Be Good And Responsible Citizens, Says Bishop
PENAMPANG(CS Online).- In his pastoral circular, Bishop John Lee of Kota Kinabalu Diocese calls on his flock to be good and responsible citizens by exercising their right to vote.
"As good and responsible citizens, Catholics need to continue to exercise their duties 'to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity and freedom' (CCC No 2239)," he writes in his message dated May 3.
Malaysia will be celebrating its 44th anniversary as a sovereign nation on Sept 16 this year.
The bishop continues, "The Church teaches that it is morally obligatory for us to exercise the right to vote (cf CCC No 2240). Through such right, we decide our civil authorities. I therefore urge Catholics who are eligible to vote and have yet to register themselves as voters to do so as soon as possible."
He also notes that some parents have yet "to grasp" the importance of Mycards and birth certificates for their children.
The bishop urges parish leaders to help these parents to ensure their children have these proper documents.
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MYTC Director Likens Graduation Day To "harvest Festival"
PENAMPANG(CS Online).- In his address during the 5th graduation ceremony held at the Montfort Youth Training Centre in Donggongon here, MYTC director, Gabrielite Brother Francis Chua said graduation day is also its "harvest festival."
The graduation, held May 19, saw 30 students receiving their certificates from Guest of Honour YB Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, minister in the Prime Minister's Department cum chairman of the MYTC Board of Governors.
They completed a two-year training course in automotive mechanics (8), carpentry (5), welding (10) and office administration (7).
"In a way, graduation day is also our harvest festival, for the past two years of hard work put in by the graduates, our instructors, support staff, the Infant Jesus Sisters and the Brothers," Chua said.
The director recalled the first time he saw the graduates, he was rather worried because he saw them then, "as ignorant, broken, having low self-esteem, sensitive and not able to take corrections."
Some, he said, were "heavy smokers, heavy drinkers and perhaps some were even involved in social ills." He wondered if they could pull through as Montfort has a set of very strict rules and regulations.
He was happy to note that the training centre had helped them to discover their true selves by planting the seeds of faith in them, giving them hope to look to the future and recovering their lost talents.
The director said he discovered in the course of the two years that the actual root cause of most problems resulted from poor family environment and exhorted them to build up "strong pillars and good foundations" if they intend to start their own families later on.
In his turn, Dompok said youths need to be fully equipped with knowledge and skills to enable them to face a challenging future.
"As a fast developing nation, our youths are our main key players to help us develop and shape the country in the future," he said.
The minister also said that Sabah itself has a lot of training and work opportunities that youths can take up and they don't actually have to go elsewhere to work although Brother Francis said all of them had already received job offers not only from Sabah but also from Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Bintulu and Singapore.
Present also were Brother Francis Xavier Gasper, provincial superior of the Gabrielite Brothers, YB Edward Yong, assistant minister of the Ministry of Local Government & Housing and his wife, religious sisters, parents and relatives of the graduates, members of the Rotary Club, benefactors and friends of Montfort.
Apart from the graduation ceremony, Dompok also witnessed the signing ceremony of a RM3.97 million contract between MYTC and KA Contractor Sdn Bhd for the Phase II contruction of training workshops at Kinarut. The completion of the construction is expected to be in December.
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PPK Marks 40th Anniversary With Gathering Of Graduates
KENINGAU(CS).- Around 126 graduates of Pusat Pastoral Keuskupan (PPK, formerly PUSKAT) gathered April 13-14 to mark the 40th anniversary of the training centre.
The graduates (including many religious sisters) came from Bundu Tuhan, Inanam, Kota Belud, Lahad Datu, Limbahau, Penampang, Ranau, Telupid, and Tuaran of Kota Kinabalu Diocese and Beaufort, Keningau, Mission Sook, Sipitang, Tenom and Toboh Tambunan of Keningau Diocese.
The first part of the gathering was spent in sharing their experiences of life as catechists, including a sharing by Stephen Titing, a survivor of the 1966 batch. A workshop on how to improve the centre followed.
Present PPK Head John Lainsin then gave a rundown on the history of the institute since 1966.
The first catechists' training course started in October 1966 by Father George Bauer with Josue Kating (Keningau), Blasius Gahim (Toboh Laut), Stephen Titing (Tulid) and Aloysius Angkabin (Pensiangan) as his students.
"I was at that time rector of the mission in Keningau. For many years I had been dealing with catechists and I noticed that most of them, though they were kind and devoted people, had little idea of how to teach and what to teach," wrote Father Bauer in the October 1973 issue of Catholic Sabah.
"As nearly all the religious instruction in the kampungs is done by the catechists, I thought it was very necessary that the catechists should be given some training," he continued.
In a 1970 clergy meeting in Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu), all the priests agreed that a training centre should be established for the vicariate, not just for Keningau and Tulid missions.
So Father Bauer managed to get funding from Missio, a mission-funding agency in Germany in 1971.
In August that year the first proper course started with 10 students: Victor Yunsuh (Ranau), Philip Jumin (Bundu Tuhan), Linus Gumat (Telupid), Philip Among (Nabawan), Edward Mamat (Tenom), Herman Diki (Limbahau), Victor Kawa (Membakut), Dominic Salinun (Kota Belud), Thomas Antim (Keningau) and Fabianus Limun (Keningau).
Peter Kadau, a teacher, assisted Father Bauer in teaching the students in February 1973. He taught there until 1985. His wife, Jeune, joined him in 1974.
The two old buildings were demolished in early 1973 and four new buildings consisting of the trainees' quarters, a school, a chapel, a recreation room, a workroom, the teachers' house and the director's house were constructed and completed in July 1973.
The new buildings were blessed by Bishop Peter Chung on 19 Aug 1973.
Father Peter de Wit took over from 1974 to 1978, Father William van der Salm, 1979-1983, Mr John Lainsin, 1984-1999, Father Gilbert Engan, 2000-2001 and Father Boniface Kimsin, 2002 until the present.
Father Cosmas Lee and Franciscan Sisters Dorothy, Jane, Judith Angkangon, Imelda Anggan and Veronica Kandaung are among those who have taught in the centre.
PUSKAT (Pusat Latihan Katekis) was renamed PUSAT PASTORAL KEUSKUPAN (PPK) in 1995 to reflect its new status after the Diocese of Keningau was erected in 1993.
The next day, the anniversary Mass was presided over by Bishop Cornelius Piong and concelebrated with Msgr Gilbert Engan, Fathers Bede Anthonius, Benedict Daulis, Bonaventure Unting, Boniface Kimsin, Francis Dakun, Joseph Gapitang and William Poilis. Deacon Rudolf Asou was on hand to assist the concelebrants.
In his homily, Bishop Cornelius Piong made an appeal to Sister Grace Deosing, Mother General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, to send more sisters to help out in the centre as it has only two full time staff at present.
He said that since the centre serves both dioceses, its staff should also come from both dioceses. The celebration ended with a short programme at the Diocesan Square.
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Private Primary School Stages Mulan - The Musical On Its 20th Anniversary
KOTA KINABALU(CS).- On its 20th anniversary, SRS Datuk Simon Fung staged Mulan - the Musical, its eighth musical, to the general public with all of its 450 students taking part April 13-15 at the Menara Tun Mustapha Auditorium, Kota Kinabalu.
Headmistress Datin Amy-Jean Yee explained that since its previous musicals were based on Western literature, "it was now time to look East and find something Asian to celebrate the anniversary."
Mulan offered many possibilities, she said. And the story of the young girl-turned-soldier for the sake of her ailing father brings out the themes of family values, filial piety, loyalty, honour, courage, determination and intelligence. The musical was adapted and directed by Clara Joan Bakmimewa and Pamela Sidhu.
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Faith Formation Ministry Organises Preparatory Seminar For Parish Confirmands
KOTA KINABALU(CS).- Around 250 young people took part in the preparatory seminar organised by the Sacred Heart Cathedral Faith Formation Ministry March 31 at the parish centre here. The facilitators were from the Light of Jesus Christ Covenant Community. Activities included talks on the lordship of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, receiving God's Gift, praise and worship, listening to God's Love Letter (photo), and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
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Carmelite Generals Pay A Visit To KK Communities
KOTA KINABALU(CS).- Superior General of the Carmelite Order Father Luis Arostegvi of Spain and General Councillor for Asia-Oceania Father Angelo Madelo of the Philippines paid an overnight visit to the local communities of the Carmelite Sisters and the Carmelite Seculars recently.
The friars flew in April 21 from Miri after visiting the Carmelite monasteries in Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, Singapore and in Malaysia - Mantin, Kuching and Miri.
The Carmelite Order comprises the friars, the nuns and the seculars who are present in more than 800 monasteries worldwide (including the four in Malaysia).
So, each visit, according to Father General, is "short but intense."
Born in Basque Country Spain on 21 Jan 1939, Luis Arostegvi entered the monastery in Spain at a tender age.
He made his first profession in 1950 and was ordained priest in 1964 in Rome.
His first mission was in Panama, South America. Prior to his election as Superior General, he had served as provincial in Navarra, Spain, and as spiritual director cum parish priest in Paris, France.
Father Arostegvi was elected Superior General at the General Chapter in Avila, Spain, in 2003 for a term of six years.
His companion, Father Angelo Madelo, was born in Davao City, Philippines, on 14 May 1954.
He entered the monastery in 1971 and made his first profession on 8 Dec 1972. He was ordained priest on 6 Oct 1982.
During this visit the two friars entered the cloister to give conference to the Sisters twice and to the seculars once before flying off April 22 after celebrating Mass with Carmelite Chaplain Father Felix Chung.
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KK Diocese At 30: Milestones
Erection of the Diocese
25 July 1976 marked an important era for the Church in Sabah for the then Vicariate of Jesselton was constituted as the Diocese of Kota Kinabalu.
Bishop Simon Fung was installed as our first bishop on 19 May 1977 by Apostolic Delegate Archbishop Giovanni Moretti (2nd from left) with his seat the Sacred Heart Cathedral Kota Kinabalu.
This development brought about a fundamental change to the status of the Mill Hill Missionaries to that of the employees of the local diocese.
At the time of the erection of the diocese, there were about 100,000 Catholics (approx. 14.3% of total population) in 26 mission stations. They were administered by 14 diocesan and seven Mill Hill priests, and 120 catechists. There were six religious brothers, 75 local sisters and two foreign sisters.
Physical Development
Bishop Fung was instrumental in propelling the physical development of the diocese. New mission lands were acquired and more mission stations were opened.
Bundu Tuhan Retreat Centre (1984), the Catholic Diocesan Centre in Taman Hiburan Penampang (1988) and a private secondary school (which would later become the St Simon Educational Complex comprising Maktab Nasional [1985], SRS Datuk Simon Fung [1988], Taska and Tadika Datuk Simon Fung [1990]) were his projects.
He initiated as well as supported the construction of church buildings and chapels throughout the diocese, including the new Sacred Heart Cathedral, which was dedicated during the centenary year 1981. During his tenure, PAX was further streamlined to play a more pastoral role. Since 1979, a common theme was introduced annually in PAX Assemblies. The theme was meant to generate a common pastoral focus for all the parishes.
Priestly Ordinations
Many local seminarians completed their studies at the Penang Major Seminary and were ordained priests by Bishop Fung.
Among them were Fathers Cosmas Lee (27 Dec 1976), Alex Sipanul (31 Dec 1976), Cornelius Piong (27 March 1977), Nicholas Ong (3 Oct 1978), Thomas Makajil and William Poilis (11 Nov 1978), Bede Anthonius, Joseph Lainsim and Joseph Gapitang (24 April 1980), Primus Jouil (1 May 1980), and Benjamin Basintal (7 Aug 1980). By then, relationship between the Church and the new State government was improving. For the first time on 16 Sept 1982, the head of the Catholic Church was awarded a Datukship, a recognition of the contribution of the Church to the development of the state.
Called to Eternal Life
On the 10th anniversary of his episcopate, Bishop Fung passed away on 16 Nov 1985 while under treatment for cancer in Melbourne, Australia. His remains was flown back to Sabah and he was buried on 21 Nov 1985.
Msgr John Lee, vicar general and rector of the cathedral, was elected Diocesan Administrator by the College of Consultors on 22 Nov 1985.
Interim Period
Life must go on. During the interim period, while waiting for a new bishop to be appointed by Rome, Deacon David Sham (the last one to complete his formation in Penang) was ordained priest by Archbishop Soter Fernandez of Kuala Lumpur on 24 Nov 1985.
Deacons Peter Abas (2 Feb 1986) and John Mansul (23 Nov 1986) who completed their studies in Kuching instead of in Penang were ordained priests by Archbishop Peter Chung of Kuching.
Starting 1980 onwards, all our diocesan seminarians would be having their formation in St Peter's College Kuching instead of in Penang.
Jesuit Deacon Joseph Fung of Likas was also ordained priest by Archbishop Peter Chung of Kuching on 12 Dec 1986 at the cathedral.
To help the faithful mature in their faith life, various formation programmes organised by the different lay movements, parish groups and ministries were organised and continue to be organised.
Of note were the Sunday School for First Holy Communion and Confirmation (1974), Life in the Spirit Seminars (1974), Youth Camps (1976), Vocation Seminars (1976), Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults [RCIA] and for Children [RCIC] (1982), Children's Liturgy of the Word (1991), etc. The Catholic Service Centre was established in 1988 to look into the Chinese Ministry.
New Bishop
Pope John Paul II appointed Msgr John Lee, the third son of Thomas Lee Yen Chiang, the first Chinese catechist at the time of Msgr Wachter. He was ordained bishop on 26 June 1987 by Archbishop Peter Chung of Kuching in the presence of Apostolic Delegate Archbishop Alberto Tricarico.
He complemented his two predecessors' efforts which had, to a great extent, taken care of the administrative and physical developments, by placing greater emphasis on the need for spiritual development and renewal among the faithful.
This was reflected in his many undertakings including the PAX Assemblies where he introduced themes such as Make My Word Your Home (1988) and We Are a Eucharistic People (1991).
More Priests and Religious
Among those ordained by Bishop Lee were Fathers Martin Wong (8 Sept 1988), Julius Gitom (19 Nov 1988), Ambrose Atang (21 Nov 1988), Charles Chiew (25 Nov 1990), Gilbert Engan (8 Dec 1990), Patrick Jerome (6 Jan 1991), Boniface Kimsin (4 Nov 1991), Bruno Yasun (6 Nov 1991), Aloysius Fidelis (13 June 1992), Alex Jimsy (23 Oct 1995), Marcellinus Pongking (17 Feb 1996), Nicholas Stephen (9 Jan 1997), Simon Kontou (1 Sept 1997), John Wong (21 Jan 1999), Michael Modoit (12 Feb 2000), Jalius Sading (4 June 2001), Jasery Gabuk (16 Sept 2004), Thomas Madanan (4 Dec 2004), Wilfred Atin (3 Dec 2005) and Paul Lo (10 Dec 2005).
More religious congregations were invited to serve in the diocese: Religious of the Good Shepherd (Good Shepherd Sisters) who arrived from Kuala Lumpur on 5 Oct 1988. They run a crisis centre for troubled girls and women and a hostel for students.
The Daughters of St Paul returned to the diocese on 25 Jan 1989 after 18 years of absence. The pioneers were among the foreign missionaries who were expelled from the state in 1971.
The Brothers of St Gabriel (Montfort Brothers) arrived on 6 Aug 1998 to open a training centre for youths; the Sacred Heart of Mary Sisters arrived in Sandakan on 22 July 2002 to help out with the Chinese parishioners.
The Infant Jesus Sisters came on 1 July 2004 to help out with the girls at the Montfort Youth Training Centre. However, they are based in Keningau since 7 April 1996.
Diocese of Keningau
By the late 1980s the Local Church has grown in size and stature. One of the first tasks of Bishop Lee was to recommend for a division of the diocese for easy governance. It was not until 2 Feb 1993 that Rome announced the erection of a new diocese, the Diocese of Keningau which covers the interior division of Sabah.
Thus the boundary of the KK Diocese was re-delineated to a more pastorally manageanle size with 19 parishes. Msgr Cornelius Piong, vicar general, was ordained and installed as the first bishop of new diocese on 6 May 1993 by Archbishop Peter Chung in the presence of Apostolic Delegate Archbishop Alberto Tricarico.
Diocesan Organisational Pastoral Plan (DOPP)
While the division of the diocese was being worked out, Bishop Lee began to look into the spiritual and pastoral situation of his diocese. As the state moved forward in its socio-economic development programmes, new issues and challenges emerged. If PAX could play its role well in the 1970s, the new situation of the 1980s and 1990s required a re-look at the whole pastoral approach of the people of God in the diocese. And so starting from the 1992 PAX Assembly, Bishop Lee called for a review and renew process for the diocese.
While the calls were being made, the Catholic Pastoral Centre (CPC) and Diocesan Pastoral Planning Unit (DPPU) were constituted in 1993 to provide the needed "minds" to concretise the review and renew process. The CPC and DPPU attempted to initiate renewal, first by starting from the family (1993 PAX Assembly) and then from the diocesan structure (1994 PAX Assembly) but this top-down approach did not create much impact on the grassroots.
This led the bishop to seek outside help in 1995. The expertise of the Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Development Institute (SAIDI) Philippines was solicited. Father Manuel Guazon, SAIDI president, came to facilitate the Diocesan Organisational Pastoral Planning as well as the two workshops in 1996 (DPPW I) and 1997 (DPPW II) respectively.
In the 1997 workshop the diocesan plan took shape and the renewal process in the diocese was concretised in the form of a written document called the Diocesan Organisational Pastoral Plan (DOPP). It was launched on 16 Sept 1997 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in the presence of Apostolic Delegate Archbishop Luigi Bressan and Bishop Cornelius Piong.
The DOPP is to help the diocese to be proactive and guide the new generation of faithful into the third millennium without compromising the Gospel values while being responsive to the developments in the Universal Church through the set up of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) and the Bishops' Conference of Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei (BCMSB).
In line wth the DOPP the PAX Board of Directors was dissolved on 18 Oct 1998 and replaced by the Diocesan Pastoral Council (DPC) on 19 Oct 1998. The DPC is a "consultative body under the leadership of the bishop and its role is not decision-making but decision-reaching." The Parish Council is now called the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) and its role is similar to that of the DPC. Its objective is to enable councillors to assist the rector and his assistant in the pastoral mission of the parish.
Communication Ministry
The Social Communication Commission was set up in 2001 to look into the communication needs of the diocese. It replaced the Information and Publication Commission which was dissolved in 1996. It runs the monthly diocesan paper Catholic Sabah which was established in 1957.
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Teens Put Purity In God's Hands
PAPAR(Durie Rainer Fong, Life Teen ).- Participants of a recent teen camp learned to value themselves as God's masterpieces and to offer their purity to God as a fitting conclusion to it.
Denise Marie Fernandez did not plan to join a spiritual camp all the way in Kinarut while waiting for her Sijil Peperiksaan Malaysia (SPM) results in Sabah.
But as things turned out, she is now more than glad she did not miss the three-day two-night camp organised by Life Teen Sacred Heart Cathedral Youth Ministry at the Montfort Youth Training Centre in Kinarut Papar March 10-13. She even forgot her anxiety of waiting for the results, which was scheduled to be released March 12.
"I was not sure whether to come or not (to the camp)...I only made up my mind and registered two days before the Life Teen Camp," said the soon-to-be 18 year old, former student of SMK St Anne's Convent in Kulim, Kedah.
"I was supposed to return to Kedah this week (before the camp)...but being in the camp, and actually being part of all the hype I kind of forgot about my (SPM) results...maybe I will go get it later when I go back in a few days' time," she laughed.
However, Denise Marie admitted she would not have come if not for some convincing from her cousin, 16-year-old Sonia Annmarie Scully, with whom she has been staying with since finishing her exams last December.
"I practically had to drag her along," Sonia quipped, to the chuckles of her cousin, before adding, "I sort of threatened her that I would not talk to her if she did not come...I guess that worked."
"But we were both glad to have gone through the camp. We made many new friends and had great fun...it was awesome," she enthused, adding it was also the first time she had been to a camp such as this.
Sonia, who is no stranger to activities organised by youth groups from other parishes, said the Life Teen camp was so much different compared to the other camps she had been to.
"It is more lively and the music is definitely different...I always had this thought in my head that Christian music is boring, but after the camp, not anymore," she said.
"The talks given were also enlightening and most importantly, during ministry time, it was so touching and I felt God was there with me, touching me and healing me," Sonia continued.
With the theme: U: God's Masterpiece, the camp was mainly aimed at helping the teenagers to understand their roles as males and females in life, said Life Teen coordinator, Melissa Nicholas.
Melissa said the talks - conducted by Jude Antoine, a lay missionary and speaker who has always supported Life Teen activities since it was formed, and his wife Veronica, also a missionary - involved sexuality, chastity, boy-girl relationship and pre-marital sex, among others.
"It is when the teens start understanding the meaning of those things, and learn the importance of following the teachings of our Catholic faith, it is then they could acknowledge themselves at God's masterpiece, hence, the theme," she explained.
Besides the talks and teachings, other programmes included in the camp were daily Mass, Confession, counselling, healing sessions, praise and worship sessions and of course, a whole lot of interaction and fun.
A tough undertaking for Life Teen is to make the camp different from other camps, Melissa said, and with teens being teens, it is difficult to make them learn and stay interested at the same time, factors that Life Teen is too well aware of.
"How are we different? That is a good question...well, we try to make faith or religion relevant to the modern teens because our religion is often looked at as very outdated, old-fashioned and difficult to understand," Melissa pointed out.
She said this required the Core Group of Life Teen, a group of young adults who volunteer to serve in the ministry, to plan topics that involve situations that teens face in their daily lives or problems and challenges they encounter regularly, among others, so that they could connect to the talks or skits prepared for them.
"And the music in the praise and worship session has to be something the teens could identify with these days. So the [music] styles would range from rock to pop and to whatever the music team could play, yet they [music team] know how not to lose control and abandon their purpose, which is to lead the teens into praising and worshipping the Lord," Melissa noted.
These methods are actually not new and, in fact, implemented when Life Teen plans for its weekly gathering called Life Nite which is held every Saturday night, 8:00 - 10:00 pm, Room F6 at the Sacred Heart Parish Centre.
Initially, Melissa admitted the team was worried when "despite the heavy promotion we did at Sacred Heart Cathedral, St Simon's Church and Church of Mary Immaculate, only about 50 teens signed up."
She said during the last week of registration, the figures jumped from 50 to 250: "We did not expect that many to turn up."
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Two New Priests For Keningau Diocese In June
KENINGAU(CS).- Deacons Claudius bin Andrew Kondu (L) of Holy Cross Toboh Tambunan and Rudolf Joannes Asou (R) of St Theresa Tambunan will be ordained priests by Bishop Cornelius Piong at Holy Cross Toboh Tambunan on June 2 at 10:00 am.
Both deacons entered aspirancy at the Catholic Diocesan Centre Penampang in 1998 before being accepted into Initiation Year at St Peter's College Kuching in 1999. They completed their theological studies in 2005 and were ordained deacons on 26 Nov 2006 by Bishop Cornelius Piong at St Francis Xavier's Cathedral Keningau.
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