A nine-day Novena of Grace of St Francis Xavier was held from Mar 4 to 12 at the Church of S1 Francis Xavier (SFX) that attracted an average of 700 people for the daily special evening Mass. The preachers for the nine days were Redemptorist priests. Fr Simon Tan CSsR from Singapore and Fr Patrick Massang CSsR from Ipoh. On Mar 11, several hundred parishioners who were either sick, elderly or differently-abled were present for the Anointing of the Sick that was administered by Fr Tan and F Patrick with the assistance of both SFX priests, Fr Simon Yong SJ and Fr OC Lim SJ. In his homily, Fr Tan shared his personal experience about the Sacrament of Anointing of Sick, that saved his father. That experience of seeing the loving power of God through the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick restoring people who are sick to health, healing then in the process really touched him.

Mandarin-speaking Elect from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur gathered at the IJ Convent on Mar 7-8 to participate in their retreat before they are baptised in the coming Easter Vigil. The Retreat Master, Fr Thomas Loh, CDD, first led the participants to understand "the Meaning of Retreat" as this was their first retreat. He explained the meaning of "'Retreat", and how to participate in a retreat. Later, he invited the participants to identify their purpose of participating in the retreat. There were asked to read the Gospel passage (Mt 4:1-11 ) as a guide. During the afternoon session "Come and See!" the participants were invited to think "Who am I" and when did I encounter the Lord in my life. Several Gospel passages were given to the participants for reference. In the evening, they had an hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament when they were invited to experience God in their quiet moments. The second day continued with "Christ's suffering, death and resurrection." The participants were called to reflect on the calling and mission in their life. Fr Loh reminded them that they should not assume that once they become a Christian, all the pains and challenges of life would drift away. As a Christian, one must continue to read the Bible and to pray for God's guidance in our daily life.

Mar 8 the SIC Junior Youth Ministry and the BEC of Tropicana John Paul II visited the Infant Jesus Convent, for the second consecutive year as part of Corporal Works of Mercy for the season of Lent. This Works of Mercy event was opened to the youth from the entire parish. Fifty youths and over 20 adults were involved in this outreach. The afternoon started off with a hilarious icebreaker skit by the JYM team members, which involved an extremely unfortunate patient at a clinic who contracted the diseases of whoever else came into the clinic. It had everyone clutching their sides in laughter. As always, the sisters enjoyed a wonderful session of praise and worship to some familiar songs led by Laura Sta Maria and Chrishen Gomez. Indeed, the sisters all said that it was the best part of the afternoon's agenda, many giving enthusiastic reviews.

To Heal and Serve Humanity With Love is the motto of the Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia (CDAM). They put it into action when 56 Myanmar Refugees consisting of infants and children were given vaccination in a "catch up" immunization programme. The joint collaboration outreach by CDAM and the Parish Integral Human Development (PIHD) Ministry of the Church of the Sacred Heart (SHC), Jalan Peel is the first for the SHC parish and was held in Dewan Louis Guittat of Bangunan Dominic Vendargon (the Community Centre of the parish). Held on March 15, four CDAM doctors were on hand to dispense the vaccinations, either for B.C.G., Hepatitis B, DPT, MMR or Polio doses. Some 15 volunteers consisting of nurses, parishioners and PIHD members assisted the doctors and helped the Myanmar refugee infant and children to have them weighed and registered. All infants and children were each given an immunization card.

A group of 40 from the Catholic Undergraduate Teachers' Society better known as CUTES of University Pendidikan Sultan Idris together with Parish Human Development Committee of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, Tanjong Malim visited Welcome Community Home. According to student leader Lydia Banabas, she came to know about the Home through Fr Charles Chin's itinerary that was published in the bulletin. She asked Fr Charles Chin what WCH stands for and after the explanation, the Catholic Society of the College together with Parish Human Development Committee of the Most Holy Redeemer decided to organize a trip to Welcome Community Home to understand the function of the Home. The group was met by Anthony Gomez the home's manager and his colleague Henry Christopher who gave a brief history of the home and its purpose and how it developed into one of the biggest centres for People Living With HIV /AIDS.

On Mar 13, Catholic Student Association of Masterskill (CSA) joined the IHD (Integral Human Development) of the Church of St Francis of Assisi to visit the Myanmar refugees here. The 10 students involved in this visit are studying for their Diploma of Pharmacy, Medical Lab Technology, Healthcare, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Occupational Safety and Health. The Myanmarese were so welcoming even though for some, the visit was unexpected. Applying their training in healthcare, the CSA members gave some medical advice on prevention of diseases as well as on cleanliness. The visitors were touched by the Myanmar children who were so young but were facing many challenges in their quest for a better life. They desperately needed proper nutrition and education. The CSA members found the visit very enlightening and hoped that other youths would work together with their IHD ministry in their parishes to help the needy.

CCM Youth regrets the Home Ministry's lack of order and clarity in its handling of the restriction over the usage of `Allah', which involves the Bahasa Malaysia edition of the Roman Catholic Church's publication HERALD - The Catholic Weekly. The lack of order and clarity is obvious from the earlier prohibition by the Home Ministry of the use of Bahasa Malaysia in HERALD, which the Home Ministry later categorically denied issuing. Most recently, the Home Ministry gazetted an order allowing the conditional use of the word `Allah' by the Christian community only to rescind it, most suddenly, the following day. These incidents portray a very disorganised and irresponsible handling of what is an extremely delicate matter. This not only serves to jeopardise our country's image but also undermines the credibility of the Government both at home and abroad.
CCM Christian community in Malaysia has been using `Allah' in its worship for centuries.

Media literacy is a deconstruct-reconstruct process: constructed media messages have to be deconstructed to understand their meaning, and then reconstructed to assess their relevance and impact. This vital approach to understanding the media was explained by media educationist, Augustine Anthuvan, during the Living in a Media Environment Seminar held on Feb 28 at Cahayasuara Communications Centre. Referring to the Eight Key Concepts for Media Literacy developed by Jesuit priest John Pungente, Anthuvan said that these principles help us to understand the media and the media environment we live in. "The media do not simply present the external reality. Instead, they present carefully crafted constructions of that reality. This is a key concept in media literacy," said Anthuvan, who works as a TV producer at a media agency. "The media are responsible for most of the observations and experiences on which we base our understandings of the world and how it works. The seminar was organised by Cahayasuara Communications Centre as part of its media education programme.

The Bar Council may face legal action from the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) for holding an online poll on the use of ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims in their publications. Mais chairman Datuk Mohamed Adzid Mohd Isa said they were consulting their legal advisors on what action can be taken. Mohamad said the word Allah was only for Muslims and the policy had been gazette by the Non Muslim Religious Enactment 1988 and the Bar Council should adhere to the ruling. He said it was wrong for non-Muslims to use the word Allah in their publications and they could face legal action under the enactment. Two polls seeking public views on the use of Allah is currently being conducted on the Bar Council website. The polls are “Does any one race e.g. Muslims have an exclusive right to use the word ‘Allah’?” and “Should The Herald and other religious publications be allowed to use the term ‘Allah’?”

As the Catholic present in the new digital media, it must also help teach people to be ethical communicators, said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state. Formation is crucial, he said, especially now that the world of communication is crossing new "frontiers that are in need of serious ethical grounding." The cardinal's remarks came on Mar 13 at the end of a five-day meeting in Rome to discuss how the church should respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by modern media. The seminar was sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and drew bishops from 82 countries. One aim of the gathering was to set the groundwork for a possible document by the council that would update its 1992 pastoral instruction, Aetatis Novae (At the Dawn of a New Era). Also present at this conference was Augustine Lourdusamy, who is the President of SIGNIS World.

Earth Hour encourages everyone around the world to turn their lights and show support for global action on climate change takes place at 8.30pm on Sat March 28, Clifton Cathedral in Bristol is looking forward to Earth Hour with a candlelight hour of reflection, devotion and love for creation Tuesday March 24, at 7.30pm. Mary Colwell, a Cathedral parishioner who's passionate about caring for God's creation said: "Earth Hour is a great opportunity for people to show they care about the future of our home - earth. It will act as a world-wide statement hope for the future because now, more than any other time in history, as we being asked to consider how many resources we use, how much we waste, how much we own but don’t need and how much strain we are putting on the earth’s abundance”.

Sarawak will not gazette the prohibition on the use of the word `Allah' in Christian publications hastily, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Department (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman said on Mar 9. According to him, the state is approaching the controversial issue in a manner different from that in Peninsular Malaysia. He added that Sarawak was mindful of the state's multi-ethnic and multi-religious population, adding that incidences of mixed marriages were high in the state. "The people here are living in peace and harmony and we have to look into various aspects before issuing any `fatwa' or edict on the matter," he said when contacted. "We will study further the issue and any action taken will be in the interest of all races." The assistant minister said the usage of the word `Allah' in Bahasa Indonesia for instance by the Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) in Sarawak has been on since more than 50 years ago and it did not confuse the Muslims in the state.

Sabah church activists led by Dr Jeffrey Kitingan have launched signature campaign to persuade the federal government to rescind the ban on the use of the term `Allah' by Christians in prayer, song, worship and in print. "The campaign will run until March 2 and anyone, irrespective of faith, can sign in support of the campaign," Jeffrey said at packed press conference on Mar 4 at Sokid Villa, his residence in Kota Kinabalu "Besides the hard copy, the signature campaign is also available online http://www.petitiononline.com/sabahan petition.html.
"We will submit a memorandum together with all the signatures at the end of the campaign, to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmah Badawi in Putra Jaya." He also wants Home Minister Syed Hami Albar to clarify his warning in recent day that those (Christians) using `Allah' in print would be cited under the Internal Security Act and not the Press, Printing and Publications Act.

The construction of the Pusat Dialisis Good Health-NKF double-storey building in Lorong Satu, Kampung Pandan has been completed. However the interior furnishing, namely Furniture, fittings and fixtures including the first phase of installing ten haemodialvsis machines and other related equipment will only be installed soon. The centre belonging to the Society of St Vincent De Paul (SSVP) is still short of funds to complete the RM1 million project. S. Perry, the former President of the SSVP Conference of Sacred Heart Kuala Lumpur, said they are hoping for a June date for the centre to be opened to the public. However, they are still short of 4 of the 10 haemodialysis machines, each costing RM40,000/ Those who wish to render their contribution can send their crossed cheques made payable to SVP Conference of Sacred Heart to the Church of the Sacred Heart, 152, Jalan Peel, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

Education is by far the most sensible solution to beat poverty in one's life. With this in mind, Yayasan Ozanam, a wholly owned arm of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP), has embarked on an education sponsorship programme with two reputable private Education Institutions, namely Olympia College Malaysia (OCM) and Brickfields Asia College ' (BAC).
On Feb 28, the first scholarship awarding ceremony for 12 deserving underprivileged youths was held recently in the Royal Selangor Club that was attended by some 50 guests. Officials from the two colleges, the students, SSVP officials and representatives from the Kajang Prison and Universiti Malaya attended the launch. Eight are enrolling in BAC and three in OCM. Also, in collaboration with the Kajang Prison, The Catholic Prison Ministry (CPM), the SSVP and Professor Norbani, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya, a juvenile was awarded full scholarship to finance his three-year degree course in Bachelor of Jurisprudence, in prison.

The Negeri Sembilan State Islamic Affairs Department has allowed a 15 month old girl, Hoo Joey, to convert without the consent of her father Hoo Ying Soon. The Syariah court gave interim custody of Hoo Joey to Chew Yin No/Siti Z,ubaidah Chew Abdullah. MCA spokesperson Gan Ping Sieu expressed regret that some people have taken advantage of the Syariah legal process to the detriment of the aggrieved spouse and his family members. In a statement released on Mar 6, "The child in question is born pursuant to a civil marriage contracted under the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act (LRA) 1976. Therefore, the custody of the child must be determined by the civil courts. "At the controversial Federal court case on the custody battle between Subashini and her husband Saravanan/Mohd Shafi Abdullah, the Federal court judges unanimously ruled that those who contracted civil marriages are bound by the LRA in respect of divorce and custody of the children of the marriage. Thus the civil court continues to have jurisdiction over Chew Yin No/Siti Chew Abdullah.

This year's Rite of Election in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur saw a total of 677 catechumens chosen as the Elect during the Rite of Election ceremony held at the Cathedral of St John on Mar 1, the Firs1 Sunday of Lent. This was an increase from year 2008 (580 candidates) as well as year 2007 (629 candidates) The 677 adult catechumens from all language groups came from 26 parishes and three chapels from the eight districts of the archdiocese. Archbishop Pakiam at the start of the ceremony said these catechumens gifted with the faith want to show that faith in baptism. He said the church community of faith and hope consisted of the clergy, religious and laity. In this beautiful ceremony, he called on God to have mercy on us and to bless His church. In his homily delivered in English and Tamil. Archbishop Pakiam said this is one of the most beautiful ceremonies of the Catholic Church that takes place in the cathedral every year.

Eight hundred and fifty youths from the parishes of the archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur came in solidarity for a night-long vigil of prayer, fasting and fellowship to mark the beginning of Lent. The annual Lenten vigil organized by the Archdiocesan Single Adult and Youth Office  (ASAYO) was held in Wisma Lourdes at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes this year on Feb 28. The vigil began at 9.00pm sharp – rather surprising for a youth event. The opening ceremony, The Sin Skit which depicted the triumph of Good over evil in an exciting musical was indeed a good start for the vigil, as it presented the message of the vigil I thirst in a way that captured the attention of everyone. The presence of the Archbishop and many priests from the other parishes showed the support they had for the young people and it was encouraging for youths to see their parish pastors there to journey with them.

It was a joyous occasion for residents of Batu Arang Homes as they gathered to witness the handing over of the Ambulance to Welcome Community Home by the President of Multicultural Ladies Association. Ambulances are an integral part of running a Home/Hospices services. For the past years sick residents were transported to the Hospital by van and the very sick and bed bound patients were placed on a mattress on the floor of the van. Thus it is welcoming to have an ambulance for the residents of Batu Arang. The project progressed a year ago by Alex Arokiam with Mrs Lum of the Multicultural Ladies Association who was a close associate of Welcome Community Home. In her address to the community, she commented on the progress made by the homes in caring for people living with HIV/AIDS especially the excellent management of Welcome Community Home that has grown from a humble beginning to the present three acre conducive environment that provides palliative care for People Living with HIV/AIDS.

The Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) welcomes the confirmation by the Government of Malaysia that the word 'Allah' may be used by a religion other than Islam. This is implicit in the Internal Security (Prohibition On Use of Specific Words on Document and Publication) Order 2009, ("Order") I made pursuant to Section 22(1) (c) of the Internal Security Act % 1960 which reads as follows:
(1) The printing, publication, sale, issue, circulation and possession of any document and publication relating to Christianity containing the words 'Allah ', 'Kaabah', 'Baitullah' and 'Solat' are prohibited unless on the front cover of the document and publication are written the words "FOR CHRISTIANITY".
The words "FOR CHRISTIANITY" referred to in subparagraph (1) shall he written clearly in font type Arial of size 16 in bold. This Order, which is dated January 21, 2009, came into operation on February 16. 2009.

At a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony recently, at the National Kidney Foundation's (NKF) building in Section 14, Petaling Jaya. NKF board of managers chairman Dr S. S. Gill said the RM2mil dialysis centre was near completion.
"We are happy with this joint venture at Kampung Pandan as it is one of the places with high density in Cheras. NKF's role is to provide the manpower, expertise, and select the patients," he said.
On the other hand, the St. Vincent De Paul Society of the Sacred Heart Church in Jalan Peel KL, will help to set up the place and provide support for the employees, its president, S. Perry, said. "Although the idea to set up a dialysis centre began 10 years ago, we could not find a suitable place and we did not now much about the guidelines," Perry said, adding that the dream would not have been realized without the contribution of NKF and Tex Cycle Sdn Bhd.

Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, the Pas spiritual leader and one of the country's most respected Muslim leaders, said on Mar 1 that non-Muslims should be allowed to use the word 'Allah.' But he said it was up to the federal government to decide whether to allow its use by non-Muslims.
"I do not want to interfere in this matter. Let the federal government decide," he was quoted as saying by the national news agency Bernama in Kota Baru.
The Pas leader was responding to the intense debate over the Catholic newspaper HERALD's law suit against the federal government's decision to ban the use of the word 'Allah' in its publication. On Feb 28, the Home Ministry rescinded a government gazette issued a day earlier which allowed the conditional use of the word in Christian publication. The church has also pointed to the fact that the word ‘Allah’ is also used by Christians in the Middle East and in Indonesia.

Textbooks used in Catholic and Muslim schools and in predominantly Catholic or Muslim nations should be reviewed and revised to ensure a respectful, accurate portrayal of the history and beliefs of the other community, said members of a Catholic-Muslim dialogue.
The annual dialogue between Vatican representatives and representatives of al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt -a leading Muslim institution was held at the Vatican from Feb 24-25 and focused on the role of religions in teaching peace.
Both Christianity and Islam consider peace to be a gift from God that requires human cooperation, said the final statement from the meeting.
Religious leaders must work to ensure that "a culture of peace" permeates all their activities, particularly their educational efforts, said the statement.
"Scholastic books should be revised in order not to contain material which may offend the religious sentiments of other believers" in the way their doctrines. moral teachings and history are presented, the leaders said.
"Youth, the future of all religions and of humanity itself, need special care in order to be protected from fanaticism and violence, and to become peace builders for a better world," the statement said.

The lifting of the ban on the use of the word `Allah' for God in Catholic publications has been rescinded, Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar announced, saying the government had made a 'mistake'.
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the government had made a mistake in enacting the gazette on the issue. He said on Feb 28 the government's decision to ban the use of the word 'Allah' in the publication remained until the court decided otherwise. "There is a judicial review on the matter and we leave it to the court to decided otherwise. l think there was a mistake in enacting the gazette. When we make a mistake I must admit that there is a need to look at it thoroughly. "As there was a mistake ... so it is better we make a correction,” he told reporters on Feb 28.
The use of the word ‘Allah’ is not new to the Church in Malaysia. In our Malay prayer books which were printed some one hundred years or more ago the word ‘Allah’ was used and prayed daily by some elderly Catholics.

The council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) welcomes the confirmation by the Government that the word ‘Allah’ may be used by Christians with certain conditions in a statement issued on Feb 27 signed by Rev Dr Hermen Shastri, general secretary. However, there is some confusion on why there is a specific order in relation to Christians only. There is also “a cause for concern for those who have documents or publications without the words “UNTUK AGAMA KRISTIAN” or FOR CHRISTIANITY” on its front cover. “We regret that the government did not engage with us before introducing the Order.”

Mistake in gazette, Christians still can’t use ‘Allah’

KOTA KINABALU: A Feb 16 government gazette lifting a ban on Christian publications to use the word “Allah” will be rescinded.

All Christian publications. including HERALD, Catholic Sabah, Today's Catholic of Sarawak, are permitted to use the word `ALLAH' provided each publication prints on its front page a declaration that that particular publication is "For Christians" or "(Untuk Agama Kristian" . This is an exemption noted in the Internal Security Act Order 2009 and published in the recent Government Gazette of 16 February 2009. This Order was signed by the Minister of Home Affairs, Dato' Seri Syed Hamid Bill Syed Jaffar Albar on January 21, 2009. Many will heave a sigh of relief at last we are free to use the word Allah, a word that has been in use in our Church life and worship for more than four centuries. Unfortunately, the apparent relief that we imagined we were able to enjoy has been short lived! For this Internal Security Order, which is "cited as the Internal Security (Prohibition on use of specific words on documents and publication Order 2009, is first and foremost a prohibition on the use of the word ‘Allah’ and has come under the surveillance of the Internal Security Act 1960.

The English Edition of the Malaysian Catechetical Series (MCS) has finally been completed after years of planning, discussions and adjusting. The Series runs from Level 1 to Level 10 for Malaysian Children of age 7 to 10. Originally it was planned for children from Primary 1 to Form 5, (aged 7 to 17) but due to the SPM examinations in Form 5, the Malaysian Catechetical Commission with the collaboration with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, finally decided that the Series would be meant for students from Primary I to Form 4.
The Series was introduced for use in 2005. By 2009, all the 10 levels in English are finally completed and are in use. Thus the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia had decided to launch the series officially on Feb 11, 2009. Kuching was chosen as a venue for the Books Presentation Ceremony as the Bishops' Conference as well as the Conference for all Major Superiors of Religious Houses are held in Kuching.

It has always been a tradition at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes to go all out during the feastday celebrations as people come in throngs asking God for healing. The Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes began on Feb 11, the actual feastday and the celebrations went on until Feb l5. In his sermon during the 9am mass on Saturday, newly ordained Fr Surain Durairaj spoke on the theme for the day, Profound Unity of the Mystical Body. "We are all unique individuals coming from different places and with different problems and needs. We come together because we are holding on to Jesus and Jesus holds on to us. If we are called to be united with Christ, we need healing. Only then can we experience Jesus touching us and Jesus leading us. We come here longing for healing.”

Pope Benedict XVI decreed June 2008 till June 2009 as the Year of St Paul to commemorate the 2,OOOth anniversary of the saint's birth. At the Church of St Anne, the Pauline Year was celebrated in a meaningful way. An exhibition on the life of St Paul was organized to create awareness on who was St Paul. "The purpose of this exhibition is to make St Paul known to the people so that the people will be challenged, motivated and inspired by his life and writings. While we imitate Paul, we are also bringing the Gospel message to others," said Claire Joseph, a member of the organizing committee. Through the tastefully done posters, photos and graphics, parishioners had the opportunity to learn more about St Paul. By walking through the exhibition, one would be able to see the highlights of St Paul's life-his background, his conversion in Damascus, and finally his death.

The parishioners of Cathedral of St John (SJC) observed Feb 13 as a day of fasting and prayer in line with their Prayer Focus Week from Feb 9 to 13. The event concluded with an-hour long adoration at 6 pm in the cathedral on Feb 13. More than 200 parishioners participated. Msgr James Gnanaprigasam, parish priest in his homily said we gather together as a community in the cathedral to give praise to the Eucharist Lord. He added that this year's theme emphasised on the Spirituality of Communion and invited all to focus on the Lord in prayer, who is our source and strength. He also said all of us needed to be recharged and thus to renew this call to pray, this call to holiness and growing together spiritually as a community. Raymond Azavedu said this parish event was to create awareness of the need to get serious with God through prayer and fasting that can transform us in repentance.

As part of its ongoing missionary commitment, the parish of the Visitation in has commenced introductory steps towards adopting LANDINGS - an international Paulist programme for welcoming returning Catholics. The programme, essentially an evangelization process, is geared towards welcoming back Catholics who for some reason or another personal or otherwise have become inactive and or (over time) become distant from the community parish, and who possibly would have an inner desire to return to the Catholic fold but at the same time perceive 'difficulties' in the reacclimatization process. A half-day Parish Pastoral Council-initiated introductory session and workshop from 10.30 in the morning to 4.30 in the afternoon on Saturday 31 January 2009 which was open to all parishioners, saw an encouraging participation by leaders and individuals from more than twenty-five Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs), parish ministries and language apostolate groups.