SPC Kuching holds annual thanksgiving Mass

KUCHING – St Peter’s College held her annual Thanksgiving Mass for the Friends of St Peter’s on 3 Nov 2015 at St Joseph’s Cathedral, Kuching.

During the Thanksgiving Mass, which was well attended by about 600 friends of St Peter’s College and family members, twelve second year theologians were installed to the Ministry of Acolyte by Archbishop John Ha.

With this installation, the acolytes will assist at the altar to help out with the distribution of the Holy Communion during Mass and to bring the Blessed Sacrament to the sick and the infirmed. This installation serves as an important milestone in the life of the seminarians as they advance nearer to the priesthood.

The Eucharistic celebration was followed by a fellowship dinner at St Peter’s College compound. The seminarians presented entertainment items which included songs, a skit, cultural and modern dances.

The College Rector, Fr Nicholas Ng in his welcoming speech, thanked the benefactors for their generous contributions in terms of monetary donations, prayers and their friendship.

Abp Ha later gave out the certificates to the newly installed Acolytes.

In total, there are 38 seminarians from all the nine arch/dioceses in Malaysia studying at St Peter’s Major Seminary in 2015.  The breakdown figures are as follow:  four from Kuching, two from Sibu, two from Miri, ten from Kota Kinabalu, four from Keningau, nine from Sandakan, two from Kuala Lumpur, three from Penang and one from Melaka-Johor.

This year, five graduates from the College were ordained to the priesthood and two to the diaconate.  They are:  Fr Benard Jim (Jun 21-Kuching), Fr John Kelvin Pereira (Oct 1-Melaka-Johor), Fr Harry Dorisoh (Oct 10-Keningau), Fr Hilanus Simon (Oct 17-Keningau) and Fr Robert Jissem (Nov 8-Kuching); Deacon Stanley William (Jun 24-Sandakan) and Deacon Joshua Liew (Sep 7-Kota Kinabalu).

With the mutual understanding with the Bishop of Penang, the Rector, staff and seminarians of College General, Penang, seminarians from St Peter’s College will do their Philosophy in College General beginning 2016.

It is hoped that this move would promote a coming closer together for the two Colleges as well as to see the Church in the Peninsula and the Church in East Malaysia moving towards greater unity. – Galvin Ngumbang and other sources