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A monthly publication of the Archdiocese of Kuching, Sarawak
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Vol 27 No 4 July 2015
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Archdiocese of Kuching rejoices for the gift of a new priest
KUCHING — At last, after waiting for two years, the local Church has another new priest ordained to the order of the presbyter. 21 June saw more than a thousand from far and near, filling St Joseph’s Cathedral to its capacity to witness the ordination of Benard Jim Bujang. The ordination Mass was presided over by His Grace Archbishop John Ha together with more than 30 priests. The family members, relatives and friends of Benard were among those present at the joyous occasion. In the homily, the Archbishop reminded Benard to “keep always before your eyes the example of the Good
Shephard, who came not to be served but to serve, and who came to seek out and save what was lost.” The ceremony continued with the examination of the elect, the Litany of the Saints, laying of hands by all priests present, the prayer of ordination and the anointing of the hands of the elect. Then he was vested with the stole and chasuble. In the midst of exhilarating applause coming from the congregation, the newly ordained was warmly embraced by his brother priests. In his address, Archbishop John Ha thanked Fr Benard’s parents for giving their son to the Church. He recounted the time when the young Benard
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was considering of joining the seminary right after From 5 but his father did not agree to it. “It was wisdom,” said the Archbishop, that Benard’s father insisted that he should first obtain a university degree before settling down in life for the vocation God might have given him. “It was God inspiring you to have that wisdom, courage and care for Benard to make sure that he went to the university to have a degree. And after having worked for three years or so, you willingly allowed him to join the seminary,” said the prelate to Jim Bujang, the father of the newly ordained. “I thank you for that.” The Archbishop went on to
(Left) Archbishop John Ha lays his hands on the-then Deacon Benard during the ordination ceremony. (Top) More than a thousand strong parishioners attending the ordination Mass. (Bottom) Newly ordained Fr Benard blessing his parents. thank Fr Benard for his strong determination to offering himself to God. “You entered the seminary with a lot of uncertainty ahead of you. Your journey has been long, rough and tough … but you responded to the grace of God. I pray that rough journey has made you a stronger priest more committed in your ministry.” Then, Archbishop John Ha presented a token of appreciation to the parents of Fr Benard, Jim Bujang and Nyawen Dawang. The ordination Mass ended with a buffet dinner at the Archdiocesan Curia and Cathedral Pastoral Centre (ACCPC) for everyone present.
Fr Benard, aged 40, is the fourth child of Jim Bujang and Nyawen Dawang. He has three brothers and a sister. He entered the initiation year of preparatory seminary in Kota Kinabalu in 2005, and then continued with his studies at St Peter’s College Major Seminary in 2006. He completed his seminary training in 2013 and was ordained a deacon on 23 November 2014 at St Theresa’s Church, Serian. Fr Benard is currently serving in St Stephen’s Parish, Bau to assist the rector Fr John Chong while Fr Adrian Kho has left for study in Rome. Audrey Yu
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