GUIDES ON THE PATH OF HOLINESS

The Holy Father Pope Francis, concluded the Jubilee Year dedicated to Saint Joseph with a general audience at Vatican City on 8 December 2021. He encouraged all the dioceses throughout the world to continuously pray to the foster father of Jesus - Joseph, protector of the Holy Family and Patron of the Catholic Church. He emphasised that St Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary are our “guides on the path of holiness.”

Our Parish held a 9-days celebration with Evening Prayers (Vespers), Novena and Litany to St Joseph, followed by Mass. The response was good, as Parishioners and those from other nearby parishes were physically present in Church, whilst others followed the celebration via live streaming on Youtube. The celebration concluded with a Eucharistic Mass, presided by Archbishop Julian Leow, who officially closed the Year of St Joseph and the Year of Plenary Indulgency (8 December 2020 – 8 December 2021).

In November 2021, when the closing of the year of St Joseph was drawing near, invitations were extended to the faithful including priests, to make a pilgrimage to walk with St Joseph, in our Parish. Several priests and their respective parishioners made their spiritual tour and concluded their pilgrimage with the celebration Mass. There were also individual groups from various other parishes who completed their pilgrimage successfully, meaningfully and prayerfully.

The Jubilee Year dedicated to St Joseph has brought a lot of insight about the life of St Joseph and his role as a great intercessor, protector, guardian and spiritual father of our faith journey. This one graceful year has drawn most of us closer to St Joseph, who is the Patron of the Catholic Church. Our Parish carried out several programs, formations and celebrations to make known the virtues of St Joseph, who isn’t profoundly explained in Scripture. 

The Apostolic letter of the Holy Father – With the Father’s Heart – Patris Corde – has given great inspiration and hope for all of us to commit ourselves in exercising the virtues of St Joseph. Several people have committed to consecrate themselves to St Joseph and have come to realise that they need him as a spiritual father in their faith journey. In fact, many people have personally shared with me how St Joseph has inspired and touched their spiritual life, especially during this Year of St Joseph. Personally, I have gained new understanding and knowledge about St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I have done my best these past few years in this Parish, and I am sure that St Joseph will continue to be my spiritual father as I move to my new posting at the Church of St Thomas, the Apostle in Kuantan, Pahang.

On behalf of Monsignor James Gnanapiragasam and our parish community, I would like to express a word of thanks to Archbishop Julian for declaring our Parish as a pilgrim church in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, and for celebrating the closing Mass. My sincerest gratitude to all who have tirelessly assisted and worked hand-in-hand in making the Year of St Joseph a successful and meaningful one.

 

St Joseph, Patron of the Catholic Church, pray for the Synodal Church 2023 - journeying together in Communion, Participation and Mission.

SAINT JOSEPH, A FATHER OF INTERCESSOR FOR FAMILIES

Since the past 7½ of years, I have been especially devoted to St Joseph. I have done my best to introduce St Joseph to all my parishioners and to others - through preaching, writings, social media, etc. Since the Holy Father, Pope Francis announced the Year of St Joseph and the Year of the Plenary Indulgence on 8 December 2020, I constantly sought the intercession of St Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary, praying for an end to this COVID-19 pandemic, for our protection from this deadly virus, and for the increase of spiritual life in facing trials and crisis during these troubled times. Every day I have been sharing religious images with special intentions with my Parishioners and friends. They in turn, circulate these intercessions to their friends, inviting them to pray together as a Church.

This year of St Joseph, Patron Saint of the Catholic Church, has gone by quietly, without much promotion and evangelisation - true to the nature of St Joseph himself. He was always silent and worked mysteriously in the Salvation plan of God.

Therefore, in his honour several events and activities were planned for throughout the year as a way of promoting and evangelising St Joseph to everyone. During the first few months of this year, we conducted e-pilgrimages and online formations, which introduced St Joseph as our Spiritual Father. We also managed to celebrate in-person Novena and Mass to St Joseph, the Worker in Church, towards the end of April and beginning of May.

Through these celebrations and formations, many have shown their affection towards St Joseph and have drawn closer to him. People have begun to recognise him as a great intercessor, and whenever my friends or Parishioners request for prayers, I write and place them at the statue of St Joseph. I strongly believe he will pray those intercessions. I have also noticed that many people have included prayers and the litany to St Joseph into their daily lives, and some have made him their Spiritual Father. In fact, I too have done the same in my faith journey - seeking his intercession to assist me in my priestly ministry.

For the past few days, we have had several distinguish priests come to our Parish to celebrate the Novena and Mass for the closing of the Year of St Joseph. Today, I have the privilege of celebrating Mass with the theme - St Joseph, A Father Of Intercessor For Families. St Joseph was the foster father and guardian of Jesus. He never once faltered or relinquished his responsibilities towards Him.

Looking at our own parents, we realise that they are never tired of looking after us and nurturing us throughout our lives. They also never fail to pray for us. All parents would like to see their children grow faithfully and successfully. It is in this same manner that St Joseph, the head of the Holy Family, together with his chaste spouse, Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us unceasingly to their beloved Son, Jesus Christ - for all our needs and intercessions.

Since I was assigned to the Church of St Joseph, Sentul in 2014, my devotion to St Joseph and my faith life has become stronger day by day. I seek St Joseph’s intercession, and he guides my direction in carrying out the mission of Christ and to do God’s will. I personally have experienced how my ministry has become more promising, fruitful and fulfilling over the years - especially in this Parish. The Year of St Joseph will conclude on 8 December 2021, but that doesn’t mean that St Joseph will cease to pray for us and for our families. Our Parents will never abandon us, and certainly St Joseph and Mother Mary will always be our greatest intercessors.

In the Apostolic Letter, “With the Father’s Heart” the Holy Father Pope Francis, highlighted seven essential qualities and virtues of St Joseph. 

-        A Beloved Father,

-        A Tender and Loving Father,

-        An Obedient Father,

-        An Accepting Father,

-        A Creatively Courageous Father,

-        A Working Father, and

-        A Father In The Shadows. 

My dear Parishioners of St Joseph, it will be good for you to reflect and adopt these virtues in your spiritual life, as you grow in your faith. St Joseph is a great gift to me, as he is guiding my priestly life. 

I pray that all of us consistently and persistently seek St Joseph’s intercession, guidance and protection, as we keep his virtues closer to our hearts. During this Advent, we pray that St Joseph’s intercession will prepare us and our families with the true spirit of poverty - free from materialism and things of the world - for the Lord’s coming this Christmas.

CLOSING OF THE YEAR OF ST JOSEPH

The amazing season of Advent is in our midst! It is a season for preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ Jesus. This year we begin Advent on 27 November, with Sunset Mass, and end it on 24 December 2021. Everyone eagerly looks forward to singing the various seasonal hymns such as “O Come, O Come Emanuel”, “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Come O Divine Messiah” to welcome the arrival of Christmas. As we begin the season of Advent, our Parish has initiated a wonderful celebration for the closing of the Year of St Joseph.

The Holy Father Pope Francis announced the Year of St Joseph and the Year of Plenary Indulgence (8 December 2020 to 8 December 2021) in honour of the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph as Patron Saint of the Catholic Church with the theme - “With the Father’s Heart” (Patris Corde). Since 1908, our Parish has been dedicated to St Joseph, and we made a request to Archbishop Julian Leow to officially declare it as a pilgrim centre for the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. He was pleased with our request and made the announcement on 21 December 2020.

 

We tried our best to promote and celebrate the Year of St Joseph despite the Movement Control Orders (MCO) that were declared by the government. We hosted various events, activities and formations online as well as an e-pilgrimage celebration. For the past 10 months, the Year of St Joseph went silently by, oblivious to many of the faithful, due to the pandemic. However, once the authorities lifted the inter-state travel ban and sectors started to open up, many pilgrims throughout the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur came to pay homage to St Joseph, at our Church.

 

As both the Year of Plenary Indulgence and the Year of St Joseph are coming to a close, we have extended invitations to both Priests and the faithful throughout the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur to make a pilgrimage to our Parish. Many have turned up from other parishes in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Seremban and Kuantan to pray and participate in the Eucharistic celebration. Many groups and individuals have planned their trip to our historical Parish, and I encourage those who have yet to do so, to make their pilgrimage soonest possible.

 

During this First Week of Advent, from 30 November 2021 until 8 December 2021, our Parish will celebrate a 9-Days Novena to St Joseph - including Mass - as a closing of the Year of St Joseph. We have extended invitations to several Priests to preside at the daily Eucharistic celebration for our devotees. However, due to the current situation, and requirements with regards to social distancing, we must limit the number of in-person participants to 300 people only. Those unable to register via google forms for in-persons celebration, could always follow the live stream via YouTube. Links for the live streaming of the Novenas and masses during these 9 days can be found on our Parish and KL Archdiocese websites – www.stjosephsentul.org or www.archkl.org. The links will be updated periodically, so kindly check these websites for updates.

 

We have quite an interesting spiritual programme planned for the next 9 days - Evening Prayers (Vespers), Novenas and the Litany to St Joseph as well as Recitation of the Rosary and Mass. We invite everyone to tune yourselves into a more prayerful and solemn manner, as we come to the end of the Year of St Joseph.

SERVING WITH KINDNESS AND DEDICATION

On Friday night, 19 November 2021, a text message was posted by Archbishop Julian Leow in our Clergy chat group. It was the sad and shocking news about the sudden demise of Rev. Fr John Gnanapiragasam at 8:20pm, at his residence in Seremban. I read this short text message over and over again, as I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

A day before his passing, I texted Fr John regarding the Novena and Mass in conjunction with the closing of the Year of St Joseph, at our Parish, and invited him to celebrate mass with us. He replied the next morning saying, “… Will surely be happy to be there [Parish of St Joseph] to celebrate with you…” I was so glad that he accepted my invitation for the celebration of the Anointing of the Sick, Novena and Masses on days 5 and 6 (2nd Sunday of Advent). These past four years he has not failed to celebrate our Parish Novena and Feast days.

I came to know Fr John when I was in the first year of my seminary in Penang in 1995. He wasn’t my lecturer, but he conducted a weekly seminar on “Fully Human, Fully Alive” by John Powell, SJ. His seminar and workshop helped me to discover myself and gave me new perspective and understanding. I shared with Fr John G, the uncertainties and anxieties I was going through during my first year in the seminary. He advised me to work seriously on these four areas - self-acceptance, self-esteem, self-knowledge and self-discipline. These four key areas caught my attention and I gradually developed them over the years. I really gained tremendous insight from his formation, and till today I continue to reflect on them.

Fr John G was a man of prayer, and he had very good methodology in his presentations. The NEWBEC (the New Way of Being Church) and Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) reflection papers were the brainchild of Fr John. As the first Director of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute (API), he spent a lot of time giving proper insight and guidance for BECs in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur.

After I had completed my assignment as the Parish Priest in Church of the Visitation (May 2010), Fr John G had become my successor. He continued some of my unfinished works, and he carried out the vision of the Parish. He was also a mentor for the ALPHA program and on several occasions, I sought his assistance to conduct this programme at St Joseph’s Church as well as at the Church of the Visitation.

After his retirement in 2020, Fr John would occasionally visit the Church of St Joseph here in Sentul. He had a special affinity to this Parish as it was his first posting after he was ordained as a priest in 1972. He was assigned as the assistant to the late Fr Anthony Thomas.

We thank God for his priestly service in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. He has touched the hearts of countless people with his kindness and dedication throughout his priestly ministry. We will miss him dearly. Our heartfelt condolences to Monsignor James Gnanapiragasam and his family on the passing of Fr John Gnanapiragasam.

SERVICE TO THE POOR AND MARGINALSED

The Fifth World Day of the Poor (WDOP) was celebrated by the Universal Church on 14 November 2021, with the theme chosen by our Holy Father Pope Francis, “The Poor You Will Always Have with You,” (MK 14:7). Over the years, individuals and groups have come forward to spend their time and effort in contributing towards the poor who are affected physically, economically and financially. The Parish of St Joseph in Sentul has always paid extra attention and care towards the poor and vulnerable in our community. Parishioners have always placed great importance in their service to the poor and marginalised.

During the weekend of WDOP, our Parish organised two events – a vaccination program and a food distribution program. On Saturday, 13 November 2021, we organised the COVID-19 Immunisation Vaccination (CIV) program for both documented and undocumented refugees and migrants living within our vicinity. These refugees and migrants were mostly workers from farms, factories and restaurants in the area. A total of 300 people turned up for their vaccination. They have been given appointments for their second dose, scheduled to be on 4 December 2021.

 

Prior to this, we organised two other CIV projects for refugees and migrants on 16 October and 30 October 2021 respectively. These CIV programs, in collaboration with the Malaysian Red Crescent and Tenagita, went on smoothly without any hitches. Plans are in the pipeline to coordinate a CIV program especially for refugee and migrant children, aged 12-18 years in December 2021. As the roll out of the COVID-19 Immunisation Vaccination (CIV) takes place throughout our country, we need to ensure that even those who are undocumented receive their vaccines. Vaccinations are important as they may reduce the possibility of serious illness and effects of the C19 virus.

 

Our Parish Integral Human Development Ministry (PIHDM) distributed 330 food packs to all who turned up for their vaccination, including volunteers. The following day, on 14 November 2021, food packs were distributed to over 400 adoptee families and individuals. As some families were unable to collect their food packs personally, the PIHDM made necessary arrangements to personally deliver these to their homes. All this was part of our Parish’s annual World Day of the Poor program. 

 

In the first three years of WDP (2017-2019) our Parish celebrated this event on a grand scale together with our Parish Family Day, but in these past two years, we’ve been forced to curtail our celebrations due to the pandemic. The annual School Uniform project however, is scheduled to take place just before Christmas, in time for the 2022 school term. We hope that it will be as successful as in previous years.

 

People living in poverty are often neglected or overlooked. Most of the time they are invisible to our sight, even though they are always in our midst. We should not forget or ignore them. Instead, we should acknowledge their visible presence as they are part of our lives. Let us not hesitate to reach out to them as a people of God.