Inside...
Association of Churches Youth Concert
Launching of the Year of Consecrated Life
“My soul rejoices in my God.” Is 61:10
今日教友
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CATHOLIC today’s
A monthly publication of the Archdiocese of Kuching, Sarawak
Permit No PPK 148/01/2013(031378)
Vol 25 No 9 December 2014 RM1.50
Christmas Message 2014 by Archbishop John Ha The year 2014 is drawing to its close. It has been a year of great blessings for the Archdiocese of Kuching in terms of Jubilee celebrations: Archbishop Emeritus Dato’ Sri Peter Chung’s Diamond Jubilee, Fr Dato’ Lawrence Chua’s and Fr Albert Jacobse’s Golden Jubilee; and the Platinum Jubilee of Sr Celine, Diamond Jubilee of Sr Mary Jong, Golden Jubilee of Srs Emily, Sylvia and Paula, and Silver Jubilee of Srs Agatha, Perpetua and Marian. Though unknown to me, I am sure there have also been many Jubilees of marriages in the Archdiocese. To all these Jubilarians, I say: “Heartiest congratulations and God’s choicest blessings on you.” Jubilees are occasions of God’s grace to us because they proclaim loudly the fidelity of the Jubilarians to their respective vocations: priesthood, religious life and married life. Despite the ups and downs of their lives, these Jubilarians have stuck faithfully to the Lord’s will for them. In a world which poses many challenges never faced before, such models of fidelity are much needed for inspiration and example. We are grateful to them and for them. Today’s world poses a lot of challenges to our faith so that fidelity to God’s will becomes more difficult. Against this backdrop, the Year of Consecrated Life which runs from 21 November 2014 to 2 February 2016, declared by Pope Francis, is most Visit us at http://www.todayscatholic.com.my
relevant. Our attention is drawn to those in consecrated life, that is, the religious. In this connection, we are very grateful for the religious women and men we have in the Archdiocese of Kuching. Their presence and ministry in the Archdiocese bring to the fore a number of important aspects of the Church. Let me single out a few of them. 1. Religious are an essential part of the Church, the family of God. In this sense, their presence in the Archdiocese of Kuching provides a more complete composition of this family of God. Concretely, the religious men we have are not just from Malaysia, but also come from Singapore and India. In this way, they enhance, even though to a limited extent, the universal as well as missionary character of the Church. 2. We have both active and contemplative religious. The Carmelite Sisters belong to the latter. The Carmelite Monastery is the “power house” of the Church in the Archdiocese of Kuching. They pray for the Church’s mission in the Archdiocese of Kuching. It is amazing to see an almost unbroken line of people going to the Carmelite Chapel every day for prayers and some for advice and consolation from the Sisters. The “power house” attracts people because it gives spiritual energy to them. • Continued on p6
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