 
Archive : October 2003
APOSTOLIC DELEGATE SENDS GREETINGS
|
Kigali, Rwanda :Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio was joyful on his new appointment as the apostolic delegate to Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Brunei since September 20. This is his first assignment to the Asiatic region. For the past 25 years, he has served in Latin America, Africa, Europe and Australia. Upon receiving this appointment, he began to learn more about the rich ecclesiastical and liturgical traditions in the region. In his letter on September 30, Archbishop Pennacchio says that he is ‘constantly praying’ for us. Archbishop Pennacchio offered his services in strengthening ties between the Churches and the See of Peter. He said, “I hope to serve you and the Christians that you serve, by being a pastor, bringing us all into deeper relationship with Christ.” He conveyed his best wishes to all the clergy, religious and lay people, invoking upon them the blessings of Christ. (Herald)
|
BE ACTIVE MEMBERS OF PARISH AND BEC
|
Cheras :“Be active members of the Church.” This was the message given to the newly confirmed students of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi by Archbishop Emeritus Anthony Soter Fernandez. Speaking to the 43 confirmants, the Archbishop asked them to read the Bible and the commentary diligently. He also asked them to pray the Pope’s monthly intentions and explained this month’s intention, which is, that young people follow Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life with generous enthusiasm and be ready to bear witness to Him in all situations in which they live. In his homily, Archbishop Fernandez reminded the faithful to be active in BECs. “If you are only active in the ministries in the Church but not in BECs, then you are doing your will and not God’s will.” he stressed. After the Eucharistic celebration, Archbishop Fernandez joined the confirmants and their families for fellowship. (Herald)
|
NEW APPOINTMENT FOR FR. SOOSAI
|
Petaling Jaya :Fr. Edward Soosai will be the administrator for the Chapel of St. Michael, Baru Arang. This appointment was effective from October 15. Fr. Soosai was previously the parish priest of St. Joseph’s Church, Sentul. He then went to Manila for further studies. Upon his return from Manila, Fr. Soosai gave his services to the catholic community in Cameron Highlands. (Herald)
|
ST. JOSEPH’S PARISH A ‘CARING COMMUNITY’
|
Kuala Lumpur :In line with the parish theme, ‘Becoming a Caring Community’, more than 700 parishioners of the Church of St. Joseph attended a fund-raising dinner and variety show on Sept. 27. Held at the parish grounds, the dinner and variety show, which was organized by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference of St. Joseph, was in aid of the free tuition programme started in March this year. The classes, which cater for the PMR, SPM and Form Four students are held with the aim of making education a priority among students who are in dire need or facing financial difficulties. The dinner was a success, with many local talents and live bands entertaining the crowd. Free tickets were given to the tuition students and a few others who were unable to afford the ticket. (Herald)
|
SVP ORGANIZES FREE MEDICAL SCREENING FOR SENTUL COMMUNITY
|
Kuala Lumpur :The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference of St. Joseph, Sentul organized a blood donation drive and free medical screening on Sept. 21. The campaign, which was held with the support of the Sentul Lions Club, was open to non-Catholics as well. In addition to a banner in the Church grounds, posters and flyers were placed at selected outlets and restaurants around Sentul area prior to Sept. 21. Four doctors assisted in the free medical screening, which included eye test, diabetic screening, blood pressure test and de-worming for children. A total of 182 people turned up for the free medical screening, while another 67 donors participated in the blood donation drive. (Herald)
|
EUCHARIST AND ROSARY FOUNDATION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, SAYS ARCHBISHOP PAKIAM
|
Kuala Lumpur :The closing of the year of the Rosary for the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur was held at the Church of the Holy Rosary on Oct. 11. More than 3000 people from the various parishes in the archdiocese attended the closing of the Year of the Rosary. Archbishop Murphy Pakiam was the main presider at the open-air Eucharistic celebration. He reminded the faithful that the two foundation pillars on which the Catholic Church stands are the Eucharist and the rosary, and thus it is the duty of each one of us to hold on to these two fundamentals. He urged the faithful to “contemplate the face of Christ”, when praying the rosary. The celebration concluded with procession and benediction. (Herald)
|
CHURCH CARES FOR MIGRANTS
|
Seremban :The Church has to understand the struggles of the migrant community, said Bro. Anthony Rogers, Director of the National Office for Human Development. “We need to reach out to the migrants and give them affirmation so that they can support each other rather than merely be dependant. We need to teach them to organize themselves to deal with related problems in the best possible way.” said Bro. Rogers who was facilitating the National Consultation Migrants 2003 Seminar at the Church of the Visitation. More than 90 Indonesian and Filipino migrant workers attended the seminar. “The Church is seen today as the “Good Samaritan”. As such, she serves the migrant community by being in communion with them. Even if we cannot do anything for them, we can just be with them.” he added. (Herald)
|
BECS PLAY ACTIVE ROLE
|
Klang :The BECs of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes played an active part during the month-long visit of the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima. The pilgrim statue which arrived on Aug. 30, was brought to each BEC where it was kept in one particular house for 24 hours. During this time, the ‘host’ home was kept open to enable the other members of the BEC to spend as much time as they wanted in prayer. The statue was brought back to the parish on Sept. 8, Our Lady’s birthday where a special mass was celebrated in her honour. The pilgrim statue remained in Klang until Sept. 30. It was then sent to the Church of Our Lady of Rosary in Brickfields, which celebrated its feast day and hosted the closing of the Year of the Rosary for the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese. (Herald)
|
LSS AT OUR LADY OF LOURDES
|
Klang :A nine-week Life in the Spirit Seminar (LSS) was organized by the prayer group of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes. A total of 166 participants attended the seminar which was held every Friday from Aug. 1 to Sept. 26. The LSS was held in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Peninsular Malaysia. The LSS was held to bring about a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit and to expose people to the renewal. Each session started with praise and worship followed by sharing of the scripture reading, group sharing and presentation. The sessions ended with fellowship. The speakers included Fr. Simon Labrooy, Fr. Danny Matthews, Fr. V. A. Michael, Fr. Gerard Theraviam and Vincent Nathan. The nine-week LSS ended with a special Charismatic Mass celebrated by Fr. Gerard Theraviam, who reminded the participants that the “whole Eucharist is a healing experience”. (Herald)
|
BLESSING OF ANIMALS AT ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
|
Cheras :The Church of St. Francis of Assisi celebrated its patronal feast with a special blessing for animals on Oct. 4. SFA parish priest, Fr. Joe Matthews, and assistant priest, Fr. Valentine Gompok conducted the blessing ceremony at the parish field. Hundreds of enthusiastic parishioners brought more than forty dogs of all types and sizes. There were also cats, tortoises, fish, birds, hamsters and even a pair of white chickens. In his homily, Fr. Valentine recounted the story of St. Francis of Assisi preaching to the birds. He then invited the congregation to sing the Canticle of the Creatures. “In the Bible, there are numerous passages which describe animals as the loving creatures of God. Animals are related to the conversion of human beings. They join human beings in praising God the Creator.” explained Fr. Matthews. (Herald)
|
INTERRELIGIOUS DAY OF PRAYER FOR WORLD PEACE
Kuala Lumpur : “Peace not violence, Forgiveness not hate”, was the theme for the Day of Prayer for World Peace held at the Sacred Heart Church, Peel Road on Sept. 30. This function also marked the culmination of the seven-week interreligious seminar organized by the Archdiocesan and Sacred Heart Ministry of Interreligious and Ecumenical Affairs. Archbishop Murphy Pakiam thanked the organizers and hoped that the “enlightenment” goodwill generated will be the stepping-stone for nation building. He later presented certificates to the
57 participants who completed the seven-week programme. Click here for more
|
CLOSING OF THE YEAR OF THE ROSARY
|
Petaling Jaya : The month of October marks the closing of the Year of the Rosary which was launched by Pope John Paul II in October 2002. In his apostolic letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, the Holy Father asked that the Rosary be especially emphasized and promoted in the various Christian communities. In Peninsular Malaysia, many parishes have made some plans for the closing of the Year of the Rosary. For the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese, the closing of the Year of the Rosary was held on 11 October at the Holy Rosary Church. (Herald)
|
KAJANG YOUTHS DONATE BLOOD
|
Kajang : Youths were among the first-timers during a blood donation campaign held at the Church of the Holy Family on Sept 28. Organized by the parish’s Ministry of the Poor (MOP), the campaign saw approximately 90 people coming forward as potential donors. Members of the MOP were around to lend support and offer words of encouragement to the first time donors who were initially apprehensive. Paul Philip, the vice president of MOP was pleased, as the turnout this year was better than that of the previous year. Edgar Paul, a regular donor, was also happy to see a big turnout this year. (Herald)
|
NEW APOSTOLIC DELEGATE FOR MALAYSIA APPOINTED
|
Kuala Lumpur : Pope John Paul II has appointed Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio as the new Apostolic Delegate to Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Brunei as well as the Apostolic Nuncio to Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore. The appointment took effect on 20 Sept. 2003. Archbishop Pennacchio, 51, is a native of Marano (Naples-Italy). Ordained in 1976, he attended the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy before serving in several apostolic nunciatures since 1979. Archbishop Pennacchio will be based at the Apostolic Nunciature office in Bangkok, Thailand. (Herald)
|
PRIESTS VISIT KAMPUNG PANDAN PARISHIONERS
|
Kuala Lumpur : Home visits by the clergy was part of the feast day preparations for the parishioners of the Chapel of Our Lady of Good Health in Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur. Instead of the usual nine-day novena and mass, parish priest, Fr. Anthony Thomas replaced three days of Mass with family visits from 7 pm to 10 pm. The visits, which included BEC Reflection and sharing of the Word of God, were conducted by Fr. Thomas together with Redemptorists Fathers, Joseph Stephen and Eugene Fernandez. The three priests went around to dispense pastoral care to the various Catholic homes and to bring them closer as a community of communities. Mary: Model of the Church was the main theme for this year’s celebration, which was held on Sept. 6. In his homily during the feast day Eucharistic celebration, Fr. Eugene Fernandez stressed that we should emulate Mary. He added, “we should never take the easy way out but carry our crosses daily for the sake of Christ and His Church. (Herald)
|
KAJANG YOUTH ORGANIZE SEXUALITY WORKSHOP
|
Kajang : The Youth Ministry of the Church of the Holy Family organized a one-day workshop to help youths be more open and to understand their sexuality. About 50 youths ranging from the ages of 13 to 28 participated in the workshop held on Sept. 18. The workshop was facilitated by a husband and wife team, Mervyn and Lydia Ratnasingam who led the youths into a dialogue about puberty and the importance of understanding their sexuality. Concluding a session on sexuality, Mervyn said, “Male and female sexes have been brought up thinking differently; it is important to look into our psychological side before understanding our identity and our sexuality” he said. “I have learnt a lot from today’s workshop; I know what is good and what is wrong for me,” said Jerome, a participant. The youths left the workshop with not only valuable knowledge, but also a sense of pride that they were challenged to be open. (Herald)
|
CHRISTIANS EXCEL IN MEDICAL STUDIES
Seremban : Three Christian students from the Clinical School of the International Medical University (IMU) have excelled in their studies. Chan Mei Yan, Chan Hong Kit and Evelyn Dusing are active members of the Christian Fellowship and other activities organized by the university. Their involvement in faith-related and other extra activities did not jeopardize their academic performance. According to Mei Yan, “The most precious lesson that I have learnt in medical school is that all life is in God’s hands, we only play our part as instruments of healing.” Dr. Xavier Pereira, who is in charge of student affairs in the Clinical School commented, “Looking at their achievements, these three young people would be suitable role models for others students; witnessing to the fact that faith, activities and studies can be combined in a harmonious way in the life of a university student.” (Herald)
Click here to view the students
|
CANA MUSIC FOR WEDDINGS
|
Petaling Jaya : Two young married couples, Victor and Joanne Yong, and Patrick and Hazel Archibald are spreading Christ’s love through music and song to newly weds and their families as they celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. The group call themselves CANA, aptly named after the place where Christ’s first miracle was performed at a wedding. It was established with the common objective of spreading God’s word through music and songs and have performed at church weddings, dinner receptions, and other social events. The groups sings mostly for Christian weddings but will also oblige at non-Christian weddings, weddings anniversaries, Christmas caroling and other functions. For more details about CANA, contact Joanne Yong at 012-2085480. (Herald)
|
BILLINGS OVULATION METHOD NEW CURRICULUM
|
Kuala Lumpur : Two senior Billings Ovulation Method (BOM) teacher trainers from Melbourne were in Malaysia recently to conduct a Teacher Trainer’s Programme. Twenty-five senior BOM teachers from all over Malaysia as well as six teachers from Singapore attended the session conducted by Marian Corkill and Marie Marshall from 14 - 15 Sept. 2003. The objective of the programme was to launch the new Curriculum 2000 for training BOM teachers. The new curriculum was formulated by the Billings Centre Education Committee in Melbourne and released this year. President of the Natural Family Planning Services Malaysia (NFPSM), Mr. LL Chan hopes that in future there will be teacher trainers in each local area, so that the cost of training can be reduced. Chan proposed the setting up of a permanent NFPSM Centre for reference and resources in Kuching. He also informed that NFPSM will set up a monitoring body to ensure that only authentic BOM is being taught. (Herald)
|
|
|
|
|
