Author Archives: Ken Wong

KUALA LUMPUR: As Malaysia celebrated its 60th Independence Day on August 31, thousands of Malaysians turned up to take part in the 3rd Inter-Faith Merdeka Walkathon at Metropolitan Park, Kepong to celebrate both the country’s independence and unity amongst its fellow citizens.

The event was organised by the various religious groups in the Kepong-Selayang area, with the Parish Ministry of Interreligious and Ecumenical Affairs (PMEIA) of Gereja Kristus Cahaya spearheading the occasion. The Merdeka Walkathon brought together hundreds of participants, young and old, who walked together to forge new friendships. It successfully achieved the aim of the event to encourage unity and dialogue amongst the various races and religions around Kepong and Selayang.

Representatives from each religious group, i.e. Tn. Hj. Bakri Dahlan (Deputy Administrator of Al Faizin mosque, Desa Jaya), Mr. Kumara Pillai (Chairman of Thirumurugan Alayam Hindhu Temple, Desa Jaya), Mr. Chong Tiam (President of Taoism Temple, Ban Sin, Desa Jaya), Mr. Gurmit Singh (President of Gudwara Sahib Temple, Selayang), Rev Fr Stanislaus (Parish Priest of Christ The Light Church, Desa Jaya) and Rev. Ven. Hemaloka of Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple, Brickfields, were present to show their support and foster harmony and comradeship amongst their members. It was a sight to behold as the participants and organisers stood shoulder to shoulder to sing the National Anthem as the Malaysian flag was raised.

In his speech, the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Albert Anthony reminisced about the good old days where neighbours and friends mingled freely without prejudice and forged long-lasting friendships. He hoped that through the walkathon, we will take the time to have conversations and create new bonds of friendship. This was seen at the finish line where participants encouraged one another, cheering on the winners and lending helping hands to those in need.

The day ended on a high with prize giving and lucky draws, with new friendships and a better understanding amongst the various religious

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

By Ms Christina Raj
Simple, quiet and unpretentious
A man of few words he was.
An ambitous personality
But a fancy dresser he was not!
He was a stickler for perfection
and a gentle character by profession.

Never underestimate his demure demeanour…
a ‘Jack of All Trades and the Master of All.’

He was…
An ingenious composer,
An eloquent writer,
A nifty musician,
A nightingale,
An evangelist, A liturgist…

He was God’s gift to all of us!
He mesmerised us, both young and old through his versatility…
Tenacious, without ambiguity,
A visionary with passion —
He saw things differently.

He knew the unknown, heard the unheard,
He brought the best out of nothing.
He left footprints in the sand
for others to follow.

It was certainly an experiential journey,
A journey that was rather rough
filled with ups and downs,
A journey with no returns.

This journey would certainly have been less fun without ‘us’
his most favourite people —
the ‘adrenaline boosters.’

He was neither an architect nor a financial controller
Yet he built the blocks and collected the stocks.

He challenged us
He opened up new horizons
He closed the conventional doors
He revolutionised the systems
He broke the norms without any qualms!

We embraced new cultures optimistically
We accepted views critically
We have become a better people.
Facing changes was much easier
We worked hand in hand and helped
make his Mission a success.

Msgr Anthony Thomas,
You have been our inspiration, although we seemed like rebels,
You guided us towards the right path
and we will cherish all that you have taught us.

We may have unintentionally given you a rough time because we were young and impressionable.

We, the Kampung Pandan Youths love you and will keep you in our prayers always.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KOTA KINABALU: A Carmelite nun celebrated 90 years of life with a solemn Mass on 26 Sept 2017 at the Carmelite Monastery here.

Archbishop John Wong presided at the thanksgiving Mass for Mother Consuelo of Jesus.  Joining him at the altar were Archbishop Emeritus John Lee, Father Felix Chung, Father David Sham, Father Michael Modoit, Father Rayner Bisius, Father Mattheus Luta, Father Max Hontor, and two Korean priests.

Over 100 people turned up for the celebration.

In his homily, Abp Wong touched on the many meanings of a birthday celebration in the light of the liturgical readings for votive Mass of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  Basically, it is to thank God for the gift of life and the graces received by the celebrator that are shared with those around.

After the homily, Mother Consuelo renewed her baptismal promises.

After Mass, Celestina Jinu OCDS thanked the concelebrants for marking the occasion with them and paid a tribute to Mother Consuelo for her prayerful ministry inside.

A surprised tribute was paid by Joseph Carlos Leong, a dentist by profession from Selangor.  He and his family came to Sabah in 2004 and got acquainted with Mother Consuelo in 2005.  Last month, he went to Spain and was able to meet the relatives of Mother Consuelo, and brought back their greetings to her.

After the speeches, all adjourned outside for a simple breakfast prepared by the Carmelite Seculars.  Abp Wong also cut the commemorative cake in Mother Consuelo’s stead.

Born on 26 Sept 1927 in Spain, Mother Consuelo entered Carmel there. She made her first profession on 30 Oct 1954 and her solemn profession three years later.  She arrived in North Borneo (now Sabah) on 12 Apr 1960.  She served as prioress for many terms.

At 90, she has been a cloistered nun for 63 years, serving in Sabah for 57 years.  She celebrated her diamond jubilee (60 years) of religious profession on 30 Oct 2014.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online

KENINGAU – A day of reparation was held simultaneously in all parishes, churches, and chapels in Keningau Diocese on 15 Sept 2017, memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Activities included fasting, rosary recitation, Mass and Holy Hour.

Around 200 faithful attended the event at Katedral St Francis Xavier here presided by Bishop Cornelius Piong.

As indicated by the bishop’s pastoral letter issued for the occasion, the intention was to make reparation for all the sins committed at personal and communal levels against God and neighbour in the past 24 years as a diocese.  It was also to make peace with God and one another.

In his homily, the bishop emphasised the sin of unfaithfulness against one’s commitment whether as priest, religious or married couple.

He gave praise to God for people who still come to Mass despite their busy schedule.  He said it indicates the importance they place on the spiritual life.

The prelate said that redemption is not something one can do for oneself.  Quoting Hebrews 9:28, he said it has been done by Christ once and for all.

Why then the need to make reparation?  The bishop said it was because of human weakness and living in this world, one needs to experience God’s mercy in oneself, one’s family and in society. One needs also to let go of those attitudes that run contrary to God’s will through self-surrender to God each day.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

KOTA KINABALU – Sister Alphonsus Low of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (FSIC) was called to eternal life on 26 Sept 2017, a few days short of her 79th birthday.

She was admitted to KPJ on Monday Sept 25 due to breathing difficulty and died peacefully around 10:20 am the next day.

She was born in Singapore on 29 Sep 1938 as Daisy Low Cheng Neo.

She entered Postulancy on 5 Aug 1961 in Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu) and received the habit and the religious name of Sr M Alphonsus when she entered the novitiate on 11 Feb 1962.  After taking her first vows on 11 Feb 1964, she went for formal teachers’ training.

In her 53 years, she had been fully involved in education and caring for boarders, while at the same time giving much of her time in service to the Stella Maris Parish Tanjung Aru as Extraordinary Communion Minister, Spiritual Director of the Legion of Mary and the intercessory group.

She also played a proactive role as Secretary General of the Congregation in 1981 and as Councillor for two terms in 1987 and 1993 during which time she was entrusted in securing grants from the state government for various projects of the Congregation.

In 1999, Sr Low almost succumbed to Melioidosis.

It is not clear whether her infection had to do with her diabetic condition. According to doctors, the single most important risk factor for developing severe melioidosis is diabetes mellitus.

As she struggled with her life while on drug therapy at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the entire Congregation prayed for her recovery. God answered their prayers when the former Principal of SM Stella Maris sprang back to life, defying near death.

She lived on to celebrate her golden jubilee in October 2014.

The lying-in-state is at Stella Maris Hostel Tanjung Aru Monday-Thursday Sept 26-28.  The funeral will be on Friday Sept 29 at 10 am at Stella Maris Church Tg Aru before the body is brought for burial at Mile 4.5 Catholic cemetery Jalan Penampang Lama.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

Every year in the month of September all the clergy (Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishops and Priests) in Peninsular Malaysia will make their annual retreat for six days starting from Sunday evening till Friday evening. There will always be three locations of retreat centers: two in Cameron Highlands, one in Penang Island and the other in Plentong, Johor. Every year I choose to go for my annual retreat in Penang – I love Penang for certain reasons.

This year the retreat was conducted by Bishop Mylo Hubert from the Diocese of Pasig, Philippines. I still remember having attended his retreat back in 1995 which was 22 years ago when I was in the seminary at the College General, Penang. He was then, a priest.

This year my annual retreat has offered me an opportunity to stop, listen and reflect on my priestly journey. This retreat was enjoyable, relaxing and uplifting. I had a very good prayerful experience and a truly uplifting retreat. Bishop Mylo’s lovely encouraging words and his personal priestly life stories have brought enlightenment to me. On the first day itself he spoke a lot on mercy and compassion and how we can reach out to one another. This provided me an opportunity to truly reflect on my own life as a priest and my ministry with wonderful people whom I work with now. I do ask myself from time to time in what way have I experienced God’s mercy and compassion? I found the insights to be thought provoking and these have enhanced my realization as to what my true calling is in my priestly life. I have emotionally felt a sense of peace within myself. I have enjoyed my time at the retreat and gained a lot from it, a lot of meaning and understanding of my gift of the priesthood and my personal prayer life.

At night, we were given some free time for personal reflection and relaxation. This is the time we meet each other and share our thoughts, feelings and reflections of the day. I too enjoyed meeting my priest friends from the other dioceses, whom I have not met for some time. On most nights some of us went out for supper. I enjoyed eating Penang Char Koay Teow which is a favourite of mine. It was a very joyful balance between sessions, sharing and fellowship.

This weekend (22nd – 24th September) we are having our Parish Retreat. The Parish Retreat committee has worked very hard these past two months to recruit more participants to register for this weekend’s retreat. We have about 570 participants. I would like to congratulate all of you for working so hard to make this event a very significant and memorable one for our parish. We hope all those who have registered for this weekend retreat will pray that you will receive more strength to grow in your faith. Some of the participants are from different parishes and I hope you have met new people and you have made new relationships with them.

As your retreat draws to a close make a few practical commitments to improve your prayer life daily. I pray and hope you will have a refreshing and revitalising weekend retreat and deepen your relationship with God and one another. For the next couple of weeks do make a point to write down those thoughts and commitments in your notebooks. I hope everyone has a wonderful retreat and I am sure all of you will be looking forward to the next one.

We thank God for the gift of our retreat masters, Rev. Frs. Jacob Arimpur and Arun Louis and we pray that the Lord grant them the wisdom, understanding and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

KUCHING: Kuching Archdiocese welcomed a new priest to its presbyterium on 22 Sept 2017.

Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuching ordained Deacon Galvin Richard Ngumbang, 34, to the priesthood at St Joseph’s Cathedral here.

Poh said this would be the beginning of Galvin’s ministry to serve and walk humbly with the people placed under his pastoral care.

“Parishioners will begin to call you ‘Father,’ but always keep in your heart that ‘Father’ is not a title, but a relationship with the people of God,” he said.

The service, witnessed by Galvin’s immediate family members and fellow Catholics, began with a traditional Orang Ulu dance.

In the ordination booklet, Galvin revealed that his journey to serve God began after Form 3 when he prayed to pass the Penilaian Menengah Rendah in 1998.

“I was very surprised that I passed the exam and questioned myself as to whether I was special and that God heard my prayer,” he said.

Galvin stated that his true call to serve God was after he attended Holy Hour at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Sibu, when he found his mind at peace and the will to serve God prevailed.

He began seminary studies in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in 2010 after resigning as assistant science officer with the Pepper Marketing Board Sibu.

Galvin obtained his Bachelor of Theology from Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome, on 25 Nov  2016 and graduated from St Peter’s College Major Seminary Kuching on 16 Dec 2016.

He was admitted to the candidacy for Holy Orders by Poh on 3 April 2017 and was ordained as deacon at St Jude’s Church, Bunan Gega Tebedu on April 23.

KUALA LUMPUR – Msgr Anthony Thomas of Kuala Lumpur had been called to eternal life on 24 Sept 2017.

In a chancery notice ref (chan/MC/02/2017) dated Sept 24, it said that Msgr Thomas, 80, died peacefully on Sunday at 2:30 pm at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged Cheras where he had been residing since his retirement in 2005.

Among the deceased’s many qualities was his giftedness and proficiency in music which has contributed greatly to the repertoire of hymns, responsorial psalm musical settings and Mass Ordinaries widely used in the local Church.

He is well remembered by the parishioners of St Joseph Sentul, Visitation Church Seremban and Sacred Heart Church Peel Road where he had served as parish priest.  He was instrumental in the building of the respective parish community centres.

Wake Masses:
Mon Sept 25, 7 am Little Sisters of the Poor Cheras; 8 pm Sacred Heart Peel Road
Tue Sept 26, 8 pm Sacred Heart Peel Road

The funeral will be on Wed Sept 27 at 11 am at Sacred Heart Peel Road and burial at Kajang cemetery.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

BUNDU TUHAN – Sixty-four catechists attended the third module of the BM catechists training course at the retreat centre here on 8-24 Sept 2017.

The course was organised jointly by the Archdiocesan Catechetical Commission and the Persatuan Katekis (PEKA) with the first module on June 12-July 7 and the second module on July 9-21.

Topics covered were human development (Sr Lucy Embayan fsic), psychology and counselling (Sr Lucy Embayan fsic), Pauline Letters (Fr Paul Lo), ecclesiology – Vatican II (Fr Mattheus Luta), Differences between RC, Orthodox & Protestant  Churches (Sr Dariah Ajap fsic & team),  bioethics/morality (Fr Michael Modoit), and i-chat seminar (Fr Larry Tan sj).

Other topics included team building by Terence Dolinting, homiletics by catechist Justin Dinsin, pedagogy by Mdm Lynette Justin, and adminstration by Dominic Lim.

Father Nicholas Stephen, organising team head, presided at the opening Mass Sept 8 while Msgr Primus Jouil celebrated the closing Mass Sept 22 and gave out the certificates of attendance to the participants.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu

PENAMPANG – St Theresa Tambunan held its first fundraising concert dinner for its building project at the KadazanDusun Cultural Association Centre here on 23 Sept 2017.

Over 800 people turned up in support of the event.  Among them were Father Anthony Mikat, the current pastor, Father William Poilis, former pastor, and several religious sisters.

The event organising committee was headed by Pontius Otigil.

In his speech, Building Committe head Daniel Kinsik explained that the inaugural fundraiser is to help build a new RM4.5m church as the existing church cannot be extended anymore to accommodate increasing members.  The target date for completion is 2019 in time for the centenary of the parish.  Once the building is completed, the existing church will be renovated to become the parish hall.

The Tambunan choir – past and present – gave many stirring performances in English, BM and Kadazan.  There were also performances from the Labuan youths.

Fr Mikat did his bit too with his rendition of “How Great Thou Art” to the delight of the diners.

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu