The term "Allah" is not only a cause of concern for HERALD but for all Malaysian Christians. The issue of prohibition by the Ministry of Home Affairs on the use of "Allah" in the Bahasa Malaysia section of the Catholic Weekly HERALD is not limited to the paper alone; it concerns all Malaysian Christians. We, the members of the Malaysian Catechetical Commission, give our full support to HERALD to continue to use the term "Allah" without fear. As Malaysian Christians we have the full right to use the term "Allah" because it is the term for God in Bahasa Malaysia. It is stated clearly in Article 11 of the constitution of Malaysia. No one therefore, has the right to restrict Christians from using the term. "Tuhan" is not the right term for God in Bahasa Malaysia. Christians use the term "Tuhan" for Lord. Any form of prohibition for Christians to use the term "Allah" is considered discrimination of Christians in Malaysia.
The Catholic Weekly HERALD is meant for Malaysian Catholics only and it has no intention to "confuse" Malaysian Muslims as claimed by the Home Ministry. The paper is only distributed to Catholic Churches throughout Malaysia. The Ministry of Home Affairs and all Muslims groups should already know and understand that HERALD does not mean to propagate Christian doctrine among the Muslims. If we want to promote interreligious dialogue in Malaysia as a means to build a harmonious society, all Malaysians must first be free from having a sense of fear, suspicion and prejudice towards one another.

Malaysian Catechetical Commission (MCC) gathered at MAJODI Centre from February 24 for their annual meeting. Four new diocesan representatives were present at this meeting: Friar Arul Mariadass (Melaka-Johor), Sr Veronica Kandaung (Sandakan), Roy Chua and Anita D'Cruz (Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese). Archbishop Emeritus Soter Fernandez attended the meeting for the last time as Episcopal President of MCC - a position he has held since 1980. The meeting was chaired by Fr Boniface Kimsin, Spiritual Director of the Catechetical Commission, Keningau Diocese. On behalf of the MCC, Fr Boniface thanked ABE Soter for his guidance and support over the years, and especially for overseeing the successful completion of the MCS book project. In bidding ABE Soter adieu, the MCC joined Fr Boniface in welcoming Bishop Cornelius Piong as the incoming president.

Chairman: Fr Boniface Kimsin
Vice-chairman: Fr William Michael
Secretary: Sr Marian Jimos
Asst. secretary: Paul Voon
Treasurer: Roy Chua
Internal auditors: Fr Arul Mariadass & Susan Tay

The Church of the Visitation's Wisma Visitation - recently-acquired and fully custom-renovated three-storey shophouse on the main road adjacent to the church was officially opened, blessed and dedicated on Feb 7, by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam. Present on site were Parish Priest Fr Michael Chua and Assistant Parish Priest Fr George Packiasamy, Parish Pastoral Assistant Sr Theresa Chua, IJS who is also the head of the Catechetical Ministry, representatives of councils and parish ministries and apostolate groups as well as parishioners. One may not have imagined that the Visitation community would one day have its own Wisma Visitation housing the new parish Catechetical Centre and destined to play a positive role in the overall the mission of the parish. The priority for the centre came about to cater to the marked increase in the Sunday school student population over the past five to six years with the current facilities -the Formation Centre and the Visitation Community Hall - being insufficient and inadequate to accommodate the growing demands.

There is a shortage of Bible Knowledge teachers in the parishes. This is a vocation that can be undertaken by educated lay men and women. So with this in mind, there are two teachers' Courses lined up for 2009. The first course is a weekly course. This will be run on Saturdays starting from Saturday March 7 from 3.00 pm till 5.OOpm. The venue is on the first floor Casa DiFatima at the Church of Our Lady of Fatima. This course is free-of-charge. The second is a stay-in course at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre. This will be held from Sunday Nov 22 till Thursday Nov 26. This course costs RM 300 for lodging and food. Participants can choose whichever course is suitable to them. The books to master are: a) Gospel of Jesus According to St. Luke and b) Acts of the Apostles. For further enquires or registration please call Josephine Clara 03-20266480 (office hours) or G. Anthony at 012-6666246.

Catholic student should aspire to take Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia Bible Knowledge paper at the Form Five level. To prepare for this, they should embark on a programme ideally from Form Three. If this is not possible then they should start at Form Four. Among the benefits of the course are: A) Moral formation for the child from young age. Today' young people a going all over the place looking for Bible programmes. B) It paves the way for a scholarship. C) It improves overall English proficiency of the students. The students, when doing Bible Knowledge reads, discusses and writes assignments in English and this will definitely improve his language proficiency. For more information please contact your parish office or Josephine Clara 03-20266480 (Office hours) or G. Anthony at 012-6666246

The nation is presently on the brink of a serious economic downturn which affects not just Southeast Asia, but various regions all over the world. Economists and governments have issued strong warnings to people to be mentally, emotionally, and financially prepared for the crisis that is to befall a large segment of-the world population. In the light of this problem, the leadership of the Church of the Visitation has recognised a need to reach out to people who might have lost their jobs. In response to this problem, Fr Michael Chua. Parish Priest of the Visitation Parish has initiated the establishment of the Visitation Human Resource Ministry. This Ministry is coordinated by Angela Low, and consists of a group of parishioners who are talented administrators and lawyers experienced in matching job seekers to suitable vacancies offered by appropriate prospective employers.

With the onslaught of a number of articles that are at times highly inflammatory and against HERALD, the Publisher of HERALD has issued a press release, on Feb 5, stating that the "Allah" case is in the High Court thus he was restrained from making any statement until the August court makes its decision. He said, "Since the legal action filed by us in the Kuala Lumpur High Court has yet to be decided, we will not make any comment and will await the decision of the High Court which will be made at the appropriate time”

5th. February 2009                                               

Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur
(USKUP AGUNG KUALA LUMPUR)
578, Jalan Bukit Nanas, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: 603-20,-788828/20726606, Fax. 603-20313851

PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE HERALD - THE CATHOLIC WEEKLY

We have examined the various reports as they appeared in the diverse print and digital media and particularly in the Utusan Malaysia of recent weeks on the use of the word "Allah" in the Herald - the Catholic Weekly.

Since the legal action filed by us in the Kuala Lumpur High Court has yet to be decided, we will not make any comment and will await the decision of the High Court which will be made at the appropriate time.
 
Most Reverend Tan Sri Datuk Murphy Pakiam
Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur.

In his just released Lenten message for 2009, Pope Benedict says fasting is important "therapy" for modern Catholics because it helps make them aware of the deprived state in which many people live. A panel of Church officials under the leadership of the President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes presented the Holy Father's 2009 Lenten Message yesterday. Pope Benedict this year chose to focus on the value and meaning of fasting, taking the scripture account of the Lord Jesus' 40 days' fast before his temptation in the desert. He writes that in our own day, fasting seems to have lost something of its spiritual meaning, and has taken on, in a culture characterised by the search for material wellbeing, a therapeutic value for the care of one's body. Pope Benedict goes on to recognise the potential benefits to physical wellbeing, and continues to clarify that for believers, fasting is in the first place, a "therapy" to heal all that prevents them from conformity to the will of God.

More than 70 clergy from Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia gathered at St John's Cathedral on Feb 2 to participate in the sacerdotal ordination of Deacons Alan Pereira, Clement Joshua Lim, Surain Durai Raj, Lawrence Ng CDD and Thomas Loh CDD. The congregation, from near and far and numbering more than 3,000 were seated before 10.00am to be part of this memorable multilingual celebration. In his homily, Archbishop Pakiam explained to the people and the elect on the priestly office. "Let what you teach be nourishment for the people of God.
As Feb 2 is also the World Day for Consecrated Life, Archbishop Pakiam spoke warmly on the contributions of the religious brothers, sisters and priests in our midst. "It is a sign of maturity that we are able to bring forth those who are professionally professed; religious brothers, sisters and priests who have taken the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. We are grateful to God for calling these people among the community."

People packed the church of St Michael on Feb 2 fm the funeral Mass of Fr Maurice Surmon, MEP, who passed away on Jan 29 at the age of 86. The funeral Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, with Fr Michael Arro, MEP. Also present were priests from Malaysia and the MEP priests from Singapore. Fr Surmon was seen as a person who liked to go into mission, or open the way for the Catholic Church, according to Fr Arro, the MEP head for Malaysia and Singapore. "We want to thank God for his life as a missionary. He went first to China for five years, the last year of which was spent in prison. He was given the death sentence but then this was changed to expulsion from China.

On Friday, Jan 30, 2009 many parishioners of St Thomas attended the 6.45pm Mass celebrated by Fr Eugene Benedict and Fr Danny Mathews. Fr Eugene was leaving Kuantan for his new posting in Cameron Highlands after having served the parish for seven years during which he played a major role in the successful completion of the Parish Community Centre. At the end of the Mass the Pastoral Chairperson, Sheila Fernandez thanked Fr Eugene "for spending your life here serving us, putting order where there was lack, for instilling discipline in our faith journey, for being a sincere friend, for inspiring us to greater Service in God's kingdom, for championing the cause of the marginalized and thus helping us to do the same and the list goes on." On behalf of the parish she also welcomed Fr Danny to Kuantan as our new parish priest.

Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur
(USKUP AGUNG KUALA LUMPUR)
578, Jalan Bukit Nanas, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: 603-20,-788828/20726606, Fax. 603-20313851

PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE HERALD - THE CATHOLIC WEEKLY

We have examined the various reports as they appeared in the diverse print and digital media and particularly in the Utusan Malaysia of recent weeks on the use of the word "Allah" in the Herald - the Catholic Weekly.

Since the legal action filed by us in the Kuala Lumpur High Court has yet to be decided, we will not make any comment and will await the decision of the High Court which will be made at the appropriate time.

 
Most Reverend Tan Sri Datuk Murphy Pakiam
Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur

2. Five Priests Ordained.

The newly ordained priests with the Archbishops and clergy from Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. In their thanksgiving speech, they said, “We would not have arrived at this special, blessed and momentous point in our journey without our fellow pilgrims who pointed the way for us. To them, we owe our deepest gratitude and our humble prayers.” The five new priests are, Frs Alan Pereira, Clement Joshua Lim, Surain Durai Raj, Lawrence Ng CDD and Thomas Loh CDD.

a) REV. FR CLEMENT LIM

“I had everything, but my life remained unfulfilled until His call” said Rev. Fr Clement Lim as he shared his experiences of growth and understanding to the priesthood. He added: "In the beginning, life in the seminary was hard due to many differences - culture, language and community life. I would say that my seminary life has helped me to grow more mature, to respect and learn from other cultures and backgrounds, to cooperate with others and work in solidarity," As a priest, Clement intends to base his duty on Christ's call to be humble servants and serve others.

b) REV. FR SURAIN DURAI RAJ

“I want to be a bridge connecting God and humanity. The beauty of priesthood is that one can make a difference in the lives of people as they allow God to touch their lives through the celebration of the sacraments and pastoral care. All he wanted to do at that point in his life was to be able to reach out to the community and touch lives. His advice to all who are searching, questioning and considering this vocation, “Be brave to ask God for directions and take the leap of faith to ‘put out into the deep’.

c) REV. FR ALAN PEREIRA

“Answering his call fulfilled my deepest longings” said Rev. Fr Pereria comes from a family of five. To all those discerning: "My advice would be to start praying. Seriously. Get in touch with your parish priest and the vocation director to further discern your calling. Take your vocation seriously. The narrow road is not an easy road to navigate." For Alan his passion would be to share the faith and help others experience God's love. "Many of us know our faith at extreme right (maybe all intellectual) or extreme left (faith alone). I truly believe that we need to find a balance so that we can integrate our spirituality with our lives."

d) REV FR THOMAS LOH

“Before you were born I chose you”, said Rev Fr Thomas Loh whenever he recalled his mother’s dream regarding his vocation. Although it was just a dream, somehow my mother's words dwelled very strongly and deeply in my heart. The calling of God is something which cannot be explained. If someone would ask me why I want to become a priest, maybe, these are the words I can utter: "The shortage of priests, the inspiration of God's words, the support of my family and even my mother's dream have caused me to make my choice."

e) REV FR LAWRENCE NG

“Take a small step and become his instrument” said Fr Lawrence Ng. “There are many elements in discerning vocation. And I believe that in every vocation either to the priesthood, or religious life, there is a beautiful, special, unique story of their love relationship with God. To all those thinking about this way of life, all I say is "COME and SEE" (John 1:39). Just take a single-step, Jesus will show the way, and He will journey with you like He journeyed with the two disciples going back to Emmaus."

Fr Paulino Miranda was charged with 20 others at the Session; Court with one count of illegal assembly and one count of defying a police order to disperse during an anti-ISA can delight vigil at the MBPJ compound in Petaling Jaya between 9.OOpm to 1O.1Opm on Oct 9 last year. The participants of the vigil: which was organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), were charged under Section 27 of the Police Act. If found guilty, they can face up to one year in jail, RM10,000 in fines or both. After hearing submission Sessions Court Judge Balqis Aini Mohd Ali set bail a RM1,500 with one surety and set March 10 for mention. Support from Priests There was no shortage of support for Catholic priest Paulino Miranda at the Petaling Jaya Sessions court in Petaling Jaya on Jan 23. Fr Paulino, parish priest c the Church of The Divine Mercy in Shah Alam, was one of 21 people arrested at an anti-ISA vigil on Nov 9 last year.

The busy town of Klang is abuzz with the new Wisma Lourdes grabbing everyone’s attention since its launch in September 2008, as it now stands tall and majestic next to the OLL Church. It was only inevitable that parishioner should feel the Church proper itself (being 80 years old in 2008) should be given an uplift to compliment its counterpart, Wisma Lourdes. Since the OLL Church itself is listed as a heritage building in the Selangor state history records, the State has kindly stepped in with assisting and supervising the restoration of the Church to bring it back to its original glory. A Restoration Committee has been set up Heading this committee is Gerard Tan, who graciously outlined what the restoration exercise is all about and what will be done in the coming few months (with the hope to have completed by Easter). The team is supported by the capable and well experienced Ar Lim Tak Bane, who also lectures on architecture at University Malaya, and is himself a specialist in the field of heritage architecture.

Sixty young people from the Church of St Francis of Assisi were conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on Saturday, Jan 17. The youths from the four language groups of the parish were reminded to be steadfast in their faith and to always listen closely to the voice of God. Archbishop Pakiam who was the main celebrant was happy to see so many from the many language groups coming together for one common celebration. Parish priest Fr Valentine Gompok OFM Cap in his speech, thanked everyone for making the celebration a meaningful one. He however reminded everyone present that it was not the end but the beginning of a journey. "I do however want to remind everyone present that this is not the end of the newly confirmands' faith journey... it is the beginning. Now, you have become full members of the Church though your Confirmation. Confirmation calls us to a great participation in the mission of Jesus and the Church.

200 elderly citizens were feted to a special charity luncheon fellowship, held on Jan 6 in Dewan John Hsiong of the! Church of the Holy Rosary (HRC) in Brickfields. They came from several welfare homes like King George V Jubilee Home, Little Sisters of the Poor, Yoke Peng Care Centre, Phyllis Caring Home, Ti-Ratana Home, The Salvation Army, Asrama Cahaya and Association of the Blind in Brickfields. The lunch was fully sponsored by the parish's Centring Care For The Elderly (CCE) Ministry. Emcee Jacob Peter who is also a CCE member, spoke in English and Cantonese about Christmas, saying it commemorates the birthday of Jesus as foretold in the Bible. Elena Chan, secretary of CCE and chairperson of PIHD Ministry next introduced the CCE members and helpers, SVP Chairman, Benedict and HRC parish priest, Msgr Daniel Lim, who is also the Spiritual Director of CCE to the elderly present including four Religious Sisters, who accompanied some of them.

The Parish Pastoral Assembly of the District of Tampin was held in Dec 2008. The 120 participants came from as far as Gemencheh, Gemas, Palong. Getco, Bahau, Kuala Pilah and the community of Tampin. The assembly began with the recitation of the Evening Prayer in Bahasa Malaysia. In his keynote address, parish priest Fr Mari Arokiam said much has been said and done since 2006. "The starting point of our journey was the 50th Golden Jubilee that saw people from different walks of life coming together to Rejoice in Faith, Strength and Unity. Ever since then, we have been journeying together as people of one mind and one heart thinking and feeling with the Church in its heart beat. And along the way we have tried to organize as many activities as possible, both social and spiritual, at all levels to strengthen our community. I believe all these events have given us various experiences of growth and help us respect our differences and work together towards unity."

The Love & Life Programme 2008 (LNL), organised by the Archdiocesan Single Adult & Youth Office (ASAYO) was from Dec 10-16. Sixty-eight youths between the ages of 17-22 took part in what they would call "the most awesome experience in their lives". The theme coincided with the church's theme which was Deepening our Discipleship - The Word of God, and that is exactly what ASAYO did they took the participants on a journey of deep ending their discipleship through the word of God. One of the camp's main purposes was to help the participants forge a lasting bond with God; hence they were given amazing lesson on spirituality and establishing a relationship with their Creator through powerful prayer sessions. The praise and worship sessions that took place were full of energy and the presence of the Holy Spirit was felt. Reflective and meditative prayers were also conducted to bring the participants to a level they had never experienced before.

Google has negotiated a deal with the Vatican Television Centre and Vatican Radio to create a channel for the Holy See on YouTube. The Vatican will soon have its own channel on the video sharing site YouTube where the Catholic faithful or the curious will be able to see Pope Benedict or Church events, a Vatican source said. The details of the accord are due to be presented on Friday a news conference attended by Vatican officials as well a Henrique de Castro, managing director of media solutions for Google, which owns YouTube. The initiative will involve Google, the Vatican Television Centre and Vatican Radio. It will mark the Vatican's deepest plunge into new media. The Vatican opened up its website, www.vatican.va, in 1995. The Vatican's press office said that texts and video of the Pope's speeches as well as news about the pontiff would be posted directly onto the channel. YouTube says more information will be given soon.

a) REV. FR CLEMENT LIM

“I had everything, but my life remained unfulfilled until His call” said Rev. Fr Clement Lim as he shared his experiences of growth and understanding to the priesthood. He added: "In the beginning, life in the seminary was hard due to many differences - culture, language and community life. Nevertheless, I have learnt many lessons in life from my experience in the seminary. I would say that my seminary life has helped me to grow more mature, to respect and learn from other cultures and backgrounds, to cooperate with others and work in solidarity," said Clement. As a priest, Clement intends to base his duty on Christ's call to be humble servants and serve others. For someone who did not believe in God, Clement Joshua Lim has certainly come a long way!

b) REV. FR SURAIN DURAI RAJ

“I want to be a bridge connecting God and humanity. The beauty of priesthood is that one can make a difference in the lives of people as they allow God to touch their lives through the celebration of the sacraments and pastoral care."
When the now 32 year old Surain Durai Raj responded to God's call to the priesthood eight years ago, little did he know what was in store for him. All he wanted to do at that point in his life was to be able to reach out to the community and touch lives, and he saw the priesthood as a channel that best carries out this mission. His advice to all who are searching, questioning and considering this vocation, “Be brave to ask God for directions and take the leap of faith to ‘put out into the deep’.

c) REV. FR ALAN PEREIRA

“Answering his call fulfilled my deepest longings” said Rev. Fr Pereria comes from a family of five. Born and raised in Banting, he was active in the altar servers, youth, catechetical and technical ministries of his parish, Gereja Katholik Fatima. He also used to follow the priests from time to time. In short, his second home was the church. To all those discerning: "My advice would be to start praying. Seriously. Get in touch with your parish priest and the vocation director to further discern your calling. Take your vocation seriously. The narrow road is not an easy road to navigate." For Alan his passion would be to share the faith and help others experience God's love. "Many of us know our faith at extreme right (maybe all intellectual) or extreme left (faith alone). I truly believe that we need to find a balance so that we can integrate our spirituality with our lives."

The spirit of Christmas was evident at the Chapel of the Ascension of the Lord in Tasek Permai, where 85 children together with some 40 parents were feted to a Christmas gathering.
Organized by the Chapel Committee the event started in the early evening with 30 minutes of Praise & Worship in Tamil led by the youths. This was followed by various indoor game which kept the children excited and amused.
N.R. John, the Chapel chairperson said that the event was a good avenue to bring the parishioners together - especially the children - to remember and to celebrate the birth of Christ and at the same time to enhance Christian brotherhood among the community. After the games, dinner was served. Then. the children sang carols in English and Tamil followed by a drama presentation in Tamil. Children and parents acted out several aspects of everyday family life, the problems facing them in today’s world and how to overcome them.