St Mary’s Cathedral Holds Its 2nd PPA

Sandakan: St Mary’s Cathedral Parish held its 2nd Parish Pastoral Assembly (PPA) on Saturday 15th December 2018 at the Parish Centre with some 80 attendees. The attendees comprised the clergy, religious, the Parish Pastoral Council, the Finance and Development Committee and leaders of all existing ministries / communities / groups.

The one-day PPA, themed ‘Christ-centred community, serving one another with love’ is a platform aimed at

· Fostering unity among church leaders

· Promoting spirit of collaboration

· Disseminating updated information on the progress / development of the church

· Receiving feedback from members

The Assembly proper commenced with the Enthronement of the Bible and the proclamation of the word taken from the Letter of St Paul to the Ephesians 4 : 1 – 16. This was followed with a silent reflection and an Opening Prayer led by Fr Christopher Ireneus, the assistant rector.

In his keynote address, Fr David A. Garaman, the rector of the Cathedral Parish urged members to be models for the implementation of the Parish Pastoral Plan based on the Vision statement and the six Mission goals. Each member has a place in the church and working in close collaboration would chart the journey in becoming the dreamed church that the members desired.

He called on members to play a more active role in mission work and to renew their missionary zeal as Pope Francis has declared that the Extraordinary Mission Month would be in October 2019. The Universal Church will be gearing up effort to focus on the call to mission. Thus, documents on mission would be the added resources for the implementation of the Parish Pastoral Plan.

He reiterated that as we move forward to fulfil that desired Christ-centred community, we need to lend support to one another. He cited 1 Corinthians 12 : 12 on Unity and Diversity in the Body, ‘Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.’

The spiritual input on ‘Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ’ was conducted by Fr Christopher. The session touched on (a) Call for Unity, (b) Basis for Unity (c) God helps us keep unity and (d) Results of unity. Each point was clearly elaborated by Fr Christopher.

Members were assigned to 5 groups to discuss on ways to strengthen unity and peace, causes that divide the church, when church unity is threatened, what does this say to you and what unifies us as the Body of Christ.

Pilis Malim, the PPC Chairman reported on the previous PPA resolution and pastoral matters for the year. Michael Ibau, shared on the physical development and the future commitment of the parish which includes the renovation and extension of St Joseph’s Church. Elaine Lim, the treasurer of the Parish Finance Committee (PFC) presented the financial statement while Isaac Pang, the Chairman of PFC touched on guidelines for budgeting and the request for funds. He then reintroduced the Envelope Pledge System (EPS) with the hope of improving the parish account.

The one-hour slot for respond to written questions and proposals was very interactive. Most questions were on pastoral issues, a clear indicator that the church is moving on the right direction.

In wrapping up, Fr David extended his appreciation to all who attended the event. He assured that every proposal shall be attended to and given due attention and consideration. He hoped that the event would enhance unity in the church and together as a community, commit to continue the mission of Christ.  

Reported by Francis Tan  |  Photo by Parish SocCom