Catholics at RPR Landeh celebrate 6th Feastday

The Catholic community at RPR Landeh celebrated the feast of its patron, St. Polycarp, on Saturday evening, 28th February 2009. The Holy Mass, presided by Friar Moses Yap OFM was held on an open ground at Lane 3 of Phase 3, RPR Landeh under the protection of specially erected canopies.

The community of about 350 Catholics came in full strength to mark the occasion.

Mr. Christopher who is the Chairman of the community made a short welcoming speech soon after the celebration of the Eucharist. This was followed by Friar Moses Yap OFM, who thanked the community for their cooperation. After the speeches, the community and guests enjoyed themselves to a fellowship meal and entertainment by the community’s multi-ethnic youths with presentations of songs and cultural dances.

Mr. Barnabas Willie, the Chairman of the Liturgical Committee of St. Ann was also present.

Catholics at Sikog Village celebrate Feastday

The Catholic community of Sikog Village, celebrated the feast of its patron, Our Lady of Lourdes, in an evening celebration of Holy Mass, presided by Friar Gerard Victor OFM on Wednesday, February 11, 2009. This year the celebration is the 31st Anniversary.

The Village, situated at Km 35, off Kuching-Serian Road, has about 80 Catholic families.

Mr. Austin Johet, the Chairman of the community made a short welcoming speech soon after the celebration of the Eucharist. This was followed by the Rector of St. Ann, Friar Gerard Victor OFM, who reminded the community to remain steadfast in their faith. After the speeches, the community and guests enjoyed themselves to a fellowship meal.

Among the guests present were the Chairman and Secretary of St Ann’s Family Ministry, Mr. Francis Satim and Mr. Griffin Edem, and their spouses. Also present were Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Allas, who had graciously shared the four photographs used here.

RAYMOND ALLAS – SHUTTER BUG WITH A DIFFERENCE

Mr. Raymond has become a familiar figure here in St Ann Parish, Kota Padawan. An avid shutter bug who continues to help out at some of the Church’s functions like Weddings at the Baruk, Parish Council AGM meeting, St Ann feast day/parish sales and feast-day dinner.

Raymond has been awarded the APRS honour in 1968, the only Daya to receive such an honour, began his love for photography at the age of thirteen. By now, he has a huge collection of photographs that cover from the treasures and heritage of Sarawak (for eg. people from the different tribes and landscapes) to the beauty of Mother Nature (butterflies, pitcher plants). One could truly spend many hours browsing through his photos and admiring the handiwork of Raymond.

Last Christmas, I took the opportunity to visit Raymond and his family. After lunch he took out his collection of photographs and showed them to me. There was alot to digest and absorb at one sitting but Raymond was there to explain and point out some of the significance and background to that particular photograph. Some of photos gave me the feeling of going down Memory Lane especially in the late 50s and 60s.

There is something extraordinary about Raymond. He has a keen eye and a steady hand to capture the beauty of a particular subject. The end product is truly the work of a genius where his picture truly speaks a thousand words, in terms of composition and richness of colours. This man is able to show a unique side of the beauty of Sarawak through his lens.

Some months ago, I spoke with Raymond with regards to the sharing of his unique and wonderful legacy with others especially the people here in Sarawak. There is so much of the local treasures that is waiting to be unearthed and revealed to the people of Sarawak living in our modern times.

One practical way is to have an exhibition at a particular gallery so as to display his photographs. Raymond has also been gracious and wants to donate a part of the proceedings received to the New St Ann Church Building fund. Therefore his aim is two-fold that is to share his heritage with the local Sarawakian community and also support the Building of the New St Ann Church in Pasar Batu 10, Kota Padawan.

While this remains an idea to be pursued for the near future but there is a pressing need for some sort of assistance to help Raymond's dreams come true. Any persons interested to help Raymond can get in touch with him on his mobile phone @ 019-8883118 or St Ann Parish @ 082-611757

GIFT COUPON PROJECT ON TRACK TO REACH TARGET

The Gift Coupon project was given a boost by Mr. Frankie Heng, a parishioner from St. Peter’s Chapel, Simpok who made a personal gift of RM5,000 on February 10, 2009 at St. Ann’s Parish Office.
On hand to receive the cheque was the Rector, Friar Gerard Victor, OFM witnessed by Mr. Patrick Kiyok, the Deputy Chairman of St. Ann New Complex Committee.
The Gift Coupon, launched during the Feast Day of St. Ann on July 27, 2008, is one of the fund-raising projects for the new St. Ann Complex. The Committee anticipated raising RM400,000 through this project by April 2009.
We truly hope that the parishioners, friends and benefactors will continue to support our church building fund-raising effort.
Mother Theresa of Calcutta used to say that Christ calls us to give not from our surplus but from our need. This is the kind of giving God assures us He will reward "with good measure flowing over!"

CHRISTMAS MIRACLE AT KG STABUT

The parish of St Ann usually receives Christmas gifts from the parishioners of St Joseph and St Peter to be distributed to the parishioners in the rural villages in the Upper Padawan area.

In December 2008, one priest went to Kg Stabut to distribute the Christmas gifts packed in two big plastic bags. After the final prayer, the children were invited to come forward in a random manner according to the different age group. Most of the present were given out to the children who were present at the mass.

Not long after, one parent came excitedly to describe the Christmas miracle. Her daughter was totally overwhelmed when she opened her present and found a RM 100 together with a bar of chocolate. This family is the poorest family living in the village and this incident came as a real surprise to them.

Christmas is a time to give and receive and the Lord gave himself freely and unconditionally to us at the feast of Christmas. This miracle continues in our present time and in a very special way this poor family has experienced the Lord’s generosity and love for them in an unexpected manner.

NEWLY ELECTED ST ANN PARISH COUNCILORS

The newly elected Parish Councilors at the AGM Parish Council in December 2008 are as follows:

Chairman: Mr Robert Josem
Vice-Chairman: Mr Martin Nyibomb
Secretary: Mr Jose Geda
Assistant Secretary: Mr Lester Rijed
Treasurer: Mr John Raos
Assistant Treasurer: Mr Wilson Tamin

The above personnel will serve a 2-year term and they were introduced to the parishioners of St Ann on 4th January at the 9.30 am mass.

RESTORED STATUE OF ST ANN

The statue of St Ann has been restored and placed on the hillside that overlooks the road leading to Borneo Heights.

The background to this statue is that it was donated to Fr James Meehan MHM in 1975 by Corporeal Arulapan from the Army. The statue of St Ann needed some restoration after many years because of the usual wear and tear. Many of the parishioners would be able to remember the statue of St Ann placed at the back of the altar in the Baruk previously.

The statue was then given to a well wisher who took pains to restore the statue to her original beauty and she now sits majestically on the hillside.

Our Lady Comfort of the Afflicted celebrates her 1st Anniversary

The Legion of Mary, Our Lady Comfort of the Afflicted praesidium, St. Ann’s Parish, celebrated its 1st anniversary on 30 November 2008. In his welcoming speech, Br. President, Br. Johnny Lim explained that the praesidium’s first meeting was on 10 February 2007 at his house with 10 members. It has now grown to 27 active members and 16 auxiliary members.
Br. President thanked the tribunes, Br. Vincent Sayang and Br. Henry Garan for their guidance and support throughout its first year of existence. He also thanked the Rector of St Ann Parish for his continuous support and also for providing a place where the praesidium conducts its weekly meetings.
Fr. Gerard Victor OFM, Rector of St. Ann’s Parish and also Spiritual Director of the praesidium commended the members on their commitment and constant effort in bringing the word and the love of God to those who are in need. He also encouraged the members to continue to play an active role in the various ministries in the church.

St Ann Parish awarded First Prize for Natural Beauty and Environment Competition 2008

In line with the 2008 Natural Beauty and Environment Competition organized by the Padawan City Council, St Ann Parish emerged as Champion for the Church category. Fr Gerard together with Mr. Robert Josem (Parish Council chairman) and some parishioners went to SMK Padawan on 23 October 2008 to collect the prize money, Certificate and trophy.

This award reflects a true commitment and dedication by the parishoners involved in the gotong-royong and Mr. Simon Junal (Parish Gardener & Landscape) to make St Ann a place of worship and welcome for the parishioners and others visiting the parish.

Animal Blessing

In line with the Franciscan tradition of Animal Blessing, a paraliturgy was organized on 5th October 2008 at St Ann Baruk. A number of parishioners came to partake in the ceremony and are slowly becoming familiar with regard to the “giftedness” of animals in their lives.

Confirmation Mass at St Ann Baruk

Archbishop John Ha presided at the Confirmation Mass on 21 September 2008 at 9 am. A total of 318 candidates were confirmed and Bishop Ha was assisted by the two parish friars.

St Ann Feast Day 2008

The parish of St Ann celebrated her Ruby anniversary on 27 July 2008. Archbishop John Ha presided at the Eucharist together with the friars of the Custody Council of Singapore-Malaysia-Brunei. The highlights of the celebration were the launch of the Gift coupon in aid of the new St Ann Complex, the “Longest Hand Print Banner” project and the visit of 50 parishioners, mostly from St Mary of the Angels.

What was unique for this year’s celebration was the twin-celebrations of the Ruby Anniversary of St Ann (Diocese) and the 50th Anniversary of the Franciscan Presence in Singapore. The visitors from Singapore joined in the festive celebrations and were truly touched by the encounter with the local people.

Corpus Christi cum Pre-Gawai Mass at Upper Padawan Area

About 500 parishoners from various kampungs of St Michael Sub-Parish, Teng Bukap turned up for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi cum Pre-Gawai mass on 25th May 2008 at the community hall. The Eucharistic celebration was celebrated by Friar Gerard Victor OFM.

The highlight of the celebration included traditional dances accompanied by gong instruments and lively hymns sung by the choir from Kampung Sira. There was a short procession to the nearby “Gua Baju”, followed by the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. This event continues to remind the people of God’s love, presence and providence for his people on their faith journey

HISTORICAL MOMENT FOR COMMUNITY AT KG SAMPUN KELILI

The community at Kampung Sampun Kelili, Samarahan witnessed the Rite of Welcome ceremony on 19 April 2008. This was a historical and proud moment for the community where 26 catechumens participated in the Rite.

Even though the ceremony was celebrated in a simple manner but this event marks the progress and growth within the community. Prior to the Rite of Welcome, there were a lot of ground preparations done to ensure that the candidates were ready for the event.

After the Eucharist, there was a meal fellowship, prepared by the community, where there was opportunity to mingle with the members in the community so as to get to know them better and also support them in their faith journey.

FRANCISCAN CROWN AT TAMAN GREENWOOD

During the month of the Rosary in May, a decision was made by the Rector to recite the Franciscan crown at the different Tamans, under St Ann Parish. This was to build a closer rapport with the parishoners in the various Tamans at the grass root level.

The Rosary month kicked off with Taman Greenwood. The parishoners organised the prayers among themselves and took turns to lead the Rosary. There was a meal fellowship after the Rosary and then we had a cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate Mother's Day.

This was the first time where the Rosary devotion was held at the level of Taman and a good number of parishoners turned up for the event.

CELEBRATION OF MOTHER'S DAY

The Children Liturgy group of St. Ann celebrated Mother's Day in a simple yet visible manner. Led by Teresa Jita and her team, they started their project of wrapping single stalk Carnation flowers on Wednesday evening and worked through to Saturday afternoon.

Immediately after the 9.30 morning mass, the children gathered at strategic points to distribute the flowers to the mothers present. It was certainly a small effort to show their appreciation of all mothers who continue to play an important role in the life of the family.

ARMED FORCES MASS AT ST ANN

On 18 April 2008, 626 personnel from the Region Two Military Headquarters attended a Eucharistic celebration, celebrated by Fr Gerard Victor at St Ann Baruk (Kota Padawan), in line with their 75th Anniversary celebration.

This celebration is aimed at fostering close relationship among the personnel - who come from the various Christian denominations - in Kuching. According to Lt Col Selvaraj, he mentioned that this event was also to strengthen their faith in God so that they can discharge their duties better. There are also plans to hold special prayer services in other churches like Bau, Lundu and Serian.

After the Mass, there was a reception on the church's grounds, for the service men and women to mingle with one another.

SUNSET MASS/MANDARIN MASS

The timing of the Sunset Mass at St Ann has been changed from 7.30 pm to 6.30 pm with effect from 29 March 2008. A survey was done much earlier to find the response from the grass root level and the parishoners were happy to bring forward the timing of the Sunset mass to 6.30 pm.

Because of the availability of 2-Mandarin speaking priests on the parish, a decision was made in January 2008 to have the Mandarin mass so as to serve the Chinese community in Kota Padawan area. Both Fr Moses Yap and Joseph Lee take turns to help out with the Mandarin mass on Sundays at 5.30pm.

On 17th February 2007, the Ladies Guild of St Ann conducted the traditional Way of the Crosss, up Mt Sentah. The group gathered at the foot of the mountain, in the morning, and then made regular stops along the way.

It was a wonderful experience where the Ladies Guild from different kampungs took turn to lead the prayer and also carry a 5-foot wooden cross.

After reaching at the top of the mountain, the group rested awhile before celebrating the Eucharist. As usual, there was fellowship after the Mass and many felt good about the experience and hoped that there are more planned in the coming months.