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Be grateful to God, surrender everything to Him and be evangelisers – these were the three main points St Ignatius Church (SIC) Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD stressed in his homily at the Chinese New Year Mass on 5 Feb to usher in the Year of the Pig. The 10 am bilingual Mass saw the church filled to the brim as many parishioners came in various shades of red, an auspicious colour befitting the festive spirit. The main celebrant was Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD.

In his homily, Fr Lawrence told the congregation to thank God and be grateful for the many blessings He has given us over the past year. Also important was to thank the many people who have helped us overcome our many difficulties. He also said we should surrender everything to God and not to worry too much about what life holds for us. “Accept whatever God gives you,” he added, whether blessings, happiness, sufferings or illnesses. “Take whatever God gives as a challenge.”

On evangelisation, he said as we have been baptised and sent we have a responsibility to share our faith with others, especially this year which has been declared an extraordinary year of mission. He said all of us are called to be missionaries, not just the priests. He suggested that we do small things to bring the message of God’s love, simple gestures like a smile. Besides the bread and wine, also offered as offertory gifts at the Mass were flowers (representing adoration and admiration), red candles (hope and peace), new year cakes (unity and fellowship) and fruits (happiness and achievements).

The rite of commemoration to ancestors was performed at the end of the Mass, led by Frs Andrew and Lawrence, to remember our ancestors. All bowed three times before the ancestral tablet while gifts of flowers, cups of wine and fruits were offered. Everyone then lined up to wish both priests a Happy Chinese New Year and receive an angpow from them. Oranges were also distributed to all who came. The morning ended with an energetic lion dance at the church entrance.

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

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.

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