Ignatian Online, Website of St Ignatius Church, Petaling Jaya

by Penny Chong, Sunday School Teacher

Thirty nine St Ignatius Church (SIC) Sunday School catechists participated in the yearly retreat in Marist Brothers Champagnat Youth Centre Port Dickson from 9-11 March 2018. The programme began with a morning prayer and beautiful Mass by the beach, celebrated by Fr Michael Raymond. In his homily, Fr Michael reminded us not to compare with others and should start to focus on ourselves with self-examination. Father also reminded the catechists to recall the calling of God for this vocation, be the mediator to bear witness to the Gospel in their lives.

Catechists enjoyed the beautiful beach and sunset, the creation of God. With much reflection moments and bonding sessions, this retreat definitely helped the catechists to refresh and keep the spark in their hearts burning. The programme ended with Sunday morning Mass by the beach, a photo session and breakfast prepared by the caretaker.

For 2,000 years, our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Light of the World has continually drawn people from the four corners of the earth into his Mystical Body – which is neither purely physical nor purely spiritual, but supernatural. Hence the reasons given for those who were drawn into the Catholic faith are both varied and fascinating. For Joyce Lee Choon Lan of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) Class of 2017/18, her spiritual journey in becoming a Catholic was prompted by chance when a good friend told her one day that St Ignatius Church (SIC) would be starting a new RCIA class in July 2017. Her friend even offered to be her sponsor. The rest, as they say, is history. On a different track, Pauline Oh Phooi Leng who was raised in a Buddhist family got to know about Jesus through her Catholic neighbour. Christ speaks through others but only hearers with open hearts and minds will respond.

Joyce and Pauline together with 37 other elects were baptised by SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD and Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD at the Easter Vigil Mass on 31 March which started at 10.30 pm. Fourteen candidates for confirmation joined the newly-baptised to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation from Frs Andrew and Lawrence who anointed them with the Oil of Chrism to seal them with the gift of the Holy Spirit. This Sacrament provides them greater capability to practice their Catholic faith in every aspect of their lives and to witness Christ in every situation. A very special, unforgettable moment in the lives of the newly-baptised ensued when they received their first Holy Communion – the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ.

Every baptised person, according to St Vincent Ferrer, should consider that it is in the womb of the Church where he or she is transformed from a child of Adam to a child of God. As an infant child of God, our new Catholics are at the very beginning of a spiritual journey that may last for decades until the end of their natural life. Continual conversion (metanoia) to not just imitate but also to become like Christ is an important part of the Christian life. All the graces and opportunities that one need to grow spiritually can be found in Christ and his Church. Catholics whether new or matured need to be nourished by the Word of God and partake of the sacraments – especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

Whichever Catholic church they choose to attend from now on, it is important that our new brothers-and-sisters in Christ make the effort to integrate into the life of their parish through serving in ministries and BECs (Basic Ecclesial Communities). Undertaking Bible & catechetical studies and formation programmes will help deepen their faith & knowledge in order to remain rooted in Christ. Last but not least, Christians need to obey the mandate given by Christ at the end of his earthly life for us to love one another and to make disciples of all nations. 

At the Easter Vigil Mass in Mandarin which started at 6.45 pm, 27 elects were baptised and a candidate was confirmed together with the elects.

SIC wish all Catholics a Blessed Easter!

More photos are available at . 

TESTIMONIES

Having been educated in the Methodist Girls’ School in Malacca, I had learned about Jesus but that was as far as I could go and could not go any further in my Christian faith. I attended a few “churches” at shop lots, even been to the Calvary Church, the Trinity Methodist Church, but I still felt empty and that something was still missing. My eldest sister on the other hand, was educated in the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus and she is now a staunch and devoted Catholic. She has been influential to my wanting to become a Catholic. She gave me a book titled “A Brief Catechism for Adults” and after reading it, I then decided to become a Catholic. My RCIA journey actually came by chance when my good friend one day told me that SIC would be starting new RCIA classes in July 2017 and she even offered to be my sponsor.

I felt that God had heard my prayers and has now opened the door for me and that I should not refuse His invitation, so I went for it. My first lesson started with much anxiety but after a couple more lessons, there was no turning back. There is a team of dedicated and committed facilitators to guide and teach me more about Jesus. I found myself looking forward to each lesson and wanting to learn more. I learned about Mass, the Eucharist and the sacraments. I am really grateful to this team of facilitators for their time, teachings and guidance. Personally, the defining moment for me was during the Recollection weekend. It truly touched my heart for the first time and I was so overwhelmed I even cried. I felt closer to God. I felt very sure and am ready to receive the Lord in my upcoming baptism during the Easter Vigil.  – Joyce Lee Choon Lan

I was born to a Catholic father and Taoist mother. As an infant, I was not baptised because my mother wished for it to be something I chose willingly, but because she ultimately wished to raise me in the Christian faith, she fought tooth and nail to have me, an un-baptised child enrolled into Sunday school. As I grew up, I became rebellious and stopped going to church, for I disagreed with several teachings of the church and found attending Mass every Sunday to be a waste of time. One day, while I was in university, a friend of mine invited me to attend Mass with her on Easter Sunday and I agreed. Upon entering the church, I was immediately overcome with a feeling of love and peace despite being stressed out all week. When the priest gave his homily, it was ironic how the “strict” teachings of the church also provided the very solution to my problems. Very soon, I found myself looking forward to going to church every week.

Even in the midst of rushing to finish my assignments, to the point I was sleeping only an hour a day, I still found the time to go to church, for attending Mass strangely gave me energy to carry on for the rest of the week. Finally, it occurred to me that while attending Mass energised me, never once was I an hour or even a minute late in completing my assignments - I always had just enough. Such is God’s grace. And having witnessed it, it only made sense then that I should wish to follow the Lord in baptism.  – Camille Low Jun Lyn

I was first introduced to the existence of God by my school teacher, but being raised in a Chinese Buddhist family, I only got to know more about Him twenty-five years later through my neighbor! She was a Roman Catholic and she taught me and introduced me to the faith. Unfortunately, we lost touch with each other when I moved to another state, but my curiosity regarding the religion was still very strong. Over the years, the topic of becoming “Children of God” was discussed frequently in my family. With the encouragement of my family members I started in the RCIA last year to get a better insight to this religion. In the beginning, I was full of skepticism and doubt, but as the days went by and the sessions progressed, I began to feel the presence of God! The Recollection gathering in Port Dickson especially gave me a deeper understanding of my relationship with God. Now, after my daily reading of the word of God and my nightly prayers, I feel at peace and secure. It is very wonderful feeling in the presence of God. My whole outlook on life has changed, and I give thanks to God for all the things I have received. With joy in my heart I praise our Lord and ask for God’s blessings and to assist me in this daily journey towards eternity.  – Pauline Oh Phooi Leng

I was born and raised in a Buddhist family. But growing up as an adult I hardly ever practice my Buddhist faith, and for all purposes regarded myself as a free-thinker. It was my husband who suggested that we consider Christianity as a faith so we could practice together. In the early stages of the RCIA journey, I didn’t understand very much. But I continued the journey because I really believed that God exists, and that He would show me more along the way. The RICIA team were very helpful and supportive and created a very positive environment. And over time I began to find peace and joy within myself especially whenever I attended Mass. I now know that God is really working in my life. I must confess that my faith is not strong. But I am confident that my faith will become stronger in the years ahead as I continue to experience and encounter the presence and power of God in my life. – Rebecca Shu Siew Mei

I come from a mixed Buddhist-Catholic family, but we did observe the Christmas and Easter traditions through the influence of my Catholic mother. After the age of fourteen, several of my friends took me regularly to their various denomination churches, but I did not find what I wanted at these churches. Eventually, however, I went to a Catholic church and it felt like coming home. I put off attending either Sunday classes or the RCIA with various excuses e.g. after Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), after my diploma, or being too busy etc. Finally, last year I completed my diploma, started working and ran out of excuses, and so I joined the RCIA. But everything started going wrong. My father suffered a series of health problems, and several of my closest friends left me. Fortunately, my mother was around to remind me that the closer I try to get to God, the more severely I would be tested.

I believe that I survived this testing time with God’s grace and became stronger in my faith. During the course of the RCIA I came to understand the Catholic Church better, and realised I had previously been misinformed about some of the teachings e.g. about Mother Mary, the seven Sacraments and others. When faced with difficult moments, I am slowly learning to trust in God, rather than react with my normal human nature responses, but it is challenging. I have to constantly remind myself that He is there to guide and help me. And when I am able to “connect with God” in difficult times, I find myself drawn very close to Him and the joy I experience is wonderful.  – Casilda Carey Chow Soo Yen

I am a baptised Christian from another denomination, and even though my family (wife and two daughters) are not baptised, they accompanied me to church services each Sunday. However, early last year all three suddenly said they wanted to “join the RCIA”. I was surprised and wondered why they wanted to go to a Catholic church rather than my own church. Nevertheless, I decided to follow the three of them to find out more about the Catholic faith. I thought that I would let them continue on their own, and I would drop out if I did not find the journey interesting. As the Lord would have it, after 10 months I am still here! Praise the Lord! As we approach the Easter Vigil, I realise that there so many things that I have learnt from the very comprehensive coverage in the classes and through the facilitators.

I believe that the RCIA journey of faith is a very systematic process and a good model of faith development tailored – to meet Jesus, to know Jesus and to follow Jesus. I look back on this journey and recall all the blessings and graces my family and I have received. We eagerly await the coming Easter Vigil, because as an added blessing all four of us will be receiving Holy Communion for the first time! As a family, moving into the Catholic faith, please pray for us that we will have a closer and more meaningful relationship with God. In addition to weekend Masses, we also want to participate in church and fellowship activities at SIC as a family.  – Nicholas Cheok Hoon Chin

I come from a Buddhist background as both my parents are Buddhists. However, I have not been a practising Buddhist as there were no real teachings on the religion from my parents. I simply followed whatever they told me to do. However, my dad was a very open-minded person and gave all six children Christian names. All the six of us were educated in Christian mission schools. And we were exposed to Christianity from a very young age. At the age of 62, I joined RCIA at SIC because I wanted to get to know our Lord Jesus better, and perhaps embrace the faith. I believe I have experienced God’s graces throughout my life and I would like to walk with him to spread his love and teachings to those who are still lost and have yet to find peace in their lives. The journey at RCIA has not only been enlightening to me, but also taught me how to live my life as a better human being. It has taught me how to be more compassionate and be able to share, love and care for my fellow human beings. I believe that our Lord Jesus Christ did not die in vain on the cross for all of us.  – Anthony Bernard Wong Yew Seng

A Palm Sunday procession was held from the new lift area in the covered car park to the church building at 6 pm on 25 March. St Ignatius Church (SIC) Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD proclaimed the Gospel of Mark on The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, blessed the palms held up by parishioners gathered, then led the procession who were waving their palms into church for Mass. Volunteers helped clean and cut the palms down to size the morning before. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. 

A big gathering of parishioners which overflowed around the church building attended the multilingual Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday which began at 8 pm. This Mass inaugurates the Easter Triduum and commemorates the Institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Holy Orders (priesthood). Holy Thursday is also called Maundy Thursday with the word 'Maundy' derived from the Latin mandatum or mandate given by Jesus to his disciples at the Last Supper to love one another. In his homily, SIC Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD preached on Who is Jesus and encouraged parishioners to also attend the Good Friday service and the Easter Vigil Mass as it is one continuous liturgy during the Triduum.

Frs Andrew and Lawrence kicked off the Washing of Feet of two nuns followed by 10 representatives of the parish community including a hearing-impaired parishioner for the first time. Shortly after holy communion, Frs Andrew, Lawrence and Stephen Ng CDD led the procession to transfer the Most Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle to the Altar of Repose on the first floor of Costantini Community Centre. The Blessed Sacrament was exposed for adoration till 6 am after which it was transferred to the prayer room downstairs where consecrated hosts are kept for holy communion during Good Friday services.

Around 1,800 parishioners turned up for the Way of the Cross @ Riverbank on Good Friday on 30 March at 1 pm despite the blazing sun. Fr Andrew started off proceedings by carrying a wooden cross from the altar to the church entrance after which a group of communion ministers carried a bigger cross to the First Station. Fr Lawrence also participated in the event. Apart from the Liturgy of the Word, the Good Friday celebration of the Lord’s Passion included Veneration of the Cross where parishioners come forward one by one to kneel before the crucifix and kiss the feet of Jesus. Spiritual communion within the SIC community was enhanced through Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration held from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday.

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His Grace Archbishop Julian Leow, Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, has an Easter Message for us.

More than 60 priests of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur renewed their ordination vows in the presence of their Archbishop at this year’s Chrism Mass held at St Ignatius Church (SIC) on Wednesday 21 March 2018. The Chrism Mass, according to Blessed Paul VI, is one of the principal expressions of the fullness of the bishop’s priesthood and signifies the closeness of the priests with him. Churches in the archdiocese take turns to host this annual Eucharistic celebration which is one of the most solemn and important liturgies of the liturgical year.

The main celebrant at the Mass which started at 7 pm was His Grace Archbishop Julian Leow who blessed three oils – Oil of Catechumens, Oil of the Sick & Oil of Chrism – then breathed over and consecrated the Chrism Oil. All priests present were the concelebrants. They include His Eminence Cardinal Anthony Soter Fernandez, Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam, Fr Michael Chua (Chancellor), Monsignor Leonard Lexson (Vicar-General), Monsignor Mitchel Joseph (Vicar-General) and SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD.

In his homily, Archbishop Julian asked Catholics to pray for priests and shared the thoughts of St John Vianney who is the patron saint of priests: “O how great is the priest! If he realised what he is he would die… God obeys him: he utters a few words and the Lord descends from Heaven at his voice, to be contained within a small host. Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put him there in the tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of life? The priest. Who feeds your soul and gives it strength for the journey? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest – always the priest. And if the soul should happen to die (as a result of sin) who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again the priest. After God, the priest is everything. Only in heaven will he fully realise what he is.”

Archbishop Julian thanked the organisers for a successful event and the warm hospitality of SIC parishioners as hosts. He also announced that three deacons – Simon Lau, Dominic Tan and Xavier Andrew – will be ordained to the priesthood on 1 May 2018 at Church of the Holy Family, Kajang (Chancery Notice). Apart from priests and religious, the congregation comprises parishioners from SIC and other churches. Sign language was used during the Mass for benefit of the hearing impaired. A cake was brought in to celebrate this Priests’ Day after which priests, religious and attendees joined for fellowship after Mass.

The event was streamed ‘live’ to the first floor of Costantini Community Centre and the Internet. A video of the event can be viewed at ArchKL. More photos are available at .

by Danny Joe Julian

On Sunday 11 March 2018, Komuniti Umat Bahasa Malaysia (KUBM) of St Ignatius Church (SIC) held their first-ever recollection in Costantini Community Centre. Around 40 participants came for the recollection – some are adults but most of the attendees were students. The recollection was held to focus on refreshing one’s faith and getting to know one another by having group prayers, praise and worship sessions, team building games, and some talks.

SIC Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD got the ball rolling by giving us a talk about “Servanthood” right after our first praise & worship session and morning prayer. After the talk ended, Fr Lawrence conducted a game called “Team Building” which requires teamwork as it challenged our cooperation with one another and our thinking skills. For the evening sessions, Fr. Lawrence gave another talk and held another team-building exercise that focused on teamwork. After the day-long recollection ended in late afternoon, we attended the 6 pm Mass together.

There was a constant stream of mainly parishioners and some members of the public who turned up to donate precious life-giving blood at the Rooftop of St Ignatius Church (SIC) on Sunday 18 March 2018 from 9 am to 2 pm. SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD dropped by several times to chat with organisers, helpers and donors as well as supporting the cause by being a donor himself. One of the main reasons donors give for donating their blood is because they ‘want to help others’. There could be other reasons but whatever they are, their contribution is vital for a healthy and reliable blood supply for others in need – and their need is constant. The blood donation drive at SIC is an annual event especially held during Lent.

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Slightly over a year after the first Eucharistic celebration conducted in Bahasa Malaysia at St Ignatius Church (SIC), the church on Sunday 4 March 2018 commissioned choir members, lectors, commentators, cantors, hospitality ministers and those who assisted with liturgy matters for serving during Bahasa Masses. SIC Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD conducted the rite of commissioning and blessed those commissioned at the 1.30 pm Bahasa Malaysia Mass and presented certificates during fellowship at the cafeteria. Volunteers who helped to animate the once-a-month Bahasa Malaysia Mass at SIC belong to the Komuniti Umat Bahasa Malaysia (KUBM) who are distinguished by their light blue T-shirts. A Stations of the Cross in Bahasa was held earlier at 12.50 pm in church.

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by Leonard Pasqual

SIC was packed to capacity for the 10 am Mass on Friday 16 February to mark Chinese New Year, with many in the congregation dressed in red and shades of this auspicious colour. The bilingual Mass, in Mandarin and English, was celebrated by St Ignatius Church (SIC) Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD. Concelebrating with him were SIC Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD and Fr Francis Ng CDD. The three priests were also in red vestments, in keeping with the theme for the day. The Mass was also signed for the benefit of the hearing-impaired.

In his homily, Fr Andrew said people ask for prosperity and blessings for Chinese New Year but he wondered what was the kind of blessings they really want. He said making lots of money may sometimes not be a real blessing. To be happy and prosperous should not refer to money but to put to good use our talents and gifts from God. Internal peace was also what we need, he added. Fr Andrew also spoke about the characteristics of the dog as we enter the Year of the Dog. He said the dog was brave and faithful to its master. He said Jesus is our master, and asked whether we are faithful to Him by being brave to lead a good Christian life, by being sensitive and caring to others. Besides the bread and wine, four other items were taken up at the offertory – flowers (to request adoration and admiration), red candles (for hope and peace), new year cakes (unity and fellowship) and fruits (happiness and achievements).

The rite of commemoration of ancestors was held at the end of the Mass. It is an act of filial piety to honour our departed loved ones on the first day of Chinese New Year. The three priests bowed three times before the ancestral tablet, followed by the congregation. Flowers, wine and fruits were also offered as part of the ceremony. Frs Andrew and Lawrence then distributed ang pow to the congregation, who also received mandarin oranges distributed outside the church by the hospitality ministers. The morning concluded with an energetic lion dance at the foyer of the church. SIC wish all a Blessed and Happy Chinese New Year!

More photos are available at .

The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) of St Ignatius Church (SIC) has produced the Parish Calendar for 2018. It lists the main church-level, ministry and BEC activities for the year guided by the Parish Theme: For the Greater Glory of God. Click on Calendar to download.