Ignatian Online, Website of St Ignatius Church, Petaling Jaya

“We love you like crazy!” These emotive words from a team of Redemptorist priests were directed often to parishioners of St Ignatius Church (SIC) as well as the priests concelebrating Masses during the Redemptorist Mission Month in July 2018 coinciding with the 30th Anniversary Celebration at SIC. As their preaching were interspersed with personal testimonies, accounts of real-life experiences and anecdotes spiced with doses of wit & humour, it can be safely mentioned that the feelings of attendees towards the priests were mutual.

Focusing on the theme Celebrating Family of Faith, Hope & Love, Fr Patrick Massang (Vice-Provincial, Singapore & Malaysia Redemptorists), Fr Simon Pereira (Novena Church, Singapore) & Fr Terence Wee (Novena Church, Singapore) celebrated daily Masses at homes of BEC members; visited the sick, elderly & home-bound; and held numerous formation talks to help families reconcile, bond & stay connected. They also preached at SIC's weekend Masses during the whole month of July with SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD and Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD as concelebrants.

As the numbers are much smaller and more cosy compared to Mass in church, there were much more rapport and banter between priests and BEC members at the home Masses. For instance, Fr Simon regaled BEC SS25 St Emmanuel members in sharing his encounters with the supernatural. Fr Simon had jokingly forewarned that those who listen may not be able to sleep but members took up the challenge nevertheless. Great thing is that good will always triumph over evil and God is supreme over all.

Fr Terence focused mainly on the Mandarin-speaking community where weekday Masses and a formation talk were held at the Roof Top of Costantini Community Centre. Amongst other things, the Redemptorists reminded families about the sacredness of human life; the dignity of the human person made in the image and likeness of God; the importance of the Eucharist, prayer & forgiveness; and critically the place of God at the centre of family life. Also contributing to the celebration were Fr William Michael (Judicial Vicar, Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur) & his Archdiocese team who gave a talk on the Child Protection Act on 7 July.

A nine-day Novena with Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration was held from 13 to 22 July to prepare parishioners for this year's celebration. Continuing on, another nine-day Novena was held from 23 to 31 July with rosary prayers, recitations of the Litany of St Ignatius of Loyola followed by Mass. There was Anointing of the Sick after the penultimate Mass on 30 July. In the congregation was a group of catechists from Sabah attired in bright orange T-shirts. At the culmination of the celebration on Tuesday 31 July, SIC was fully-packed for the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola – patron saint of SIC – with a multilingual Mass at 8 pm. A procession comprising representatives of church ministries and BECs had filed into church before the Mass.

Parishioners were given Eat, Talk & Connect gift packs to promote conversation and avoid the use of phones during family meals. The purpose is to enable family members to connect more closely and understand each other more as a family. There was fellowship after Mass to celebrate 30 years of spiritual growth, continuing graces upon graces, and innumerable blessings upon the parish and the People of God.

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The purpose of the event held at the Roof Top of Costantini Community Centre at St Ignatius Church (SIC) on 1 July 2018 from 2.30 to 6 pm was to introduce Sabahan and Sarawakian culture to the locals in Peninsular Malaysia and to strengthen the bond between parishioners from various churches. Kaamatan and Gawai Festival is celebrated annually in the state of Sabah and Sarawak. Kaamatan is a Kadazan-Dusun term for "harvest" and is celebrated for the whole month of May. It is normally celebrated by the ethnic Kadazan-Dusuns, as well as by other related ethnic groups in the state on 31 May. Whereas Gawai Festival was celebrated on 1 June, with colourful rituals, traditional music, cock fighting, feasting and games. During this festival, almost everyone dresses in traditional costumes while the elders perform the traditional dance.

Organised by Komuniti Umat Bahasa Malaysia (KUBM) of SIC, the event was attended by about 200 people consisting of parishioners from different parishes, which include those from Sabah and Sarawak. The event officially began with the welcoming of SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD, Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD and Br Joseph Lim CDD. The trio sportingly used a traditional hunting instrument called “sumpit” (which is akin to a blowpipe) to pop a balloon each. The celebration then proceeded with a short speech by Aunty Mary and blessing of the food by Fr Andrew. Also in attendance was Fr Simon Pereira of Novena Church in Singapore who is in SIC for Mission Month by Redemptorist Priests as part of SIC's 30th anniversary celebrations.

Next item was the best part of the event – food! Yes, thanks to the committees and organisers of KUBM, some of us took the extra effort to bring local delicacies of Sabah and Sarawak all the way from the East to West! Some of food include bosou ikan, bosou babi, ayam pansuh, tuhau, bambangan, ambuyat, hinava, ikan masin lada putih, rebung ikan masin, sup nangka babi, sinalau bakas pucuk ubi, tuhau goreng, and bakas kicap. Alongside that were traditional desserts such as kek lapis Sarawak, penjaram, lipat pisang & ubi. Not forgetting the tasty rice wine (tapai) prepared by Rezal Ipit.

Furthermore, some of them also teamed up to perform Sabahan and Sarawakian traditional dances during the event. There were karaoke sessions which lasted for about 30 minutes, a best costume contest, and musical chairs for adults & children. Last but not least, the most exciting part of the event was the arm wrestling competition, where men from different age groups came together and compete with their strength.

To sum up, we are glad that everyone had fun and had the opportunity to sample the local delicacies of Sabah and Sarawak. We certainly hope that this event was a memorable experience for everyone. Earlier at 1.30 pm, Frs Andrew and Lawrence celebrated the Bahasa Mass with attendees mainly from East Malaysia dressed up in their colourful traditional costumes and several offerings were made during Offertory.

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Founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church is the largest church in the world encompassing people of all nations, races and backgrounds. All the means and graces one need to grow spiritually and for one's salvation are there in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Baptised Catholics who have not received the Sacrament of Confirmation are also welcome to attend. Sponsors are also needed to journey along. So drop by to know more.

Complete the application form at and submit to the church office. You can also submit via fax to 03-7803 6456 or email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . More information is available at RCIA.

The Corpus Christi Ride on 2 June 2018 was a fantastic experience for me. Visiting six churches and kneeling before six blessed sacraments in a day – is something that I do not think I would able to do on my own if it weren’t for this ride that was initiated by Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD from St Ignatius Church (SIC) Petaling Jaya in conjunction with the Petaling District Corpus Christi celebration. We were a team of 20 cyclists supported by six outriders and a van. We started our journey from SIC at 7 am and was flagged off by SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD.

We cycled 13 km to the Church of Assumption. The Church of St Francis Xavier 3 km away was our next stop and thereafter proceeded to the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe which is about 20 km away. The Church of St Thomas More was our fifth destination and we ended our ride at the Church of Divine Mercy at 3 pm where the Petaling District Wide Corpus Christi Mass and Procession was held on that same evening.

We spent 15 minutes in silent prayer at every Blessed Sacrament. We were warmly welcomed by the parish priest of each church with a brief introduction of their parish and we were served generous portions of snacks and drinks. What’s truly amazing about this ride for me is I never thought I could merge my favourite hobby into my spiritual life and it serves as a potential evangelisation method to non-believers out there.

It was awesome to see individuals from diverse backgrounds come together as a team, completing this 50 km ride under tough conditions including heavy traffic and the gruelling afternoon heat. By the grace of God, everyone was “Powered By Jesus” to overcome these obstacles, and just like a race, we did this with One Goal in mind – Jesus Our Lord!

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A video of the event can be viewed at Youtube. 

Showers of blessing literally rained down on parishioners as they made their way around the church for the rosary procession on Thursday 31 May – the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Umbrellas sprouted among the crowd of about 500 people as the steady drizzle did not deter their bid to show their love and faith in Mother Mary. The candle-lit procession began in front of the grotto, soon after the 7 pm Mass. It marked the culmination of the May month of the rosary where individual BECs had rosary gatherings in homes in their areas to praise and honour Mary. The beautifully-decorated carriage bearing the statue of Mary, standing in a bed of pink, white and red roses, was carried by members of the various church groups. The decades of the rosary were recited in English, Bahasa, Mandarin and Tamil.

SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD and Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD led the procession in joyfully reciting the rosary despite the wet conditions. Also joining in were former parish priests Fr Francis Ng CDD and Fr Lucas Ng CDD. In his homily at the Mass, Fr Lawrence challenged us to develop a keen sense of God in our lives, just like Mary, who went on an arduous journey to visit her pregnant cousin Elizabeth. He said we should try to follow Mary’s example to serve God humbly and with love. Instead many of us, he said, would come up with all sorts of reasons and excuses to avoid serving God and the community. He called for a change in attitude among parishioners, and to have love in our hearts.

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Red and white were the predominant colours at the Pentecost Sunday Mass held at St Ignatius Church (SIC) on 19 May 2018 where His Grace Archbishop Julian Leow presided over the Sacrament of Confirmation for 103 youths. Also palpable was the upbeat and hopeful mood of not just the youths but those older as the historic yet unexpected change of federal government just days ago has brought about an opportunity to re-chart the course of our beloved country for the betterment of all regardless of language, race or religion.

Eighty one students from the English Sunday school and 22 students from the Mandarin Sunday school were anointed with the Oil of Chrism signifying their receiving the seal of the Holy Spirit to mark their total belonging to Christ and their enrolment in his service forever. With Confirmation – the completion of Baptism – the baptised are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.

In his homily, Archbishop Julian hopes that the confirmands will cultivate the spiritual gifts that they will receive and ensure that the gifts will take root and bear fruit in their lives. He hopes that the Holy Spirit will fill them with wisdom, love, joy, patience, kindness, trustworthiness, gentleness, self-control and peace that will make a difference in society today. Archbishop Julian also reminded that we have been given a chance, a new beginning, for our nation. Let us seize the day, the opportunity, to pray and to have a country that everyone is able to grow in their own faith to the fullness that the Spirit gives us. That we will be caring of one another and live as one human family, that all will speak the language of love. 

In addition to bread and wine, confirmands offered up their talents and gifts for which they have been blessed with, and faith experiences encountered through Sunday school lessons, Renewal in the Spirit Seminar, service projects, Confirmation Camp and other activities. SIC Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong CDD, Assistant Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Ng CDD, Fr Francis Ng CDD and Fr Emmanuel Asi from Pakistan were the concelebrants. Despite the rainy weather, the Mass was well-attended with godparents, family, friends, Sunday school teachers and fellow Catholics in the congregation.

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It was like one big family getting together when 37 members and friends gathered on Saturday 14 April, for our BEC SS3 St Catherine fellowship to celebrate Easter at the home of Regina and Manuel Pillay. Families started arriving from 6 pm to help the host family set up the place and the registration desk was kept busy from 6.30 pm. The event proper started at 7.15 pm with an opening prayer by Manuel. Our youth emcee Sean Pillay got things started with an ice-breaker, followed by a few Easter songs and then the potluck dinner.

Everyone got to enjoy a wide variety of delicious home-cooked dishes contributed by members, and there were even leftovers. After dinner the gathering was entertained to two more games. There were also three sessions of a lucky draw, and everyone went home with a gift. The evening ended with a group photo session before members prayed the “Prayer for our nation”. Overall, it was an evening well spent, with members getting together to celebrate the Risen Lord and to enjoy each other’s company.

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 by 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!

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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