebrating their Independence Day and also supporting them in the parish activities, including, the formation of the Indonesian Choir. The car-wash project is their way of saying Thank You to all the parishioners for their support. - HERALD
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PARISH CAFE HELPS FOSTER CLOSER RELATIONSHIP
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Ipoh : It has become a familiar sight at the Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (OMPH) to find groups of parishioners heading for the Cafe St Gerard after Sunday morning Mass. Cafe St Gerard is the cafe of the OMPH Church built and fully equipped early this year. It has become an avenue for the parishioners to go for a 'cuppa' and breakfast after Sunday morning mass. "We wanted the BECs and the various ministries to be actively involved in these coffee mornings. I have seen the tremendous response to these coffee morning. Parishioners are getting to know each other better and have established new relationships," said OMPH Parish Priest, Fr. Rudy Wong. The group that organises the coffee morning prepares its own food and drinks for sale. Whatever profit is derived from the sales goes towards it sown BEC or Ministry to fund for its activities. Cafe St Gerard has also become a meeting place for small committees to decide on matters or issues pertaining to their BECS or ministries. HERALD
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WORD OF GOD MUST BE READ AND SHARED TO ALL
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Klang : "The Bible which consists of the Word of God is meant to be read by all Christians, who in turn should share this Word and love of God to everyone," said Fr Raymond Pereira (pie) during the Bible Sunday celebration at the Church of the Holy Redeemer. "A good tree cannot pro-duce bad fruits and a bad tree cannot produce good fruits, hence it is vital for families to read the Bible and share it with other members, in order that their children grow into better Catholics, better citizens and better people," said Fr. Raymond who also explained about the family in the context of the Bible. "The family as a 'domestic Church' plays an important role as well as 'good marriages' in producing good Catholics. Today, we can see that there are many broken marriages and separated families," said Fr Raymond. He concluded by challenging his parishioners to take the Word of God as well as the Eucharist more seriously so as to transform families, especially the children to become better people of God. HERALD
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MUSLIMS URGES TO BOYCOTT MALAYSIAN IDOL
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Kuala Lumpur : Malaysian Idol is under attack by Islamic fundamentalist leaders, who have denounced the local version of the hit American television show as an attempt to steer Muslim youths away from religious fidelity. Malaysian Idol began last month on the predominantly Muslim country's new private 8TV network and it is attracting millions of viewers every week. It has really sparked a flame among Malaysians who want to showcase their talent and be the next superstar. The first audition held in Penang attracted almost 1,000 entries and had people from all walks of life. Participants came from Langkawi, Kelantan, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and as far as Sabah, to audition. Thousands of young, aspiring pop stars - ranging from urban teenagers in Kuala Lumpur to fishermen on Borneo island - have flocked to nationwide auditions for the
singing competition, often belting out English-language ballads or gyrating to R&B tunes. Organisers promise the winner are cording contract and “platinum-selling artist treatment”. But the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Pas) urged audiences to boycott the programme. "We fear that such shows will create a culture where Malaysians become too emotional, spiritually weak and hungry for fame and glamour," said Mahfuz Omar, a senior Pas official. HERALD
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FEAST DAY CELEBRATION AND GROUND-BREAKING CEREMONY AT KUANTAN PARISH
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Kuantan : The ground-breaking ceremony for Kuantan parish's new Community Centre was held on July 3, the feast of St Thomas. The celebrations at the Church of St. Thomas commenced on July 1 with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 9 am. There was continuous adoration by individuals and groups throughout the day. The blessing of the land took place before the 8 pm multilingual Eucharistic celebration. Parish priest Fr. Eugene Benedict led the prayers before inviting 200 people representing the elderly, the parents, youths, children and the BEC Coordinating team to bless the vicinity with salt and water. The following night, Fr. Eugene and assistant priest Fr. George Packiasamy performed the dedication of the land together with representatives of the FMM Sisters, Building Project Committee, Fundraising Committee, Feast Day Committee and the Parish Pastoral Council. Altogether 36 medals
f saints were buried at a selected location in the church compound. This was followed by the Eucharistic celebration. The next day, the ground-breaking ceremony was officiated by Fr. George using a decorated "excavator machine. This was followed by Mass and a potluck dinner attended by many parishioners. It was also a special occasion being the 15th anniversary of Fr. Eugene's priestly ordination. His mother and some family members were present for this auspicious event. The celebrations culminated on Sunday, July 4 with the Eucharist, followed by breakfast sales with a big variety of food, and family fun and games for young and old. HERALD
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CITIBANK ADVERTISEMENT MISLEADS
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Kuala Lumpur :Cahayasuara Communication Centre took issue with are cent advertisement by Citibank. The advertisement shows a child emulating his father shaving–complete with shaving cream and razor. Cahayasuara, the communications Centre of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, wrote a letter of complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority of Malaysia (ASAM). In the letter, Cahayasuara stated that the abovementioned advertisement contradicts the Malaysian Code of Advertising Practice involving the use of children and therefore exposes them to potential harm. This is explicitly irresponsible. It is regrettable that an international establishment like Citibank has been careless about the visual content of an advertisement going out in its name. For the sake of grabbing consumers' attention, the advertisement has resorted to unethical means,
disregarding the safety and protection of children. The advertising agency for Citibank replied to the com-plaint letter refuting the claims. They said, "We would like to emphasis that the child depicted in the advertisement is not shown using a razor blade as alleged. That is a huge exaggeration. Instead, he is shown using a safe shaving apparatus." ASAM in a letter to the legal consultant of the Advertising Agency declared that, "The committee has deliberated on the matter and found the advertisement in breach of the Code by reason of Clause 12.1, Section 11 of the General principles and clause 2.1 of Appendix B. It is noted that the campaign has ended but please advise your client to refrain using the advertisement hereafter". This was conveyed to the press by Lawrence John, the Director of Cahayasuara. HERALD
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BIBLE KNOWLEDGE COURSE TO BE INTRODUCED TON FORM 3 STUDENTS
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Kuala Lumpur : The Bible Knowledge (BK) course will soon be introduced to students in Form 3. At present the BK is offered to students in Forms 4 and 5. The students will study the Gospel of Jesus according to St Luke in Form 3 and the Acts of the Apostles in Form 4. In Form 5, they "I do a complete revision of the two books and thus be better prepared for the examination. According to G. Anthony who is the coordinator of the BK course in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, the syllabus will be introduced earlier because students are too busy in Form 5 with mid-year exams, trial exams, confirmation camps, prefect camps, sports camps and thus there is a shortage of time for proper preparation of the subject at parish level. "To our knowledge, a considerable number of students who take up Bible Knowledge in Form 4, give it up in
Form 5 due to lack of time. "Ideally, a parish should have 6 teachers (i.e. two teachers each for Forms 3, 4 and 5). So with this in view, a teachers' course on the Gospel of Jesus according to St Luke will be run from Aug 20 to Aug 22 at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre. "This course is only open to teachers and lay persons who wish to follow the course and teach the SPM students in their respective parishes. The teaching kit costs RM 40 and participants should purchase the set and study them before coming for the course." Potential teachers should get the approval of their parish priests," added Anthony. For further information, please contact Ms Josephine at 03-22066442. - HERALD
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COLOURS PORTRAY A UNIFIED CHURCH DURING OMPH FEAST CELEBRATION
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Ipoh : The Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help celebrated its feast day in a unique way. Parishioners came dressed in different colours each night during the preached mission. The parishioners were requested to wear a different colour each night - red, green, white and blue which served as a symbol of their trust, faith and eagerness to co-operate towards a more unified Church. A special novena was held for nine Saturdays preceding the preached mission. The novenas themed 'Make her known' was befitting the main objective of the Redemptorist Fathers to make Mother Mary known to all. The novenas held every Saturday at 9 am and 6 pm were very well attended not only by Catholics but also many non-Catholics as well. The preached mission began on June 21 with guest preachers from Singapore,
Sarawak and Penang. Speaking on the theme, "Eucharist: Empowerment and Commissioning" Fr. Patrick Massang, CSSR of the Church of St. Bernard in Dalat, Sarawak said, "When we celebrate the Eucharist we celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is the greatest communal celebration of thanks giving. Receiving the Eucharist is just not enough. It must change us more and more into the image and likeness of God. At this moment we must decide to live our life to the full or else there is no parish. The preached mission was also conducted in Tamil and Mandarin by Capuchin Friar Fr. Andrew Manickam and Fr Philip Lai, CSSR respectively. HERALD
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KUANTAN PARISH ORGANISES STUDY – CAMP FOR ORANG ASLI STUDENTS
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Kuantan : A one-week study camp was held for 30 Orang Asli student sat the Chapel of St Theresa recently. The camp which was organised by the Committee for 'Orang Asli Ministry of the Church of St Thomas was intended to help the Orang Asli students with their studies as well as to teach them how to plan their study time properly. The youths comprising primary and secondary students as well as recent school leavers came from Kuala Rompin, Bukit Serok and Paloh Hinai. Ten teachers and a number of stu-dents from the parish conducted the lessons. Separate timetables were drawn up for the primary and secondary students while the school leavers were taught conversational English. Games, talks, video shows and singing sessions were held in the evenings. At the end of the camp, the students were taken on a sight-seeing tour to Telok Chempedak beach and the mini zoo at Taman Teruntum. On the day of their departure,
parish priest Fr. Eugene Benedict presided at the Mass for the students. This was followed by dinner and fellowship and the presentation of song sand dances by the Orang Asli children. The best male and best female participants received prizes from Fr. Eugene while the rest were also given stationery sets. All the students felt happy at the camp although a few were homesick initially. They praised the teachers for their patience in teaching them and hoped for more such camps in the future. A similar camp was held last year and the committee plans to make it an annual affair and hopes that more teachers will volunteer their services. HERALD
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BRING JESUS’ LOVE AND MERCY TO THE LOST AND HOPELESS
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Kuala Lumpur : Imitate Jesus, the Good Shepherd and bring his love and mercy to others who are lost and hope-less. This is the meaning of the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This was highlighted by Fr. Lawrence Andrew, SJ in his homily on June 18 at the Church of the Sacred Heart. Referring to the Gospel text of the lost sheep, Fr. Lawrence said that the incarnation of the Son of God attests that God goes in search of all men and women, especially those who feel lost and abandoned. The proof of his love for us is that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God emptied himself to be one with us and goes looking for us who have gone astray. The heart of Jesus is full of mercy and love,' he added.
Presiding at the Eucharist was Archbishop Murphy Pakiam. Concelebrating were Msgr James Gnanapiragasam, Fr Anthony Thomas and Fr. Lawrence. On this feast of the Sacred Heart, the Church prays for the Sanctification of priests. The clergy and bishop recited special Prayer of Sanctification in the presence of the Catholic community. The one and a half hour celebration ended with a fellow-ship in the church grounds. Other preachers for the five day celebration included Fr. Frederick Joseph and Fr. Michael Raymond, OFM,Cap. Speaking about the Eucharist and BEC Collaboration Fr. Frederick urged parishioners who are not yet BEC members to seriously consider joining the BECS. He explained that BECs which are Word-centered and the Mass which is Eucharist-centered are inter-connected. Fr Michael who spoke on, The Eucharist: A meal for Sinners invited the parishioners not to treat lightly the Eucharist as just another, ‘event', but to be aware of the significance of the real presence of God. - HERALD
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FAITH EDUCATION IS A LIFE LONG PROCESS
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Seremban : The Church of the Visitation has made faith education a mission of the parish. Formation and re-education programmes are continuously organised for the Sunday school teachers of the parish. In an intensive one-day session, more than 40 faith education teachers of the parish gathered for an awareness of catechetical methodology and hands-on understanding of the use of related catechetical books available in the market. The session was facilitated by Dr Steven Selvaraju, the head of the Archdiocesan Catechetical Commission. Centred on the theme sowing the Seed of Faith,
the session was set to provide a brief overview of the history of Catechesis with the aim of understanding how this was done in the past and how it would need to be carried out in the pre-sent circumstances. Catechetical methodology was seen as being of primary importance especially when confronted with a short time frame on Sundays. Dr Steven reminded teachers to bring Christ at all times in the teaching of the faith and not to deviate from the aim. He said it was important for the child in the Catechism class to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and that the class teacher
was a channel for this. Touching on 'graduation ceremonies' at the level of Catechism classes for children ending a particular level and the priorities attached to this in some parishes, Dr Steven did not mince words when he pointed out that the pageantry attached to such 'graduations' could bring about an end to the process of learning. "Faith education is life-long and parish catechetical committees should develop ways to sustain a commitment to discovery-learning in the early years of the child." - HERALD
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GRAND LAUNCHING OF GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS AT RAWANG PARISH
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Rawang : The Church of St. Jude launched its parish level Golden Jubilee celebration of the Archdiocese with special effects. All nine DEC zones were asked to come with their own logos depicting the zone names as well as a theme while the youths of the parish were given the task to organise the family carnival. Just before the final blessing during the Eucharist on May 30, all nine zone leaders with their
DEC core-group Members assembled at the entrance of the church. As the music started, each zone leader, very proudly wearing a zone sash and carrying their zone logo on a flag-pole, marched in with great fanfare. The congregation who were seated got so excited that they all stood up to welcome the BECS. When all the zone representatives were assembled in front of the sanctuary, loud Roman marching music was played. All the parishioners
turned to the back of the church to see a Roman centurion, escorted by two soldiers, marching in. When they reached the altar, the centurion handed over a seated CD to parish priest Fr. Mitchel Anthony, who then inserted it into the laptop. The zone leaders then proceeded to hang their logos on nine different areas inside the church. After the thanksgiving song the celebrant walked to the entrance of the church to unveil two large framed
up posters with the Archdiocesan logo on one side and the vision and Mission statement on the other. It was then carnival time. All zones had their own food stalls that were beautifully decorated. There was music and laughter with games like fishing, eating water melon, catching water filled balloons, husband sand wives feeding each other, best teh tarik, peeling onions and flower decorations. All winners went away with prizes to remember their achievement. SUKOM mascot Wira was on hand to add laughter and to give away little gifts to children. This was indeed a memorable day for all gathered and will definitely be remembered for a long time. – HERALD
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LEGAL AND RELIGIOUS ASPECTS OF ABORTION AND EUTHANASIA
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Petaling Jaya : Medical, legal and religious viewpoints on euthanasia and abortion were highlighted during a seminar organised by the Catholic Lawyers Society on June 19. Titled Euthanasia and, Abortion, Medicolegal and Church Perspectives, the seminar was held in conjunction with the celebration of the feast day of the society's patron St. Thomas More. The speakers representing the medical profession, the legal profession and the church were Dr. John Wong, Dr Francis Lopez, Sir Dato' Peter Mooney and Fr. Clarence Dass. The moderator was Mr. Robert Lazar, a member of the Bar who expressed that the issue should also be looked at from a political viewpoint. Dr Francis Lopez speaking on euthanasia traced the development of modern day euthanasia to the writings of an eighteenth century English economist Thomas Malthus who advocated biological means instead of socioeconomic
reforms to alleviate poverty. Dr Lopez said that the 5th commandment Thou shalt not kill and the Hippocratic oath taken by doctors make it imperative that doctors should only eliminate the problem and not the patient. Dr Wong speaking on the topic of abortion said that it must be seen as part of the contraceptive mentality. He reiterated the Church's teachings that life begins at conception. Abortion and contraception are part of the culture of death and destruction, which exists today. Sir Dato' Peter Mooney viewed abortion and euthanasia as an attack on life at its fragile beginning and fragile ending. He said palliative care is almost non-existent in countries which allow euthanasia. Fr. Clarence Dass referring to the scriptures and church documents said that divine law and natural reason excluded the right to kill. Hence abortion and euthanasia are grievous sins.
Abortion leads to excommunication. However, the church does not restrict the scope of its mercy and its message to women who have undergone abortion is to seek reconciliation with God. - HERALD
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CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
Petaling Jaya : Archbishop Murphy Pakiam carrying the Blessed Sacrament in procession during the joint celebration of the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ by the PJ District parishes on June 13. The celebration was held at the Church of St Francis Xavier, PJ .
• Pope John Paul has declared Oct 2004 to Oct 2005 as a special Year of the Eucharist.
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FEAST DAY CELEBRATIONS AT JESUS CARITAS, KEPONG
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Kepong : The Church of Jesus Caritas celebrated its parish feast dav - the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ with a triduum. The invited preachers included Fr. V. A. Michael and Frederick Joseph. Fr. V. A. Michael who spoke on Family Life and Prayer stressed on the importance of attending church and receive the Eucharist as a family. Fr. Frederick Joseph who spoke on Youth and the
Eucharist highlighted The Last Supper and the significance of the Eucharist, particularly in relation to Youths. In line with the selected topic, the in Mass was animated by the youths of the parish. Parish priest Fr Joachim Tan spoke on The Holy Hour - the quiet presence-of Jesus and the History of Corpus Christi where he explained the struggle of the early Christians. Just before the final blessing, the parish level celebrations
for the Golden Jubilee of the Archdiocese was launched. The various parish ministries led by the parish pastoral council, walked up the isle and offered up their newly created banners at the Altar. This was followed by a procession and benediction. During the triduum, light refreshment and fellowship followed after Mass. On Saturday, the BECs took the lead to organise a simple but filling dinner for all parishioners. During the three days, parishioners had a good chance to chat and have fellowship with the visiting priests as well 'as further strengthen their bonds of unity.- HERALD
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GIVE THANKS FOR THE GIFT OF THE EUCHARIST
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Cheras : The Parish of St. Francis of Assisi combined the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ with the Kaamatan dan Gawai festivals. Resplendent in his traditional Kadazandusun attire, Assistant Parish Priest Fr. Valentine Gompok Ofm Cap asked the parishioners, "When you attend Mass, are you a participant or a spectator?" He explained that many people attend Mass just for the sake of fulfilling their obligation. They were physically present but their thoughts elsewhere.
"Do you give thanks for the gift of the Eucharist or has it no meaning for you?”, he asked. Fr Valentine also explained that the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are inter related. "You cannot receive Christ in Holy Communion if you have not first received Him in the Word," he added. After the announcements, there was a procession with the Blessed Sacrament around the Church. For the first time, the parish also celebrated the Harvest Festival (Kaamatan and Gawai).
The Eucharistic celebration was animated by the Bahasa Malaysia speaking apostolate. The church and ground were beautifully deco-rated with decorative iterts from Sabah, Sarawak and Indonesia. The procession in to the church was led by dancers and accompanied with music from gongs. The songs were in Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Kadazan, and Bahasa lban. The music ministry was led by the choir from the Church of St Anthony. The group from St Anthony also presented some items in the presentations after the Mass. After the Mass, everyone was invited to enjoy the cultural presentations from Borneo and join in the fellowship. There was also a corner for the more adventurous to sample delicacies from Sabah, Sarawak and Indonesia.- HERALD
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THOUSANDS SEEK BLESSINGS AT ST. ANTHONY’S PUDU
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Kuala Lumpur : The Church of St. Anthony, celebrated the feast of St. Anthony Of Padua with a nine-day daily Mass and Novena which ended on June 13. More than 8,000 Catholics, including some non-Christians, converged for the 3 hour long celebration on June 12 which included Holy Mass, Novena, Procession and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Newly-ordained priest, Fr George Harrison presided at the Eucharistic celebration with parish administrator, Fr. Jestus Pereira, and Fr Simon Wong, concelebrating. Preaching in English, Tamil and Bahasa Malaysia, Fr George who was ordained in February and is a former parishioner of St. Anthony's, urged the faithful not to just come and seek help from God for "our own needs only" but to go back and share our faith with others.
"Sharing is part of the Mission. We come to hear the Word and to partake the Sacred Meat , and thereafter we are called to go back to our homes, our community, our workplaces to share the Word and bring the 'Face of Christ' to others," said Fr. George. Fr George said that there are many out there searching for God and for the truth. We are called to bring Christ to these people. He cited St Anthony of Padua as a model, who, when young rejected his wealthy background, and became what God wanted him to be, a preacher - someone who went out to share his faith and brought back many to the Catholic Church. Before the end of the celebration, there was a blessing with the Blessed Sacrament. This year, the celebration seemed more organised with 16 large TV sets placed outside the church
grounds at strategic points, with large modem tents erected with adequate fans and large loudspeakers, for the benefit of those sitting outside. However, due to the extra large crowd, many had to stand. The crowd even over-flowed onto Jalan Robertson, the road leading to the church, which was closed traffic. Various stalls selling religious articles, food and drinks were erected. There was one stall planned by the Catholic staff and ex-staff of Telekom Malaysia, which offered free drinks to the congregation after the celebration. - HERALD
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