Carmelite Priest ordained.

It was an auspicious day for the parishioners of St Thomas More as one of their home grown boys answered the call of vocation to the ‘Priesthood.

Nicholas Hoh Jeng Kin was ordained a priest of the Order of Discalced Carmelite (OCD) on January 31, 2018 by Archbishop Julian Leow. He chose the theme The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end (Lam 3:22).

More than 50 priests concelebrated in this joyous occasion with the faithful coming from near and far, including friends and family members of Fr Hoh.

The Rite of Ordination began after the Gospel Reading. He was presented by Fr John Chua OCD to Archbishop Leow.

“Understand, therefore, what you do, and imitate what you celebrate. As a celebrant of the mystery of the Lord’s death and resurrection, strive to put to death whatever is sinful within you and to walk in newness of life,” said Archbishop Leow in his homily.

“When you gather men and women into the people of God through Baptism, when you forgive sins in the name of Christ and the Church in the sacrament of Penance, when you comfort the sick with holy oil and celebrate the sacred rites, when you offer prayers of praise and thanks to God throughout the hours of the day, not only for the people of God but for the whole world, always remember that you are taken from among men and appointed on their behalf for those things that pertain to God.

“Therefore, carry out the ministry of Christ the Priest with constant joy and genuine love, attending not to your own concerns but to those of Jesus Christ,” he added.

Then the examination of candidate commenced. This included the Promise of the Elect, Promise of Obedience, Litany of Supplication, Laying on of Hands, and the Prayer of Ordination.

Once he was ordained, Fr Hoh was invested with the stole and chasuble. His hands were then anointed with Holy Chrism by Archbishop Leow and he was given the Bread and Wine followed by the fraternal kiss by the Archbishop.

In his speech, Fr Hoh thanked the parishioners of St Thomas More who worked tirelessly during the whole month of January to make this day a memorable one.

“This is truly a memorable event for myself and it was so nice to see everyone who gave it their all, right up to the very last minute preparations. Thank you all,” he said.

Parish Priest of St Thomas More, Fr Raymond Pereira, in his speech said that Fr Hoh’s late mother, always wished her son would join the priesthood.

“When Fr Hoh’s mum was alive, she always told me that she wanted her son to join the priesthood under The Discalced Carmelites (OCD) and, today, her prayers are finally answered,” he said.

Archbishop Leow annouced that Fr Hoh would serve in the house of the Friars of the Order of Discalced Carmelite in Seremban.

Fr Hoh celebrated his first Mass at the Church of St. Thomas More on February 1, 2018 at 8.00pm.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online