Saturday, 21 April 2018

CARING FOR OUR COMMON HOME

On Sunday, 15 April 2018, our Catechism students showcased an exhibition and performance, in line with the theme “Care for the Common Home” (Laudato Si). The students, along with their parents and teachers, gathered at Dewan Monsignor Anthony Thomas at 10.30am, where products crafted with recycled material such as aluminum cans, old newspapers, magazines, egg cartons, plastic, plastic bottles, and aluminum foil, were displayed.

Some of the recycled exhibits were quite interesting and informative, and there were some eye-catching craft items too. There was a fancy dress display, using only recycled materials such as plastic, old CDs and paper which highlighted the importance of recycling, as well as to remind us not to deliberately litter or waste precious resources, and to reduce the use of plastic.

I was happy to see parents attend the exhibition and enjoy the children’s presentations. A video slide was shown to parents, informing them on how to protect, preserve and restore the Earth’s natural environment. The objective of this  awareness programme was to awaken the parents’ role in educating their children about the importance of conserving our environment. This event has sparked a conscious decision amongst our children and parents to make a serious effort and take steps towards being responsible and accountable for the protection of our planet.

In what ways can we help preserve and protect our environment for the next generation, and reduce the destruction of eco-systems?

a   a)   We can avoid burning garbage. Instead, separate your trash and recycle items such as cans, cartons, paper and plastic bottles at designated recycling centers. Recycling items will help lessen global warming and reduce climate change.

b)   Do not litter rubbish everywhere and avoid throwing chemicals down the drain because this can cause air, water and land pollution. Dispose chemical waste responsibly.

c)    Reduce the amount of water, electricity and petrol we use. Turn off lights, televisions, air-conditioners and other appliances when not in use or when you leave the room.

d)   We should practice using our own reusable bags and containers when shopping for clothes, books or food. This will reduce the need plastic bags, which in turn, reduces waste and pollution. You also can save twenty-sen each time you shop!

e)    Print only when necessary in order to save paper and recycle the paper after using it.

f)     If possible, plant vegetables in your own backyard.

g)    Avoid driving your car if it is a short distance. or car pool when you come for Mass rather than driving separately.

Let’s play our part in conserving the environment in order to protect the future of our planet. Our efforts need not be on a grand scale - every little sacrifice, every little change in attitude - towards the betterment of our planet, helps. I believe that you can make this positive change in your daily lifestyle, to ultimately contribute towards the well-being of our home, Mother Earth.


“What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” (POPE FRANCIS’ Encyclical “Laudato Si’ – On the Care of Common home”).

JESUS IS OUR TENDER SHEPHERD

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep,” (John 10:14-15)

Throughout the Scriptures God’s people, are referred to as sheep. Sheep need a good and committed shepherd who will lead, guide, protect, provide and care for them in order to survive and thrive in life.
Sheep have a tendency to wander aimlessly, and once they are lost, that’s it. The Shepherd protects and saves them. Shepherding sheep is a difficult task. The shepherd’s job is to stay close to the sheep, protect them from wild animals and keep them from wandering off. Jesus, our Good Shepherd defends us from enemies and He saves us completely and preserves to the end.

Jesus is our Good Shepherd and He guarantees that we will live with Him forever!


The Church has also designated this Sunday as World Day of Prayer for Vocations to the priesthood and religious life. So we pray today in a special way that God will call many more young people to the great adventure of being shepherds for his flock.

Saturday, 14 April 2018

YOUR VOTE. YOUR RIGHT. YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

The General Election 14 (GE14) is not too far away. It will be held on Wednesday, 9 May 2018. As you know, our country is now facing its greatest political, economical and social crisis. The many issues troubling our nation includes the ever-rising cost of living, goods and service tax (GST) which was introduced in 2015, 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) which involves billions of Ringgit, the weakening currency and corruption in all sectors.

Many of us hope this GE14 will be the turning point of our nation. We have one last chance to really form a decent government. If you choose civic-minded leaders, surely our nation will progress for the better, and the time has come to vote for a brighter future. Every registered voter has the right and responsibility to choose their leader, to shape the future of our nation. We need to make our voices heard and take a stand for righteousness.

You may ask, does my vote make a difference? Surely it does! Every citizen has a moral duty to vote. Our vote will pave the path for the future of our children. As Christians, we have the sacred duty and responsibility to vote in our convictions and to vote for leaders who promote justice and peace, to lead our nation toward righteousness and for the common good. Every citizen should stand and follow the command to fulfil our civic duty, “Pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and God what belongs to God,” (Matt 22: 21).

Throughout the novena and feast of St Joseph the Worker starting Sunday, 22 April to Tuesday, 1 May 2018, we will pray for the upcoming GE14. We are commanded to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4). We will pray and offer Masses for our voters, for their discernment to choose a leader that will help build a better nation. We also pray for a fair and clean election process. We pray that the new leaders will be able to correct past mistakes, so that our nation will live peacefully and prosperously.
On the evening before election, Tuesday, 8 May 2018, we will have Mass at 7.30pm, followed by Holy Hour at 8.00pm. My dear parishioners, I invite you to come together for the evening prayer and Mass to pray for a smooth election without any uprisings, riots or cheating. Your vote is so precious and when you cast your ballot into the ballot box, please say a simple prayer and make sure your vote is counted.
Just for your info, I will leave to Penang to cast my vote. I have not changed my voting location for 20 years, as for some reason I prefer to vote there.

After casting our votes, let’s continue our good work by being productive, giving our service to people and nation. Keep praying, serving, witnessing, helping your neighbours and loving one another. Let’s make sure that we spend time between now and polling date, praying and promoting ways to make our society more harmonious and united. Pray for our beloved Malaysia.

ENCOUNTERING THE RISEN LORD

Today’s Gospel (LK 25: 35-48) speaks about Christ’s encounter with the two disciples on the road to a village, a village called Emmaus Emmaus. Jesus was journeying with the disciples and they found themselves struggling to believe the good news that Jesus is risen and He is alive! They struggled to grasp even though Jesus was right in front of them in resurrected form.
When they returned to Jerusalem and they reported to the other disciples what they had seen in the Breaking of the Bread (the Eucharistic celebration).

Christ’s resurrection is the most important event in human history.

The disciples really struggled to grasp what had happened in Jerusalem. This huge thing had happened – Jesus was dead and now He is alive. They began to aware of the emptiness of life in the absence of real hope, they felt deeply how empty life was without Jesus.


Jesus still needs witnesses today. We who have received the gift of faith have an obligation to share it with others. The world needs witnesses. We need to witness to the transforming power of Christ in the Eucharist. Do I bring my family and friends closer to Our Lord in the Eucharist?

Saturday, 7 April 2018

HAPPENING IN THE PARISH

We had a very meaningful and solemn Holy Week and Easter Triduum celebrations. Despite your work and other duties, you have taken so much trouble to participate in the holiest of days celebrations. I am happy to see that many of you without fail attended these solemn celebrations. Our experiences of worship during the Triduum enkindled a deeper kind of conversion, hope and trust in the Risen Lord.

On this Sunday, 8 April, we shall have a formation on “Sustainable Living” by Ms Adelene Anthony Sinniah. She is an expert in the area on Environmental Management and Sustainability. Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce our demand on the Earth’s natural resources and personal resources.  We shall invite all parents of catechism students and all those are interested to attend on it. This session will help us to start practicing to live a sustainable life and to preserve the earth.

As a continuation on this sustainable living session, on the following Sunday, 15 April, our Catechism students will set up an exhibition on “Take Care Our Common Earth” in our Church Hall. During the season of Lent our Catechism teachers had formations for our catechism students both in English and Tamil focusing on care for the earth, our common home. These formations were basically to make them aware of their responsibilities of individuals in shaping the future of our earth. The teachers gave them some assignments and activities to be carried out during the Lenten Season. During the exhibition they will display all their projects. The Catechetical Ministry invites all parents to be present in the hall (10.30 am-12.00 noon). What kind of world are we going to leave to our kids who now growing up? Let’s come together to educate them as they grow in their relationships with nature.

There will be a “Graceful Aging Programme” for 7 weeks specially for senior citizens aged 60 to 75 years old conducted by Miss Molly Rajan. She is a psychologist and researcher with the National University of Malaysia (UKM) who conducts programmes for senior citizens. These programmes include a lot of interesting group dynamics discussion, various activities, fun videos, games, etc. and at the end certificates will be presented to the participations. These programmes may help you to improve your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects which will make the rest of years, the best ones.  Do not miss the opportunity. After the 9.00 am Mass on Sunday, 15 April 2018 we encourage all senior citizens to come for a briefing session at Conference Room (Ground floor).

Every year our youths coordinates a “Youth Rally” and this year it will take place on 21 April at our Church Formation Hall with the theme, “Be Not Afraid.” The presenters are professors from well-known colleges and will focus on four aspects:
·      Who is this seated before me?
·      Can being on a social media platform set us free? How can we better use the digital platform to serve God?
·      Let’s loose the masks: Identifying who we can become amidst a world of constant change?
·      It’s time for you to shine.
My dear young people do come and join. I am sure you will be transformed and you will be courageous enough to go forth and shine to others.


This year we are celebrating the 110th year of the establishment of our Church (est. 1908). In conjunction with this we will begin our Novena and Feast day celebrations starting from Sunday, 22 April till 1 May 2018. The flyers and posters have been distributed to all parishioners and various parishes in the KL Archdiocese. Let's invite our families, relatives and friends for this celebration. St Joseph pray for us!