La Salle Launches 50 Years Of Educational Heritage
TANJUNG ARU(CS Online).- In the presence of the Lasallian Family - Brothers, principals, alumni, teachers, ex-teachers, students, ex-students - the La Salle Brothers launched the "Celebrating 50 years of Lasallian Heritage" Jan 14 at the Students Activity Centre here.
Brother Director for Malaysia Brother Anthony Rogers officiated the event.
In his address Rogers stressed three points about the yearlong celebration: that it is a celebration of hope because hope "leads us to understanding the deeper meanings of life, the core of which is the education of the young."
The second point, he said, is the La Sallian spirit which is the gift of the Brothers to Sabah: "to put God in our minds and the care for one another with our whole heart."
The third point, Rogers pointed out, was to see the Lasallian Heritage as the way forward and called on all La Sallians to understand their vision of a holistic education and to work more seriously to foster a "genuine partnership with the government, our fellow educators and all Malaysians to keep the young close to our hearts so that...the Lasallian spirit has something to offer to the young."
After the speeches by Rogers, Senior Principal Julia Willie Jock and Organising Committee Chairman Ho Kim Wong, Rogers and Brother Charles O'Leary beat the gong five times to officially launch the celebration, followed by the launching of the commemorative publication.
Among the activities during the launching were the unveiling of the Down Memory Lane Photo Panels (Student Activity Centre) and the heritage plaques (Senior Campus), and a visit to the Brother Raphael's Memorial Archive and Heritage Gallery on the second floor.
Among the forthcoming activities to commemorate the golden jubilee of Lasallian presence are a fundraising Heritage Jogathon (March 8), La Salle & Teachers' Day (May 16), La Salle Open Day (May 17), Launching of Wall of Fame (am) near the SAC and the Heritage Banquet (pm) to be held at Sutera Magellan on Aug 16.
The concluding event will be the Heritage Concert on Nov 1 which will feature "home-grown" talents from the circle of ex-students.
The La Salle Brothers came to our shore in January 1958 to take over the Sacred Heart Primary and Secondary Schools from the Mill Hill Missionaries.
The primary school was founded in July 1903 by Father Henry van der Heyden while the secondary school was founded by Father Bernard Davies in 1952.
The secondary school was renamed La Salle Secondary School on 15 May 1958 with Brother Raphael Egan as principal, succeeding Father Arthur Crowther.
Egan was succeeded by Brother Brendan Dunne in 1966 and in December 1969 Dunne handed over the helm to O'Leary.
1971 marked the turning point in the history of the primary school when a layperson Michael Leong became the principal, succeeding Brother Fridolin Goughran.
For the secondary school it happened in 1986. O'Leary retired in 1985 and he was succeeded by Brother Justin Mobilik as Assistant Principal. Mobilik retired in 1999.
Stanley Liew became the first lay principal of the secondary school. He was succeeded by Dr Edward Miku Tiongsu, Katherine Philip and current principal Julia W Jock.
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Nativity Scene Gives Meaning To Gaya Celebration
KOTA KINABALU(CS Online).- This year, what gave meaning to the whole Gaya Christmas Celebration was the set up of the Nativity Scene at Lintasan Deasoka Dec 19-21.
The 3-night event was an annual event organised jointly by the Sabah Council of Churches (SCC) and the Kota Kinabalu City Hall.
This year the organising team was headed by the Anglican Church assisted by the Methodist Church.
The Organising Committee made a courtesy call on the Mayor, Datuk Iliyas Bin Ibrahim, on Oct 26.
The mayor gave his full support and suggested that a Christmas Crib be erected for the occasion. The Catholic Church was tasked to put up the Crib.
Aside from putting up the Nativity Scene (the birth of Christ = the reason for the Christmas celebration), our Church also took part in the combined interchurch choir conducted by Neil Mah , street carolling and manning some of the 90 hawker stalls selling Christmas items during the three nights along Gaya Street.
The programme also included the Christmas Torch Puppeteers and Christmas carol singing by a combined Chinese Choir.
The closing ceremony was officiated by Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moi Chai and attended by Bishop John Lee, SCC Chairman Bishop Datuk Voo Thien Fui of the Basel Church and the Mayor himself.
In the speeches given by Voo, the mayor and Yee, they all stressed the fact that Malaysians are privileged as they are able to celebrate their respective festivals together.
The crowd was entertained by Voice of Hope Choir, contemporary dance performances by Powerhouse (SIB Youth), local singer Peter Dicky Lee and an acoustic performance by Jonathan Tse and Roger Wang.
Later the crowd was treated with a fireworks display before being serenaded by the combined inter-church choir with their rendition of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."
More than 10,000 people, including tourists, have attended the third Gaya Christmas Celebration since Dec 19.
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First Tenom Boy To Be Ordained Priest
PENAMPANG(CS Online).- Come January 26, Deacon David Mamat, 35, will be ordained priest for the Diocese of Keningau by Bishop Cornelius Piong at St Anthony Tenom at 10:00 am.
Born on 8 April 1972 in Kg Batu-Batu Tenom, Mamat is the sixth child in a brood of eight of Edward Mamat Angkas and Cathrine Laitin Kulis.
He had his primary education at SRJK Chung Hwa Tenom (1979-1982) and SRK Kg Mandalom Tenom (1982-1984) and his secondary education at SM St Anthony Tenom (1985-1989).
He entered Aspirancy at the Catholic Diocesan Centre Penampang in 1995.
"Having been a seminarian for 11 years (1995-2006), I have learned a lot of things from the different aspects of life, especially in the spiritual and social dimensions," Mamat told Catholic Sabah before his diaconate ordination on 23 Sept 2007.
"One of the greatest realisations I had throughout my formation was making God the centre of my life. This means I have to put all my efforts under His guidance and care and to detach from the many things that hinder me from following God's will. I know my weaknesses and limitations, but God is always there to show me the way and guide me," he explained.
"I see my formation as an experience of God's loving concern," Mamat added.
With his forthcoming presbyteral ordination, Mamat will be the first priest from Tenom.
Tenom is a small town in the Interior District of Sabah, about 150 km from Kota Kinabalu and around three hours' ride by road.
It is the centre of the Murut, a group of hill tribes (Murut means "Men of the Hills") who have lived in this region since time immemorial.
Mamat, however, is a Dusun from Tambunan whose family has settled down in Tenom where he was born.
Christianity came to Tenom in 1929 through the efforts of Msgr Wachter.
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La Salle Heritage To Commemorate And Celebrate 50 Years Of Lasallian Presence And Education In Sabah (1958-2008)
PENAMPANG(CS).- The first establishment of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in British North Borneo (now Sabah) was in Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu) in January 1958.
Other La Salle Brothers' communities established in Sabah were in Sandakan (1963), Tambunan (1976), Tanjung Aru (Benildus House, 1986) and Nabawan (1989).
The present school administration, the managers, the alumni and the Parents-Teachers' Association are not going to let the historic occasion for our school and state go by without a commemoration and celebration.
Through a series of events commencing with the launching of "The Heritage Year" in January, the committee also wants to deepen the awareness of Lasallians and Heartians and the public at large of the importance of perpetuating the Lasallian ideals of education - an education that embraces the whole person irrespective of race, colour and creed.
The yearlong celebration will be marked by a series of events reaching a climax at the launching of "The Wall of Fame" by the Sabah State Governor, Tun Ahmad Shah Abdullah, himself a loyal alumnus of the class of 1967 on Aug 16, followed by "The Heritage Banquet" that night.
His Excellency's class is sponsoring the "Wall of Fame."
It is most opportune that this Heritage Year coincides with an awakening and awareness among Lasallians locally and worldwide that the story of our past - the Lasallian story, its heritage and traditions - be continued and deepened and that we look for a way forward here in East Malaysia, in particular, to continue the Lasallian ideal, vision and mission of imparting a wholistic education to our youth.
By holding this Heritage Year the organisers do not just want to enhance a memory but also evaluate and determine, hopefully, the course of where the Lasallian Mission in Sabah would like to venture.
This may demand a paradigm shift in our thinking and execution.
The past is past but still it is the past that has brought us to the present.
We owe a debt of gratitude to generations of missionaries, the Mill Hill Fathers, who started the schools that the La Salle Brothers later took over in Jesselton, Sandakan, Tambunan; to past teachers, Brothers, students, managers who have passed on the baton of achievement and excellence to us.
Their contribution will be recalled in this Jubilee Year and with praise and thanksgiving.
Now it is up to the present generation of educators, managers and alumni to do the same for the future generations of students in our schools.
Since La Salle Secondary and Sacred Heart Primary in Kota Kinabalu were the first schools that the Brothers took over from the Mill Hill Fathers, the celebrations will be focused mainly at La Salle/ Sacred Heart Kota Kinabalu.
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Sabah's First Benedictine Monk
PENAMPANG(CS).- Meet Sabah's first Benedictine monk, Brother Columba (Ned Jerome) Moujing, who was here for a month's home leave in December.
Born on 12 Dec 1960 in Kg Kuai Penampang (under Holy Nativity Parish Terawi) to Dousia Moujing and Tubong Jiatan, Moujing entered the English Benedictine Congregation (EBC) in Ampleforth Abbey, York, England in September 2002.
He made his first profession in 2004 and his final vows on 6 Sept 2007. God willing, he will be ordained priest in three years' time.
The EBC is the oldest of the 21 Benedictine congregations, consisting of three abbeys of nuns and 10 abbeys of monks.
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Bishop Lee Hosts 16th Open House
PENAMPANG(CS).- In line with the Malaysian concept of having open houses during festivals, Bishop John Lee hosted the 16th Open House at his residence in Dontozidon on Christmas Day, Dec 25.
The "open house" concept is where - during the various cultural and religious festivals - friends, families and even strangers would visit the homes of those who are celebrating the festival, to wish them well and enjoy the feast prepared by their hosts.
More than 1,000 faithful from all walks of life thronged to his residence that afternoon to greet him and to partake of the meal prepared for them by the Catholic Women's League (CWL).
The children and those with a sweet tooth especially were happy with the free ice-cream dished out at a different location - inside the bishop's parlour - although they had to wait for some time for the ice-cream to be ready.
Popular DJ Andrew was there to emcee the occasion.
Aside from the faithful Chinese Children's Choir and the K3IKA Choir, Father Michael Modoit was there to entertain the crowd with Christmas carols.
Incidentally, Modoit and Franciscan Sister Carmen Cordova have come out with a Christmas album recently in aid of the Diocesan Retirement Home for Clergy and Religious.
Among the many people who came to greet the bishop was Sabah's first Benedictine Monk, Brother Columba (Ned Jerome) Moujing, 47, of Terawi, with his distinctive black robe.
The Open House came about when a few associates of the bishop told him of the people's comment that they had never seen his newly-built residence 16 years ago.
The bishop gave the green light to this group to organise the gathering during the Christmas of 1992.
At the first Open House, then Chief Minister Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan and his family were present to join the Tambunan Choir to sing a medley of Christmas carols to the crowd.
Since then, the Bishop's Open House has been an annual event to look forward to in the lives of the faithful.
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SHC Organises Carols By Candlelight
KOTA KINABALU(CS).- The Sacred Heart Cathedral and its subparishes of Church of Mary Immaculate and St Simon organised its annual Carols By Candlelight at the lobby of the Sacred Heart Parish Centre Dec 23.
The different language choirs (English, Chinese and BM) of the three churches took turns in leading the crowd to sing the Christmas carols.
The Kids of the Kingdom, Children and youth of the Light of Jesus Christ Covenant Community, and the Indonesian Community took part in leading the singing as well.
Prior to the singing, after a short welcoming address by Parish Pastoral Council Chairman Dr Damian Lee, Father Michael Modoit proclaimed the Word (LK 2:10-14) while Msgr Primus Jouil, Father Wilfred Atin and Father John Wong took turns to break the Word in English, BM and Chinese respectively.
The event concluded with a closing prayer/blessing by Jouil.
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CMI Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary
BUKIT PADANG(CS).- The Church of Mary Immaculate celebrated its 15th anniversary on its feastday Dec 9.
Rector Msgr Primus Jouil presided over the Mass organised by the Youth Ministry headed by Shawn Palencia.
A fellowship with light refreshments was held at the church's canteen after the Mass.
CMI was the brainchild of the late Father Thomas Sham who saw the need to build it in 1987 when he saw the way parishioners literally had to force their way into the Sacred Heart Cathedral compound for services, while parishioners who were leaving had to undergo a similar ordeal.
In consultation with Bishop John Lee, Sham approached the State Finance Ministry to explore the possibility of government assistance to put up a new church on that property.
The church was blessed on 31 Oct 1993.
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Penampang Catechist Receives "Keluarga Contoh" Award
PENAMPANG(CS).- A catechist from St Michael Penampang received the "Keluarga Contoh" Award during a mesra rakyat organised by the KEMAS Daerah Penampang and JKKK Kg Kibabaig Dec 15 at the Balai Raya Kibabaig.
Peter Lidadun, 69, and his wife, Lidwina Liansong, 68, have 11 children.
Almost all the children are graduates. They are all married and have their own families.
Three of them are educators, some are in government service while the rest are managing their own businesses.
Lidadun, said Moyog Assemblyman YB Philip Lasimbang, had served as an educationist for 41 years.
"He is active in voluntary services especially in church activities in his free time but still has a good time with his family," the presenter added.
When asked later about the secrets of their success, the awardee said:
"Live according to God's commandments, laws of the country, rules of health - spiritually, mentally, physically - which are all God's commandments. My wife contributed very much to our success."
In spite of his age, Lidadun is still active in church and voluntary services, including promoting the Kadazandusun language. He is also a writer and translator of the language.
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Bishop Gitom Visits Tawau Parish
TAWAU(CS).- Bishop Julius Gitom paid his first pastoral visit to Holy Trinity Parish Nov 24-26 as the first bishop of the newly-erected Diocese of Sandakan.
On the night of his arrival, Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) members, religious and clergy joined the bishop at a dinner at St Clare's Convent.
The dinner was kept informal to enable the participants to get to know each other better.
The whole parish turned up for the concelebrated Mass, followed by lunch and some presentations by the parishioners.
Though the bishop had visited Tawau briefly many years ago as a young priest, not many of the present parishioners know him.
Thus many of them were eager to hear from him how he would want to pastor the diocese.
In the dialogue session, the bishop explained to the parish leaders the set up of the diocesan machinery with its many challenges.
As such, he urged the faithful to work closely with the priests.
Commenting on the scarcity of vocations, he felt the burden on the priests would be a big one due to its geography despite its rather small Catholic population.
With respect to the diocesan vision for the new diocese, the bishop said he would be taking a ground up approach, taking into consideration the aspirations of the faithful.
As such, all the parishes would be expected to hold discernment sessions to provide input.
He also took note of the parish leaders' wish for a more transparent diocese and more visits by him to the parish.
Apart from Tawau, the bishop also visited St Jude Semporna Nov 25.
Around 200 parishioners turned up for the Mass and dinner.
In his speech, the bishop recalled his first visit to St Jude many years ago as a seminarian and was asked by Father Thomas Sham to give his first homily.
Concluding the night, the bishop thanked the parishioners for giving him a warm reception.
He said he was deeply impressed by the maturity of the Tawau parish, noting that the PPC had discerned its own role and functions and worked out its working principles in its discernment retreat earlier.
However, he stressed the importance of working closely together in building up the new Diocese of Sandakan.
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Tawau Prepares Well For Christmas Celebration
TAWAU(CS).- At Holy Trinity Church here, preparation for Christmas started on the first Sunday of Advent when its rectors urged the parishioners to understand the deeper meaning of Advent by undergoing the process of preparedness and conversion.
A recollection for around 200 carollers and parish leaders was held Dec 9 with the theme Jesus, Dawn in the Family facilitated by Rector Father Cosmas Lee.
The choice of the theme was chosen in view of the parish being in the new Diocese of Sandakan, with the hope that the diocese would begin well and be dynamic with parishes made up of well formed families.
The carollers were commissioned Dec 15 and went carolling for the following six nights.
Carols by Candlelight was held at the parish hall basement after the commissioning.
The children's Christmas party was given after Mass Dec 16. It was felt that the singing during the midnight Mass this year was much better participated by all.
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Holy Trinity Organises Two-in-one Celebration
TAWAU(CS).- The parishioners of Holy Trinity celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family Dec 29 in conjunction with the presbyteral ordination anniversaries of Fr Cosmas Lee (31st) and Fr Thomas Madanan (3rd).
A fellowship dinner at the parish hall basement was held after Sunset Mass.
Both priests thanked God for granting them the chance to serve the people.
It was also a farewell to Sr Julie fsic who has been with the parish for the last three years. She will be transferred to another parish in the new year.
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Asian Bishops Meet On "Eucharist As Communication"
BANGKOK(CS, AsiaNews).- Around 33 participants comprising one archbishop, nine bishops, 18 priests, two religious sisters and three lay men took part in the 12th annual meeting organised by the Office of Social Communication of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conference (FABC-OSC) Nov 26-Dec 1 at Bangkok's Gabrielite Centre.
The theme of the meeting The Eucharist as Communication was chosen in view of the next FABC Plenary Assembly which will take place in early 2009 on the theme Living Eucharist in Asia.
Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio presided over the Opening Eucharist.
In his homily the apostolic nuncio, quoting Pope Benedict XVI, said, "These words (Ite, Missa est=The Mass is ended, go forth in peace) help us to grasp the relationship between the Mass just celebrated and the mission of the Christians in the world."
However, he continued, in Christian usage it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word "dismissal" has come to imply a "mission."
The few words succintly express the "missionary nature of the Church," the prelate said.
At the end of the Mass, the faithful are sent forth to "go and live and give testimony of what they have prayed, meditated and received, to go and serve God and their neighbours," Pennacchio said.
The meeting started from the Eucharist as the "most intimate form of communication between God and men possible in this life" (Communio et Progressio, 11) and then moved on to explore The Eucharist in a New Media Age (Father Sebastian Periannan of Bangalore, India), Meals and Celebrations in Asian Cultures (Father Sebastian Michael of Mumbai, India), Eucharist and Communication: A Theological Reflection (Bishop Luis A Tagle, Imus Philippines), Liturgy as a Communicative Happening (Father Amelito Racelis SDB, Cebu Philippines) and Eucharist and Inculturation in Asia (Father Jacob Theckanath, Bangalore India).
Aside from these inputs, the participants also listened to a talk on Meals and Celebrations in Buddhist Culture given by a Thai Buddhist nun Venerable Dr Chatsumam Kabilsingh.
The Bishops' Meet has taken place since 1996 on an annual basis.
It brings together bishops in charge of communication in Asia and their secretaries in the bishops' conferences.
The participants deliver reports on their work in their respective countries.
At the end of the meeting, a Final Statement is published on the considerations and recommendations made by the participants.
This year the participants were invited to attend the annual Thai Media Awards wherein Archbishop Pakiam of Kuala Lumpur and Bishop John Tong of Hong Kong were asked to present awards to some of the recipients.
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Children Learn About The Mass
TAWAU(CS).- Children of the Word Committee of Holy Trinity Tawau organized a one-day seminar to the children aged 10-16 in BM, English and Mandarin Oct 13.
A sketch on the Last Supper was presented by the altar boys before the talks.
The first talk was on How the Mass came to be. In this talk, the young participants came to understand what Jesus meant by saying "Do this in memory of me" and knowing the Last Supper more in detail.
An explanation on What the Mass is was given whereby the children could understand that it is an invitation by the Lord to attend a meal with Him.
The children became aware that they should participate in the Mass as they would participate at a friend's birthday party through greeting, singing, listening and receiving.
The different parts of the Mass were introduced to the children and how they should respond.
For instance, on the making of the three crosses before the Gospel reading: on the forehead: "May Jesus be on my mind so that I will always think of Him"; on the lips: "May Jesus be on my lips so that I would always speak of Him"; and on the heart: "May Jesus be in my heart so that I will always love Him."
The participants were also shown how to make the proper sign of the cross and why they should not be ashamed of making it in public.
The last talk was on how to make the Mass come alive.
In this talk, the children were taught how to prepare themselves before going to Mass like dressing up in the proper attire, being on time and paying attention.
At the end of the session, the children were asked if they had learnt anything. The organizers were delighted with the positive feedback of the children.
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CWL Holds 22nd Annual Retreat And AGM
BUNDU TUHAN(CS).- Around 250 members of the Catholic Women's League (CWL) of the Dioceses of Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan gathered at the Bundu Tuhan Retreat Centre for its 22nd annual retreat and general meeting Nov 21-24.
In his opening address to the participants, Bishop John Lee stressed on the importance of the members to live their family lives according to the teachings of the Church.
He pointed out that while the Church is pro-life, it is definitely against the use of contraceptives and abortion.
The bishop told the delegates to look seriously into their lives in this respect and called for repentance from everyone.
Diocesan Chief Coordinator Anita Tunggolou recorded her appreciation and thanks to all members for their service rendered to the Church during the past year.
She appealed to the members to continue serving the Church in humility and sincerity, and at the same time, to put greater effort to strengthen their spiritual lives.
"As long as you are sincere, do not be troubled about those who are with you or against you, but take care that God is with you in everything you do," she said.
The evening ended with stage presentations by the various parish delegates.
During the Opening Mass the next day concelebrated by the bishop and Father Michael Modoit, the new commission officers took their pledge of service (2007-9) before the bishop.
Modoit then facilitated the two-day silent retreat. He explained to them the meaning and objective of the word 'retreat.'
The theme of the retreat was Women in the Bible in relation to CWL Ministry.
The retreat master pointed out that as CWL members, they must be Mary-like and be able to dedicate their service totally to the ministry.
They also must have a deep spiritual life and have a balanced life as wives and homemakers.
The retreat ended with a reconciliation session among all the members.
Later in the evening, a ceremony was held to officially mark the separation of the CWL of the KK Diocese and Sandakan Diocese.
Tunggolou thanked the Sandakan delegation for their past service and asked them to continue their good work and to fully support their bishop and priests. There was exchange of gifts and a short programme of songs and dances.
The AGM was held on the final day and concluded with a Mass.
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Local Congregation Welcomes Another Three Members For The Third Time
KOTA BELUD(CS).- The local congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (FSIC) made history in its life when it accepted another three members into its fold for the third time this year.
The event, held at St Edmund Kota Belud (also the first time for the church to hold a perpetual profession ceremony), took place on the congregational feastday - the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Dec 8.
Sisters Alice Lopez and Stella Gilbert made their final profession at St Joseph Kiulu on Jan 27 while Sisters Maria Banting and Juanah Saliun took their final vows at St Pius X Bundu Tuhan on June 23.
In his homily, Presider Bishop John Lee, reminded the candidates, Sisters Tauria Taurin of Toboh Tambunan, 29; Lusiah Kayoh of Kota Belud, 39; and Jaslia Ramut of Tuaran, 37, to observe well the vow of poverty - the handling of money and material goods - for it is fundamental to the observation of the other two vows of chastity and obedience.
Later in his address, he also exhorted them to be obedient when they are sent to the mission.
He also reminded them that he will be available to them should they need his spiritual help.
Their vows were received by Mother General Sister Grace Deosing, witnessed by Srs Stella Chin, Sandra Yapp and Dariah Ajab.
Earlier, to prepare themselves for the event, the trio underwent a 30-day retreat facilitated by their formator Sister Joan Michael at La Foresta Hermitage, Kiulu.
Around 400 people turned up to witness the event including the five concelebrating priests: Rector Father Federick Raymond, Fathers John Wong, Aloysius Fidelis, Marcellinus Pongking and Jalius Sading.
As for their assignments, the Mother General announced that after their home vacation, Taurin will be sent to Tawau, Kayoh to Kota Marudu and Ramut to Purak Papar (Pace Bene).
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