Ignatian Online, Website of St Ignatius Church, Petaling Jaya

by Emily Bong

About 70 core team members from the various BECs in St Ignatius Church (SIC) spent an enlightening and inspirational Saturday on 19 Jan at a formation on leadership skills and succession planning. Coordinated by the Archdiocesan BEC Animating Team (ABECAT), the formation was facilitated by Monsignor Mitchel Joseph and our own Rita Krishnan, who is chairperson of ABECAT. The participants were pleasantly surprised when His Grace Most Reverend Julian Leow, Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, dropped in at the start unannounced. He was on his way to another function and decided to just drop by. In his short address, he encouraged us to keep up the good work in our BECs. Several topics were covered in the formation, and group discussions were held.

Monsignor Mitchel shared several enlightening stories, which touched many hearts so that most of us were glad we came for this formation. For instance, he stressed that a leader need not be perfect (just as Jesus didn’t choose perfect disciples) but with guidance and God’s grace, any person can be groomed to be a leader to serve the Lord. We shared views on what important steps we must take to build our BECs, ways to increase trust in our BEC community and emulating Jesus’ nine traits/characteristics (never promote oneself, obedient to the Holy Spirit, cast a vision, team builder, relationship builder, control with Christ authority, know how to engage in head-on crisis, daily prayer and empower people).

A clip from the movie “A Bug’s Life” was shown where the ants faced a crisis, and we were asked how we would respond if we faced a similar situation. Here, we learnt that we should instil the following for our BEC – have a common goal, work as a team, be joyful and happy workers, and plan with a vision in mind. We also need to be positive thinkers – be an encourager rather than a discourager. Therefore, as core-team members we should help each other out and do our part to serve God and our neighbourhood as a community of Christ with love and compassion.

Monsignor Mitchel also shared that BECs were started in Central America in response to a crisis where the elite were suppressing the peasants. The poor then set up small cell groups to fend for themselves, with priests joining to help them. This movement then spread to Asia. In Malaysia, Monsignor Mitchel said BECs play an important role as they would be at the forefront to preserve the faith should a crisis occur, for instance, if churches are closed down or there are not enough priests to serve the people.

Some reflections for the coming weekend Mass readings are available at Our Sunday Readings (2 pages) and Commentary on Sunday Readings (5 pages).

Shortly after the 6.45 am Mass on Sunday 13 January, parishioners of St Ignatius Church (SIC) gathered around a pot of rice being cooked outside the main church entrance to celebrate the Pongal Festival. Meaning ‘overflow’ or ‘boiling over’, festivities typically begin with the boiling of harvested rice with milk, brown sugar, ginger, tumeric stalks or other ingredients. Earlier at the Offertory during Mass, gifts of kesari (a sweet Indian food comprising semolina, sugar, ghee, water & milk), pongal rice, laddu (flour, ghee/butter/oil & sugar) and a basket of fruits were offered up. 

SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD, Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD, Br Joseph Lim CDD and seminarian Br Selvam were on hand to watch contents of the dish boil and spill out from the pot accompanied by shouts of “Pongalo Pongal” (which means “to overflow” in Tamil). Parishioners had the opportunity to taste some Pongal delicacies and watch dance performances at the cafeteria where the event organiser – SIC Tamil Group – had their coffee morning to raise funds for their activities.

Pongal is a four-day harvest festival celebrated by Indians all over the world but especially in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It begins from the first day of the Tamil calendar in the month of Thai (usually in mid-January) when crops such as rice are harvested and to show gratitude to the almighty and the generosity of the land. Pongal resonates with us Catholics who are grateful to God for the bountiful harvest of the land and life-giving sunshine & rain – it also gives us an opportunity to show our solidarity & unity with like-minded people who value the natural habitat.

More photos taken by the Parish Communication Team (PCT) are available for viewing & downloading ator 

As I walked to the St Ignatius Church (SIC) Costantini Centre lift on Saturday 5 January, I wondered what the orientation was going to be like. I had a lot of expectations as I wanted to start 2019 with energy and purpose. I was not disappointed. Our facilitator was Mr Christopher Raj, a very talented trainer. I found the focus of the trainer for this orientation was geared towards human connection. The sessions allowed us catechists to rethink the way we approach our students. One aspect of the session engaged us to rethink on the way we can approach the first catechists, our students’ parents. That triggered a deeper interest in me during this orientation. As I sat with my group No. 4, I wondered what the session will be like, since we get to play with Lego (a line of plastic construction toys).

After the praise & worship session led by the SIC Youth Ministry, our facilitator introduced us to the Lego Serious Learning experience. Throughout the session, as we did serious construction work with our Lego bricks and parts, I realised there is a deeper meaning in what we are constructing. Every piece we use has a purpose and as we complete our structure, I come to realise how our talents, aims and motives influence the big picture. I began to reflect inwardly and began to realise that engaging with students and parents would help us in spreading the Good News, the fulfilment of the Great Commission our Lord and Saviour gave to us

How do we do that?

I did not have the answer to this most critical question. This was where God taught me to be humble and open to ideas. As I listened to the wisdom shared by other catechists, including the youths who committed themselves in serving Sunday School, I learned how we can reach out to the students and parents this year. As I walked back to my car and drove home, I began to reflect and got excited. I wanted to make a difference, not by myself, but with the help of my fellow catechists. I am, of all people, truly blessed for the opportunity this orientation day had given me.

Click on Sunday School for more information.

It was full house at the St Ignatius Church (SIC) Appreciation Fellowship held on Sunday 29 December at the rooftop venue. Some 600 key members of ministries & BECs from SIC's English-, Mandarin-, Bahasa- & Tamil-speaking communities were entertained to a buffet dinner, and song & dance performances. SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD started off the celebration with a recap of the major events and programmes organised over the past 12 months.

Fr Andrew also thanked parishioners for helping SIC towards achieving its 2018-2019 parish pastoral theme – For the Greater Glory of God. Also present were Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD, Fr Lucas Ng (Provincial, CDD priests in Malaysia), Fr Stephen Ng CDD & Br Joseph Lim CDD. A substantial number of parishioners had Lady Luck smiling on them as they went home with luck draw prizes.

More photos taken by the Parish Communication Team (PCT) are available for viewing & downloading at

After breakfast at 7.30 am on Tuesday 11 December followed by a briefing & prayer, some 250 parishioners started cleaning the pews, kneelers, floor, fans and other furniture/areas inside St Ignatius Church (SIC) building, as well as rubbish, leaves & dirty areas within the church compound. The most tedious tasks entailed cleaning ceiling fans, chairs & drains clogged with mud, algae & weeds, and pulling weeds from the pavement.

SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD, Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD and Br Joseph Lim CDD led by example by joining parishioners in this annual exercise. This year's big turnout – ranging from young children to senior citizens – to help clean SIC in preparation for Christmas was most encouraging. Apart from bonding as a community, the event helped foster new friendships and a sense of belonging for our beloved church.

More photos are available at

Christmas came early this year for about 50 of our more unfortunate brothers & sisters including those living on the streets and refugees when they were treated to a party at St Ignatius Church (SIC) cafeteria on Saturday 8 December. Street Shepherd Outreach (SSO) group organised the event which included song & dance, food & drink, laughter & companionship, as well as presents for all attendees. Apart from Christmas gifts, the younger ones particularly enjoyed the variety of games arranged to challenge them.

This event held at SIC was a generous addition to SSO's usual activity in providing free meals weekly to the homeless and needy along the streets of Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD, Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD & Br Joseph Lim CDD were also present to help spread some yuletide cheer & the spirit of Christmas. SSO is part of the Parish Integral Human Development Ministry (PIHDM). Click on PIHDM to find out more about their activities.

More photos are available at

Six new Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMOHC) and nine new Home EMOHCs were commissioned at the Saturday 24 November 2018 sunset Mass at St Ignatius Church (SIC). Held during the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the EMOHCs pledged to perform the sacred duty of distributing Holy Communion to the faithful during Mass, to the sick in hospitals and the home-bound, as well as conducting service for the faithful departed at cemeteries & crematoriums.

This was followed by the Rite of Commissioning for members of ministries/groups under the Liturgy Ministry [Altar Society, Altar Servers & parents team, current EMOHCs & Home EMOHCs, Hospitality Ministers, Traffic Wardens, Choirs & Cantors, Lectors & Commentators, Liturgy Scriptwriters, Parish Communication Team, Bahasa Malaysia Liturgy team (KUBM) & Sacristans]; Family Life Ministry [Catholic Marriage Preparation Course, Marriage Encounter, Parents Group, Senior Citizens Group, Moving On Singles Again, Cancer support & FLM Singers]; Youth Ministry; Single Adults Ministry; Tamil Group; Parish Formation Team; Catholic Charismatic Revival Movement; and the Parish Integral Human Development Ministry. The Rite of Commissioning for members of the above ministries was also held at the three English Masses on Sunday.

Meanwhile at the 11.15 am Mandarin Mass on Sunday 25 November, four new EMOHCs and members of various ministries were commissioned. SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD and Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD each presided over the rites which were conducted towards the end of each Mass.

Three participants who attended the camp shared their experiences and what they have learnt:

A total of 59 students and six Sunday school teachers from the Pre-Confirmation Class of St Ignatius Church (SIC) participated in this camp, which was themed “EMPOWER ME”. The camp was held at the Marist Brothers Champagnat Youth Centre, Port Dickson, from 9 to 11 November 2018. The journey begun with the students and teachers being split into two buses which took about two hours to reach the venue. This gave students time to relax and calm down, as it was overwhelming for some because it was their first time attending a church camp.

Upon arrival the students were split into two dorms based on gender before their first session began. The camp was facilitated by renowned speaker Martin Jalleh. Although there was an age gap between him and the students, Martin was able to quickly grasp the students’ attention and convince them to pay attention to him by having them participate in the activities he organised, and getting the students to invest in what he had to say emotionally and spiritually. Martin hosted a total of eight sessions throughout the entirety of the camp, which covered relationships, handling pressure and inner healing.

A session that particularly stands out was the Inner Healing Session. Inner healing was different compared to the rest of the sessions as it was a more serious session where students asked God for strength to help them to forgive those who had hurt them, while also asking for forgiveness for the sins and pain that they had inflicted onto others. Many students broke down in tears that night, but all were rejuvenated by the Holy Spirit, with both teachers and students alike staying up till the wee hours of the night laughing, conversing, and building greater rapport between friends, as well as bonding together to form a strong Catholic community. The students were also extremely fortunate this year as they were able to be present at the sunset mass celebrated by Fr Paul Sia, who was newly ordained on 6 November 2018.

Besides participating in the activities and games organised by Martin, some of the students also had the opportunity to plan their own set of games for the rest of the students to take part in. There was an array of games planned by the games team, which included charades, coin finding and finding the ball. All the games were purposefully designed to get the students out of their comfort zone and help them build their communication skills as they were forced to cooperate with the other teammates to finish the game.

Some of the students, particularly the more shy ones and those who preferred working alone, found it very difficult to break out of their shell and cooperate with their team members. Fortunately the other members were very supportive and helped motivate the more shy ones to break out of their shells, to get out of their comfort zones and to acquire a stronger voice. Throughout the entire camp, many students learned a variety of new things and skills that can and will help them as they grow older and face more challenges emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Some learned how to break out of their shells to socialise with people. Some learned to put their mobile devices aside and have face-to-face conversations. Others learned that God is humorous. Some even learned how to face their fears. At the end of the day it was truly an unforgettable camp because everyone had made new friends. The class had grown closer and was more like a family. It had been one rollercoaster of a camp, with many ups and downs (but mostly ups). What a blast it was! – by Alexander Thomas & Ashley Chooi

After our arrival at the confirmation camp, the students gathered themselves in an open hall to be ushered up into our dorms to settle down. Our sleeping place had been tight in space, but the narrow walkways from the neatly cluttered bunk beds made me feel a sense of comradeship to have had to be so close to my classmates. We were then introduced to Martin Jalleh who was the designated speaker of our batch. He was a man of many words and impactful lessons. I believe that because of him, many of us learnt many new things about ourselves throughout those few days.

The food was great with its wide array of choices and sizeable portions of chicken and fish. Personally, I felt that the break times were too short as we were expected to have our showers within a 30-minute time span with only five stalls among so many of us of one gender. We made it work, somehow, and thankfully, some of us girls didn’t mind the lateness in finishing up before dinner. Separated into teams, the students from the Praise & Worship group did beautifully with their talented singing and musical accompaniment.

The games team made great use of the wide expanse of field ground we were allowed. Flour and water became the main sources of fun and exasperation, but anyone could tell that we had fun with contagious laughter all around that evening. The administrative team shouldn’t be left out either. Due to their efforts, a fun skit of Angels and Mortals ran smoothly. Many learnt that even a single act of kindness with the Lord’s guiding hand could make someone’s day. – by Nicole Wen

Click on Sunday School for more information.