My journey of faith begins with my first encounter with Christ which subsequently led to my conversion to become a Catholic. I was baptised in Easter 2005. Before then I was a pagan worshipping idols, seeking feng sui masters when things were not right and keeping talismans for protection and luck. I was a worldly person in every sense, seeking status and power which turned me into an arrogant and self-centred person.
ROME(VATICAN RADIO).- Nov 26 – The Joy of the Gospel is the title Pope Francis has chosen for this first major document of his pontificate, putting down in print the joyous spirit of encounter with Christ that characterizes every public appearance he has made so far. The man who has constantly kept the media’s attention with his desire to embrace and share his faith with everyone he meets, now urges us to do exactly the same. To “recover the original freshness of the Gospel”, as he puts it, through a thorough renewal of the Church’s structures and vision. Including what he calls “a conversion of the papacy” to make it better able to serve the mission of evangelization in the modern world. The Church, he says, should not be afraid to re-examine “customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel” even if they may have deep historical roots.
KOTA KINABALU(CS).- Fr Aloysius Tung, 86, celebrates his 60th priestly ordination with a Thanksgiving Mass at St Simon Church, Likas Dec 27 in the presence of all those beloved of him.
With him at the altar were Archbishop Emeritus John Lee, Archbishop John Wong, Fr Cosmas Lee, Fr Moses Lui, Fr Fundes Motiung, Fr Tony Mojiwat, Fr Thomas Madanan, Fr Jalius Sading and Fr Erik Jerome.
The celebration was all the more meaningful with Fr Tung being the main celebrant, ably assisted by Fr Cosmas Lee.
KOTA KINABALU – Arthur John, IY seminarian, writes on the closing of the academic year for archdiocesan formands:
Dec 11, 2014 marks the closing of our academic calendar year 2013 for the CAC Aspirants and the IY Seminarians.
It is by God’s Grace that we are able to complete our formation for the year. It seems like it was only yesterday that we began our journey in the CAC and IY Formation Houses. The period seems short but it is made up of many moments that filled our journey.
Evelyn Doikin, 25, hails from Tamparuli, Sabah, and works as a youth coordinator at YouthPREP Centre prior to joining IFFAsia. After completing a year’s formation at IFFAsia, she will take on a leadership role at the Centre and will be directly involved in the training and development of peers as well as coordinating programs.
Below she shares her IFFAsia journey:
IFFAsia has helped me to increase my self-confidence and to take on a more proactive role in giving service. My spiritual life has improved and I discovered more of myself. IFFAsia has also helped me to understand more about the roles of the young people in the Church and society at large.
The formation program offers four modules: Human, Social, Spiritual, and Pastoral.
KOTA KINABALU(CS).- A Lunar New Year Message from Archbishop John Wong
Time flies and the new Lunar Year is round the corner. Here’s wishing you a joyous and a grace-filled New Year.
The Church has organized various spiritual activities in conjunction with the Year of Faith, which was proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI, to re-discover, to re-live and to re-proclaim faith.
As the New Year begins, the traditional Chinese greeting of “Gong Xi Fai Cai”, in the context of faith, reminds us to aspire for eternal wealth – that is to remain steadfast in
KOTA KINABALU – Sunday Samuel Worok, 27, hails from Kampung Pinangkau, one of the 13 outstations in the Paitan missionary area, and the only mission area in the Diocese of Sandakan. Kampung Pinangkau is some four and a half hours’ drive from Sandakan town on sealed road and another half an hour’s drive on gravel road. He is from the Sungai Tambanuwo indigenous community. Most of the Pinangkau folks are small scale farmers.
PAPAR(CS).- The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (FSIC) have all the reasons to rejoice and to glorify the Lord as they marked the end of the Year of Faith with their 6-day Annual Retreat at Pace Bene FSIC Centre for Spiritual Formation and Retreat, Papar from Nov 30-Dec 7.