 
Archive : November 2004
Archbishop Pakiam thanks Fr John
Kuala Lumpur : "Words cannot fully express the gratitude we have for Fr John Gnanapiragasam who has worked much for the good of the archdiocese," said Arch-bishop Murphy Pakiam. The archbishop said this during the Clergy Recollection on Nov 17. In thanking the outgoing Director of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre (APC) and the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute (API), Archbishop Pakiam said that even before APC was put up, Fr John was already working out and planning theological courses for the lay people progressing from the basic to the intermediate and to the advanced level. Some of the programmes initiated by Fr John at API include the Biblical Journey, the Intermediate Formation Programme, the Advanced Formation Programme and the Diploma Formation Programme. According to the archbishop, Fr John organised various programmes not only for the diocese but also at peninsular level. Fr John brought in the Alpha Programme from the LJK for those who have not had the experience to deepen their faith, need for a deepening faith experience arose especially for the 'unchurched' and for single persons...
For the story in full kindly refer to page 3 of the Herold.
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See you at the Goodwill Games!
Petaling Jaya : The much-awaited Goodwill games is at our doorsteps at last. This competition games' is a one day affair, modeled after the Olympics. It promotes healthy competition amongst KL Archdiocese churches in seven games ,namely 7-A-Side Football, badminton (veterans and youth), volleyball (males only), netball (females only), athletics, table tennis and the old famous tug of war! "It is a means to foster solidarity through sport amongst Catholics within the district and to promote brotherhood, fellowship and fun," says the ever youthful Fr Simon LaBrooy. As it appears these games is part of the Jubilee Celebrations of the KL Archdiocese. So far 14 churches have consented to participate at the games that will be held on December 4, 2004 at the BSN Bangi Sports Complex. (8am to 5.30pm). Organising Chairman, Dempsey Fernandez
expects that at least 2000 people will be at the games on Dee 4 and they will be in for a real treat. Firstly, parishioners can come to support their respective churches or friends and cheer them on. Many hidden talents lie unnoticed and who knows, there could be great sportspeople within us. "These games are the first time churches come together in a formal sports platform and hopefully, this will become an annual or biannual event from hereon," says Fernandez. "There never has been a sports organised at this magnitude for the Catholic Church here. If this is successful for the Archdiocese, then maybe someday it can be organised at Peninsular Malaysia level. This time round, the four PJ churches, St Ignatius, St Francis Xavier, Chapel Kurnia Kristus and Assumption are the primary organisers of this event and so far response has been good.
Some churches have responded in all the seven sports categories and others have opted for a few. The overall winner of the games will win a Goodwill Games Challenge Trophy..
For the story in full kindly refer to page 5 of the Herold.
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Hari Raya has become a national unity day
Petaling Jaya : Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that Hari Raya Aidilfitri has become a national unity day with all the people coming out to celebrate although it is a celebration for the Muslims. "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." Some 200,000 people from all walks of life attended the joint Hari Raya open house hosted by the Prime Minister and his Muslim cabinet colleagues at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), on Nov 14. Datuk Seri Abdullah said that this goes to show the very high level of friendliness and unity among the races adding that they
sit at the same table and eat together, there's no special place for the Malays as everyone eats the same food. The Prime Minister said Hari Raya had developed into a festival for all communities to enjoy, and urged Muslims to receive their non-Muslim friends cordially. "Receive them with a smile, greet them with handshakes and celebrate their arrival." Abdullah said the open house concept has become a symbol of racial unity and agreed that this concept should be extended to major festivals celebrated by non-Muslims in the country. He also said that the celebration should be used as an opportunity to enhance ties and affection within the family. "This is a good opportunity for everyone to enjoy the celebration with their parents, family members and friends," adding that this opportunity should be used to show how close you are with your family…
For the story in full kindly refer to page 5 of the Herold.
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A Year of ‘spiritual triumph’ for Holy Redeemer parishioners
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Klang : More than 70 parishioners comprising core members of the BECs and various parish ministries attended the 4th Parish Pastoral Assembly of the Church of the Holy Redeemer, on Nov 4. To assist the Parish Pastoral Council in planning activities for 2005, a questionnaire on family participation in activities at BEC & parish levels was distributed to all families in September. It was ascertained from the feedback that activities at parish level needs more encouragement for participation. The Parish Planner2005 was presented highlighting important feast days and activities for family and spiritual growth. To help understand and prepare for the Archdiocesan Golden Jubilee Year 2005 cel-ebration, Parish Priest, Fr Raymond Pereira, quoted Leviticus of the Old Testament where God commanded Moses to set
aside each 50th year as sacred and directed how it was to be observed. Since 1300 AD, the Catholic Church has observed Jubilee Years as Holy Years at various intervals to mark reconciliation with God and to receive His favour and blessing. Fr. Raymond then went on to explain the 12 monthly themes of Harmony Through Reconciliation. Fr Raymond stressed that the Golden Jubilee Year is a ‘spiritual triumph' for the parishioners of HRC because by the grace of Jesus, Our Divine Mercy, "we have given birth to the Church of the Divine Mercy, Shah Alam." This was followed by a video presentation by Mr Michael Ng, PPC Chairman, on the growth and latest development of the Church of the Divine Mercy. The 2004 Assembly which was very participative and fruitful will be memorable as it is anticipated to be the last PPA for both the Klang and Shah Alam parishioners. - By Patricia Wong
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Klang LOM celebrates golden jubilee
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Klang : The legion of Mary Praesidium of Our Lady of Lourdes celebrated its Golden Jubilee on Nov 14. About 100 legionaries from the Klang district churches gathered at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes to jointly celebrate the occasion. "This jubilee not only recounts the sacrifices of the members who have laboured and prayed over the years but also the protection of the Blessed Mother over her children as they went out in her name to fulfill the will of her Son," said Fr Gerard Theraviam. In his message, the Spiritual Director of Our Lady of the New Millennium Curia Kiang, Fr .Raymond Pereira shared his experience in being part of the legionaries during his stints at OLL Kiang. "I have fond memories, I have seen dedicated and committed Legionaries attending the weekly Legion meeting and carrying out their Legionary assignment faithfully every week." The Our Lady of Lourdes Praesidium
was formed in 1954 by he late Fr Swaminathan with seven members at that time. This Praesidium has since continued tobe in existence without a break for the last fifty years. At present, the Praesidium had just concluded their 2,592nd meeting. The celebration began with rosary at the grotto and was followed by dinner and fellowship at the Lourdes community hall. A souvenir booklet was given out to all present. This effort was to ensure that the Our Lady of Lourdes Praesidium's 50 years of existence will not go unnoticed and also to serve as a record for future legionaries. - By Jacelyn Johnson
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Retirees can still contribute to society as volunteers
Petaling Jaya : A five-day workshop is being organised for retirees interested in doing voluntary work.
The workshop is designed to introduce the participants to a new world of volunteerism so that their talents and skills can be routed to segments of society most in need.
Those whose passion and expertise is to help the disadvantaged will be matched with the many community organisations seeking support; others will find comfort in environmental protection organisations; and yet others may be able to lend a hand to small businesses which simply cannot afford to engage professional consultants and advisors.
Many developed countries have institutionalised such efforts to match retirees with opportunities for service. Canada, for example, has CESO, which is the Canadian Executive Service Organisation which deploys retirees to business and social organisations worldwide.
For the story in full kindly refer to page 4 of the Herold.
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First Holy Communion at Madonna Heights Chapel
Twenty one children received the Sacrament of Holy Communion at the Chapel of Mary Mother of God in Madonna Heights on Oct IO. Preparing for the Fist Holy Communion, has always been a time of cooperation and team work involving the catechists, members of the Chapel and the parents of the children. This year, the youth ministry also lent a hand during the retreat held for the First Communicants. The whole community came together to decorate the Chapel for the special day and also gave contributions towards the fellowship, after Mass. A 3kg cake was contributed by one of the parishioners.
- By Hilda George
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Making the right choices in life
Petaling Jaya : It is important for us to always make good conscious choices bearing gospel values in mind.
This was the message emphasized during the monthly Leadership Formation Session of the St Ignatius Adult Ministry held on Oct 30.
Mr Aloysius Pinto who facilitated the session pointed out that we often feel a need to dominate, to feel superior to others. This sometimes results in us buying expensive, branded goods to show this. This is compounded by the onslaught of the media which bombards us with implicit and explicit messages leading us to believe that we need things to make us feel less inferior and unworthy. But our ego just shows that we are human. The need to keep up with the Joneses is a common feeling that very few are spared.
However, as Pinto pointed out ,with God, there is an abundance of grace. At every Eucharist, we say, "Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but say the word and I shall be healed." We do not need to keep up with the Joneses to feel better or to be more worthy. Therefore, it is necessary to read the scriptures and to let our minds be transformed and not to let the things of the world dominate our being.
Pinto qualified that it is not wrong to use the things of the world, but we have to be cautious and guard against loving them too much. Often, we do not need the things but we are programmed so that we want what we see others having. This is the work of the media. It conditions us so that a stimulus would make us respond in a certain manner. 'Stimulus-response' was the norm. Pinto then presented an original and novel concept. His catch phrase was 'stimulus-pause-response'. He said that to 'pause' is one gift that we all need.
He said that we often react to the data in our head without making a conscious choice. We need to be reprogrammed so that we do not automatically respond to the stimulus and react accordingly, but pause and make conscious choices so as to live in a manner according to the gospel values.
- The SIAM Editorial Committee
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Assunta Hospital honours its pastoral care-givers
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Petaling Jaya : The CEO of Assunta Hospital, Encik Azhar Harun has expressed his gratitude and thanks to all pastoral care-givers of the hospital for their time and patience in dealing with patients.
"Without you all, Assunta could not have been what it is today," said Encik Azhar during the launching of the Pastoral Care Week on Oct 28.
The event themed Imaging Peace was organised by the Pastoral Care Ministry of Assunta Hospital. About 50 people comprising pastoral care-givers, nurses and hospital manage-ment staff from the various religious groups attended the event which was held at the Assumption Family House.
The launching ceremony began with a prayer for peace led by Sr Mary Anne Fletcher, FMM the coordinator of the Pastoral Care committee. Everyone present Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians then exchanged the sign of peace as a symbol that they are here to bring peace within the people that they care about.
This was followed by a beautiful slide presentation entitled 'Who will speak if you don't.' There were pictures of world leaders, victims of war and violence, people suffering, the poor, abused women and children, drug addicts and famine stricken countries. The presentation was aimed at bringing about an awareness that each of us in our own way can make a difference in the life of others.
The group then came together for a multi-religious prayer for peace. Pastoral care-givers from the four major religions recited a prayer for peace. The Hindus recited the Gayathri Mantra, a representative from the Buddhist community shared the significance of the lotus flower and shared a poem on Buddhism, the Muslim representative also shared a poem in the words of Allah. The Christians recited St Francis's prayer for peace.
The ceremony concluded the 'light and song' where a candle was lit and passed on to each person while singing the hymn Pass it on. This was to signify that we can light up another person's life by just being there for them.
Earlier in her speech, Sr Mary Anne thanked the management of Assunta Hospital for recognizing the pastoral care services, and for wishing to acknowledge the gift of care-givers.
She thanked Frs Philip Muthu and Simon La Brooy from the Church of the Assumption for being available day or night to be called on for the needs of the Catholic patients.
Sr Mary Anne also extended her appreciation towards the nurses of Assunta and the pastoral care-givers who have always been there to help her.
The CEO, Encik Harun also presented a token of appreciation to all the active pastoral care-givers.
A tea fellowship ended the hour -long event. - By Jacelyn Johnson
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Identifying with the loneliness of the elderly
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Kuala Lumpur : This year the Church is underlining the close bond between Eucharist and Mission, the subject of the Pope's Message for World Mission Day2004 which, in a way, opens the special Year of the Eucharist. The Holy Father in launching the Year of the Eucharist for 2005 asked amongst others for us to 'identify with the loneliness of the elderly'. In line with the Holy Father's message and in conjunction with Mission Sunday, the Archdiocesan Ministry of Missionary Animation, and the Archdiocesan BEC Animating Team (BECAT) under the spiritual directorship of Fr John Gnanapiragasam, together with the collaborative efforts of some BECS, members of CHOICE , and individuals, initiated an outing for the
elderly residents of the Little Sisters of the Poor. The outing to Mid Valley Megamall on Oct 23 was organized to remind everyone of their duty as baptized persons to cooperate with the Church's universal mission .Even young children and youths were invited so as to encourage them at an early age with this sense of mission as Christians. The outing to the Mall was made even more meaningful as the management of the mall took the trouble to facilitate the arrival and departure and was there to greet the elderly, while the management of Jaya Jusco, the department store, had a house gift for each one of the elderly, totaling 35 in all. The volunteers took care of one elderly person each, from the shopping malls to the
restaurant where lunch was served. The special guest for the outing, was Archbishop Emeritus Soter Fernandez. He was seen helping and walking an elderly resident around the department stalls and sitting with him at lunch. It is not often that the residents have a chance to experience a weekend outing at a Mega mall so they took delight at the little pleasures during the trip. They made small purchases at the department stalls and the supermarkets. The many kind-hearted volunteers, who took time off to be with the old people contributed to the purchases and also to the lunch. As one of them put it, "Going to shopping malls for a lot of us is a weekly affair and we take it for granted that it is the same for every-one. Here the elderly
needed our hands and feet just for an ordinary outing. I am glad to be involved in this seemingly small gesture which means so much to the old people." The Spirit of togetherness was vibrant as we recognised our roots in Jesus Christ, the giver of all. The Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor has always encouraged collaboration between them and everyone who has a heart for the aged so voluntary services as such are warmly encouraged and appreciated.
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St Anthony, Pudu comes out tops at Bakat ASAYO
KUALA LUMPUR : The festivity of 14 participating parishes filled the evening air. Their supporters were packed into the famed hall of shuttered windows in St John's Institution. Archbishops Murphy Pakiam and Soter Fernandez shuffled comfortably in their seats. With the flair of the opening gambit, a speech by Frederick Joseph, Director of ASAYO and the introduction of the theme, Eucharist: A Taste of God, Bakat ASAYO, the Inter-Parish Talentime 2004 had begun. Costumes were a riot of colours. Some preferred to wear raspberry red sarees with gold streaks. Some preferred to wear gold sarees. Some wore pure black suits with psychedelic blue sash Some wore shirts and trousers of black and white, with a blue bow. The various permutations were delightful to watch. Sixteen entries were submitted. Two categories were available: choir and sketch/dance. For the former, there was a special category for
language, namely Tamil and Bahasa Melayu. Two parishes submitted entries for choir and sketch, Chapel of Kristus Cahaya and Church of the Good Shepherd. Some parishes were new to Bakat ASAYO, but had submitted an entry to join in the fellowship and spirit of participation. Communion was therefore the order of the day, and winning was only of secondary importance. Each parish nevertheless gave a high performance, with plenty of creativity and inventiveness thrown in, reflecting the level of love and dedication they had devoted to their presentation. Although many parish had worked very hard for the Lord, some were seen praying before taking to the stage, signifying that they had not forgotten the Lord of the work. After all sixteen performances, the panel of judges deliberated and duly delivered their decision. The atmosphere was charged as each category was announced. Great cheers and thunderous
applause met each announcement. The audience consisted of parishioners, well-wishers, family and friends, and was most fair and vocal, giving support and encouragement without taking into consideration parish and diocesan lines. In second was the Church of St. Anne, Klang. In first place, Chapel of Kristus Cahaya, Desa Jaya. Finally, the results for the Choir were announced. Archbishop Murphy Pakiam was called upon to declare the results. The air was thick with tension. In third place was Church of the Good Shepherd. In second was the Church Of St . Anthony, Pudu . In first was the Church of St Ignatius, Petaling Jaya. The Church of St. Anthony, Pudu was declared the best overall champions. All said, Bakat ASAYO was very well organized event, with lots of opportunities for a blending of our cultures, our languages, our voices, our music, our talents, our hearts and minds. It promotes culture with
faith, talent with community, integration with mission, communion with God. For it is only in reaching out and touching one another are we able to touch Him, experience Him, taste Him.
- By Gregory Chan
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