The Kuala Lumpur High Court Friday (21 Nov) set Feb 27 to hear the case regarding the use of the word Allah by a Catholic weekly but eight Muslim agencies gave notice they would file for a stay of proceedings instead. Judge Lau Bee Lan said that the date was set to allow all parties time to file their affidavits. The Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur had applied for a judicial review of a Home Minister's directive forbidding the HERALD publishers from using the word `Allah'. The Archbishop's counsel said that the directive is unlawful under the Federal Constitution and that the word is not exclusive to Islam. The respondents are the Home Minister and the Government. The archbishop is seeking to quash the decision of the Internal Security Minister in a subsequent letter dated 12 Feb 2008, which imposed conditions on the publishing permit of The Herald, a Catholic weekly. Among the conditions was a prohibition on the use of the word `Allah.'

Liturgical celebrations Tamil in Catholic churches in Malaysia
will soon get to use the Tami Responsorial Psalter - a compilation of responsorial psalms or chants usually used during Mass after the First Reading. The chants come complete with the music score enabling keyboardists to play the actual music and facilitate correct chanting.The production is a personal initiative of the Archdiocese's well-acclaimed Liturgist Fr Anthony Thomas who had also compiled the English version (launched in Kuala Lumpur eight years ago on Jan 2, 2000 by then Archbishop Anthony Soto Fernandez. Expected to be available soon, the handsome comb-bound collection containing the responsorial psalms for liturgical cycles A, B and C for Sunday Masse as well as Feast Days and including the seasons of Advent and Lent, will b retailed at RM70.00 per copy excluding postage and handling charges.

Members of the, Archdiocesan Pastoral Council (APC) together with Archbishop Murphy Pakiam met on Nov 15 to further deliberate on how and in what form the Church can extend her help towards refugees and migrants in the diocese. This was a follow-up to the council meeting in May 2008 when the council was given a briefing by representatives from UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), Tenaganita (a NGO group) and the Catholic Lawyers' Society. What they shared on the insurmountable problems and hardships faced by the refugees was heartrending, especially by those who are not yet documented by the UNHCR. And even those who are registered are not spared the harassment. Malaysia is not a signatory to the United Nations Charter for Refugees and thus threats undocumented refugees as illegal immigrants. Being such, illegal immigrants are often hunted, imprisoned and deported. Anthony Wee from the AOFID (Archdiocese Office for Human Development) gave the council an up-date on the current situation of refugees. While the Church respects the law of the country. 

The Pahang Branch of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) organized an inter-religious dialogue session at the Pahang Buddhist Association at Jalan Bukit Ubi, Kuantan, on Nov 15. About 60 people of different faiths turned up to give their support. The Christian community was represented by Fr Eugene Benedict from the Catholic Church of St. Thomas, who is also currently the Hon Secretary of MCCBCHST. A delegation of I8 parishioners attended with him. The aim was to promote a better understanding of "Prayer" in the respective  tradition of Buddhism, Christianity Hinduism and Sikhism. A representation from each of the above groups made a 20 minute presentation followed by "Question & Answer" session. It was the consensus of the audience that the sessions were very informative and helpful in understanding the practices of the various religions.

Assumption Church's 2008 Parish Pastoral Assembly (PPA) held on Saturday Oct 18 kicked off with the divine office morning prayers being prayed by 109 parishioners representing the ministries, organizations, committees and BECs of the parish. John Chin, the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) Chairperson, in his opening address said PMPC III had continued to emphasize that the BECs participation and involvement are key to making the church to be a communion of communities.

The Parish Pastoral Assembly of the Cathedral of St John (SJC) was held on Nov 9. One hundred and fifty parishioners participated. Parish priest Msgr James Gnanapiragasam admitted that many parishes have problems with their Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs). He was making reference to the evaluation reports of Ministries and BECs that had been earlier presented to the assembly, which highlighted poor attendance at most BEC gatherings and lack of commitment. However Msgr James commented that Ministries appeared to be doing well. Nonetheless, it was also fair to state that there are a handful of BECs that have been doing pretty well in terms of activities and participation.

Obedience is about giving away one's heart, and not just about fidelity to rules and orders, said Fr Simon Yong, SJ, parish priest of the Church of St Francis Xavier (SFX) during the Parish Assembly at the church hall on Nov 8. The 28th SFX PA was attended by 177 chief coordinators and core team members of BECs and parish groups. His Grace Archbishop Murphy Pakiam who was present at the PA reminded the assembly that active participation in parish groups should not preclude them from being active in BECs. He also reminded the assembly on the need for continued ecumenism, evangelisation and reaching out to the less fortunate.

The Malaysian Revival Songwriter Competition (MRSC) has been injected with a breath of fresh air by the only Catholic entry in the entire competition. Known as D' BASIC (Brothers And Sisters In Christ), the band, fronted by Sylvester Raj (Sly) of Christ the Light, Kepong, has managed to make it to the finals after braving through the initial screening and the Heat. The competition, organized by Star Maker", a local Christian ministry, a recording label and business entity, is conducted annually with the motive of bringing to light and promoting Malaysian Revival Music in order to bring it to a place of recognition in the community of the world. Open to Malaysians of all ages, the MRSC begins with interested participants sending a demo recording of a song of their own composition to the organizers.  The finals determine the winner who will be signed by Star Maker" to market their music on Star Maker's platform which is soon to go global next year. 

Catechists of the Church of St Joseph and the Church of Risen Christ attended a two-day weekend formation programme themed Called, Chosen and Commissioned on Nov 8 and 9.
The weekend programme was conducted by Martin Jalleh, a facilitator who has been actively involved in the Youth Ministry for the past 30 years.
Martin Jalleh invited the participating catechists to look deeply within themselves to answer the "call to serve," despite challenges. He added, "Everyone is accountable to the calling or vocation placed upon one's life."
Drawing examples from Old and New Testament scriptures, he explained the meaning of "The Suffering Servant" and how it relates to us as servants in His vineyard.
During one of the sessions, participants were asked what images of God they had. Many participants described God as portrayed by medieval artists or as images of Christ on picture-cards used as bookmarkers in the bibles.

The Society of St Vincent De Paul (SSVP), Conference of Sacred Heart Kuala Lumpur, will see their ten-year dream become a reality with the construction of a double-storey dialysis centre, to be officially named Pusat Dialisis Good Health-NKF.
Construction of the centre located in Lorong Satu in Kampung Pandan, just opposite the Chapel of Our Lady of Good Health (OLGH) started several months ago and will be completed next month. However, the interior furnishing, namely furniture, fixtures and fittings including the haemodialysis machines and equipment will only be fully installed next year.
According to S. Perry, President of the SVP Conference of Sacred Heart Kuala Lumpur, Pusat Dialysis Good Health-NKF is a project initiated by them in partnership with National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF). Tex Cycle Sdn Bhd is the main sponsor who has donated RM250,000.00.
Perry said besides providing basic living necessities to the poor and the less fortunate, the Society has become conscious of the problems endured by the poor who suffer kidney failure as the average cost for dialysis treatments in private hospitals or clinics reach RM35,000.00 per annum.

After months of planning and preparation, the Girls' Ministry that attracted some thirty registered members, age ranging from 9 to 13 was established and officially launched recently at the Cathedral of St John (SJC) in a joyous and magnificent celebration.
At the launch during the morning Sunday Mass, the logo of the Girls' Ministry Blossoms for Christ was unveiled, much to the admiration of the assembly present.
Sr Stephanie Samy IJS who was appointed as the Co-ordinator for the Girls' Ministry by SJC parish priest, Msgr James Gnanapiragasam, said that the aim of the new ministry is to gather these young Catholic girls to serve Christ in simplicity, charity, honesty and fidelity.
The girls meet with Sr Stephanie and a few teachers for 75 minutes at the New Parish Hall once a fortnight after Sunday School.
Parents who have children, age ranging from 9 to 13, are encouraged to enroll their daughters in this ministry at the parish.

The youths and Single Adults of the Church of Divine Mercy presented Godspell, a musical based upon the Gospel according to Matthew. This three-month effort was staged over two days at the parish in preparation for Advent as the theme behind Godspell was "Prepare ye the way."
"Godspell is in town! Let us take this message home and become agents of change wherever God takes us and plants us," said parish priest, Fr Paulino Miranda. "I am very proud of this group of people. Their intention was not only to entertain or share the word of God in music and drama, but to reach out to the less-privileged."
The musical was staged in support of the IJ sisters and proceeds from the ticket sales went to the Asrama Cahaya Rumah Wanita Cacat in Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur. Tickets were sold at RM10 each and it was almost full-house both nights.

The third vocation talk was held in Sacred Heart Church, Peel Road on Sunday Oct 26.
Sr Angeline Lau from the Good Shepherd Sisters presented the talk to more than 8O participants, consisting mainly of youths between the ages of 14 - 17 and their parents.
The session started with The Galilee Song followed by three "Kisah Benar" stories that were presented by Sr Angeline. Each story featured different women facing crisis situations in life, and the struggles they had to go through before the intervention of the Good Shepherd Sisters.
The second part of session was on the life and calling of Sr Lau into the order of the Good Shepherd Sisters.
The third part of the session unfolded with the background of the Good Shepherd Sisters congregation and their mission works. They express their charisma of God's merciful love either through a contemplative or an apostolic lifestyle.

For the first time, a Choir and Psalm Singing Competition was organised by the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese's Biblical Commission with the cooperation of the Bahasa Malaysia Apostolate.
Held at the Church of St Francis of Assisi on Nov 2, five parishes, Church of St Anthony, Church of the Divine Mercy, Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Church of Lady of Lourdes and the Church of St Francis of Assisi, took part in this inaugural event. Gereja Katholik Fatima in Banting sent a participant for the psalm singing.
"Even though this is a competition, the main message that we want to emphasize is that we need to reflect on the Word of God and let it be the beacon in our lives," said Sr Christine Sundin, the coordinator of the Bahasa Malaysia Apostolate in her speech.
"Win or lose, the Word of God must be alive in our lives as we strive to follow the teachings of Christ,” the added.

Fr Paulino Miranda and 23 others were arrested on Nov 9 for participating in the peaceful candlelight vigil organized by the coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) in the PJ Civic Centre.
In the pandemonium that broke out that night, due to the aggressive intervention of the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU), many were physically injured and even arrested.
The vigil, although intended to be a peaceful opportunity to gather and pray together, turned into mayhem when the FRU attempted to forcefully disperse the crowd while they were singing the national anthem. Video evidence of this is available on http://sivinkit.net/ or http://jelas.info/2008J/l11/10/.
Lawyer Anu Xavier who was present at the station wrote, "At IO.15pm, I was at Police station. I was informed by the police that they were investigating the case of Fr Paulino and the rest of the 23 detainees. The Chief of Police assured me that the detainees would be released by 2.OOam. However, they were not released until about 7.20am on bond."

More than seventy people sacrificed their Deepavali holiday on Oct 27 to attend GIRM (General Instructions of the Roman Missal) Study Day at the Church of Jesus Caritas. The theme was `Come To Me' - an invitation from Our Eucharistic Lord to abide in the Healing Presence of Jesus.
"The GIRM is a witness to the inner consistency and unbroken traditions of the Church which endure even when some new elements are introduced."
Participants hailed from Jesus Caritas, Kristus Aman and Christ the Light. The common denominator was involvement in liturgy and a desire to mutually discover the riches of the Catholic Church.
"We are a Covenantal people," said Fr Mitchel, "and in a Covenant of mutual agreement and mutual expectation, much is expected. At the Last Supper, Our Saviour instituted the New Covenant/the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his Body and Blood to `perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the centuries."

Some 20,000 pilgrims converged this year at the Church of St Jude for the annual Solemnity of Sts Jude & Simon which was celebrated from Oct 18 to 28.
On the final day, the actual feast day, on Oct 28, some 1,300 Catholics flocked for the evening multi-lingual Thanksgiving Mass that was presided over by Fr Phillip Kolandaisamy from Melaka-Johor Diocese and concelebrated with Fr Leonard John, parish priest of St Jude.
Fr Phillip exhorted the blessing of God to descend on the assembly and said that they would not be disappointed when they went back home.
In his homily delivered in English and Tamil, Fr Phillip said that all Jesus said and did could be explained with one word - LOVE.
He added that St Jude went to preach and witness for Jesus in Persia and was beheaded, martyred together with St Simon.

The Shah Alam High Court on Nov 7 ruled that the detention of well-known blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin under the ISA was illegal and ordered his immediate release.
Judge Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad said that Raja Petra's detention was unconstitutional.
He said the Home Minister had not followed proper procedure under Section 8 of the 1SA to issue the detention order against Raja Petra.
The judge also ordered that Raja Petra, editor of the popular Malaysia Today website, be produced in court by 4.OOpm after which he should be immediately released.
Raja Petra was being held at the Kamunting detention camp in Perak. "Now is about 10.30am, and I think there is enough time for Raja Petra to be released. I do not want this matter to be prolonged as the weekend starts tomorrow," said the judge.
"I thank the prosecution for their cooperation in handling this case and require your assistance to ensure that the order would be carried out," he added.

“When you see things through my eyes, they are beyond your understanding. I will reveal things to you this weekend. I will speak to your spirit and reveal hidden things which you have no knowledge of. I will set you, my daughters, free."
This promise, revealed through pray and worship to Barbara Neoh, was echoed by the esteemed silver haired Fr Francis Tsen, parish priest of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, in his homily during the Eucharistic Celebration at a recent Women's Retreat held at the Port Dickson Golf and Country Club. "We need to understand the truth about ourselves," said Fr Tsen. "God created us in His image and so we need to pray for insight as to who we are in the eyes of God."
The weekend was organised by the Servants of Yahweh Covenant Community. and the  theme: “Truth will Set You Free, this Women in Full Bloom”

The Diocesan service Team (DST) organised a teaching and preaching seminar on Oct 18 and 19 at the Church of the Assumption with the purpose of bringing forth and affirming the calling of sharing the Word of God within their respective Charismatic Prayer Groups.
The Seminar was attended by some 30 participants, all of whom were part of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
The two-day seminar covered various aspects of breaking the Word of God including methods and techniques of improving oneself as a speaker. The main speaker, Jude Antoine, a full time lay missionary and founder of Kerygma Ministry, encouraged the participants to prepare their own teaching and to share these teachings in small groups.
From Jude's website: "Pope John Paul II asserted that the mission is not something restricted to a few; ALL Catholics must become missionaries. It is necessary that, in the different levels of responsibility, everyone in the Church be educated to cooperate together in the very mission of Christ."

The Church of St Thomas held its Pastoral Assembly on Oct 19 at the Community Centre Hall commencing at 3.OOpm. About 90 parishioners attended including many young people. Present also were Fr Eugene Benedict, the parish priest and His Grace Archbishop Murphy Pakiam.
Reviews of the various parish ministries and service groups were presented using PowerPoint projections. Among these were the BECCOT, Catechetical, Liturgical and Family Life Ministries, PIHDM and the Pastoral Council, each reviewing its strengths and weaknesses towards achieving the vision and mission of the parish.
After a short midway break a psalm was sung in Mandarin by some Chinese youths followed by Scripture reading. Next was the Community sharing session when those present were invited to give their views and comments on the earlier reports. The Pastoral Plan and Direction for 2009-2010 were then presented.
In his concluding address His Grace Archbishop Murphy congratulated the parish for a job well done and the very good reports delivered.

The Catholic Prison Ministry is organizing its Silver Jubilee themed Celebrating 25 Years of Passion and Mission for the or the Least, Last and Lost on Sunday 9, November at 7.OOpm at the Grand Ballroom, Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur.
The Prison Ministry is a caring movement helping to complement the efforts of the Government to rehabilitate those incarcerated in prisons as well as released prisoners. In this regard, we also intend to bring awareness to the parishioners and public on the social pastoral works carried out in the prisons in Kajang, Sg Buloh, Seremban and Jelebu Detention Centre as well as Outreach activities for the released prisoners, drug users and people living with HIV/AIDS in ail effort to provide them with love, care and support and rehabilitate them into useful citizens in society.
Archbishop Murphy Pakiarn is the guest of honour. Among those who will be present are the Ambassador of the United States and his wife Mrs James Keith, officials from Prison Headquarters in Kajang, priests and members from the various parishes in the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese.

Fr Matthias Ki Kia Lim, a diocesan priest for close to 55 years passed away on Oct 24 at 4.OOpm in St Francis Xavier Home for the Elderly in Cheras at the age of 81 years.
In the late 1940s, Ki - and a few Chinese priests - came to Malaya and studied at College-General in Penang. He was ordained a priest in on Dec 8, 1953. He served mainly in Perak, especially at St Michael's Church in Ipoh before retiring, many years back.
Despite holding a Chinese passport, Fr Ki continued to serve the Catholic community, especially at the Church of the Rosary (HRC)) in Brickfields, as and when needed, for several years.
According to Augustine Low, a close friend of Fr Ki who handled his travel arrangements since 2002, Fr Ki built a Church in Shilin in 1998, his native birth place, in Yunnan Province. If is the first Catholic Church in China that bears the name of Divine Mercy with contributions mainly coming from generous Christians from Malaysia, which Fr Ki collected.

The Infant Jesus Sisters celebrated the Feast of their Founder Blessed Nicolas Barre on Oct 21. Sisters from far and near rejoiced in one another's company, many of them meeting up with dear friends in the mission and service of the Institute. To honour this occasion Sr Marie Pitcher and Sr Agnes Favier of the Central Team were also present. It was truly a joyous occasion, particularly for the homebound and elderly Sisters in Cheras.
"There was plenty of exchange of news from far and near, to revive our hopes that the `mission of Nicolas Barre' still continues. So the theme Daring to Live in Hope was most appropriate the prayerful Eucharist, the walk `Down memory lane' at the Archives, the fellowship lunch; all helped to enhance the celebration, shared Sr Clara Antoni IJS
For novice Christina Joseph, "It has been a wonderful experience for me to participate in the Feast day celebration this year as it celebrates the courageous women who had been inspired by BI Nicolas Barre, who dared to live in hope through their vocation as IJ Sisters. Each one is a witness to the words of Bl. Nicolas Barre .... `Always be at peace and trust in God'.

 "This is a great occasion for the community of the Church of St Aloysius; for 13 children are going to receive their First Holy Communion," said parish priest, Fr Anthony Thomas in his homily on Oct 26 at the 8.30am Mass.
Fr Thomas said praise to Jesus for His tremendous love for little ones, while quoting from Gospel according to Mark: "Anyone who welcomes these little children in My Name, welcomes Me...:". He also said God blesses the parents and teachers for preparing these children to receive the Lord of the Euchaiist for the first time and urged parents to treasure their sons and daughters.
Fr Thomas, who turned 71 on Oct 22 said that for the Communicants, it is a new experience, a new beginning for them, but cautioned them not to think that they have finished their studies of the faith by having done the First Holy Communion.

A weekend meeting for the formation of a parish based migrant and refugee ministry among the major parishes of the Melaka District was convened at the Pantai Kundur LaSalle Brothers Bungalow from Oct 18-19.
About 23 members of the laity including members of St Vincent De Paul Societies (SVDP) from the parishes of St Francis Xavier, St Theresa and St Peter attended the meeting. The parish priests of these parishes support this move.
Presently, these parishes together with assistance from the SVDP are already helping various migrants and refugee communities in the state with food aid and other materials as well as financial support. These migrant communities include the Vietnamese, the Myanmarese, Indonesians and Bangladeshis.
 An English tuition class is being conducted every fortnight at St Theresa's. Recently, the parish of St Francis Xavier in Banda Kana hosted the registration exercise undertaken by the UNHCR of more than 300 Myanmar refugees.

In an effort to raise the RM6.Smillion needed to build a community centre and extend the church, the parish of St Francis of Assisi is organizing the inaugural SFA Xmas Charity Bazaar 2008 on Sunday Nov 23, 2008.
Themed Let the Spirit of Christmas begin with Charity, this one day event is to usher in the season of Advent and help us to reflect on the meaning of giving and sharing.
A lot of activities are being planned for the young and old such as food and drinks stalls, jumble sale, games and telematch, colouring competition, arts and craft, mini concert, dressing and lighting of the Christmas Tree and lucky draw.
Christmas items such as Christmas ornaments, Christmas trees and religious items would also be on sale. Coupons are on sale at RM 10 per booklet.
For more information, do contact the parish office at 03-90758236 (during office hours) John Yeo at 013-3882955 or Teresa Biga at 012-3998458.

Mount Carmel in Rasah was once again a hive of activity. On Wed, Oct 15 - the feast of St Theresa of Avila, the founder of the renowned Carmelite Order of' religious women and men - the simple and unassuming hilltop chapel of the Carmelite Monastery became the venue for the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese's first sacerdotal ordination of a Carmelite Deacon to priesthood.
Deacon Gregory Hon Kah Yew, 45 was ordained to the priesthood of Jesus by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam.
  At the 6.OOpm Eucharist concelebrated by about 30 priests presided over by the Archbishop, Deacon Gregory was elevated to priesthood in a simple yet glittering ceremony. Also present was Fr Thomas Lim, the Provincial of the Delegation of the Taiwan Singapore Order of Discalced Carmelites who introduced Deacon Gregory and recommended him to the Bishop and the congregation to be "ordained to the responsibility of priesthood."

The Word of God emerged as a powerful reflection for Vincentians in the State of Negeri Sembilan who had gathered at the parish of St John Baptist Vianney to participate in the morning community celebration of the Holy Eucharist with the local congregation.
 Present were the Conferences of the Visitation Seremban, St Aloysius Mantin, and Immaculate Conception Port Dickson with the local conference of St John Baptist Vianney hosting the event. It was also a first time outing of such a nature for a number of new members who had just been admitted to the Society in the various parishes. Some members had the families accompanying them. Parish Priest Fr Mari Arokiam presided over the multi-lingual Mass with Vincentians joining the parish liturgical team in the mass animation. sincere.
"Humility is the hallmark of the Vincentians apostolate and the fundamental characteristic of the Society and this cannot be compromised," said Fr Mari Arokiam in his homily.

The Tamil Choice 28 Weekend Kuala Lumpur had their follow-up at the Marist Brothers Bungalow. Forty-five youths were present for this follow-up to reflect on the changes that have taken place in their lives after the Choice Weekend. It was also a time to encourage them to put into practice everything they had learnt from the Choice Weekend.
After dinner everyone joined in the icebreaking and games. Prior to that, Laura Joseph explained the objective of Choice follow-up.
The next morning, the youths attended Mass at the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Parish administrator Fr Francis Tsen welcomed them.
The session helped them to motivate themselves to realize the importance of family values and the relationship with family members and people around them. The participants also expressed that they enjoyed themselves amidst strengthening the bond of relationship with one another.

For the first time ever, an African Thanksgiving Mass was held on Oct 12 at St John' Cathedral.
There was an unprecedented crowd of Africans dressed in various colours depicting their cultures and origin Nigerians, Ghanaians, Cameroonians Kenyans, Liberians, Malians, South Africans, Sudanese, and people from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Chad, Guinea etc, exuding confidence in smile and pageantry.
 The turning point of the occasion was the Offertory Procession with it characteristic magnificent stretch of joyous movement towards the Sanctuary of God, where the Parish Priest Msgr James Gnanapiragasan blessed them with Holy Water. Led by, the Ambassadors of Nigeria, Kenya, and Zimbabwe and other dignitaries the procession danced to the admiration of the church.
 The African Catholic Fellowship of St John's Parish which was formed this year, organised the event, to offer thanksgiving to God for His Love, Care and Guidance of the African Community in Malaysia.