A monthly publication of the Archdiocese of Kuching, Sarawak Permit No PPK 148/01/2013(031378)
Vol 29 No 7 October 2017
Inside... Harmony walk
The Seed 2017
P3
P15
“The stone that the builders rejected, has become the cornerstone.” Mt 21:42
今日教友 第十六至二十二頁
THE ANOINTING ... Archbishop Simon Poh praying after he anoints the palms of Fr Galvin Ngumbang (inset) with Holy Chrism KUCHING — After waiting for more than a year, the Archdiocese of Kuching gladly welcomed the gift of a new priest. On 22 September, more than 2000 thronged St Joseph’s Cathedral to witness the ordination to the priesthood of Galvin Richard Ngumbang by Archbishop Simon Poh. Concelebrating at the ordination Mass were Archbishops Emereti Peter and John, 35 priests from Kuching, Sibu, Miri, Kota Kinabalu, Keningau and Melaka-Johor, some of whom were close friends of the newly ordained. Also present at the Mass were Fr Galvin’s family, relatives and friends from far and near. In his homily, Archbishop Simon Poh told Galvin that he was “taken
from among men and appointed on their behalf for those things that pertain to God. Therefore, carry out the ministry of Christ the Priest with constant joy and genuine love, attending not to your own concerns but those of Jesus Christ,” he said. At the end of the Mass in a brief address, he reminded Fr Galvin that he is no longer a deacon and parishioners would be calling him “Father” from then on. “Always keep in your heart that ‘Father’ is not a title, but a relationship with the people of God,” said the Archbishop. Fr Galvin Ngumbang, 34, is the youngest and only son of his late father, Richard Lee Ngumbang and mother, Iris Ulat Pasa. His sister, Wendy is married
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and now living in Beluran, Sabah. He received his primary and secondary education in St Joseph’s school and tertiary education in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Kota Samarahan. At a tender age of 8, the seed of priestly vocation was planted in the heart of the young boy when he witnessed the host being elevated at Mass during consecration. “I told my mother, ‘Mummy, I want to be like him one day’, because I was attracted to the vestment worn by the priest,” he shared in the article he wrote about his journey to the priesthood in the ordination booklet. “My mother scolded me and asked me to be quiet because she did not want me to be disruptive at the Mass,” wrote the new priest.
That seed of vocation began to germinate in 1998. Galvin was preparing for his PMR examinations that year. “I used to follow my friends to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel of La Salle Brothers in SMK St Joseph,” Galvin recalled. “I did not know how to pray. I just requested that God help me pass my exams”. When he got his PMR results, he was surprised that God heard his prayers. “I started to ask, ‘Am I so special that God hears my prayers? Who am I to God?’” The call to priesthood became more vivid as Galvin furthered his studies in UiTM and later joined the workforce. The question “Is God calling me to be a priest?” kept surfacing but he ignored it. • Continued on p4
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