Ignatian Online, Website of St Ignatius Church, Petaling Jaya

Some reflections are available at Our Sunday Readings (2 pages) and Commentary on Sunday Readings (5 pages). And do listen to Bible scholar Dr Brant Pitre's reflection on Pride in the Bible.

Besides attending Mass every Sunday, remember also the need to pray every day. This piece of advice was given by SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD to 75 children (36 girls and 39 boys) who received the Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Jesus for the first time at the 19 October Sunset Mass at St Ignatius Church (SIC). He also encouraged parents to continue bringing their children to Sunday school as part of their duty to bring them up in good faith. Amongst this happy and excited group of children was nine-year-old Nathaniel James Lim who is thankful to teachers in SIC's English Standard 3 First Holy Communion Class of 2019.

Fr Andrew Wong CDD was the main celebrant at the Eucharistic celebration with Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD and Fr Paulino Miranda as concelebrants. As it was World Mission Sunday, the children & parishioners also renewed their baptismal vows & were commissioned for Extraordinary Missionary Year 2019. Incorporated into the One, Holy, Catholic & Apostolic Church through Baptism while infants, receiving Christ in the Eucharist is the third Sacrament received by the children.

Apart from bread and wine, the children offered up their First Holy Communion certificates – a symbol of remembrance of the first time they become one in the Body of Christ – and Camp Crafts Prayer Cards during the Offertory Procession. The children also sang a thanksgiving song titled God Is So Good, Jesus You Are So Good followed with a pledge by their parents. Proudly holding their certificates, each child happily took turns to be photographed with Frs Andrew, Lawrence and Paulino after Mass.

A memento for the children & their parents to remember this special occasion by was a First Holy Communion booklet. On its cover was a drawing by Audrey Ang depicting the Eucharist with the theme: Jesus, My Joy, My Life. Eleven other drawings were featured inside the booklet to showcase not just their artistic flair but also their understanding of what St Thomas Aquinas called the Sacrament of Sacraments.

Sixteen children (nine girls and seven boys) of SIC's Mandarin Standard 3 First Holy Communion Class of 2019 received their First Holy Communion at the 11.15 am Mandarin Mass at SIC on 29 September. Fr Lawrence Ng CDD was the celebrant.

Click on Sunday School for more information on classes and activities to prepare children for the Sacraments of Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation.

More photos taken by the Parish Communication Team (PCT) are available for viewing & downloading (preferably using pc or laptop instead of phone/tablet) at

Thirty one participants from Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor attended the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) Level 1 Part 1 programme at St Ignatius Church (SIC) from 30 Sep to 5 Oct 2019. This formation programme which focuses on children of 3 to 5 years of age was organised by the KL Archdiocesan CGS team. Among the attendees were some nuns from the Franciscan and Canossian religious orders. The formation leader was Ms Anne Diamond from Australia who has 20 years of experience in teaching & leading CGS formations.

Five-and-a-half days of listening to presentation and ‘play’ (‘work’ as it is known in the Atrium) flew by quickly. Time flies when you are having fun. The outcome at the end of the day was always a profoundly personal and joyful expression of faith. CGS exudes God’s beauty all over the Atrium – every work station and everything that is displayed. The Atrium helps to take our faith and make it alive and personal. I attended CGS to learn how to teach scripture, liturgy and sacramental signs to children. What I did not expect was how I have grown in my own personal relationship with Jesus. Like a young child, the discovery of God and the understanding of liturgy and sacramental signs were both from the heart and the head, about relating as well as reading, about loving as well as learning.

– by Laura Lim, Chapel of Kristus Aman

It’s a big grace for us from Indonesia to be able to join this CGS formation in Malaysia. Through this training we learn so many things on the meaning of liturgy, which seems so ordinary, yet truly has a meaning so poignant and profound. I hope this programme will be conducted in Indonesia. The material of this CGS programme has also proven powerful for us adults, and we believe it will really be a blessing if we run this programme for children. It will be a strong foundation for them to stand up in faith in their life in the future. May Atriums be established in Indonesia in the future, please pray for us. Thank you so much CGS Malaysia. – by Alexandra Sutjiadi from Indonesia

I feel blessed and grateful to the formators to have participated in Level 1 Part 1 formation course for catechists. Not only has my faith been renewed but I want to share it with my loved ones. CGS, I feel, has much to offer the young child, building as it does on a profound respect for the dignity of the child and recognising the capacity of the child to feel wonder, awe and joy as she enters further into the Mystery of God. In the Atrium, I experienced how the careful, child-centred structuring of the environment and the way the works, grounded firmly in Scripture and Liturgy, are presented. In this sacred space it is the Holy Spirit (and not us adults) who is the teacher. This is a great comfort to this grandparent and former catechist. I like that there are no correct or incorrect answers to questions; the child is given the opportunity to meditate and the freedom to reach that moment of faith awareness all by herself and at her own pace. In my humble opinion, CGS can without doubt “help the child to fall in love with God”; how can a small child (or an adult like me) resist the invitation to follow the Good Shepherd, the One who calls her so lovingly by name and lays His life down for his sheep? – by Suzanne Sia

Click on Atrium for more information on CGS & the inauguration of this programme at SIC.

Click on Infant Baptism to know more. More photos taken by the Parish Communication Team (PCT) are available for viewing & downloading at

Upon arriving at the 'embarking' point on Monday 16 September 2019, I observed that some BEC Damansara Utama Holy Family members were busy loading into the bus, provisions and recyclables that our BEC was taking to St Theresa Church and the Orang Asli community. And I was impressed with the cooperation displayed. We started the bus journey with the prayer of protection to God, followed by World Mission Rosary prayers (each decade was offered for a different continent) and Novena Prayer to St Therese. The bus journey to St Theresa Church in Nilai was smooth and the timing was perfect because we arrived just as we finished the prayers. Some parishioners of the church welcomed us and ushered us to the canteen where we had our simple, but delicious fried vermicilli for breakfast.

The parish priest, Fr Eugene Benedict, greeted us and mingled, getting us ready for the St Theresa Walk to reflect on the life of a patron saint of missions. Fast forward, Fr Eugene had posted some enlightening videos on St Therese of Lisieux to prepare us for the mini pilgrimage. Hence, when he explained on the life of St Therese, all of us had some basic knowledge of St Therese also known as the "Little Flower".

The original church building of St Theresa was in ruins after a fire some years ago. Presently, Masses are celebrated in the building next to the original church building. Fr Eugene explained that he hopes to raise RM5 million to build a bigger church building. He jokingly asked us to inform our parish priest to give generously to the building fund. So far, he has raised RM1.5 million. I pray and trust that our Lord will provide for the glory of His name.

We left St Theresa Church after adoration and Mass to have lunch before proceeding to St Aloysius Church in Mantin for a short visit and a stopover at durian and fruits stalls. From there, we continued our journey to visit the Orang Asli community from the Temuan tribe at Kampong Belihoi in Mantin. I was pleasantly surprised that the Orang Asli community was very organised. There was a car waiting for our arrival to load the provisions we brought as it was not possible for the bus to be driven into the village.

We were all prepared to walk for about 2 km to the village and I was impressed when another car was dispatched to fetch some elderly persons. In addition, another five young men on motorbikes came down to carry some of us. What amazed me was Aunty June, the oldest active BEC member at 80 plus years of age, turning down the comfort of the car and sitting on a motorbike handled by the youngest among the bikers! I quickly said a little prayer for her safety. She was so very sporting.

We spent some time mingling with the Orang Asli families upon our arrival. They were all so friendly and not shy. The children were all so cute and adorable. After mingling, we sang praise and worship songs in the chapel. We had so much fun while praising God. The children out sang us! After singing our hearts out to the Lord, we gave the children a small goodie bag each. The smiles and happiness I saw on their faces brought joy to my heart. Before saying our goodbyes, our BEC formally handed over the provisions of rice, cooking oil, biscuits, instant noodles, vermicilli, Milo, sardines and baby milk powder to be distributed to 30 Catholic families residing in the village.

We proceeded for shopping and dinner at Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA before returning to our homes. Reflecting on the mini pilgrimage and outreach, I see Jesus and angels in our midst. The whole entourage was very cooperative, helpful, caring, tolerant (even tolerating the smell of durians in the bus) and most of all loving, especially when there was a mishap of falling into an earth drain. Vivian told me she was glad it happened to her and not Pat. Don't you think that is love? Which our spiritual journey is all about.

Thank you Lord for this wonderful experience when You opened our eyes to see You, our ears to hear You and our hearts to know and love You. All praise and glory to God in the highest.

Click on BEC DU Holy Family for more information.

Six weekly sessions of Introductory Christian Meditation, conducted under the auspices of the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM), were held in St Ignatius Church (SIC) from 20 August to 24 September 2019. Held every Tuesday at the Costantini Centre from 8.15 pm to 9.45 pm, the sessions were well-attended with 90 registered participants. The sessions touched on various aspects in understanding meditation and how it enhances the growth of prayer life. Fr Paul Cheong OFMCap highlighted aspects of meditation through integrating Body, Mind & Spirit in the practice of meditation of stillness, silence & simplicity to lose ourselves and to dwell in God’s presence.

Fr Gerard Theraviam (Parish Priest, Church of Divine Mercy) led participants to understand how to leave themselves behind in meditation to move from thinking about God to simply being with God. Miss Niloufer Herben then took participants through the roots of meditation in our Christian traditions. The general feedback from a high percentage of first-time attendees was that they benefited from understanding that Christian meditation is another form of prayer, which is prayer of our hearts.

Christian Meditation sessions are held on Tuesdays @ 8.15 pm in Room 3-13, Costantini Centre. Pls contact Nicholas Choong 019 222 7232 for enquiries.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) Class of 2019-2020 inquirers and facilitators gathered at Tadika Villamaria Good Shepherd, Bukit Damansara, on Saturday 21 September 2019 with the objective to know one another better. A few games were organised at the event where all participants are required to have coordinating effort to give originality and synchronising results. On top of this, the goal of Laudato Si or On Care for Our Common Home (title of Pope Francis’ encyclical on caring for the environment) was emphasised.

During the ice-breaking game, participants shared how they viewed the use of plastic bags and drinking straws be eliminated for the betterment of future environmental growth. However, many admitted that it would be so difficult to leave the mobile phones unattended for a day. Each individual team sketched drawings on the love of God’s creation beautifully. All were able to relate how God’s promotion of creation and relationship with human kind shall continue to shine with Love and Care of Nature.

Applause and laughter continued when individual teams performed in an ad hoc dance competition and re-enactment of Gospel passages. Two participants from RCIA Bahasa also shared their involvement in the faith journey. The entire group completed the programme with a better understanding of community & unity, and how Jesus has taught everyone to love and serve.

Click on RCIA for more information.

Fifteen children received their First Holy Communion at the St Ignatius Church (SIC) 6 pm Mass on Sunday 22 September 2019. Eight of the children were baptised by SIC Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD at a ceremony held before Mass with godparents, family members and friends in attendance.

These are children of parent/s baptised as adults who want to join the Catholic Church or children of Catholic parents who have not had the opportunity to attend Sunday school (e.g. those who accompanied parents posted overseas). Some of the children who were baptised have parents who embraced the Catholic faith recently after baptism at Easter on completion of their Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) journey.

Each year, SIC Sunday school’s special catechism programme help prepare such children who are within the Standard 3 to Form Four age group for the Sacraments of Baptism and First Holy Communion. Towards the end of Mass, parents of the children who received their First Holy Communion and godparents of children who were baptised recited a pledge to be faith role models for the children.

Click on Sunday school for more information on classes and activities to prepare children for the Sacraments of Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation.

More photos taken by the Parish Communication Team (PCT) are available for viewing & downloading (using pc or laptop instead of phone/tablet) at

Featured below is the front page of The Vineyard which is the quarterly newsletter of BEC Damansara Utama Holy Family. BEC Coordinator Pat Lim’s address to her BEC members highlights events & gatherings organised by an active BEC in St Ignatius Church (SIC). It encapsulates the possibilities that could be achieved by a diverse group of parishioners coming together to build up their ‘home church’ & for the greater glory of God. Amongst the qualities required for a thriving BEC are – give & take attitude; prioritising group above self; leadership; sacrifice (time, effort, resources); forgiveness; compassion; clear communication.

Click on BEC DU Holy Family for more information. BECs are most welcome to email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it articles about events or happenings (hopefully with photos) to share with our parish community via the church website.