Author Archives: Ken Wong

IPOH (herald Malaysia): The triduum Masses at the Church of St Michael, leading up to the feast of St Michael, St Gabriel and St Raphael, highlighted the trend of Catholics becoming casual Christians, why Catholics believe in angels, and transmitting our faith to others.

Fr Jude Miranda, Fr Stanley Antoni and Fr Simon Anand were the preachers Sept 28-Sept 30.

Fr Jude outlined three ways of discarding our attitude of becoming casual Christians.

This should be done by breaking the mirror of self and seeing others to follow Christ. Secondly, listen to Jesus and renounce our selves to follow the will of God. Lastly, we are called to follow Christ by giving out the same mercy, love and compassion of God which we have experienced ourselves, through forgiveness.

“Keep our eyes on Jesus and we will value what God wants. Don’t be distracted by other things,” he said.

Fr Stanley, the rector of the main seminary, challenged the people to reflect and name their cardinal sins, and explained how the Archangels play a great role in helping us overcome our cardinal sins.

He said, based on Scripture readings, we understand why angels are given to us.

We are called to grow in spiritual warfare, since the world today is in turmoil. The root cause lies in the seven cardinal sins — anger, envy, lust, pride, gluttony, sloth and covetousness. They are the ones we are so often warned against by theologians.

These capital or cardinal sins hold very real consequences for us, our progress in our faith, and our happiness in this world and hereafter.

“Ask St Michael to help us engage in battle with our cardinal sins because, as Christians, we know the truth resides in God,” he said.

Fr Simon Anand spoke on how we can become effective witnesses and transmit our Catholic faith by staying connected to the Church’s desires.

“We talk about our faith, and this must be followed by action with passion. There must be credibility in us, meaning others must see in us Jesus Christ,living in our lives,” he said.

He added that St Michael gives us that direction in our life. “We glorify God by our full consciousness, that is, we are fully alive and awake in our faith,” he said.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KOTA KINABALU – Rosary recitation and Mass marked the Pilgrim Virgin’s visit to Taman Sinar Luyang here on 12 Oct 2017.

In May and October, the Parish Family Pastoral Network (PFPN) of Sacred Heart Cathedral Kota Kinabalu organises daily block rosary and weekly Friday Mass in the different tamans or housing estates within the boundaries of Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish.

Another activity is the two-week Advent Family Visits in early December.

Being the centenary of the Fatima apparitions (1917-2017), the Pilgrim Virgin statue visits different families each night (except the weekends) in the different housing estates in October.

At each visit, the parishioners staying around that area gather in one house, praying the rosary for peace and conversion of sinners.  Sometimes, it culminates with a Mass by one of the pastors of the parish.

Father Joshua Liew presided at the Mass following the recitation of the rosary at the home of Agatha Yap in Taman Sinar.

Several parishioners staying within the vicinity as well as friends participated in the event and joined in the fellowship after Mass.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

SANDAKAN –  Thirty members of the St Teresa of Calcutta Taman Indah Jaya  Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC)  here went on a five-day pilgrimage to Manila Philippines on 20 – 24 Sept 2017 with Father Thomas Makajil as spiritual director.

The pilgrims prepared themselves spiritually through a nine-day novena prayer.

The BEC was formed in 2010 with some 30 active families. Since its inception, the members have made two pilgrimages: one to St Anne Bukit Mertajam and another to the Diocese of Keningau.

This time around, the BEC responded to the call of Bishop Julius Gitom to establish links with other BECs in the diocese or beyond in order to learn from one another. With that in mind, the BEC decided to make a pilgrimage to the Philippines and twin up with one of the local BECs in Quezon City. The committee got down to preparatory work in 2016.

Aleona Natalio, a formator at the Institute of Formation Fondacio, (IFFAsia) was on hand to greet and welcome the pilgrims at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sept 20.  IFFAsia trains Asian Christian youth leaders who are willing to commit and participate in the revival of the Church and the civil society.

Upon arrival at the Institute, housed at Radio Veritas Asia in Fairview, Quezon City, the pilgrims feasted on a variety of traditional cuisines prepared by the students, including lechon the popular local roasted pig. We were briefed on the organisation structure of the Institute and were introduced to their formators as well as the students coming from the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China.

They were briefed on the organisational structure of the institute and were introduced to their formators as well as the students coming from the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China.

IFFAsia is well connected to the Diocese of Sandakan as four youths from Sandakan have graduated from the institute. In 2011, the Sandakan cathedral parish hosted their mission project comprising 23 participants: students and formators. A part of their exposure was an encounter with St Teresa of Calcutta BEC.

Apart from the warm welcome and good food, the pilgrims were also entertained with presentations from the students. The event was interactive providing a platform to get to know one another.  In support of their upcoming mission project in Thailand, the pilgrims bought souvenir items prepared by the students.

The pilgrims were housed at the Franciscan Sisters of St Elizabeth Retreat House across the road, opposite IFFAsia. Surprisingly, there were several Indonesian sisters in the congregation so they had no problem communicating in Bahasa Indonesia. The retreat house offered comfortable twin sharing air- conditioned rooms with toilet attached, serene setting and a beautiful chapel where Fr Thomas celebrated daily Mass at  6:00 am.

The pilgrims divided into three groups of 10 people.  They visited seven cathedrals and churches with significant historical and architectural values: St Agustin, Manila Cathedral, San Sebastian, Baclaran Church, Quiapo Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, Espirito Santo, and Good Shepherd Cathedral Shrine Fairview.

Fr Thomas was a good guide as he had done his master’s in pastoral theology at Santo Tomas University Manila.

One profound experience was the visit to Baclaran Church – the National Shrine of Our Mother Perpetual Help run by the Redemptorist Fathers. They were welcomed by a priest in charge of pilgrims. They were honoured to take the Cross in procession to the altar where the pilgrimage prayer was said at the sanctuary.

Another memorable visit was to the Daughters of St Paul Media Centre and their convent in Pasay City. Sister Rosalie Lojiu, the niece of Fr Thomas, briefed the pilgrims on the Pauline apostolate and provided light refreshments for them.

During the visit, Fr Thomas took time to visit the three surviving pioneers who started the congregation in Sabah in the 1960s. All of them are now in their mid-90s and have to depend on walking aids. These sisters used to visit Fr Thomas’ family when they were in Penampang, he was in primary school then.

It was rather nostalgic and emotional for them as they shared their fond memories of North Borneo/Sabah.  They surprised the pilgrims when some of them could still remember the popular Malay lullaby, Burung Kakak Tua.

The highlight of the pilgrimage was to enter into an understanding between BEC of St Teresa of Calcutta Indah Jaya Sandakan and the BEC of Cathedral Shrine and Parish of the Good Shepherd (CSPGS), Fairview Park, Quezon City, Philippines, with the following objectives:

1. Share resources on the development, sustenance and advancement of BECs
2. Share information regarding events happening in the BECs
3. Share on similarities and differences
4. Foster good relationship bond among members, especially the youth of the twinned BECs

On hand to welcome the BEC members were the parish priest Father Mario Sanchez and his two assistants, Father Bong and Father Sanders, together with the members of BEC-CSPGS.

In his welcoming address, Fr Sanchez encouraged the twinned BECs to propagate and promote BEC. He said that through sharing, it will prompt learning from each other and will bring growth in their relationship with the Lord. He said that BEC is one of the ways to reach out to more people and through BEC they will get closer to God and to others in the community.

The visit was important as it coincided with the Filipino year-long celebration of  2017 as the Year of the Parish as a “Communion of Communities, Participation and Mission” with emphasis on BECs.

In response, Fr Thomas expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome rendered and he said that the similarities of the guests and host made them feel at home. He said that the BECs in the Sandakan Diocese is in its infancy stage as the diocese is merely 10 years old and has much to learn from them.

Clarita Salvan, the team animator, briefed the visitors on their history while Francis Tan provided an insight into the BEC of St Teresa of Calcutta,  followed by a group discussion on the way forward for BECs.

After Sunset Mass at the cathedral, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was sealed between the two BECs by the respective chairpersons at the parish hall, witnessed by the priests.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

LIMBAHAU – Limbahau Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) chairman requested for a residential pastor during the annual pastoral visit by the archbishop on 8 Oct 2017 to Holy Rosary Parish here.

In his speech after the Mass wherein 95 boys and girls were confirmed by Archbishop John Wong, Sylvester Joseph conveyed the longing of the parishioners for a residential pastor.  He also urged the parishioners to pray for this request to be granted.

He said that the proceeds from the day’s bazaar would be for the Catholic Centre building project fund as the parish has pledged to contribute RM220,000.00 towards it.  Other fundraisers have been initiated as well.

Joseph then touched on the parish’s two-year family programme which he hoped would be fruitful.

Earlier at 8 am, Abp Wong had a breakfast meeting with the two pastors, Father Thomas Yip and Father Rayner Bisius, and PPC members who presented reports under their various portfolios, present and future programmes such as KKG-ku (Keluarga [family], KKD [BEC], Gereja [church]), Belia Masuk Kampung (youth enter village), and altar servers camp, in response to the Archdiocesan Pastoral Thrust.

In his turn, Abp Wong encouraged the parishioners to deepen their faith, the confirmands to be active church members, and married couples to have more children despite various challenges.

He pointed out that small families mean reduction in the overall Catholic population and challenged the parishioners to have trust in God to provide for their needs.

After the speeches, the prelate launched the new parish logo.

After Mass, all went in procession to the Fr A Amandus Hall, accompanied by traditional toggungak music, for lunch, cake-cutting commemorating Abp Wong’s 7th episcopal anniversary, choral presentations, prize presentations for sports and recreational activities, and lucky draws.

The prelate, accompanied by parish leaders, toured all the stalls selling food, drinks, local produce, meeting the people where they were.

Later, the PPC presented Abp Wong with a mock cheque of RM40,000 as proceeds from the bazaar.

Representing the state government, Datuk Johnny Mositun presented several units of PA systems to Limbahau and  Papar parishes, and to some outstation chapels.

The evening before, Oct 7, Abp Wong celebrated Sunset Mass at St Sabina Titimbongon Papar, the first time the chapel was visited by a bishop. – William Charles Mindus

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

BONGKUD, Ranau – The Catholic Community of St Victor Chapel here organised a vocation programme for the youths of Bongkud and Kibbas on 8 Oct 2017.

The programme began with a Mass wherein Pauline Sister Laura Anggie was invited to share her vocation story.

After lunch, several Sunday School children gave a presentation dressed in religious habits of the congregations present in Sabah.

Then the religious congregations were given time to introduce their respective congregation: (1) Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (FSIC), Daughters of St Paul (FSP), Marist Brothers (FMS), Putri Karmel (PKarm), Carmelitae Sancti Elias Brothers (CSE), Carmelite Nuns (OCD) by the Secular Carmelites (OCDS), and Order of Friars Minor (OFM).

All the congregations were given tokens of appreciation.

The programme ended with the youths visiting the different booths set up by the religious.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

Sandakan -The main family of the Chinese Coordinating Committee of the Basilica of St. Mary Marquise was held in the Chancellor Classroom from September 29 to 30, 2017. The second Chinese pre-marital counseling weekend was held in 2017.
The purpose of the premarital counseling weekend camp is to prepare the couples who are going to get married to be fully prepared to face the imminent marriages and the responsibilities of the married guys, especially in the face of the environment Challenge and seduce the moment.
There are two pairs of couples (Li Jianjie and Wu Lizhu, Zhang Jizhong and Deng Peifen) who are enrolled in this weekend. The three groups of members of the happy family (Huang Shinan couple, Chen Yuyuwen couple and Chen Chuanyu couple) are responsible for arranging and speaking this course. Course topics cover “know me / you / we, men and women of the psychological, common planning and decision, marriage with the sacrament, natural birth control” and so on.
In the three pairs of members of the rotation and detailed explanation and easy to explain, the two couples attended the course of the purpose and content of this course, and benefit a lot.
The weekend camp ends from Friday night (29/9) until Saturday (30/9) at 4.30 pm. Before the end of the two pairs of couples were awarded the certificate.

山打根圣玛莉主教座堂华文协调委员会属下快乐家庭于2017年9月29至30日在慕道班课室举办了2017年度第二次的华文婚前辅导周末营。

举办该婚前辅导周末营之目的是应教会的要求，让将要结婚的情侣们有充分的准备以面对即将来临的婚姻生活及应有的已婚教友的责任，尤其是面对大环境诸多挑战及引诱的当儿。

此次的共有两对情侣（李建杰与巫丽珠， 张继中与邓佩芬）报名参与此周末营，由快乐家庭的三对组员（黄士南夫妇，陈于宇文夫妇及陈川宇夫妇）负责安排及主讲此项课程。课程讲题涵盖“认识我/你/我们，男人女人的心理，共同策划与决定，婚配圣事，自然节育”等。

在三对组员轮流及详细的讲解与深入浅出的说明下，出席的两对情侣皆明了此课程的目的及内容，并获益不少。

此次的周末营从周五晚（29/9）开始直至周六（30/9）下午四时三十分圆满结束。结束前，两对参与的情侣皆获颁结业证。

Article reproduced from Diocese of Sandakan

Objektif bagi Kem Penyambutan ini adalah Menghayati dan Mengenali Yesus dalam Ekaristi.

Program ini dimulai dengan pendaftaran dan sarapan pagi seawal 7 pagi disusuli dengan Pentahtaan Alkitab pada 7.45 pagi yang dipimpin oleh Rev. Fr. Simon Kontou.

Sesi pertama dimulakan dengan sesi suaikenal serta Icebreaking dan diteruskan dengan bengkel tentang Sakramen Baptis yang dikendalikan oleh Pengerusi Komiti Katekatikal Paroki, Sdra Sebastian Francis. Pada akhir sesi ini, calon penyambutan dan pembimbing melakukan aktiviti 14 pernyataan Pembaptisan yang betul atau salah.

Setelah makan tengahari, para calon dibawa bermain permainan mencari Harta Karun, dimana para calon akan diperlihatkan kelengkapan misa dalam bentuk gambar dan mencari gambar berkenaan di sekitar dewan. Setelah permainan ini selesai, para calon dibawa melihat sendiri kelengkapan Misa.

Article reproduced from Diocese of Sandakan

Lahad Datu: Kem Krisma yang julung kalinya telah diadakan di Gereja St. Dominic pada 16hb September 2017. Kem ini dihadiri  oleh calon penguatan daripada Paroki St Dominic dan Outstasi sekitar. Seramai 14 Calon dewasa dan 136 Calon Remaja serta 20 orang para pembimbing telah menyertai kem ini.

Kem Krisma ini merupakan yang pertama diadakan di Paroki St. Dominic kerana sebelum ini hanya diadakan retret bagi Calon Penguatan. Kem ini bertujuan untuk mempersiapkan para calon untuk menerima Sakramen Penguatan pada 5hb Nov 2017 akan datang. Objektif utama bagi Kem Krisma ini adalah ‘Menjadi Saksi Kristus Yang Berkesan’.

Program ini dimulai dengan pendaftaran seawal jam 7 pagi disusuli dengan Pentahtaan Alkitab yang dipimpin oleh Rev. Fr. Simon Kontou.

Sesi pertama ialah Menghidupi Panggilan Baptis yang dipimpin oleh Sr Evelin Tivit. Beliau mengadakan bengkel dan soalan. Antara soalan-soalan yang dikemukakan ialah ‘cabaran utama orang muda untuk menghidupi panggilan Baptis’.
Dalam sesi kedua ialah Penyataan tentang Sakramen. Melalui sesi ini, para calon diajak untuk mengenali Sakramen dengan lebih mendalam.
Masuk kepada sesi ketiga, Sr Evelin memberikan katekisis tentang Ekaristi, Yesus Roti Kehidupan. Di dalam sesi ini, para calon mengadakan aktiviti tentang urutan Misa.

Melalui sesi Pertobatan, pembimbing PMK saudari Vilma mengadakan aktiviti ‘Knee Injury/ Spiritual Healing’ untuk memperlihatkan para calon bagaimana melalui proses pertobatan.

Sesi terakhir, Sr Evelin memberi penjelasan tentang tajuk sesi iaitu ‘Kamu adalah SaksiKu (7 Maksud Buah Roh Kudus)’ dan berakhir dengan aktiviti menyusun teka silang kata .

Kem Krisma ini ditutup dengan perkongsian, renungan dan evaluasi yang dipimpin Sr Evelin Tivit dan di akhiri dengan Raptai Calon Penguatan di dalam Gereja.

Article reproduced from Diocese of Sandakan 

RANAU –  Mass at St Peter Claver Church here was a colourful sea of snuggly animals, as over 200 people toted their favourite animals to be blessed on 4 Oct 2017, a long-time dream of Father Nicholas Stephen, the parish priest.

This scene of friends – furry and otherwise – was one of many throughout the world, as parishes celebrated St Francis’ feast day on Oct 4, in many places a week full of activities that included animal blessings, Transitus services, commemorations, festivals and special Masses.

The day before, the church celebrated the Transitus, remembering the death of St Francis. “Embracing Otherness” and “Engaging Francis” were the themes of some events that, in addition to honouring St Francis’ care for all creation, encouraged people to join social ministry projects and celebrate the colours, cultures and creeds of others, just as the patron saint would.

Fr  Stephen used the opportunity to reflect on St Francis as the patron saint of ecology. He said, “Have you ever wondered why many churches offer a special blessing for animals on the feast of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology?”

He said, “People bring their pets for a blessing because they want to thank God for their non-human companions, for their friendship and beauty. But there is an even more important reason to bless animals, especially at this time of the unprecedented ecological crisis that we face. First, the blessing of animals reminds us that all creatures have been created and blessed by God. Their worth extends far beyond a mere commodity value that we humans ascribe to them. Second, the blessing of the animals offers us an opportunity to strengthen within us a sense of compassion for all God’s creatures. It can also reawaken in us our religious responsibility to protect them – much like Noah did – from a disaster.”

“In memory of the blessing of Francis, we give thanks, we simply give thanks, for gratitude is the memory of the heart.” Fr Stephen continued, “We thank those in all our ministries who have supported us and worked with us to help people (the poor, the missions, local works), and to pray that love will continue to live on in our lives and in our ministries as we fill our hearts with beautiful memories of Christ, of Francis, of Franciscan men and women whose work we continue into the next century.” – Friar Aiden Peter Jr OFM

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

This year is the 100th anniversary of the apparitions at Fatima. This month of October is a good time to pray the Rosary as BECs, families or individuals to honour Our Lady of Fatima. On this centenarian celebration the Church invites us to focus on “conversion of sinners.” It also calls all Catholics to say the Rosary daily.

The practice of praying the Rosary has gradually been abandoned by many families and individuals because of the various daily distractions. Many  Catholic parents and adults are so occupied, with work, business, family matters and other distractions, that they do not have time to pray by themselves or with their families.

Praying the Rosary is not easy. Finding a moment to recite the Rosary during our busy day can be a challenge. At times we do partial rosaries. We just say a decade or two a day. At times we may say hurried rosaries because of our busy schedules. We may also say the rosary while driving to work and returning from work. Perhaps we ‘pray-on-the-go’. All these activities could detract from the merits of praying the rosary. A common excuse for not saying the rosary is that it’s boring to recite .

Why do we need to pray the Rosary? It doesn’t matter how busy our day is but the important thing is that we should take every effort to pray as a family despite our busy schedules. The moment we pray the Rosary in the midst of our hectic schedule, we give an opportunity to let Mother Mary come into our lives.

When we pray the Rosary, we grow stronger as a family. Praying the Rosary daily gives us a spiritual power to battle with sin. Whenever temptations are high, we must always remind ourselves, to pull out our rosaries from our pockets or hand bags and say at least one or two decades of the Rosary at once. It may give you sufficient strength and spiritual power to defeat evil. We need to regularly focus and reconnect ourselves with our heavenly Mother to gain strength from Her Son, Jesus Christ.

One of the reasons why people lose their faith is that they drop the practice of praying the Rosary, either as a family or individually. We need the Rosary. We should pray the Rosary without fear or doubt. God will answer your prayers when you pray sincerely and with faith. Many parents are very worried about their children. With the rosary in our hands and with the assistance of our Blessed Mother Mary, we have a place to send our worries and anxieties for our children to come back to our Lord Jesus. The Rosary will save our children when they divert themselves from the path towards God. When we say the Rosary daily it will stop them from ever leaving their faith in Christ.

May we be resolute in setting aside a special time just to pray the Rosary. We see around us much disunity within church communities and families today. The Church believes that the Rosary unites and brings peace. Many families and communities faithfully dedicate themselves to the daily recitation of the Rosary for peace, harmony, selflessness and love.

At Fatima, Our Lady said this directly: “Say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and to save the world.”—SJC

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online