An earful for Penampang faithful

PENAMPANG – It appears that Penampang parishioners are not bucking up to what the prelate wants from the people of God here.

Archbishop John Wong has reiterated his call for population growth and the use of the mother tongue on several occasions in the past.

At the three-in-one parish celebration of St Michael’s Church on Sep 28, he has once again urged the people of God to use the mother tongue in their family daily mode of communication as the most effective way to preserve and value their language.  At the same time he has repeatedly called them to consider bigger families of at least five children in their family planning.

He was speaking after the Mass where he conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on 207 confirmands. On the same occasion, the parish patron Saints of Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael were honored, and the parish official website was officially launched.  

The prelate explained his concern for the inadequate usage of the mother tongue language leading to it being diminished in time to come.

We must realize that one’s own mother tongue is a valuable asset which cannot be found in any other part of the world.

In his opinion, using the mother tongue for only about two hours a week during Mass is not enough to preserve it.

As for today’s phenomenon of smaller families,  claimed to be caused by economic impact and modern life style preferred by majority, the Archbishop opined that the social and demographic changes have inadvertently contributed towards the slow growth of faith for the people of God. 

Unrelentingly, he continued to recommend that every family should at least consist of five children, while learning to live in trust of God in achieving happiness.

Parish priest Fr Wilfred Atin, while launching the parish website, said that it is important for the church, especially in this modern age of information technology, to ensure its pastoral effectiveness. 

Towards this end, full-time staff will be required to administrate the website.  At the same time, the parish Social Communications Committee (SOCCOM) will assist to monitor and  supervise  the  dissemination and communication of news, and to offer guidance for the proper use of the media facility.

The website account address is www.stmichaelparishpenampang.com. – SOCCOM Penampang