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February 2007 News
| More aid to flood victims |
Kuala Lumpur : : The media has highlighted that many agencies are giving aid to the victims of the flood in Johor and Melaka, but some are saying that they have yet to receive any of it. Fr Michael Mannayagam, the Flood Relief Coordinator for Melaka-Johor Diocese, and his team have been working closely with the Parish Office for Human Development (POND) in the parishes affected, to distribute cash and items according to the needs of the victims. The team is now concentrating on the migrant workers and refugees as well who have been bypassed by the other agencies. At press time, the Penang Diocese has received RM41,947.30 for the flood victims from 11 parishes. More are expected to give.-Herald
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Ministry of Poor provides aid to families
Kajang :Thirty-six families received Educational Aid from the Church of the Holy Family at a get-together organised by the parish's Ministry of the Poor (MOP) on January 21, 2007. Parish priest, Fr Julian Leow, in his speech urged the students to be serious in their education. Programmes have been designed and planned for the whole year to assist the adoptees, which includes the "Entrepreneurship Programme", where members will educate and equip them with management skills to conduct small-scale businesses on their own. Psychological Education and Counseling will also be provided.-Herald
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Legionaries meet with Archbishop
Kuala Lumpur : The KL Regia officers together with some office bearers from the Curiae and Praesidia of the Legion of Mary recently had a meeting with Archbishop Murphy Pakiam. Addressing the meeting, Archbishop Pakiam commented that the Legion system is a very good system, whereby it can be used for strengthening the BECs. The Regia officers are planning to set up a team to reach out to parishes that have no Legion of Mary (in various languages). Currently, there are over 1,000 active Legionaries and a few thousand Auxiliary Members in Peninsular Malaysia.-Herald
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Evangelical counsels vital for growth of the church
Petaling Jaya : : The Eucharistic celebration to commemorate World Day of Prayer For Consecrated Life was celebrated at the Church of the Assumption on Feb 2. Some 80 religious brothers and sisters from the various congregations of the KL Archdiocese were among the congregation. Archbishop Pakiam was the main presider at the Eucharistic celebration with several priests concelebrating. A Power Point presentation on Religious Life was also presented. Before the final blessing, a cake cutting ceremony for the seven jubilarians was held at the sanctuary, who also renewed their vows.-Herald
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More than loo SIC youths say 'YES' to Jesus
Petaling Jaya : St Ignatius Church, Petaling Jaya (SIC) Junior Youth Ministry (JYM) began the new year with SIC's inaugural Youth Experience in the Spirit (YES) Seminar. Over 110 youths between the age of 12 and 24 chose to attend the seminar tailored to the needs of the young, which was jointly organised by the youths under the guidance of their advisors. The main aim of the seminar, was to encourage youths to say `YES' to the Lord in whatever situations they were in.-Herald
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Dialogue with Orang Asli on land rights and Education
Kuala Lumpur : The Archdiocesan Office for Human Development (AOHD) recently held a dialogue session with the Orang Asli community. Held on Jan 26 at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre, aimed at creating awareness on the plight of the Orang Asli so that the local Church may work together with them to find solutions to the challenges faced by them specifically. The session then proceeded with the two main issues being discussed: land rights and education. Some proposals and recommendations were made. On the whole, the dialogue session helped the participants become aware of some of the challenges faced by the Orang Asli community
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Catechetical commission elects new office bearers
The Malaysian Catechetical Commission (MCC) members met from Feb 5-7, 2007 at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre. Elections were held for the 2007-2008 term. During the meeting members reviewed and monitored the progress of the Malaysian Catechetical Series, which is slated to be completed by 2008. The series is well accepted in Malaysia and many parishes are using it. The commission has also agreed on the theme for Catechetical Sunday, which will be Family - A Nursery of Disciples. -Herald
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KL Archdiocese Alpha Coordinators get together Our Lady Of Lourdes, Klang
Klang : Coordinators of the Alpha programme got together to share each others ' Alpha experience. Representing the parishes and the Chinese Apostolate, the gathering started off with the celebration of the Eucharist. Fr John (parish priest) emphasised the need to reach out to the migrant communities for his parish has been seeing an influx in recent years. He shared his passion in wanting to re-evangelise the Catholic community so as to grow from a maintenance church to a mission church, a church that evangelises. The Alpha Course is proving to be an effective one as the evangelising arm of the church.-Herald
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Thirty-three confirmed at St John's Cathedral
Kuala Lumpur : : It was a joyful and memorable day for 33 candidates who, after having completed two years preparation and studies, received the Sacrament of Confirmation that was administered by the Kuala Lumpur Archbishop, His Grace Most Rev Murphy Pakiam on Jan 28 at the Cathedral f St John. The confirmands, all in Form Five, were seen smiling and greeting each other and members of their families, teachers and sponsors after having received the sacrament and certificates which were presented by Fr A. Amalanathan, assistant parish priest..-Herald
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Deepening our understanding of the Lenten message
Kuala Lumpur :The Archdiocesan Office of Human Development (AOHD) kick-started this year's formation programme for the Lenten Campaign on Saturday, January 27, at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre. The half-day session saw more than 100 participants from different churches, chapels and ministries who came together to plan the Lenten Campaign 2007 (LC'07). His Grace, Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, also addressed the participants. The participants also discussed the Lenten campaigns in 2006 and suggestions to make LC'07 more meaningful and effective. The AOHD outlined the proposals for LC'07 which include a replication of the programme at BECs through a VCD produced in collaboration with Cahayasuara.-Herald
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More funds pour in for flood victims
Kuala Lumpur : When some parts of Melaka and Johor were hit by the flood, the Melaka-Johor Diocese immediately released RM90,000 for flood relief work. When the situation became worse, a further RM170,000 was committed to the neediest communities. The funds came entirely from the Church's annual Lenten campaign. This was reported in a statement released on Jan 20 by the Diocese.-Herald
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Shah Alam churches organise Christian Unity Servive
Shah Alam : : Seven denominational churches came together for a Christian Unity Service on January 18. Held at the New Life Restoration Centre, the service was organised by the Shah Alam Christian Fellowship (SACF). Disciples in Oneness was the theme chosen and the service was conducted in seven languages: English, Mandarin, Tamil, Bahasa Melayu, Iban, Bidayuh and Kadazan. It comprised praise and worship, scripture reading, sermon, and intercessory prayers. SACF was formed on Nov 6, 2002 to look into the application for a Christian burial ground in Shah Alam and promote unity among Christians.-Herald
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Jogathon to raise funds for new community building
Kuala Lumpur : The Sacred Heart parish had organised a jogathon to raise funds for its newly completed community building. Held on Jan 28, the event saw some 200 parishioners, ranging from children to senior citizens, participating in the 4.2km jogathon. Parish Priest, Fr Anthony Thomas, flagged off the participants at 5.00pm at the church entrance on Jalan Peel. A fellowship dinner for all participants followed at the church grounds after the prize-giving ceremony. An estimated RM70,000 was collected at the event. Meanwhile the Sacred Heart Church Building Fund Committee has clarified that the total cost of the new community building is estimated at RM3 million.-Herald
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Golden Jubilee celebration of Our Lady of Lourdes SSVP
Klang : The Society of St Vincent De Paul celebrated its Golden Jubilee Celebrations at Our Lady of Lourdes parish (OLL). Held on Jan 27, the dinner event was attended by special guests including the underprivileged boys and girls from Jeevan Children's Home and also Rumah SVP. Special guests from Pusat Kasih Sayang, Pusat Cahaya Kesayangan and Pusat Perlindungan, which cater to the mentally challenged were also present. The dinner began with a speech by the Chairman of the SVP society followed by Fr John Gnanapiragasam, parish priest OLL..The SSVP Conference of Our Lady of Lourdes was formed in 1956.-Herald
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Visit to North West District Youth Leaders
Kuala Lumpur : Fr George Harrison, pic, the assistant director of the Archdiocesan Single Adult and Youth office (ASAYO) and the Pastoral Workers traveled to the North West district for their first district youth visit on January 25, 2007. Realising the fact that pastoring from the office is not enough the priest and pastoral workers decided to personally go down to the roots to hear the difficulties and problems faced by the youths in the districts. The meeting began with para liturgy based on the theme On Bearing Witness To Christ and ended at 9.30pm.-Herald
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Home for underprivileged girls opens in Klang
Petaling Jaya : The Society of St Vincent De Paul Conferences of St Anne, Our Lady of Lourdes, Holy Redeemer and Holy Eucharist have jointly started a home for girls aged 4 to 12 from underprivileged homes. St Bernadettes Home began operations on Feb 1. The home is looking for Administrator and a stay-in Homemother cum-cook. Interested please contact Edmund (012-2831557), Lawrence(019-3469645 or Scholastica(016-2078048).-Herald
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Parish Nite an avenue for various ministries to gather in solidarity
Kuala Lumpur : : `Parish Nite' was the focus of a fellowship gathering for 180 members and leaders of the various Ministries and BECs from the Cathedral of St John and Chapel of Mary, Mother of God. Held in the old parish hall of the Cathedral on Jan 23, the fellowship dinner was graced by parish priest, Msgr James Gnanapiragasam and his assistant, Fr A. Amalanathan. -Herald
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Lawyers urged to put truth back into the law
Kuala Lumpur :A red Mass was held at St John's Cathedral on Jan 20. Traditionally, a red Mass is celebrated annually in the Catholic Church for judges, lawyers, law academics and students, organised by The Catholic Lawyers' Society. The Mass was presided over by Bishop Anthony Lee of Miri with Archbishop Murphy Pakiam concelebrating. Bishop Lee explaining the purpose of having a red Mass every year, is an occasion for solemnity as judges, lawyers and those in the legal profession invoke God's blessing and guidance for themselves and their profession. -Herald
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New community centre for KL parish finally completed
Kuala Lumpur : The long awaited community centre of the Sacred Heart parish is finally complete. "If all goes well, if the CF is obtained on time, then the official opening of the new Community Centre could be at end of March 2007," said Fr Anthony Thomas. The five-level Community Centre will house mainly classrooms for Sunday school, a large hall with a stage on the ground level that can accommodate 300 to 400 people, kitchen, library, toilets and `an open space' on the top level that can be utilised for various activities.-Herald
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Worshiping and serving as one in the Lord
Petaling Jaya : : An ecumenical worship service was held in conjunction with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2007 on Thursday, Jan 25 at the Loyola Hall, SFX. Organised by Fostering Interreligious Encounters (FIRE) group, in collaboration with the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM). Over 200 participants from different churches and Christian groups in attendance, as well as several bishops. January 18 to 25 is the traditional period that most churches in the world observe the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year's focus calls on Christian people and churches to express their growing unity by breaking the silence and by joining together in responding to human suffering as instruments of God's compassion and justice in the world.-Herald
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Tampin parish celebrates golden jubilee with fundraising dinner
Tampin : St John B Vianney's Church celebrated its 50th Parish Jubilee celebrations with a dinner. About 600 people from different walks of life attended this dinner, which was organised to raise funds to meet the needs of this rural parish. A special record of thanks was mentioned for the presence of the VIPs representing the different religious faith communities, which included Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Christians of other denominations within the town of Tampin.
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Holiday programme at Special Needs Learning Cantre
Kuala Lumpur : The Special Needs Learning Centre, at Jalan Bukit Nanas, ended the 2006 school year with an activity-filled 2-week holiday programme, culminating in a Christmas party. Our students were able to put into practice the skills they had acquired during the academic year with a holiday programme entitled Cheng Ho's Expedition. The programme was aimed at helping our students discover and appreciate the world that they live in. This programme was not limited to our students only as parents too took part in making these journeys together with their children. These activities helped in building team spirit among students, teachers, volunteers and their families.-Herald
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Veteran choir master known for pastoral contributions
Kuala Lumpur : He was a committed Tamil choirmaster who helped develop the music ministry in several KL churches in the 70s and 80s. Having faithfully served the Church for over 32 years, Joseph Patrick Packiam, returned to the Lord on January 13, after battling lung cancer for 1 years. He was 64. Lovingly known as Bro Patrick, leaves behind wife, Elizabeth and son, Kenneth Lourdes. The funeral was held on January 15 at the Church of St Francis of Assisi (SFA), Cheras. At SFA's Ponggal celebration on January 7 this year, he was recognised and honoured with a ponnadai (golden shawl) for his pastoral contribution and commitment.-Herald
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KL Archdiocese clergy meet to reflect on PMPC III
Kuala Lumpur : From January 16 to 18, clergy from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur gathered to reflect on the Post PMPC III document. Held at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre, the priests discussed the Future Course of Direction and how it affects them personally and as pastors to their flock. The priests will look for ways on how to implement the six strategies proposed at the PMPC III in their various parishes and ministries. The four key words identified are conversion, conviction, commitment and collaboration. Last year, the priests from the Penang Diocese held two week-long meetings to also discuss this document. The religious in the KL Archdiocese also gathered at the Infant Jesus Convent in Cheras to reflect of the same document.-Herald
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Twenty-four receive Secrement of Confirmation in Mantin
| Mantin :On January 14, 2007, 24 confirmands received the Sacrament of Confirmation at the parish of St Aloysius. After the thanksgiving, His grace presented certificates of confirmation to the newly-confirmed. Parish priest Fr Lam also presented a token of appreciation to the three catechists for journeying with the comfirmands the past four years. A fellowship with light refreshment was organised and sponsored by the newly confirmed.-Herald |
International Migrants Day observed at Klang parish
| Klang : International Migrants' Day was observed on Jan 14 by parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes parish. Myanmarese, Filipino, Indonesian and Indian Nationals came together to celebrate the Eucharist. A fellowship was held after both Masses. There was plenty of food, fun, laughter, music, lucky draws and solo/group presentations by all those who participated in the day's celebrations. It was evident that the church's Vision of being an outreach community relating to fellowship, love and unity was present at this gathering.-Herald |
AFS-YES Alumi do their bit for flood victims
| Kajang : : "Real generosity is doing something for someone who will never find it out." These were the salient words uttered by Ashvin Nambiar of the AFS-YES Alumni during the official Handing Over Ceremony in aid of the Johor Flood Victims. The American Field Service (AFS) conducts a early Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme to the USA. The Alumni, headed by Ashvin Nambiar of Kajang, Selangor, recently held a donation drive in their respective hometowns, pleading the public for used blankets and clothings. The response they received was impressive.-Herald |
Senior citizens make pilgrimage to Puchong parish
Puchong : A group of senior citizens made a pilgrimage visit to the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The group first celebrated the Eucharist. After Mass, Fr Lexson took the opportunity to pray specially for each of the pilgrims and led them around the church proper and briefly showed them some important sections of the building while explaining the significance of each section. The vice-president of the Senior Citizen Ministry (St John's), S.V. Culas thanked Fr Lexson for having made the time to welcome the group's pilgrimage to the church. -Herald |
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