Ignatian Online, Website of St Ignatius Church, Petaling Jaya

Six new Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMOHC) and two new Home EMOHCs were among 69 EMOHCs who participated in the Rite of Commissioning at St Ignatius Church (SIC) on 23 November 2012. Held during the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the EMOHCs made a pledge 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. SIC Assistant Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong – celebrant at the Mass and presider at the pledge-taking – reminded the ministers to love one another, and to be exemplars of Christian faith and good behaviour. 

An extraordinary minister of Holy Communion in the Catholic Church is, under the Code of Canon Law, 'an acolyte or another of Christ's faithful deputed', in certain circumstances, to distribute Holy Communion. The term 'extraordinary' distinguishes such a person from the ordinary (normal, regular) minister of Holy Communion, namely a bishop, priest or deacon. Stephen Ho is the Coordinator of this ministry while Edward Sta Maria is the Assistant Coordinator.

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Photography: Daniel Khong & Peter Law

An idea which germinated a dozen years ago has come to fruition. In a short ceremony on 16 November 2014 at 8.30 pm, SIC Parish Priest Fr Lucas Ng unveiled and blessed the Welcoming Christ statue situated on the third floor of Costantini Community Centre. A ledge for holding a statue was in the original architect's design for the Centre way back in 2002. Due to budget constraints, the installation of a statue was delayed till now. Fr Lucas mentioned in the souvenir magazine to commemorate the unveiling that Our Lord Jesus Christ welcomes all from near or far. He added that when the celebrant extends his hands and greets the congregation with the words "the Lord be with you" during Mass, it is a simple yet powerful invitation for all to come and dwell in his presence.   

The 4.52 metres tall sculpture made of white marble from Beijing is illuminated by LED lights which changes according to the liturgical season. Weighing 11.8 tons, the statue with hands outstretched is made up of five separate parts: pedestal, mid, top and two palms. Its design was inspired by the bronze statue of Christ in Mt Teide, Tenerife, Spain. Those who see the Welcoming Christ statue will be reminded of the world-famous 30-metre-high Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro. It is believed that the statue at SIC is presently the tallest solid marble statue in Malaysia.

The programme for the evening included songs and musical accompaniment by various choirs and talents from both within and outside SIC. A march by St John's Alumni Pipe Band performing bagpipe music ushered in the musical part of the event followed by an opening prayer and welcome speech by Fr Lucas. Among the highlights were Fr Philip Tan's (Provincial of CDD in Malaysia) rendition of Lord, I Love You (in Mandarin) & You Raise Me Up and two instrumental pieces by award-winning pianist Celestine Yoong. More than 800 parishioners attended the event.

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Photography: John Ari Ragai, Peter Law & Matthew Soo

More than 200 parishioners from both the English- and Mandarin-speaking communities representing BECs (Basic Ecclesial Communities) and parish ministries attended this year’s Parish Assembly (PA) convened by St Ignatius Church (SIC) on 15 November 2014. John Ooi (Vice-Chairman, Parish Pastoral Council) and Sebastian Yew acted as Joint Chairmen of the Assembly which was honoured by the presence of His Grace Archbishop Julian Leow – his first official event at SIC after being installed as the fourth Metropolitan Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur on 6 October 2014. Also in attendance were SIC Assistant Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong and Fr Clarence Dass (Director, Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute & Priest-in-Residence, Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). 

The event started at 1.15 pm with praise & worship, Bible enthronement and an opening prayer. This was followed by SIC Parish Priest Fr Lucas Ng giving a welcoming address during which he revealed the theme for SIC parish in 2015 – To be a Worshipping, Welcoming & Caring Community. Fr Clarence then gave a presentation on the state of the BECs in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur and ways to increase attendance and participation in its activities. After the presentation, attendees formed groups to discuss issues and put forward possible solutions relating to BEC participation which were noted for further action. 

After a short break, the Mandarin Apostolate gathered in another room to carry out their separate discussion. Alphonso Lourdesamy (Chairman, Parish Coordinating Council) presented a summarised report of the Parish Pastoral Plan of 2014. Erwin Ho (Chairman, Parish Pastoral Council) then gave a presentation on the Parish Pastoral Plan for 2015 with a focus on the following areas in line with the parish theme:

  # Worshipping Parish (Prayer & Sacramental Life)

  # Welcoming & Caring Parish (Family, Youth & Community)

  # Welcoming & Caring Parish (BECs)

The goals and rationale for each of the above focus areas were laid out and their desired outcomes stated. 

The Parish Assembly agenda continued with the Parish Finance Report by Edward Sta Maria (Chairman, Parish Finance Committee) and a Question & Answer session. Matters raised regarding the report were clarified and noted. The moment many had waited for finally arrived when Archbishop Julian took centre stage to make some remarks. He started off by putting forward some questions: What is your dream for your church, BEC and country? Do we know where we want to go (our destination)? Do we care for the other (e.g. the stranger in our midst or newcomer to the church) as we strive to become a more caring community? His Grace Archbishop Julian also mentioned that not seeing or being aware of the lost, least, last or little amongst us does not mean they do not exist. In closing, he commended SIC for articulating a parish theme which emphasises worship, hospitality and care.

Fr Lucas in his final remarks thanked His Grace Archbishop Julian and Fr Clarence for their time and effort in imparting invaluable pastoral advice to parishioners for the coming year. The Parish Assembly ended at 5.15 pm with a closing prayer recited by all and a blessing from the Archbishop.

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Photography: Peter Law

By Dr Mary Peter, SSS facilitator 

I have attended several Bible studies in the past. One lasted 40 weeks, another 100 weeks and the longest was 3 years. Therefore when I first heard about A Quick Journey through the Bible (QJ), I wondered how anyone could possibly present salvation history in just 8 weeks! It is only after I attended the QJ recently I realised that yes – it is possible. This is because the QJ Bible study is well-structured and stresses on the narrative books therefore it is easy to understand and remember. What is special about the QJ is that firstly it sets the foundation for reading the Bible within the context of the teachings of the Catholic Church. Multiple references are made from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Secondly, by focusing on the Covenants, the Old Testament is more exciting to read when we learnt how Jesus fulfils all of the promises God made with key figures like Abraham, Moses and David. We see how the Church lives the life of Christ and continues God’s saving mission by the power of the Holy Spirit. The QJ made me realise that I am part of this wonderful story. The main message of QJ is about trusting God in difficult and challenging times. In this short study, I was reminded of God’s love and His faithfulness to all His promises and this has given me the confidence to trust Him in all the circumstances of my life. The QJ has also rekindled in me the desire to read the Bible more often and has set me on the path of a life long journey of knowing God and letting Him speak to me through His word.

Editor's Note: The Quick Journey class of 2014 started on 18 Aug with 95 participants and 16 facilitators. This was the highest attendance for any module in the history of SIC Scripture Study (SSS) since it was founded in 2003. Participants include eight SIC youth leaders and parishioners from other churches beside SIC. A total of 78 participants qualified for attendance certificates for having attended at least 5 out of 8 sessions whilst 31 participants achieved 100% attendance. A QJ Certificate Presentation Dinner was held at Gold Dragon City Restaurant on 16 Oct. 

Click on SSS for more information on scripture study in SIC and upcoming modules. Click here to view more photos.

Photography: Matthew Soo, Cassandra Lim & Cecilia Ng

What bread do you like to eat? St Ignatius Church (SIC) Parish Priest Fr Lucas Ng posed this question to 32 girls and 30 boys of SIC's Standard 3 First Holy Communion Class of 2014 during his homily at Sunset Mass on 25 October 2014. Fr Lucas went to to explain that the bread that the children and congregation will receive is truly special. For it is Jesus, the Bread of Life, who will nourish our souls. He also reminded parents to bring their children along to receive the other sacraments especially Confession and not wait years later until their Confirmation. After a year of catechism class and their First Confession, the children were ready to receive the Sacrament of Sacraments – the Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Jesus Christ for the very first time witnessed by a fully-packed congregation comprising their godparents, parents, Sunday School catechists and parishioners.

Incorporated into the One, Holy, Catholic and 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 also offered up their First Holy Communion certificates – a symbol of remembrance of the first time they became one in the Body of Christ – and Camp Crafts Prayer Cards during the Offertory Procession. The children also sang Jesus, You're My Firm Foundation in thanksgiving to God followed with a pledge by their parents. Each child happily took turns to be photographed with Parish Priest Fr Lucas and Assistant Parish Priest Fr Andrew Wong after Mass.

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

Photography: John Ari Ragai, Daniel Khong & Matthew Soo

By Edward Sta Maria, CCC facilitator

I was 53 years old when I first attended the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). As I am a 'cradle' Catholic. I thought that my knowledge of Church teachings was good even though I had not kept in touch with the teachings of the Church since my confirmation in 1965. I had also picked up some knowledge from my friends and family. When I attended the CCC lessons, I was surprised to learn that my knowledge level was really bad; I hardly knew about 10% of the teachings. To make things worse, some of the things that I believed in, were actually not in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

These were some of the questions, of which I had no idea of, before I joined the CCC. There are so many more. After attending the CCC, I am a more complete and confident Catholic who is able to defend my faith and to live a life according to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Do you know the answers to the above questions, for sure? If you are not 100% sure, then you have a problem because the truth has to be 100% correct.

Come and join us. The next module on Christian prayer starts on Monday 20 Oct 2014 at 8 pm in room 1-1. If you had attended before but still not 100% sure of the answers, it could be time for a revision.