TALK ON THE NEW TRANSLATION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL

Sandakan : More than 200 lay faithful from the various church groups / ministries, sub parishes, outstations and religious sisters of the Sandakan Parish gathered at St Mary's Cathedral, 22nd September 2011 to attend the bilingual, English and Bahasa Malaysia briefing on the New Text of Roman Missal by Rev Fr David Garaman, the Chairperson of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission.

Fr David highlighting the new text

The talk commenced with an opening prayer led by Rev Fr Philip Muji, the assistant rector at 8.00 pm.  Fr David  stressed that the changes involved only the text but not the Mass. He gave an overview of the history of the Missal beginning from the 3rd century till its present state, the third edition of the Roman Missal in English speaking countries.

He referred to the Pastoral Letter of Bishop Paul Tan SJ, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei regarding the new translation of the Roman Missal which  was extended to all parishes in July this year. 

All English Speaking countries will begin using the New English Translation of the Mass on the first Sunday of Advent. The celebration of the mass will remain the same. Only the language use in the Liturgy will have changes.  

The catechesis of the new text was held in August for Bishop and all Priests of the Diocese of Sandakan. He added that the text for the English translation is now available in all Parish Bookshops. It was decided in the recent Diocesan Priests' Meeting that the new order of Mass in English and Bahasa Malaysia will take effect on the first Sunday of Advent this year. The Bahasa translation text will soon be available.

Fr David went on to say that the objective of the talk is to familiarize the faithful  and to prepare them well in advance the liturgical texts of the Roman Missal which shall be used beginning the first Sunday in Advent 2011.

He highlighted some of the changes of the new text through power point presentation (White Bold Font):

The talk ended with a closing prayer led by Fr Phillip at 9.15pm.

PARISH DELEGATE ASSEMBLY TASK FORCE FACILITATORS TRAINING

Ice breaking session and group discussion

Sandakan: In response to the Pastoral Letter from His Lordship Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom in calling for the setting up of Parish Delegate Assembly (PDA) Task Force in every parishes in the Diocese,  Jacob Chin the Task Force Chairman of St Mary's Cathedral Parish, initiated a facilitators' training program for group and community leaders on Sunday 24th September 2011 from 7.30am – 3.30pm at the Diocesan Conference Room.

It is the intention of the Bishop that the faithful at large be actively involved in contributing their opinions and views in  the process of formulating the diocesan vision and mission statement. The task force main objective is to reach out far and wide to the parishioners by way of organizing mini assemblies through the many communities, ministries, groupings and BECs.  The feedback collected from them then will be evaluated and shall form the basis / core business for the parish assembly.  

The registration

The training was attended by 51 leaders and representative from the PPC, various ministries, groupings and language based communities from St. Mary's Cathedral, St. Mark's Church, St. Paul Ulu Dusun and Our Lady of Fatima Beluran.

The Eucharistic celebration

The event of the day started with a Eucharistic celebration in the chapel presided by Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom. In his homily, the prelate called on the participants to lay the foundation in organizing mini assemblies at all levels to hear from the  parishioners their understanding of their 'dream church'. The tools in reaching out will be provided in the training and the avenues are available through the many established BECs. He went on to say that the vision and mission will be more effective if proudly owned by the people and thus the necessity to involve the vast majority of the faithful. 

The facilitators and input sessions

In his briefing, Jacob explained that the facilitators' training program for the task force members are for them to organize the mini assemblies in getting the feed back and the documentation of the laity views and opinions through the many channels in formulating the Vision and Mission statement to be presented in the main parish delegates' assembly.

Group reporting

The training was conducted by Pilis Malim (PPC) and Terrence Ngui (Diocesan Soccom), whereby both of them have attended the Diocesan Facilitator Training Program conducted by Bro. John D’Cruz of, the Lasallian Formation Director, based in La Salle Centre, Ipoh, Perak. The training emphasized more on group discussion workshop so as to effectively gather information from the target groups. In order to maintain uniformity in reporting, Pilis has prepared the facilitator’s guide for the task force facilitators to follow.  The participants undergone a 5-topic sessions training covering;

1. Ice Breaking
2. Understanding of Church
3. Reality of current scenario of the local church
4. Ideal or Future Image of the local Church
5. Way forward to achieve the desired goal

More group reporting

The flow of the training sessions was  very lively with everyone actively taking part . The training also saw some budding leaders coming up especially from the youth during their group presentations and hopefully such training will be a catalyst in discovering more and more potential leaders of the parish in the future. 

Fr Phillip in his closing remark

 In the closing ceremony, Fr. Phillip reminded the participants to draw strength and wisdom from the Lord as they embark on the task of conducting mini assemblies. 

Presentation of certificates

As a sign of recognition of their contribution towards the Parish, all the assigned task force facilitators and main organizing team were presented with certificates followed by a closing prayer led by Fr. Phillip.

DaliusLL

St. Mary's Cathedral Parish Programs for October 2011

"Come and See"

"You are the change that you dream, as I am the change that I dream, and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be." Efren Penalflorida - CNN 2009 Hero

Lahad Datu -  "Come & See" adalah satu jemputan terang Saudari Anna Teresa Peter Amandus, Koordinator Belia Diosis tentang tema lawatannya yang ketiga bersama Kerasulan Belia Paroki St Dominic, Lahad Datu pada 11 September 2011 yang lalu.

Kali ini, para Kerasulan Belia Paroki dan belia diajak merenung akan jemputan panggilan Tuhan dalam pelayanan di gereja. Para belia turut memperkongsikan bagaimana keistimewaan diri yang dianugerahkan oleh Tuhan boleh digunakan dalam pelayanan.

Permainan "Tapping Thigh" dan "I Love you and I Hate you"

 Pertemuan kali ketiga ni telah mengumpulkan seramai 17 belia termasuklah ahli KBP dan saudari Anna Teresa. Antara aktiviti yang dijalankan adalah permainan seperti "I love U, I hate U", "Tapping Thigh", perkongsian dan nyanyian lagu-lagu pujian serta tayangan video bertajuk "The Bridge" yang telah menyentuh hati setiap belia.

Informasi yang penting!

Minda para belia turut terbuka apabila saudari Anna memaparkan fakta-fakta benar mengenai populasi umat katolik dan anggaran bilangan umat katolik yang dilayani oleh setiap paderi dan religius di Paroki St Dominic, Lahad Datu.

Dan realitinya, "Tuaian sungguh banyak tetapi penuai hanya sedikit. Berdoalah kepada pemilik tuaian itu supaya menghantar pekerja untuk mengumpulkan tuaian" Matius 9:37-38. Saudari Anna turut mengatakan bahawa penglibatan dalam pelayanan memerlukan perubahan yang bermulanya dari diri sendiri.

Group Sharing

Melihat kepada statistik Diosis Sandakan, khususnya Paroki St Dominic, Lahad Datu, apa yang boleh kita sumbangkan kepada gereja?

Bagaimanakah caranya kita menjangkau belia-belia di luar gereja/ luarstasi/ belia-belia yang ada disekeliling kita?

 Para belia menulis doa kepada mereka yang memerlukan.

"Let the change starts with me!"
Para belia membaca doa yang mereka tulis satu persatu dengan segenap hati dihadapan altar.

Kemudiannya para belia diajak untuk menulis doa yang ingin mereka tujukan dan didoakan bersama-sama di hadapan altar yang disediakan. Sebelum bersurai, acara gambar beramai-ramai dan evaluasi "3S" dilakukan.

Sesi evaluasi 3S "Success, Shortcoming and Suggestions"

Rata-rata semua belia berpuas hati akan peningkatan positif dalam pengaturcaraan bagi pertemuan kali ini dan aktiviti seperti ini telah mengeratkan lagi hubungan kesatuan di kalangan belia yang turut serta di dalamnya.

SOCCOM

Lahad Datu

CATECHETICAL SUNDAY CELEBRATION HOLY TRINITY PARISH TAWAU

TAWAU: The Catechetical Ministry of Holy Trinity Church, Tawau celebrated Catechetical Sunday on 18 September 2011, the day after the feast day of St. Robert Bellarmine, patron saint of the catechists.

An Italian Jesuit, theologian and a Cardinal of the church, he is a Doctor of the Church and is also the patron saint of catechumens. He  was canonised in 1930.

Blessing the catechists

Catechists saying the pledge

Praying for the catechists

The thanksgiving mass presided by Msgr. Nicholas Ong was organized by the catechetical team with the students of the Sunday School and their parents providing the choir.

With the theme “ Planted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in Faith “,  we were reminded that our faith must be grounded in Jesus Christ, who is the source of our life, hope and love.

At the same time, we were also challenged to respond positively to God’s call, trusting Him and putting His words into practice.

In his homily the rector Msgr. Nicholas Ong paid tribute to the hard work and commitment of the catechists in passing on the faith and church teaching to those who are called to be baptized, receive their first communion and confirmation.

He said to them," As we celebrate Catechetical Sunday, we reflect on the vital role of our catechists in planting the seed of faith of our church in our future generation."

"Every year during Easter Eve, we witness the sacrament of baptism, telling us that God's call is for everyone to come and know him personally through the efforts of all these facilitators working under the guidance of the Holy Spirit."

Danny Carreon, Catechetical Coordinator

After the Mass about 400 parishioners adjourned to the parish hall for a fellowship and presentations.

During the fellowship, the rector again thanked the catechetical team and the parents for their efforts in ensuring that their children are brought up grounded firmly in the faith and teaching of the Catholic Church.

He urged all the catechists to continue their commitment in proclaiming the good news.

Beside the presentations from the various classes, tokens of appreciation were also presented to those catechists those have been involved in this ministry since 1982.

Token to catechist Melvin.

Token to Mary domingo

At the end of the day's program, Danny Carreon, the coordinator for the Catechetical team announced  that the Sunday School would also be called the place for "Joyful Sunday Gathering."  ( Pertemuan Minggu Gembira )

The celebration ended at 1.30pm with closing prayer by Sr. Liza Augustine, fsic.

Julita

Soccom HTC

Tawau

KAMI BERHARGA DI MATA TUHAN...

 

Kami istimewa......

TELUPID- “ Yesss, sekali lagi..!!!” begitulah antara kata-kata daripada belia-belia St.Martin semasa aktiviti dijalankan pada 30 Ogos yang lalu. Terpancar senyuman ceria di setiap wajah menandakan mereka sangat mengalu-alukan kedatangan Koordinator Belia Keuskupan Sandakan iaitu Anna Teresa Peter Amandus yang tetap setia mengunjungi dan mengadakan aktiviti seumpama ini. Pada malam sebelum aktiviti dijalankan pada hari esoknya, terlebih dahulu Anna telah berjumpa dengan Tim Kerasulan Belia Paroki untuk berbincang secara santai tentang keadaan dan situasi ruang pelayanan khasnya belia di Paroki St.Martin.

“I Am Special” merupakan tema aktiviti kali ini. Aktiviti dimulakan dengan nyanyian, doa dan pembacaan firman yang dipetik dari Lukas 4:31-37. Selepas itu salah seorang daripada Tim KBP iaitu Bertram Lansing telah membawa para belia untuk mengimbas kembali aktiviti yang lalu dalam sesi ‘Recap’.



Sesi dimulakan dengan nyanyian, doa dan pembacan firman.



Seperti biasa ‘games’ diadakan bagi memeriahkan lagi suasana pertemuan yang bersahaja ini. Antara ‘games’ yang dijalankan ialah ”X”. Walaupun ‘games’ yang dijalankan adalah berbeza-beza pada setiap kali pertemuan namun fokusnya tetap menekankan kepada pemumukan semangat kesatuan, kepimpinan, peka terhadap keadaan sekeliling dan bagaimana untuk saling berinteraksi antara satu dengan yang lain.

Permainan yang sangat memerlukan komunikasi dan strategi yang baik.



Permainan yang mencuit hati...

Selesai ‘games’ dijalankan, Anna mengongsi kepada para belia bahawa setiap peribadi kita adalah istimewa dan berharga di mata Tuhan. Kemudian belia disajikan dengan video klip singkat mengenai kehidupan seorang lelaki kurang upaya tanpa tangan dan kaki namun tetap bersyukur dan gembira dengan kehidupan yang dilaluinya. Selepas itu belia diajak untuk lebih serius kerana saat inilah mereka dituntut agar benar-benar merenung serta mendalami akan peribadi masing-masing. Sementara belia mengambil posisi yang selesa untuk membuat renungan, satu persatu belia dipimpin jalan menuju ke satu tempat lagi dengan mata tertutup sambil  mengimbas kembali pengalaman-pengalaman hidup yang lampau hingga masa kini dan menghargai diri mereka kerana setiap peribadi mereka adalah istimewa. Selepas melalui satu terowong dan belia diminta untuk membuka salah satu kotak dan melihat ‘Gift’ yang telah disediakan untuk mereka. ‘Gift’ tersebut adalah diri mereka sendiri melalui refleksi wajah dari cermin yang disimpan didalam kotak itu. Belia kemudiannya diajak untuk melukis diri mereka sebagai gambaran betapa istimewanya diri mereka.

 

Dipimpin, merenung kehidupan dan melalui 'Terowong Kehidupan'

 

Yesaya 43:4 "Oleh kerana engkau berharga di mata-ku..."

 

I Am Special because ...

Aktiviti diakhiri dengan perkongsian setiap belia dan meraikan  setiap  keistimewaan mereka dengan menyatakan “I Am Special because….” dengan sepenuh hati. Sebelum bersorai Koordinator meminta semua belia yang hadir menyuarakan kelemahan serta kejayaan sepanjang aktiviti yang telah dijalankan sejak dari mula dalam sesi evaluasi dan bersama untuk memperbaiki program yang akan datang. Sesi evaluasi yang disampaikan adalah konsep 3S iaitu Success, Shortcoming, Suggestions.

3s "Success, Shortcoming and Suggestions"

Aktiviti diakhiri dengan lagu dan doa. Pastinya melalui aktiviti santai seumpama ini akan lebih membuka ruang kepada belia untuk mendalami dan menghargai kehidupan mereka kerana setiap peribadi mereka adalah karya terbesar yang diterima dari cintaksih Allah. “Come And See” merupakan tema aktiviti akan datang.

Disediakan Oleh: Angeline Said
KBP St.Martin Telupid

「月圓牽緣慶中秋偕手共融蒙主恩」

( 山打根訊 ) 「月圓牽緣慶中秋Y偕手共融蒙主恩」。2011年華協中秋聯歡晚會圓滿舉行。

9月11日晚上7時，華協於堂區活動中心舉辦一年一度中秋晚會。JULIUS主教、堂區司鐸 Thomas 神父，Appollonia 修女，Veronica 修女，堂區牧靈委員會新任主席Patrick Seah兄弟及英巫文組教友均受邀出席共同慶祝華人傳統節日。

兄弟姐妹們紛紛呈獻拿手好菜與出席者一同分享、交流。在享用晚餐後，由主教、神父、修女帶領，華協主席陳儀鳴兄弟以及Patrick Seah兄弟陪同，所有的小孩，甚至大人們都高高興興地提著燈籠，從活動中心門口出發遊行，繞一圈至聖母洞前，拍大合照再回到活動中心。

當晚的餘興節目尚有猜燈謎、甜品比賽以及記歌詞遊戲。 燈謎設有中、英、巫三語題目各十五題，總共四十五題供出席者選擇有把握的十題作答。甜品比賽共有四份作品競逐，人人有獎，皆大歡喜。

今年首次嘗試中港台綜藝節目流行的記歌詞遊戲，華協主席挑戰第一關---月亮代表我的心，可惜唱錯了。Appollonia 修女  也挑戰  Give Thanks，輕鬆地贏得一份獎品。教友們也紛紛挑戰自己的記憶力，玩得不亦樂乎，沒出來挑戰的也在台下一同伴唱；果真如同在電視節目看的一樣，有歌詞看就會唱，直到星星出現了，眾人還真一起停住了……鴉雀無聲，一片靜默。

今年的中秋晚會就在一片歡笑聲中，於晚上九時十五分結束。

 

文：廖琳琳                  

圖：黃士南，盧姵伶