TOGETHERNESS IN SPITE OF DIFFERENCES

Our Family Day 2022 in conjunction with World Day of the Poor (WOP) was an exciting and memorable event for the Parish of St Thomas, Kuantan. It was held last Sunday, 13 November from 9:30 am onwards, at our church grounds. We began with a thanksgiving Mass, to remind us of the essence and importance of works of mercy towards the underprivileged and marginalised. Of course, the main intention of this event was fundraising towards flood relief during the monsoon season which is expected to occur soon and also to spend time with the underprivileged in our community.

We managed to bring people together from far distances - the Orang Asli from Kuala Rompin and Muadzam Shah, as well as the Indonesian plantation workers from Maran, by providing shuttle bus services to transport them. Whereas the local Kuantan dwellers were transported by our very own Parishioners, who have created a strong, healthy relationship with these families and have proven to have an enormous impact on their lives. As a Church, we hope to establish a positive relationship to provide assistance and service, whenever possible. Furthermore, the gathering is one of the best ways to remind us of the essence of family in our lives and to bring awareness of interacting with each other despite our differences.

This very special day was flavoured with a wide variety of food stalls, exciting games and other fun activities. Among the highlights of the day were the various performances such as line dance, traditional and cultural dances, singing, musical performances and lucky draws. Everyone participated in fun activities together and spent quality time with family and friends, new and old. It was a day of great celebration that not only got everyone exhausted, but thoroughly satisfied and happy too, and filled with the hope of having a similar get-together next year!

 

We are very grateful to God for providing us with wonderful weather that day! As we know, we are in the midst of pre-monsoon, but every one of us went down on our knees with hands stretched out towards heaven before God (cf. 1 Kings 8: 54) praying for pleasant weather and He certainly did not disappoint us! Everything went on smoothly, except for a slight drop of rain that for a moment threatened to dampen our celebrations for a while! For this, we praise and thank you, Lord.

 

I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the organising committee for their hard work and excellent coordination of the event and for making our Family Day 2022 a successful and memorable one. Thank you also to all the Parishioners of St Thomas, friends and benefactors who generously helped us make this event a success. We really couldn’t have done this without all of you! 

 

A special thanks to all our invited guests - the Orang Asli, migrant and refugee communities, and those from within the Kuantan city area. Thank you for being with us on this special occasion. Your presence was highly appreciated and we hope that you enjoyed your time spent with the communities and Parishioners of St Thomas Church, Kuantan.

 

We had a fun-filled event and I am certainly looking forward to more events in our Parish in the future.

WITH LOVE, RESPONSIBILITY AND SOLIDARITY

“For Your Sakes, Christ Became Poor” (cf. 2 Cor 8: 9) is the theme chosen by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, for the 6th World Day of the Poor (WDP). The Holy Father encourages us to show “greater solidarity and responsibility for the poor in our society” by not forgetting them, and the hardships they face in their lives.

The Universal Church observes WDP each year on the 33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time and this year it falls on 13 November. It is celebrated annually in honour of the poor, socially marginalised and underprivileged, as we carry out the mission of the Church with the spirit of solidarity, responsibility and mercy.

In His message, the Holy Father highlights that the war in Ukraine has added to the death and destruction of humanity. Furthermore, this senselessness of war has caused the deportation of thousands of vulnerable people - men and women, children and the elderly, to neighbouring countries. There are still a great number of people who remain in war zones, living in fear and uncertainty - lacking food, water and medical care. They are in need of relief and peace, and most of all our prayers for them.

During his visit to Jerusalem, St Paul met the Apostles Peter, James and John, and he urged them not to forget the poor. The community of Jerusalem was going through hardship because of a shortage of food at that time. The Apostles organised “a great collection to aid the poverty-stricken in Jerusalem” and encouraged the Christian community in Corinth to contribute every first day of the week to support and be generous towards the poor.

Since then, the Church does collections during Mass to provide for the needs of the poor. We, Christians give “with joy and a sense of responsibility, to ensure that none of our brothers and sisters will lack the necessities of life.” The Peninsula Malaysian churches have set the second collection on the first Sunday of every month for the poor, and this is used for the basic necessities of those in need.

I have observed the WDP celebrations since serving in my previous Parish of St Joseph, Kuala Lumpur, when the Holy Father promulgated it at the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016. Underprivileged people from the community were invited to be part of our celebrations with food, games and entertainment. All proceeds from that event were then utilised to continue helping the poor.

This year, the celebration for WDP & Family Day continues at the Church of St Thomas here in Kuantan. Our main objective of this WDP event is to bring the poor, migrants and refugees as well as the Orang Asli within our community together. There will be many food stalls, games, funfair and entertainment, and all proceeds from the sale of coupons and donations will be channelled towards flood relief during the monsoon season, and for the basic necessities and education of the needy.

May our celebration of World Day of the Poor & Family Day 2022 be a grace-filled day with solidarity, love and care for those who need it the most.

LIFE IS CHANGED, NOT ENDED

The Catholic church observes All Souls’ Day on 2 November every year. It is a day to commemorate all the faithful departed. The Church prays for departed souls to be cleansed, so that they may be able to see God face-to-face in heaven. 

All Souls’ Day is a time for families to reflect on those loved ones who are no longer with us. We may face intense, difficult moments that trigger so much emotion, sadness, grief, emptiness, guilt, regret and anger at the death of our loved ones. As saying goes, “Take the bull by the horns,” we should take a deep breath amidst all our grieving, and pain, and face the situation with confidence in prayer. We remember that “indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven.” (The Roman Missal)

 

During this month, we could perhaps do a few spiritual things as individuals or families, spiritually, as we relive fond memories and celebrate the lives of our loved ones.

i)               Light up candles and offers prayers for deceased loved ones at home.

ii)             Make a trip to the graves at least once during this month of November. Light candles. Place a bouquet of flowers and spend time praying a decade of the Rosary for them.

iii)           As a family sit together to go through photos or albums or journals (if you have one) and share stories of their fond memories.

 

Over the years Christians throughout history and across cultures try to reflect the notion of what death and the resurrection are really about. Death is reality and Christ’s resurrection has made death a source of hope. Death gives a greater gift of life in Christ. The departed souls are alive in God. Even though “the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, no torment shall ever touch them,” (Wisdom 3:1), the Church teaches us to pray for them. Our prayers and Mass offerings, followed by other works of charity will help to speed up their journey to be in union with God in heaven.

 

During the month of October, we encouraged Parishioners to list down the names of our departed loved ones - our grandparents, parents, relatives, friends, and colleagues in the “Book of Remembrance” which was placed at the breakfast corner of our Community Hall. Since All Souls’ Day, we have placed this Book at the main altar of our Church and offer them collectively in our daily and weekend Masses till the Advent season begins on 27 November 2022.

 

They request our prayers and Masses in order for them to obtain eternal peace and rest. “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death, they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven,” (CCC # 1030). We, Catholics believe in Purgatory, between heaven and earth where the sins of the departed souls are cleansed before entering the final and full vision of God. Purgatory is nothing other than the final purification of all the remaining attachments to sin in our lives.

 

Our prayers and Masses for the departed souls and all souls in purgatory will certainly need our prayers to obtain divine justice from God for them to have a full vision of His face. May the Souls of the Faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

LOVE AND DEDICATION IN REVERENCE

Rev Fr Joachim Tan Kah Chye was a humble priest. A rather private person, he had a small number of close friends. He was a man of few words and of great integrity. He was unassuming and kind, and his degree of sanctity shone throughout every aspect of his life. 

After serving for 48 years as a priest, he retired and continued to stay at the Church of the Holy Rosary, Kuala Lumpur as their priest-in-residence (Jan 2022 - April 2022). However, due to his deteriorating health, he moved into St Francis Xavier Home for the Elderly in Kuala Lumpur and was under the care of the Little Sisters of the Poor, until his demise. He was called home at the age of seventy-seven on Saturday, 22 October 2022 and his funeral mass was held on Tuesday, 25 October 2022 at the Church of the Holy Rosary, Kuala Lumpur – the parish in which he last ministered and retired.

I personally didn’t know him too well, but we were cordial and always greeted each other whenever we met at our monthly recollections. He usually kept a low profile and was a man of silence, most of the time. He cracked subtle jokes and often replied in a few words.

He was a knowledgeable and well-read man, and he had a very good command of the English language. I remember having the opportunity to listen to one of his homilies, and although I found it quite difficult to follow and grasp at that time, I asked him to share what he had written. I found it to be well-composed with a theological and scriptural understanding of the Eucharist. I respected and appreciated the depth of his homily and the meticulous way in which he presented it. 

Fr Joachim ministered at St Thomas Church, Kuantan from 1991-1998. When I asked a few Parishioners about him, many concurred with me that he was indeed a man of reverence and a man of a few words. He was well-respected amongst the community, and he was dedicated, visiting the homebound and elderly, as well as paying close attention to the needs of the children and youth in our Parish.

He spent his time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and was always on hand to listen to confessions, and to the needs of the community. He was known for his power of healing, and he was good at pranic healing(natural spiritual healing techniques without touching) and exorcism as well.

Fr Joachim was admired not only for his faithfulness to his vocation, but also for his dedication to prayer and his commitment to the community. He gave his life to the Church, and he will always be remembered as a loving priest and spiritual father.

May God the Almighty reward Fr Joachim for the love that he has outpoured throughout his life. He will be missed, but we take comfort in knowing that we will meet again someday. Till then, we pray for his soul to rest in peace. May the Lord grant him fellowship with all the saints in heaven, and everlasting union with Jesus and the beloved Blessed Virgin Mary.

WELFARE AND WELLBEING OF OUR COMMUNITY

The Election Commission has announced that Nomination Day in conjunction with the15th General Election (GE15) will be held on 5 November 2022 and polling day will be on Saturday, 19 November 2022. During the course of the next few weeks, Malaysia will be abuzz with announcements of nominees and number of seats to be contested in the upcoming polls.

Since the last General Election back in 2018, we have seen the collapse of two governments, and resignations of two prime ministers. During this period of time, several parliament members have switched parties for their own convenience and interest. As a result of this, the Malaysian people have been adversely affected. Our GE14 votes were ignored and our voices muted by greedy cronies and irresponsible politicians who betrayed our country, its democracy and its people.

In the previous election, Malaysians voted for change and a new ruling party - to form a new government for the first time in our country since 1955. The rakyat were excited and hoped to experience a change of government when the Pakatan Harapan coalition was voted to lead our country. Unfortunately, they only ruled for two years, as just before the Covid 19 pandemic, the Perikatan Nasional coalition underhandedly took over the government. Since then, the rakyat have been enduring not only the aftermath of the pandemic, but also serious economic and political instability. These crises have escalated day by day, and Malaysians have lost their patience and trust in the governing coalition. 

Sadly, GE15 is set to take place during Malaysia’s monsoon season, and it is going to be rather challenging for the people. Instead of planning and preparing for the floods and other necessary arrangements for the forthcoming rainy season, politicians are wasting resources, campaigning for an untimely election. The haste in which this election has been called seems to telltale the ruling party’s desire to have certain criminal charges dropped on members of their party. Most Malaysians are aware that they are not truly interested in preparing for the dreadful floods which caused havoc in our country last year, nor are they interested in the welfare and well-being of the rakyat.

At our Parish level, we are doing all we can to prepare for the floods. We have formed a Parish Flood Relief Ministry (PFRM) and conducted our first meeting with volunteers on Saturday, 15 October 2022. Urgent matters were discussed and highlighted, and training sessions have been confirmed. We are still looking for more Parishioners to come forward as volunteers. All are welcome to join, including family and friends who may not belong to our Parish. Our first training session will be conducted on Friday, 28 October (online session) followed by an in-person session the following day (29 October 2022) at our Church premises. If you or anyone you know would like to volunteer, kindly contact the Parish office during office hours.

In line with our preparations, we are also organising a Family Day Carnival in conjunction with the 6th World Day of the Poor 2022. For this year, the Holy Father, Pope Francis has chosen the theme, “For Your Sake Christ Became Poor” (cf. 2 Cor 8:9). This event will be held on Sunday, 13 November 2022 within our Parish grounds. There will be food stalls, exciting games, entertainment, stage performances and lucky draws with many prizes to be won. The main objective of this event is to raise funds to help the flood victims and to provide for the poor. 

We invite all Parishioners to participate and support our efforts to raise funds for this worthy cause. The success of this event will benefit those in need of assistance. Coupons for the games and food are already on sale and donations are most welcome. Kindly refer to the bulletin for further information.