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 the Gospel Reading.

This year's Parish Assembly (PA) held on Saturday 16 November 2019 at St Ignatius Church (SIC) started off with enthronement and reading of the Bible, and an opening prayer. First up on the programme was presentation of the Finance Report by Edward Sta Maria (Chairman, Parish Finance Committee) who addressed several enquiries. Attendees then gave a warm welcome to His Grace Archbishop Julian Leow and Monsignor Mitchel Joseph [Vicar-General, Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur; Ecclesiastical Assistant, Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute (API); Parish Priest, Church of St Anne, Port Klang] as they entered the Rooftop venue. Roeshan Gomez and Patricia Yeap acted as Co-Masters of Ceremony at the event attended by 200 parishioners.

In his welcome address, SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD expressed his appreciation to the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC), leaders of ministries & BECs (Basic Ecclesial Communities), and parishioners for making available their time, talents, efforts & resources in organising more than 20 formation programmes focusing on the family, youths and BECs. Fr Andrew also mentioned the fruits of such programmes which include restoration of broken relationships, reconciliation amongst parents and children, and healing of the sick. Communal prayers together with the sharing & witnessing of Christ’s love and mercy in BECs are transforming lives every day.

Lourdes Abishegam [Chairman, Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)] then presented an evaluation of the 2018-2019 Parish Plan in the areas of BECs, Family Life & Youth clusters. Anthony Beh [Chairman, BEC Coordinating Team (Mandarin)], Alan Yong and Joseph Too (members of Parish Chinese Apostolate) presented an evaluation of the 2018-2019 Parish Plan in the same three areas for the Mandarin-speaking community.

Next to take the floor is a team from API comprising Msgr Mitchel, Rita Krishnan and Spencer Klumai. Msgr Mitchel shared that all parishes in the Archdiocese have more or less the same areas of concern articulated at a gathering at the Church of the Holy Family, Kajang, in 2016 attended by more than 600 leaders of various churches. Parishes are currently working towards addressing these concerns. Different parishes have different burning issues which needs prioritisation.

The API team proposed four broad categories for discussion: Relationship, Mission Outreach, Unity & Social Media. Attendees proceeded to form small groups to discuss & determine which of the categories is the burning issue in SIC. After several groups presented their selections, Msgr Mitchel revealed that out of 24 groups, 16 chose Relationship, four chose Outreach, two each chose Unity and Social Media respectively. Hence Relationship is the burning issue in SIC. The findings will be handed to Fr Andrew to assist him in prioritising certain events for SIC.

In his address, Archbishop Julian reminded that the youths of today will determine the future of Malaysia. He also reminded that parents are not only the first educators of their children’s faith, without them their children are unable go to church. To help parents be parents and to prepare the young, Archbishop Julian stressed the important role of CMPC (Catholic Marriage Preparation Course). Education is important but there must be a balance between academic excellence and spiritual nourishment. He also cautioned parents to be alert to their children’s overdependence on smartphones as their relationship with God and parents could be undermined.

The event ended with a closing prayer by Roeshan and a blessing by Archbishop Julian, Msgr Mitchel, Fr Andrew & Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD.

A Parish Planning & Review Workshop was held earlier on 28 September 2019 to assist the PPC in reviewing the Parish Plan; and explore how SIC could be more dynamic and responsive to the pastoral needs of BECs, the demands of Family Life & enhance the contribution of Youths. Feedback obtained were compiled & included in the Evaluation of Parish Plan presented at the Parish Assembly. Participants also took part in a para-liturgy for Extraordinary Missionary Year led by Fr Andrew.

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

Parishioners are encouraged to participate in this annual cleaning of our beloved church and its surrounding compound in preparation for Christmas. Apart from the inside and outside of the church building, areas to be cleaned include roads and the entire car park area extending to the fence at the riverside. Kindly register with your BEC or church ministry for attendance. For more information, pls contact Francis Kam 017 883 2870 or Christina Loh 011 1235 0308.

Congratulations to all the winners! Please redeem your prizes soonest by contacting Lareina Anne at 018 356 4835. If the prizes are not redeemed within a month, they will be given away to charity. So please hurry.

On Sunday 3 November 2019, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) Class of 2019-2020 inquirers visited the St Francis Xavier Home for the Elderly at Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, which is under the care of the Little Sisters of the Poor. Collectively with their individual class effort, the inquirers raised sufficient funds to purchase goods to fill up the pantry of the Home and donate a sum of cash as well.

Sr Lucy welcomed all inquirers, their family members, godparents, facilitators and past-journey RCIA Catholics. The programme started with a video presentation about the Home and Sr Lucy stressed her religious order’s objective of spreading God’s love to one another by doing little things that would go beyond all boundaries. Later, all attenced the Mass on Sunday celebrated by Fr Paul Cheong OFMCap, who reminded that human dignity needs to be respected and the continuous effort in serving humankind.

Sr Lucy also led participants to view the facilities at the Home and gave a briefing how the running of the homes was done by the Sisters and volunteers. Some mingled with the residents and purchased their hand-made arts and craft products from the gift shop. Lunch was served and all enjoyed the fellowship. The visitors brought home with them the spirit of hospitality & humility which are always noticeable in the untiring efforts of the Sisters in serving the Home.

Click on RCIA for more information.

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