From Sept 6-8, 1989 a Consultation was organised by the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) to discuss the use of Bahasa Malaysia in Bible translations and in other Christian literature.
This became necessary as the churches and Christian organizations in the country were facing many problems importing Bibles and Christian books written in Malay. The "Alkitab", the Bible Indonesian version of the Bible printed in Korea an Indonesia, was banned in 1982 and 1983 under the Internal Security Act. After hearing the official position of the three component bodies of the CFM, the leaders came to an unanimous decision that a joint statement be drafted to reflect a common position. So the Kuching Declaration was born.
The Statement seeks to state plainly that as a religious community protected by Article 11 of the Federal Constitution, the churches have a right to use Bahasa Malaysia, the national language, in their worship, prayers, translations and other publications.

Feb 1 was a historical day for the Tamil Catholic community of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, for it was the launching of the book of responsorial psalms in Tamil - Chant To The Lord - thanks to the efforts of Fr Anthony Thomas.
During the launch, Fr Thomas held up the book, and said, "My gift of love to the Tamil speaking community of Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur."
The book contains Archbishop Murphy Pakiam's message dated Jan 24, which said that Chant to The Lord is a fitting gift for the Church in Malaysia, especially for the Tamil speaking and for all peoples of faith.
"For many years, Fr Thomas has been zealously using his gifts and talents to compose suitable music for singing and chanting of the Responsorial Psalms. These music compositions for different seasons and Ordinary Times are made available to all parishes and to all those interested in having them.

"Many of you have come here from near and far to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Lourdes gives us the opportunity to reflect on the motherly love of Mary.
"We have come here because we believe," said Emeritus Archbishop Soter Fernandez in his sermon. "I believe Mary is the Mother of God, Mary is the Mother of the human race and Mary is the Mother of the Church."
The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes celebrated their feastday on Feb 11. This year, parish priest Fr John Gnanapragasam had the feast day celebrations in a slightly grander scale as the church celebrated the 150th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to Bernadette at Lourdes in France and also the 80th anniversary of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes.
In his sermon, Emeritus Archbishop Soter stressed on the importance of Mother Mary in our lives.

The youths of Good Shepherd Setapak gathered together on Feb 2 to prepare themselves for Lent at a one-day formation at the parish. "Why do we do what we do?" was the main area tackled at this formation.
Fasting, abstinence, and sacrifices are what most youths were taught to do since their childhood days. Most of them still do them today without knowing the reason or purpose behind those acts. In these modern times, can we go a day without our handphone? Can we give up the things we are so dependant on or can't live without to be in communion with the sufferings of Christ in his 40 days in the desert?
Having a session on forgiveness - a recollection of sins and forgiveness towards oneself, siblings, parents, family, friends, society, faith formators and even the religious - brought to mind - the need to forgive.

Members of the Malaysian Catechetical Commission (MCC) met from January 28-30 at the Rumah Retret Keuskupan Keningau, Sabah.
This time round, the newly established Diocese of Sandakan also sent a representative, Sr Angela, who attended the meeting as observer. And, as in previous years, Fr Paul Shie and Marjory Toidy (chairman catechetical commission) from the Vicariate of Brunei attended the meeting as guests. Archbishop Emeritus Anthony Soter Fernandez, Episcopal President of MCC, was present to lend his support, experience and guidance on all matters catechetical. The meeting was chaired by Fr Boniface Kimsin, Spiritual Director of the Catechetical Commission, Keningau Diocese.
Among the observations made were:
• the importance of ongoing formation for all catechists
• Penang Diocese will deliberate on designing a suitable training programme for catechists    
• post-confirmation programmes to be drawn up at parish/diocesan level
• the use of the Malaysian Catechetical Series (MCS) in East Malaysia parishes is very encouraging
• the use of MCS in West Malaysia parishes needs to be encouraged.

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi had parliament dissolved on Feb 13, paving the way for snap elections that political analysts say will see the opposition gain ground thanks to voter discontent over rising prices, crime and ethnic tension.
The government held over 90 per cent of seats in the just dissolved 222-member parliament.
While the ruling 14-party Barisan Nasional coalition government led by Badawi is in no danger of losing power, the results are expected to reflect unhappiness over a multiplicity of issues by sensitized voters.
According to recent opinion polls, his popularity has slid down to about 60 per cent, low by Malaysian standards, analysts said.
"There are now multiple voices in society contesting Badawi's official version," said political analyst James Wong. "There is the traditional opposition which has now been joined by civil society, students, independent journalists and non-government organisations (NGOs)."

Forty 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 ). The event took place at the Church Hall on January 20, 200R.
Parish priest, Fr William Michael, in his speech wished that God showers His blessings on all the families present and may the year 2008 be a better year for all. He also urged the students to be serious in their studies and emphasised that each student should try to improve in order to obtain good results. The youths must study and work hard to face future challenges. They should have confidence and accept that education can be tackled. He advised the parents to be committed and spend quality time and pay attention to the education of the children because it is their duty a parents.

On the evening of Jan 24, the Christian Meditation Group of the Church of St Francis of Assisi and some parishioners together with friends from the nearby parishes and other meditation groups from PJ were privileged to spend an evening with the spiritual guide to the World Community for Christian Meditation, Fr Laurence Freeman OSB, pic.
He said that meditation was not a substitute for Mass and the sacraments but of another way of opening ourselves to the Creator, in silence. Meditation was good for the parish because it could bring about a more Christ-like community.
Fr Valentine Dompok then introduced Fr Laurence Freeman OSB, the International coordinator for the World Community for Christian Meditation based in London and invited to deliver his talk on ‘the Prayer of the Heart’.
Fr Freeman in his talk shared his reflections on the way of meditation in the Christian tradition.

Every four years or so, Malaysians exercise their democratic right to choose their government. What is this right and what makes the exercise of it so important?
Democracy as defined in the Chambers 20th Century Dictionary is "a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people collectively, and is administered by them or by officers appointed by them: the common people: a state of society characterised by recognition of equality of rights and privileges: political social or legal equality."
Due to the nature of our electoral process, Malaysia has a system of majority rule. We have a parliamentary democracy wherein the party (or a coalition of parties) with the majority representation in parliament forms the government. When we elect our government by a simple majority, we express our confidence in the leadership and administration of that government. When we elect our government by a two-third (or larger) majority we express the highest level of confidence in that government.

"At every Eucharist, I am constantly reminded of my 50 years of consecrated life," said Sr Anna FMM who was celebrating her 50th anniversary of consecrated life. "It has indeed been an enriching experience."
A special consecrated life celebration was held in the Church of St Anne's on Feb 2 to honor those who have answered the call and devoted themselves to the religious life. The celebration was presided over by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam and saw the presence of around a hundred priests, nuns and brothers from around the diocese. The celebration also commemorated the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Sr Anna FMM.
It was a beautiful celebration, especially for Sr Anna as she renewed her vows. Parishioners as well as the religious enjoyed a beautiful fellowship at the Stella Maris hall thereafter.

Following the footsteps of the Temiar Orang Asli in Kelantan, another Orang Asli church - this time in Kuala Krau, Pahang - has gone to court against its own local and state governments.
The difference is, however, while the Temiar church was demolished, the Kuala Krau church has had its requests for water and power supplies falling on deaf ears.
Two Kuala Krau villagers - Wet Ket and his son Yaman Wet from Kampung Pasu - had their application filed at the Temerloh High Court on Jan 31 for a judicial review of the decision by the Temerloh land and district office to deny the supply of electricity and water to their church building.
Their suit - in which the Pahang government was named as second respondent - also seeks the court's declaration and an order directing the local authority to supply the said amenities to the church building.

About twenty single adults gathered in the Church of St Thomas on Feb 3for an evening of Taize prayer followed by fellowship.
The purpose of the gathering was to be in solidarity with each other and the community, to prepare for the season of Lent, and to pray for their intentions for the year ahead. The single adults consisted of people from all walks of life, those who were already in the work force, postgraduates, undergraduates from local universities and colleges, and even some who had come home from abroad and were about to resume their studies overseas.
As the participants gathered around the tabernacle, each was invited to light a candle symbolizing their involvement in the group and their commitment to prayer. With them was seminarian Gregory Chan who was on his one-month pastoral assignment in St Thomas, Kuantan, and had guided them through the various chants.

The Christian community in Malaysia is asking the political authorities to "issue a directive that would clearly ban all government agencies from confiscating, in a unilateral way, books and texts of a religious nature". The request came on Feb 5 from Paul Tan Chee Ing, SJ, President of the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM).
The bishop's intervention follows the recent confiscation of 32 Bibles in English, carried out by the Customs Department officials at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Kuala Lumpur.
But the customs official confiscated all of them, explaining that the material had to be looked over by the Internal Security Ministry's Publications and Al-Quran Texts Control Division.
Earlier, on Feb 4, in a press release, Herman Shastri, secretary general of the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) said, "No authority on earth should deny Christians the right to possess, read and travel with their Bibles."   
The prime minister however stated that Bahasa Malaysia bibles are not banned but must be labeled with the words 'Not for Muslims'.

In less than six months, youths from the Malaysian contingent and across the globe will congregate for the most-awaited event in the Universal Catholic Church, the XXIII World Youth Day which will be held in Sydney, Australia this coming July.
Preparations for the forthcoming World Youth Day for the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur kicked off as early as April last year. A group of young people came forward to volunteer in the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese Organizing Committee for the World Youth Day 2008. The committee is working to ensure the participants are spiritually prepared to journey and experience Christ in Australia.
The first edition of the Spiritual preparations was held on Jan 26 in Stella Maris School Hall. A total of 220 participants from 32 parishes and chapels from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur and the Diocese of Penang were represented in this one day formation.

In a world where the media increasingly distort facts and manipulate minds, the communication industry needs an ethics code, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Just as bioethics guide workers in the field of medicine and science to protect human dignity, "many people now think there is a need, in this sphere (of communication), for info-ethics," the Pope said in his message for World Communications Day, which will be celebrated May 4 in most countries including Malaysia.
The Pope called for communicators to be courageous and authentic witnesses to the truth.
Media workers must "remain at the service of the person and of the common good" and "foster man's ethical formation ... man inner growth," Pope Benedict said in ti message released on Jan 24 at the Vatican.
As the theme for the 2008 celebration, the Pope chose: The Media: At the Crossroads Between Self-Promotion and Service. Searching for the Truth in Order to Share With Others.

Pope Benedict XVI wishes that for every Christian Lent will be "a renewed experience of God's love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in turn, must 're-give' to our neighbour, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need"; accepting God's love is not enough.
I saw such a re-giving of love recently. A young woman, who fought her own drug addiction and won, saw the signs of addiction in a friend.
The friend's face was slightly twisted, and she worried that he had suffered a mini-stroke.
So she knocked on his door the morning after Christmas, refused to leave without him, and then took him by the hand to the bus for a long journey across town to a hospital that specializes in drug recovery.
All of Christmas Day the young woman had prepared a feast with her hard-earned wages for friends who did not show up, and then she had to work as a janitor on the night shift at a nearby hospital.
One of the invited was the man she took to the other hospital when her shift ended.

Transparency International (TI) president Ramon Navaratnam has urged Malaysians to be more proactive when it comes to safeguarding democracy in the country.
Speaking at a TI workshop on free and fair elections on Jan 24, he said one of the ways the people can do that is to highlight the inefficiency of elected representatives in their constituency. "Do anything. Blog, post your writings on the internet or the media. Observe the work rate of your elected representative and if he or she is not doing enough for your community, tell it to the world," Ramon told an audience of some 50 guests.
The workshop, held at Wisma Pantai Kuala Lumpur, was meant to highlight the need for transparent, free and fair elections - something many believe have been lacking in the country's election system.
A panel member, Malik Hussin, said the country is lagging behind when it comes to a free and fair election system. "Evidence of irregularities have surfaced through many elections in this country like phantom voters and `cash for vote' exercises and the authorities have failed to address these matters," said the chairperson of Mafrel, a local polls watchdog.

As Catholics, we are called to participate fully in the political process of our nation. One of the most effective ways we can do this is by voting. Voting allows us to promote the social values of our faith, like protecting human life and dignity, building a just and fair society, and helping the poor and vulnerable. But when it comes to choosing a candidate who best represents these values, we are often left wondering - just how should a faithful Catholic vote?
In recent years some have suggested that we can answer this question by applying a simple "litmus test" of a few selected issues.
Most importantly, however, we need to understand that our Church's social teachings call us to consider a broad range of important issues - on everything from poverty to war, human rights, abortion, and the environment. There is no Catholic voting formula, and there is rarely, if ever, a perfect candidate for Catholic voters. Deciding how to vote can be difficult, but it is a task we all must take seriously and prayerfully in order to be faithful citizens.
The social values of our faith are expressed in Papal letters, encyclicals, and council documents as well as the Scriptures and writings of our early Church fathers. Together, these documents make up the body of Catholic Social Teaching.
Catholic Social Teaching requires us to promote and defend human life and dignity; a call rooted in the understanding that every human life is sacred and created in the image of God.

A total of 42 Catholics consisting of 29 teenagers and 13 adults received the Sacrament of Confirmation from Kuala Lumpur Archbishop, His Grace Murphy Pakiam on Jan 20 at the Cathedral of St John.
Archbishop Pakiam presided at the 10.30am Mass with parish priest, Msgr James Gnanaprigasam concelebrating.
In his homily, Archbishop Pakiam said that in the readings of the day, Jesus was given three titles: Gospel - "Behold the Lamb of God - Jesus is the Lamb"; lst Reading - "Jesus is Servant" and 2nd Reading - "Jesus is Lord".
The archbishop invited all to reflect on the three titles of Jesus, who also gave us His Spirit. "These qualities given to us or highlighted in the Liturgy, are for us to strive to live out in our own lives - Jesus as the Lamb of God living a life of healing, sacrificing Himself on the cross comes to fulfillment by His resurrection for all His followers.