MAY - DEC 2015 / VOL. 1
www.splendourproject.com
14
pg
INSIDE COMMUNICARE << Find out what the Splendour Project is really all about and who are the people involved and also some of the faith-formation materials we produce!
3-5 >> Find out in detail about the three different pilgrimages we have organised for the year 2015. Could you be our next pilgrim?
^ Check out the many events that we have organised, hosted and attended throughout the months in 2015. See if we went to your city or not!
10-21
6-9 << Find out the Splendour Projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans for the Jubilee Year of Mercy. From formation-cum-recollections to pilgrimages, we have an exciting year ahead of us planned!
>>
22-26 Published by The Splendour Project Contact Matthew Kang Communications and Events Manager 016-443 2783 matthew@splendourproject.com 2 | COMMUNICARE
OUR COLLABORATORS MATTHEW LO CATECHIST/PRESENTER (MANDARIN) matthew.lo@ splendourproject.com
REV. DCN DR SHERMAN KUEK OFS SPEAKER/FORMATOR sherman@ splendourproject.com
SYLVESTER LEE MEDIA & EVENTS DIRECTOR sylvester@ splendourproject.com
RAYMOND & GRACE HEW CATECHISTS / PRESENTERS ON CHASTITY (ENGLISH) raymond@ splendourproject.com grace@ splendourproject.com
The Splendour Team does not consist of employed staff. Those who are clerics of the Church are deeply committed to the mission of the Church in their respective parishes or dioceses, whilst also availing themselves to be in service of the People of God in other dioceses.
REMY MARTIN GUNSALAM CATECHIST / PRESENTER & TRANSLATOR (BAHASA MALAYSIA) remy@ splendourproject.com
REV. FR MICHAEL CHUA SPEAKER/FORMATOR michael@ splendourproject.com
MATTHEW KANG COMMUNICATIONS & EVENTS MANAGER matthew@ splendourproject.com
ANTHONY & SHERRY TAN PUBLISHERS & DISTRIBUTORS sales.my@ NACpublications.com
Those who are laity sustain themselves through apostolate works that enable them to live simple lives while devoting themselves to the evangelisation task of the Church through their commitment to the Splendour Project.
COMMUNICARE | 3
ABOUT US
THE SPLENDOUR PROJECT We are a community of friends â&#x20AC;&#x201C; clergy and laity â&#x20AC;&#x201C; responding to the call of the Holy Catholic Church for a New Evangelisation through the proclamation of Truth, Beauty and Goodness. Convened by the Rev. Deacon Dr Sherman Kuek OFS in 2012, we came together to string together a series of apostolate activities to effectively transmit the Holy Gospel as proclaimed by the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We transmit the Gospel and the teachings of the Church through:
// Live conferences and formation events // Publication and distribution of formation resources // Formation-based pilgrimages organised to various sacred sites around the world
4 | COMMUNICARE
om
rproject.c
ndou www.sple
www.fb.com/splendourproject
www.tw
itter.com
/sherm
ankuek
NEWEST PRODUCTIONS
THE GRACED ONE: UNDERSTANDING THE CHURCH’S BELIEFS ABOUT MARY (MYR15/SGD6)
ARE YOU SAVED?: EXPLAINING THE CATHOLIC TEACHING ON SALVATION (MYR15/SGD6)
INDULGENCES AND PURGATORY: MAKING SENSE OF THE AFTERLIFE(MYR15/SGD6)
COMMUNION OF SAINTS: ARE CATHOLICS GUILTY OF IDOLATRY? (MYR15/SGD6)
One of the greatest misperceptions regarding the Catholic faith is our devotion towards the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some Christians outside the Catholic Church often think that Catholics worship her in an idolatrous way. In this talk, Deacon Sherman Kuek explains what Catholics truly believe about Mary, this being outlined by the four Marian dogmas proclaimed by the Church. He explains how each of these dogmas is reasonable in God’s economy of salvation.
Among our Protestant friends, the salvation of Catholics has often been in question. In part, this stems from the common perception that Catholics are taught that they have to work in order to attain their salvation. In this talk, Deacon Sherman explains how the Catholic Church views salvation differently from the Evangelical Protestant view of it, and how a Christian may come to be saved.
The Catholic Church’s teachings of indulgences and purgatory have been held suspect for centuries, and many Catholics themselves struggle to come to terms with these teachings in the face of pressure to adequately explain them. In this talk, Deacon Sherman Kuek provides a systematic explanation on these areas of Catholic teaching and helps listeners to make sense of why these beliefs continue to remain a part of the Faith of the Church.
In this talk, Deacon Sherman Kuek addresses the question of whether the Catholic Church is in fact guilty of worshipping the Blessed Virgin Mary and the other saints as alleged by some Christians outside the Catholic Church. Tapping from Scripture and the Church Councils, he explains the basis of our relationship with the saints from the perspective of the Communion of the Saints as recited in our Creed.
For information on how to obtain these materials and more, kindly contact: Anthony Chan 012-428 8977 sales.my@nacpublications.com << or visit www.NACpublications.com www.NACpublications.com
COMMUNICARE | 5
2015 FORMATION EVENTS
MAY
30 // 1 // 2
22 // 23 // 24
29 // 30 // 31
SIBU DIOCESAN PASTORAL FORMATION ASSEMBLY
DIFFICULT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CATHOLIC FAITH
RETREAT WITH CATECHISTS OF JOHOR
Formator Deacon Sherman Kuek spoke to the lay leaders and clergy from various parishes in the archdiocese of Sibu at its annual Diocesan Pastoral Formation Assembly. The assembly was joined by Bishop Joseph Hii along with 100 other participants at a retreat centre over that weekend. Topics covered include the evangelical counsels and also Salvation History. The assembly was officiated and closed by Bishop Joseph Hii.
The Splendour Team concluded the talk Splendour of Truth: Difficult Questions About the Catholic Faith. The talk held at Church of St Thomas More, Subang Jaya saw an increase of participants since its first session which started in January. From church history to common misunderstandings of the Catholic church, participants journeyed with our formator Deacon Sherman over a weekend.
A retreat for 30 RCIA facilitators and Sunday school teachers was held in Majodi Centre, Johor Bahru with the Splendour Team. The Splendour Team journeyed with them on the topic of Divine Conspiracy: The Story of our Salvation. This retreat was meant to help the formators understand better Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work of saving His people and in return, help them understand their role as formators in a wider view in relation with the role of the church.
6 | COMMUNICARE
2015 FORMATION EVENTS
JUNE
6 //
17 - 24 // 25 // 26
27 // 28 // 29
SPLENDOUR OF TRUTH (PART 1)
PHILLIPINES
PRAYING WITH COLOURS
The Mandarin speaking community from Good Shepherd Church, Menggatal, Sabah has invited our formator Matthew Lo to give a session. The 120 participants comprised of the Pastoral Council, Communion Ministers, ministry leaders, youths, Sunday School teachers and RCIA members. The talk was aimed to not only explore the beauty of the Catholic faith but also to help them better understand scriptural and theological bases for basic Catholic beliefs.
The Splendour Team participated in the weeklong anniversary celebration of the Couples for Christ International in Manila. Our formator Deacon Sherman also travelled to various cities to speak to various local Couples for Christ groups. In his sessions, he shared with the audience how he discovered the splendour of the Catholic faith, and exhorted the people to treasure this faith and keep their hearts close to the Church.
The members of the Legion of Mary in Kuching gathered once more for their annual retreat - and this time with the Splendour Team. The 100 participants journeyed with formator Deacon Sherman Kuek over a weekend to deepen their faith through appreciation of traditional, authentic icons of the church. Understanding the icons, participants were lead into group reflections about their journey in life based on the Paschal Mystery as depicted on the chosen icons.
COMMUNICARE | 7
2015 FORMATION EVENTS
JULY
1 // 2 // 3
5 //
24 // 25 // 26
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE
SEMINAR ON HUMAN SEXUALITY
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE
The Church of the Holy Family in Kajang has invited the Splendour Team for our session called What’s the Difference: Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants. A group of 60 participants consisting of members of various ministries from the parish spent time with our formator Deacon Sherman over 8 sessions in the course of 3 days learning about the differences between the main splits of Christianity.
8 | COMMUNICARE
The Penang Diocesan Youth Network has invited the Splendour Team to give a session on human sexuality for single young adults. Salient points on the Theology of the Body by St John Paul II were presented by our formator Raymond Hew. A few first year seminarians and lay people were among those 25 people who attended the half-day session.
The Melaka-Johor Diocesan Commision for Evangelisation has organized a What’s the Difference session with the Splendour Project. More than 60 participants were gathered at Sacred Heart Cathedral over the course of three days to journey together with our formator Deacon Sherman to learn about the differences between Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants. Some major topics covered included the history of the splits, sacred tradition and sacred scriptures.
2015 FORMATION EVENTS
AUGUST
3//
24 // 26 // 27
28 // 29 //30
PRAYING WITH ICONS WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM MARY IN THE BIBLE
FORMATION FOR FRANCISCAN SISTERS OF SABAH
CATECHETICAL CONFERENCE
To celebrate the upcoming arrival of the Sabah Youth Day’s Cross, the Parish Youth Pastoral Team of Sacred Heart Cathedral, KK, Sabah has invited the Splendour Team to give a session on Mary. Our formator Matthew Lo journeyed with 50 participants from the Chinese Youth Group to deepen their devotion to Mary, the Mother of God with traditional iconography.
60 sisters of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception in Sabah were joined by our formator Deacon Sherman Kuek for a four day retreat cum formation in Pace Bene Retreat Centre. The retreat was aimed to prepare the sisters involved in various formation events and activities in their own communities and parishes for the Jubilee Year of Mercy 2016 as announced by Pope Francis.
340 catechists from all across Sabah gathered once more for their annual Catechetical Conference with seminar organised by the Catechetical Commision of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The three-day conference, entitled “Faith in Christ” was joined by the Splendour Team with formator Deacon Sherman Kuek at Pace Bene Retreat Centre. The conference was officiated by Archbishop John Wong with Mass.
COMMUNICARE | 9
ENCOUNTERING MOTHER CHURCH IN ITALY, FRANCE, SPAIN & PORTUGAL SEPTEMBER 2015
2015 PILGRIMAGES The months from September leading to December are always special months for the Splendour Project. They are the months when the Splendour Project takes their faith-formation to a dynamic and different level in the form of pilgrimages. Every year, the Splendour Project schedules three to four trips to bring pilgrims to various holy sites and shrines in different parts of the world. This past September 2015, we brought 27 pilgrims through four countries, namely Italy, France, Spain and Portugal on a 14day holy pilgrimage with daily faith-formation and Holy Mass. We started our journey with the pilgrims right at the heart of Christianity, our Mother Church, Rome on 21 September 2015. From visiting the four Major Papal Basilicas to getting submerged in the Vatican Museums, our pilgrims were able
to absorb and understand the teachings of our Mother Church by being in touch with the place itself and also daily faith formations by Deacon Sherman Kuek.
like San Sebastian and Loyola where pilgrims got an opportunity to to discover the life of St Ignatius of Loyola. They continued their journey through Spain stopping by Avila of the famed We moved on to Assisi for a St Teresa and Salamanca. night to explore and understand St Francis, St Clare and the Fran- Arriving in Fatima, Portugal the ciscan Spirituality where we pilgrims immediately joined evevisited the places of his birth, ning Rosary and even lead the death and revelation. We head- Fourth Mystery in English. The ed back to Rome for a visit to following couple of nights gave the St Callixtusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Catacombs the pilgrims plenty of time to visit the town of Fatima, where Our From there, we traveled to Lady of Fatima appeared to three Lourdes, France where the pil- shepherd children, and also take grims spent three nights - in part in the candlelight procession. prayer, attending mass, queuing for the Lourdes bath and The pilgrimage drew to a close taking part in the nightly ro- at Lisbon, Portugal. Apart from sary procession with pilgrims trying the famed Portuguese from all over the world. The pil- egg tarts, the pilgrims mangrims had time to themselves aged to visit a few significant to recollect and retreat in the landmarks and churches like peaceful little town of Lourdes. the Basilica of St Anthony of Padua and St Domingo Church. After that, the pilgrims headed for Spain stopping by places Some of the faith formation topics included throughout this pilgrimage were on apostolic succession, papal primacy, Franciscan spirituality, evangelical counsels, history of persecution, Marian dogmas and more.
On the previous page: St Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Basilica from a vantage point < Pilgrims from all over the world participating in the nightly Rosary and candlelight procession at Lourdes, France
COMMUNICARE | 11
2015 PILGRIMAGES 1
4
2
3 1 Main apse of San Francesco Basilica, Italy 2 Basilica of St Ignatius towering the little quiet town of Loyola, Spain 3 The main altar of Convento de Santa Teresa (Convent of St Teresa) in Avila, Spain 4 Our pilgrims in front of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Lourdes, France
12 | COMMUNICARE
2015 PILGRIMAGES 1
2
3
4
1 The nightly candlelight procession at Shrine of our Lady of Fatima, Portugal
5
2 Basilica of our Our Lady of Fatima, Fatima, Portugal 3 The main altar of Santo Antonio (Church of St Anthony of Padua), Lisbon, Portugal 4 Our pilgrims venerating the relic of St Anthony of Padua in Lison, Portugal 5 Statue of the Black Madonna of Our Lady of Nazare, Portugal
COMMUNICARE | 13
ENCOUNTERING THE EARLY CHURCH IN GREECE & TURKEY OCTOBER 2015
2015 PILGRIMAGES
^ Roman amphitheatre at the Acropolis of Athens, Greece
It isn’t everyday you get to traipse around ancient ruins and touch the city walls that were referred to in numerous letters by the early Apostles. It’s one thing to read about Thessalonians and Philippians in the letters from St Paul or St John but another thing altogether to stand in the exact place and understand the geographical analogy the apostles were addressing the early Christians.
The pilgrimage covered biblical civilisations, cities, and towns like Philippi, Thessaloniki, Athens and Patmos in Greece. Faith formation included topics of St Paul and St John’ mission, understanding the monastic life of Eastern Christians, revisiting the Ancient Greek religion and so forth.
In Turkey, the pilgrims were lead to understand the Book of Revelation of John by visiting the Seven Churches of Revelation as was written about in the. One could still walk under and touch remnants of temples and Roman theatres in cities like Ephesus, Philadelphia and Pergamum.
The Splendour Project had the opportunity to lead 31 pilgrims for our annual pilgrimage to Greece & Turkey to encounter the early churches. We started the 15-day journey on 15 October and ended our holy journey on the 31 October with daily faith formation by Deacon Sherman and daily Mass with Fr Michael Chua. > The ruins of the ancient city of Corinth, Greeve < Greek Orthodox monasteries perched atop of rock formations, Meteora, Greece
COMMUNICARE | 15
2015 PILGRIMAGES The pilgrims were also brought back to the time of the formulation of what we know today as the Nicene Creed when we visited Nicaea, the site of the two Councils of Nicaea before moving on to Istanbul. Formation topics covered a number of the Ecumenical Councils that took place in Constantinople, especially in the Hagia Sophia. > The ruins of the Libary of Selcus, Ephesus, Turkey v Inside the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
16 | COMMUNICARE
2015 PILGRIMAGES 1
5
2
6
3
After a tiring but fulfilling journey, the Splendour Team looks forward to bring a new group of pilgrims to Greece & Turkey again in the coming year. In fact, we have another scheduled trip for 25 October to 9 November in 2016 with similar daily faith formation. To find out more, contact Matthew at pilgrimages@splendourproject.com. 1 Our pilgrims at Meteora, Kalambaka, Greece
4
2 Ruins of Laodicea (one of the seven Churches of Revelation), Turkey 3 Panorama from Hierapolis (one of the seven Churches of Revelation) over the Travertine, Turkey 4 Our pilgrims at the ruins of Pergamum (one of the seven Churches of Revelation), Turkey 5 The Anastasis icon on the apse of Chora Church, Istanbul, Turkey 6 The relic of Pope St John XXIII exposed at the Church of St George for veneration, Istanbul, Turkey
COMMUNICARE | 17
ENCOUNTERING JESUS CHRIST IN THE HOLY LAND NOVEMBER 2015
< The old city of Jerusalem
Every year, the Splendour Project never fails to organise a trip to the Holy Land and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usually in November (and sometimes February). This year was no different when we journeyed with 45 pilgrims over the course of 10 days covering the most important, certified and holy sites in the Holy Land. Because our pilgrimages are faith-formation based, we have designed the trip as such that it covers all the significant sites that appear in the Four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Not only is our trip based on a syllabus by Deacon Sherman, but it is also one of its kind.
^ Panoramic view of Mt Nebo and its surroundings
We kick started our journey from Mt Nebo, Jordan before we headed over to the region of Galilee where we visited places like Cana, Nazareth, Capernaum and Tabgha. We spent the following couple of days around the Sea of Galilee, visiting places where Jesus multiplied bread, cooked breakfast for His apostles and even turned water into wine. No visit in the region of Galilee is complete without a visit to Mt Tabor where the Transfiguration took place. After that, we headed over to the region of Judea to visit the places (now churches and shrines) where Jesus was born, crucified and rose from the dead .
The pilgrims were lead into constant prayer and deep reflection, for example, when praying the Via Dolorosa through the streets of Jerusalem, which ends at the Church of Holy Sepulchre. Mt of Olives, where Jesus suffered in agony at the garden and at the site of His Ascension into heaven. Coupled with the celebration of Holy Mass in the selected churches and daily faith-formation on topics like Jesus Christ and the Intimacy of the Eucharist, the pilgrims were encouraged to enter every church or shrine in a meditative and prayerful disposition in order to reap the full spiritual benefits of the pilgrimage. COMMUNICARE | 19
2015 PILGRIMAGES 1
3
20 | COMMUNICARE
2
2015 PILGRIMAGES < The main dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem
< Church of All Nations (Garden of Gethsemane), Jerusalem
< A part of the Jordan River, Galilee
On previous page: 1 A view of the Church of St Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gallicantu, on top of Mt Zion, Jerusalem 2 A pilgrim prays at the Church of Primacy of Peter, Galilee 3 Facade of the Basilica of the Annunciation, Galilee
COMMUNICARE | 21
2016 EVENTS FORMATION + RECOLLECTION FOR THE JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY For the Jubilee Year of Mercy that begins from 8 December 2015, our Splendour Team has already prepared a series of formation sessions entitled, “The Mystery of Mercy”. Our team will be touring around the region to present this in various dioceses and parishes around the region. The dates of these events will be released sometime towards the end of this year so you can catch them at a locality that is nearest to you. Our team will be touring around the region to present this in various dioceses and parishes around the region. The dates of these events will be released sometime towards the end of this year so you can catch them at a locality that is nearest to you. Our formation-based pilgrimages to the Holy Land, to Rome and Eastern Europe, and to Greece and Turkey will also be run. Do get in touch with us fast if you are interested in participating in any of these trips! Find out if we’re coming to a city near you at: www.splendourproject.com/ events 22 | COMMUNICARE
The Splendour Projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s formation-based pilgrimages are unique and one of its kind. In addition to the customary sight-seeing and photo-taking, each and every one of our pilgrimages are minutely customised by our team based on thorough research and formation syllabus for the full benefit of your spiritual needs.
EASTERN EUROPE HOLY LAND
GREECE & TURKEY
HOLY LAND
2016 PILGRIMAGES
Daily faith formation on trips by Deacon Dr Sherman Kuek A specially invited priest who is well-reputed to dispense the sacraments daily A free professionally produced hour-long video footage of every trip for pilgrims A certificate for every pilgrim stipulating the amount of faith formation received Thorough research done in the organising of these trips COMMUNICARE | 23
2016 PILGRIMAGES ENCOUNTER JESUS CHRIST IN THE HOLY LAND 29 FEB - 10 MAR 2016 *Fully Booked Formation Director: Deacon Dr Sherman Kuek OFS Accompanying Priest: Fr Philip Odhiambo Obaso MHM 22 NOV - 2 DEC 2016 Price: RM13,300 (twin sharing) Formation Director: Deacon Dr Sherman Kuek OFS Accompanying Priest: Fr Mathews Ak Olili MHM Visit and touch the places where Christ, our Lord, was born, grew up, lived, ministered and visited in the course of his earthly life. Visit the towns and villages where the early Apostles lived and preached the Gospel to the Early Christians. Make a journey to the land where God chose to reveal the fullness of Himself to humanity. Formation Content: Devotion to our Lady, primacy of the Roman See, pillars of Franciscan spirituality, church architecture, etc. For more information, kindly contact: Matthew Kang 016-443 2783 matthew @splendourproject.com 24 | COMMUNICARE
2016 PILGRIMAGES ENCOUNTER THE HOLY SAINTS IN EASTERN EUROPE 26 SEP - 13 OCT 2016 Price: RM17,400 (twin sharing) Formation Director: Deacon Dr Sherman Kuek ofs Accompanying Bishop: Bishop Cornelius Sim Visit and walk in the footsteps of blessed saints like St Faustina of the Divine Mercy and St John Paul II as we track across five countries in Eastern Europe. Get to know them and be inspired by their lives as you visit their places of birth, life and death. Get your plenary indulgences as you visit the four major Papal Basilicas in Rome, exploring the likes of St Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Most importantly, meet Pope Francis in person! Formation Content: Primacy of the Roman See, apostolic succession, church architecture, devotion to our Lady, veneration of the Saints, veneration of relics, public and private revelation
For more information, kindly contact: Matthew Kang 016-443 2783 matthew @splendourproject.com COMMUNICARE | 25
ENCOUNTER THE EARLY CHURCH IN GREECE & TURKEY 25 OCT- 9 NOV 2016 Price: RM17,700 (twin sharing) Formation Director: Deacon Dr Sherman Kuek ofs Accompanying Priest: Fr Valentine Gompok OFM Cap Visit the cities where St Paul visited to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, such as, Philippi, Thessaloniki, Athens and Corinth, among others. Visit the only place where you can find some majestic orthodox monasteries amazingly perched on multi-storey high rock formations. Visit the Island of Patmos where the book of the Apocalypse was written, and also visit the seven churches mentioned in the book of the Apocalypse. Enter the Hagia Sophia which was once the grandest church on the face of the earth. Formation Content: Devotion to our Lady, primacy of the Roman See, pillars of Franciscan spirituality, church architecture, etc.
For more information, kindly contact: Matthew Kang 016-443 2783 matthew @splendourproject.com 26 | COMMUNICARE
COMMUNICARE by The Splendour Project 2016 Š All rights reserved www.splendourproject.com