Coadjutor Archbishop John Wong's Home Coming Visit

Welcoming the Coadjutor Archbishop of KK, Most Rev John Wong

Sandakan : Most Rev John Wong, the Coadjutor Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu ordained on 1st October 2010 made a 'home coming visit' to St Mary's Cathedral Parish on Saturday 27th November 2010. Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom, accompanied by members of the Cathedral Parish Pastoral Councilors and more than 80 parishioners from the four parishes who were coincidentally in Sandakan, attending the 'Facilitators' Training Program' were at the airport to welcome Most Rev John Wong.

Bishop Julius lighting the 1st candle of the Advent wreath

Most Rev John Wong presided the Sunset Mass, the 1st Sunday of Advent at the Cathedral con celebrated by Rt Rev Julius. In his homily to a packed Cathedral he explained about the season of advent, the wreath and the four candles. The candles represent the four weeks of Advent. Three of the candles are purple, reminding us of the penitential nature of the season. A rose or pink candle is lit for the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete (rejoice) Sunday.The wreath should be in a circle, a symbol of eternity, and a reminder that God has no beginning nor end. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He called on the people to stay awake, be vigilant and pray always.

After the celebration he took the opportunity to address the congregation. He said that he is a man of few words and would just like to mention three things.

'First, I want to thank Bishop Julius for granting me this privilege to preside the Eucharistic celebration at the Cathedral. Second, I am really honored to be accorded a warm welcome by so many parishioners at the airport. I am simply overwhelmed. Third, I thank God that the people of my home parish had grown much in faith'.

Right after mass, Bishop Julius, Fr Thomas Makajil, Deacon David and the Cathedral Parish Pastoral Councilors led the Coadjutor Archbishop to the Parish Hall for a subscribed dinner, attended by some 400 parishioners. Also present at the event were Bro John D Cruz, who was facilitating the 'Facilitators' Training Program', the Franciscan and the Good Shepherd Sisters and representatives from Tawau, Lahad Datu and Telupid.

The setting of the reception in the Parish Hall

The eleven aspirants from the Catholic Diocesan Centre (CDC) were at the event

Fr Thomas saying Grace before meal

Most Rev John Wong, is a man of few words, preferring and believing to show his service and love through action and not words. He shared four points when called upon to address the people.

He said, 'Firstly, I was shocked to learn of my appointment as there are more senior and capable priests. Why me? Secondly, I fear because of the challenges ahead and the heavy responsibility awaiting me. Thirdly, I feel sad because I am suppose to come home to serve my own parish. Now, it seems that's not possible. Finally, I am excited in a way as I prepare to shoulder the thrust bestowed upon me. God has chosen me and I am confident He will lead and show me the way'.

Bishop Julius in his address acknowledged that Most Rev John Wong as he had known him, has all the making as a Bishop for he is a very humble, gentle, loving and a caring priest.

He went on to say, 'We are very proud that Most Rev John Wong who hails from the Cathedral Parish is now the Coadjutor Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu. Should you take a break from your heavy schedule, please come home. We welcome you'.

'I hope the Coadjutor Archbishop will help us by sending us a mandarin speaking priest or if that's not possible any other priest would be most appreciated, as that would mean a great relief to our priests'.

He said, 'As we thank God for His blessings, I call on the people of God to respond to the call to work in His vineyard'.

Bro John D Cruz and the religious sisters.

Most Rev John Wong greeting the people

Presentations by the youth, BEC members, prayer group and the Chinese community

In the course of the dinner, there were performances presented by members of the various BECs, the Chinese community, the prayer group and the youth apostolate.

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ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL CLEAN-UP DAY

Sandakan : Some 100 parishioners from the different parish groups gathered on Sunday noon, 8th August 2010 at the Cathedral, all geared up for the Cathedral Clean Up Day organized by the Parish Pastoral Council.

The said activity was held to clean up the Cathedral and it’s surrounding, making it befitting for the Feast of Assumption and the Parish Bazaar to be held on 14th and 15th August 2010 respectively.

The event began with an opening hymn, followed by an opening prayer led by Sr Appollonia Gubud fsic. John Baptis, Chairman of the PPC then proclaimed the Word of God taken from Luke 12 : 32 -48 on the theme 'Blessed are they who open the door at once when He knocks.'

In his welcoming address, he expressed his appreciation to all those who had responded to the call to serve in ensuring that the upcoming events will be celebrated in the most conducive environment. The coming together of so many people is a clear sign that the faithful are moving along, in the right spirit, for the common good of the Cathedral.

John, then directed the people, assigned them according to tasks and at designated locality;

* Women - interior of Cathedral and Parish Hall and they are to dust, sweep, wipe and mop

* Men - all outside work which include cutting and trimming of plants and cleaning clogged drains.

Fr Thomas Makajil, the rector of the Cathedral came mid way, after his outstation pastoral commitment and was immediately seen in the midst of the parishioners. His presence, lend support to the activity and was an inspiration to those present.

The activity opened an avenue for the faithful to come together, apart from contributing time and energy in making the sacred place clean, they interacted closely enhancing and making real the 'oneness' in the body of Christ.

Parents who brought along their children to include them in the work gave them an opportunity to demonstrate to the little ones, loving God and serving Him and His Kingdom.

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A visit to Bishop Julius D Gitom

Sandakan : 24 members of the St Mary’s Cathedral Parish Pastoral Council, Finance and Property Committees, formed some one year ago, led by Fr Thomas Makajil, rector of the Cathedral, paid a visit to Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom, yesterday 29th April 2010 at the Diocesan Office.

The purpose of the visit was to update Bishop Julius regarding the progress and development of pastoral matters and the current financial standing and property matters of the Cathedral.

 John Baptis, Chairman of the Parish Pastoral Council briefed the prelate through a power point presentation, regarding the development of pastoral affairs for the past one year in the Cathedral Parish. He specifically touched on the response to the recent Bishop’s pastoral letter concerning parish assembly to eventually formulate the Diocesan Vision and Mission statement. A task force for that matter has been formed and will meet soon to draw up the process for its implementation sometime towards the end of the year.

Suzanna Hon, the Chairperson of the Parish Finance Committee said that the committee will launch two parish fund raising projects in conjunction with Parish Day in mid August and the other, in conjunction with Diocesan Day in mid October.

Peter Thien, Chairman of the Property Committee, in his briefing, touched on repair work, maintenance and upgrading work to five chapels carried out and completed towards the end of 2009. The upgrading work to the Cathedral, which took some two months, was completed in time for Easter. Their next project, the construction and completion of 3 unit double storey labor quarters will commence in June.

The prelate commended the members of the three main parish teams, for their commitment, in ensuring the growth of the Cathedral. He called upon the members not to forget to place ‘pastoral affairs’ as the top priority of the Cathedral. He further went on to say, that as we journey along in building the Kingdom of God, we are bound to face difficulties and challenges. He called upon the members to work collaboratively, together with the clergy and the religious, and to persevere in all circumstances for the good of the Church.

At the end of the session, John Baptis presented a souvenir, the PPC t-shirt, to Bishop Julius.

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Bishop Julius graces St Mary’s Primary Schools’ Integration Sports Day

Sandakan :  In the multiracial Malaysian society, education is a strong platform for promoting racial integration and as such, schools are common grounds for bringing together the children of different ethnicity, race and religion. Participating in sports, an integral part of the system can promote active integration, a very much needed ingredient in nation building.

 This morning, April 29th 2010, Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom graced the 5th Annual Integration School Sports of the three Catholic Mission Primary Schools; St Mary’s Convent, St Mary’s Labuk and St Mary’s Town at the St Mary’s Secondary School field, some 5 km from the town centre.

In her welcoming speech, Rose Solibun, the organizing Chairperson and also the headmistress of St Mary’s Convent welcomed Bishop Julius and extended her appreciation to the prelate for taking time off to be with the school community. She thanked the school staff and the parents for their collaborative effort in making the event a success. Such partnership is vital for the progress of the school.

According to her, the 4 day event is part of the Education Ministry’s RIMuP (Rancangan Integrasi Murid untuk Perpaduan) ‘Solidarity through Children’s Integration’ program. Participating schools stand to benefit in the sharing of human resource, expertise in related fields and facilities.

Bishop Julius in his speech said that sports, as part of the school co-curricular activity is not just a healthy physical pursuit but also a social tool towards producing balanced individuals. It is a venue for the children to build and solidify friendship networks, improving skills and developing self esteem and confidence.

The prelate, accompanied by the three headmistresses of the said schools, inspected the three contingents. They then adjourned to the school hall for reception.

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3 in 1 celebration at St Mark's Church, Sandakan

Sandakan : St Mark’s Church, some 20 km from the town centre held a 3 in 1 celebration, Tuesday April 27th 2010, celebrating the Feast of St Mark, the patron Saint of the Church, the 17th anniversary of the Church and the 1st anniversary of the Indonesian Catholic Pastoral Committee (ICPC)

 

The event began with the bi-lingual Eucharistic celebration in Chinese and Bahasa Malaysia, celebrated by Fr Thomas Makajil, rector of St Mary’s Cathedral and assisted by Deacon David Garaman. Some 400 local parishioners and parishioners of the Cathedral attended the celebration.

According to Fr Thomas, St Mark’s gospel, though the shortest among the four gospels, it might seem as insignificant as the mustard seed, but it can become a great tree in whose branches we can all find shelter. He urged the faithful to emulate St Mark, as in all his weaknesses, he saw in him the opportunity to persevere and endeavor to spread the Good News. Mark 16:15, ‘Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all mankind.’ He eventually ended up being a great evangelist.

After the Holy Mass, the faithful adjourned to the Church Hall for a ‘pot-luck’ dinner fellowship.

Fr Thomas, together with Demeh Koyopo, Chairman of the Pastoral Committee, Petrus Beam, Chairman of the Indonesian Catholic Pastoral Committee, religious sisters and local lay leaders cut the anniversary cake to the music of the happy anniversary song.

Demeh, in his welcoming speech said, though the celebration was moderate but it bore much meaning to the local community. He was happy to note that the close working relationship of the community is a good sign of strong solidarity. The acceptance of one another is an excellent reflection of the gospel value.

Petrus shared that since the establishment of the Indonesian Catholic Pastoral Committee a year ago, much had been done to draw the community closer to God and to one another. More than 100 families had registered with the ICPC and he expected that the number would double by year end.

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