FIRST OUTING BY SAYANG GROUP

The SAYANG group of St Ann organised an outing for the youths of St Ann to Mt Sentah on 18 June 2010. Even though there was a light drizzle in the morning, this did not dampen their spirits as they made their way up Mt Sentah. They participated in the mass celebrated by Friar William Lee followed by a fellowship potluck together.

GOOD NEWS – SPA APPROVAL

The parish of St Ann received good news that the State Planning Authority (SPA) has finally approval the submission of the St Ann new Complex, after a long 4-year wait.

The design and plan of the new St Ann Complex was submitted in 2006 and there was nothing further heard with regards to the progress of the SPA approval.

In October 2009, the St Ann Building and Maintenance Committee (SABMC) was formed to look into this matter and other matters pertaining to the construction and design of the new Church. Mr Francis Jiee took up the matter and pursued the matter as best as he could. Finally his persistence paid off, when we received news on 16th June 2010 of the approval by SPA.

This means we have to start the groundwork and gradually work towards making our dream come true for the parishioners of St Ann

Father's day Celebration at St Ann

The Children Liturgy of the Sunset Mass celebrated Father's day by dedicating the song "You Raise Me Up" to their fathers present in the congregation.

A small performance by our "little ones" but it must have touched and melted the hearts of the fathers hearing their dedication to their SPECIAL ONE in their lives.

Fr William Lee was also privileged to be part of the celebrations and witness the powerful "St Ann-style" performance.

New member at St Ann - Fr William Lee

Fr William Lee returned to Kuching to celebrate the Sunset Mass, as an ordained friar, at St Ann Baruk on 19 June 2010. He also took the opportunity to thank the parishoners for their continual prayers and support in his priestly ministry/journey.

Corpus Christi Part III

Corpus Christi Part II

Corpus Christi Procession at St Ann Parish

Here are some of the pictures taken during the Corpus Christi Process on 6th June 2010 at St Ann Parish:

A Big Thank-you for the Corpus Chrisri Organising Committee that had planned this event and also the St Ann Wardens who controlled the traffic and movement of parishoners along the procession route and our 2 parishoners from the police force who helped to direct the traffic at the roundabout before St Ann and Jalan Landeh road.

Miracle at Zone Ziburan?

On 5 June 2006, one of the friars went to Kg Seratau to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi together with the parishoners under Zone Siburan. Upon arrival at the kampung, people were greeted with a downpour and dark clouds in the sky.

This meant that the Corpus Christi procession at the end of the Mass had to be called off and instead Plan B was formulated. Even the Chairman of Kg Seratau felt that Plan B was the best option.

What was God's message for his people who came to participate in the Corpus Christi celebration? Perhaps for 2010, the procession will be limited to the church's grounds only.

However towards the end of the Mass, a miracle happened. The rain had stopped completely and we had to revert to what was originally planned. There was a certain enthuasism to begin the procession and the parishoners were waiting in anticipation to begin the Corpus Christi procession.

What struck me at the end of the whole celebration was this text from Scriptures "Lord I believe, help my unbelief". One simple yet outstanding miracle that happened on 5th June 2010 at Kg Seratau.

Pre-Gawai Celebration at St Ann- Part IV

Follow the story and view more pictures here.

Baptism of Visually Impaired Couple in St Ann

After a long journey of perseverance, both Clement Egoh and his wife, Mary Peny, who are visually impaired, were baptised on 22 May 2010 at St Ann parish.

The faith journey for Clement Egoh began in 1999 but he was not sure as to how to go about in his search. However his good friend the late Victor, from Kg Seratau, came into his life and brought the couple and his family by taxi, for the Sunday mass at St Ann in 2007.

The faith journey was not an easy one especially after the loss of their friend Victor, who suffered a massive heart attack. However Victor has planted the seed of faith and this helped the couple to preserve and finally make the decision to get baptised. Joseph Juni, the catechist from St Ann, continued their faith formation and prepared them to become members of God’s family through Baptism.Besides, the daughter was also baptized on the same day and this was truly a happy occasion for the whole family.

The Lord certainly works in many mysterious ways to draw others closer to his abundant love and compassion. The Church needs more “Victors” to come forward and become Christ Light for others so that our whole world can be filled with God’s infinite love for every individual seeking his Presence.

PRE-GAWAI CELEBRATIONS - PART III

PRE-GAWAI CELEBRATIONS - Part II

ST ANN PRE-GAWAI CELEBRATIONS

This year 2010, the pre-gawai committee decided to celebrate the Pre-Gawai celebrations in a more cultural and ethinc manner. These photographs truly speak about our Dayak-style celebration on 21 May 2010:

Earth Hour 2010

The youth of St Ann parish got together on 27 March 2010 to commemorate Earth Hour. When the lights went off at 8.30 pm, they began with a Taize style prayer service to praise and thank God for the gift of Mother Earth. And they were also joined by other youths, family members and youths from the neighbouring parish. This event which began in St Ann last year continues to reflect the charism of the Franciscan friars in Kuching, in our care for the environment.

Matthew 25: 33 - 40

The parable put forth by Jesus remains a great challenge for all his followers. As the Body of Christ, we are called to serve the poor, the marginalised and the rejects of our modern-day society.

The Home of Peace, located some 3 kilometers from St Ann Parish, comes under the care of St Ann parish. On 20th February 2010, we began with a Mass celebrated in the Home of Peace's Chapel. The parishoners from the nearby Taman Landeh and Taman RPR Landeh came to attend the Mass and support the residents. It was a good turnout by the parishoners from the two Tamans who will have to gradually take ownership of their commitment to the Home of Peace and also respond to the challenge of Jesus' parable in the Gospel of Matthew.

Our presence as parishoners of St Ann certainly made an impact on the residents, the SSFS sisters ministering in the Home and Alvin (Administrator). The celebration of Mass at the Home of peace will soon become a regular feature where the Mass will be celebrated on the first, third, fourth and fifth Saturdays of every month.

You are invited to join us at the mass and experience the joy of serving the Lord's poor.

OFFICIAL OPENING OF HOLY FAMILY CHAPEL IN BETONG

A small delegation of parishoners and two friars drove up to Betong to witness the official opening and blessing of the Holy Family chapel in Betong.

The journey began on Friday afternoon and the group stayed over at Our Lady of Peace parish for the night, under the generous hospitality of Fr Patrick Heng.

Next morning we set out for Betong and arrived at the chapel and was told to be aware of the slippery road leading to the Betong Chapel. Fortunately, we arrived safely at the chapel and joined in the celebrations. The other friar who arrived at the scene, in the morning, was Friar Joseph Lee. He was picked up in the early hours of the morning so as to be on time for the ceremony.

Deacon William Lee was part of the delegation that arrived one day earlier and this trip was his first to Sri Aman. He played his role as a deacon by assisting Bishop John Ha during the ceremony.

After the mass we made our way back to St Ann Parish and it was quite an experience for all of us to be there and witness the official opening and blessing of the Holy Family Chapel in Betong.

Deacon William Lee from Singapore

On 1st December 2009, Deacon William Lee arrived in Kuching to help out in the parish. His presence at the parish came as a great surprise where at times God, in his mysterious ways, has a different plan for each individual. Importantly, one has to always be open, positive and take up the new challenges before him/her in the building up of God's kingdom

Although Deacon William is not fluent with the languages spoken in the Kota Padawan area like Biatah Siburan, Iban and Bahasa Malaysia, he has shown his determination to work alongside the parishoners and taken part in some of the sacramental demands of his ministry as a deacon for example once he had to do an emergency baptism at Kuching General Hospital for a new born twin baby.

The parishoners of St Ann have benefited from his presence and have become familiar with this simple Punggol-Teochew speaking boy from Singapore.

Hopefully Deacon William will enjoy his ministry among the Bidayuhs and Iban parishoners and experience the mysterious "hand of God" working actively in his life at this point of time.

CHAMPIONS ONCE AGAIN - ST ANN PARISH

The parish of St Ann has become champion once again for the second year running in the 2009 Kota Padawan Beauty and Landscape Competition. A small delegation went to SK Pangkalan Empat to receive the award.

This award continues to affirm our identity and charism as Franciscans, who are called to care and appreciate our Earth and the Environment.

The huge challenge before us is to help people become aware of the importance and care of the environment which is given as God's gift to the human race. As stewards, we have the responsibility to ensure that the future generations will also enjoy the beauty and gift of God's creation.