A visit to Thailand

Archbishop John Ha celebrates Mass in St Joseph’s Church, Ayutthaya

In 2013 Bishop Silvio Siripong of the Diocese of Chantaburi (Thailand) led a group of 22 of his priests to visit the Archdiocese of Kuching. We were of course thrilled and worked out a programme of praying and reflecting together, sharing our pastoral experiences and challenges and enjoying one another’s company.

In September 2015 11 priests from the Archdiocese of Kuching went with me on a return visit to the Chantaburi clergy. We also took opportunity of our visit there to meet the Archbishop of Bangkok, Cardinal Francis Xavier Kriengsak, and the Archbishop Emeritus, Cardinal Michael Michai, and the priests of the Archdiocese of Bangkok.

The visit was most fruitful in many ways. Needless to say, the experience of fraternal unity in the priesthood as well as the universality of the Church was concrete and edifying. While we had met the 22 Chantaburi priests who had come to Kuching, we did not know the others. The hospitality we received from the Thai clergy could only have come from a heart that felt we all belonged to the family of God – the Church, and we were all exercising the same ministry of serving the members of this family, but in different dioceses and countries. This experience had a value beyond dollars and cents.

The Catholic Church in Thailand makes up no more than 1% of the country’s entire population. Yet her contribution to the nation especially through her schools is enormous. With more than 400 schools throughout the country, the Church has educated millions of Thais, regardless of religion. A good many national leaders as well as those in different businesses and organisations were students of Catholic schools before.

The education Catholic schools in Thailand are giving is so good that many parents, including Buddhist parents, strive to enrol their children in them. True to form, these schools do not seek to convert their Buddhist students. They seek to provide high quality education coupled with good character formation to make their students good persons and good citizens – a point much appreciated in the country.

Among the social works engaged by the Diocese of Chantaburi we had the opportunity to see two. The first is the good work done by the Good Shepherd Sisters. They have set up the Fountain of Life Centre in Pattaya. The town is a tourist hotspot well known for its sex industry. There many women have been lured into the sex trade. Many of these have migrated from rural areas to earn a living.

In order to equip those of these women wishing to seek a decent and dignified livelihood, the Fountain of Life Centre provides training in different skills (like hairdressing, dressmaking, cooking, foot massaging, and even learning to read and write). Some graduates of this training Centre have started their own businesses while many others have found employment in different companies.

Group photo at the Fountain of Life Centre, Pattaya

Every person wants a decent livelihood. Deprived of that, some are forced into the sex trade because they lack proper skills for employment. The Fountain of Life Centre is providing an opportunity for those women caught in the situation. In reality, many of them want decent employment. With this employment, their lifestyle also changes and they are rewarded with a sense of satisfaction and self-fulfilment. They also recover their dignity as persons.

The second social project is the Diocesan Orphanage. Abandoned or unwanted babies are taken in, taken care of and brought up by very dedicated “mothers”. Some of these children have been adopted by couples after very stringent screening. Those not adopted continue to be looked after in the orphanage with love. Those who have reached school going age are sent to schools. A good number have even gone to university and graduated. Their photographs are proudly displayed on a wall in the conference hall.

Two stories narrated by Fr. Michael Weera, Director of the orphanage, were particularly telling. The first was the response by a child of a visiting family. Everyday families line up to bring food to the orphans. The child remarked that the orphans were having good life. He was then jokingly asked: “Would you like to live here?” He spontaneously answered, “No.” It was a serious answer because the orphans had no parents. Indeed, no matter how much they try to look after the orphans, the dedicated “mothers” can never replace their biological parents. Deep in their hearts, every child in the orphanage, though well taken care of, must be yearning for parental love.

The second story concerned an orphan who had graduated with a degree. His biological mother came to look for him. Both of them met in the presence of Fr. Weera. While the graduate knelt before Fr. Weera to express his gratitude to him for the care and education given him, he kept his distance from his mother. When she asked him if he would take her as mother, he said, “Give me time.” This, of course, was an understandable response since relationship requires time to build up. I pray that the time will come when the mother and son could build up a family relationship.

The graduate could, however, have given an opposite response. To say the least, he could have expressed his utter disappointment with his biological mother and grilled her with uncomfortable questions. Or, he could have become angry with her and thrown nasty remarks on her. I guess the good upbringing received at the orphanage and the maturity of mind acquired through good education have made of the graduate a real gentleman.

After four days in the Diocese of Chantaburi we left for Sampran where the Archdiocese of Bangkok has a Pastoral Training Centre called “Baan Phu Wan” (House of the Sower). It is a magnificent building with 180 guest rooms and a whole lot of facilities spread over acres of land with a huge lake and countless trees of different species. There we were accommodated and treated to a sumptuous lunch by the Archbishop of Bangkok with his priests – the only opportunity we had for fellowship.

In the Archdiocese of Bangkok we visited two main places of interest. The first was the Shrine of Blessed Nicolas Bunkerd Kitbamrung. He was martyred in 1944 when the Church was persecuted. The other place was Ayuthaya, the ancient capital of Siam. There College General was born in 1666 as a result of a synod convened in 1665 by French Foreign Missionaries. Blessed Nicolas received his priestly training at the College.

College General, also known as College of the Holy Angels, was started as the Major Seminary to train priests for East Asia. It has a long and difficult history, moving from Ayuthaya to Chantaburi, later to Hondat in Cambodia, then to Pondicherry in India and finally in 1808 to Penang where it still is. The College had trained many priests for dioceses in countries like China, Indochina, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak before these dioceses formed their own diocesan or regional seminaries. Thailand started its own national seminary, Lux Mundi, in the mid-seventies, Kuching in 1980 and Singapore in 1983. These seminaries could truly be said to have been born of College General.

Facade of St Joseph's Church, Ayuthaya

As one trained in College General, I felt a very strong bond with Ayuthaya its birthplace. We visited St. Joseph’s Church, the place where the synod took place. The birthplace of College General could not be precisely identified, but it was in the vicinity of St. Joseph’s Church – somewhere on the opposite bank of the river that flows past the Church. Thinking of the so many Thai priests and some Bishops who were trained with me as well as before me at College General, I felt a deep sense of “coming back” to a common ancestry with the Church in Thailand. The presence of the Kuching presbyterium with me during the visit intensified the feeling of communion with the Thai Church.

While the first Mill Hill Missionaries landed in Sarawak in 1881, my visit to Ayuthaya led me to a period well before that. I was carried way back to 1666 when College General was born. Yes that was history. But it had everything to do with the Church in Sarawak so that I could say that the history of the Church in Sarawak forms a part of that history which eventually is a branch of the history of the universal Church!

All this history could only be the work of God through His Holy Spirit. The history of salvation planned by God and carried out by Jesus Christ has reached our day through the Holy Spirit. All thanks, praise and glory be to Almighty God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Archbishop John Ha

Pengalaman Saya di Sinod Luar Biasa 2014

Uskup Agung John Ha bersama-sama Uskup Agung Taiwan (kiri). Foto: CNS

Perjalanan bersama (maksud perkataan ‘Sinod’) oleh Uskup-uskup sebagai gembala-gembala bagi jemaat Katolik masing-masing dengan Pope Francis bagi saya adalah satu pengalaman yang begitu mendalam akan Gereja sejagat sebagai umat penziarah. Uskup-uskup datang dari seluruh dunia. Sementara ada yang mengenali satu sama lain, ramai lagi bertemu buat pertama kali – wajah baharu tetapi bukan orang asing. Ada kemesraan kerana wujud rasa persaudaraan mendalam yang datang dari seruan sama Uskup-uskup dalam pembaptisan dan pentahbisan (kepaderian dan juga keuskupan).

Kami Uskup-uskup datang untuk berjalan bersama untuk apa? Untuk berkongsi pengalaman pastoral dan sama-sama mencari cara yang relevan dan berkesan untuk menggembala jemaat masing-masing dalam dunia pada hari ini. Dalam Sinod Luar Biasa Ketiga, perhatian kita tertumpu kepada keluarga. Kerana keluarga pada hari ini menghadapi cabaran yang serius. Kami amat menyedari bahawa kami tidak akan membuat keputusan mengenai perkara yang sangat penting ini dalam pelayanan pastoral kami. Kami berada pada bahagian perjalanan itu bersama-sama yang akan membawa Gereja ke stesen-stesen seterusnya – iaitu rundingan selanjutnya pada peringkat gereja-gereja khusus dan Sinod Biasa yang akan berlangsung dari 4 sehingga 25 Oktober 2015.

Sambil mendengar seruan Bapa Suci agar kami jujur, ikhlas dan rendah hati, kami dengan hati yang percaya berkongsi dengan satu sama lain tentang pengalaman dan pandangan kami, malah menyentuh segala-galanya. Apa yang mendorong kami untuk melakukan perkara ini adalah kasih kami bagi Gereja, khususnya jemaat kami di gereja tempatan masing-masing. Kami mahu berupaya untuk melayani mereka sebagai pastor atau gembala mengikut hati Kristus yang mencari domba yang hilang. Jika pandangan keras disuarakan dalam Sinod, ia adalah kerana kami ingin sekali mendekati semua, terutamanya mereka yang menghadapi cabaran melangkaui keupayaan mereka untuk tangani danm mereka yang mungkin telah berputus asa kerana rumah tangga dan keluarga mereka berada di ambang perpecahan atau sudah pun berpecah belah.

Maka itu ia agak dijangkakan, pada minggu pertama – yang khusus untuk berkongsi pengalaman dan pandangan oleh Bapa-bapa Sinod selain oleh pasangan suami isteri yang dipelawa ke Sinod itu – banyak sekali idea yang telah disuarakan dengan jujur. Ia merangkumi pandangan yang sangat tradisional hingga kepada pandangan yang sangat mengejutkan dan pandangan yang sangat menyenangkan hingga kepada pandangan yang tidak menyelesakan sama sekali. Saya rasa saya berada dalam “hutan idea-idea” tanpa seabrang hala tuju jelas ke mana kami pergi. Apabila ‘relatio’ pertama – satu laporan yang menghimpunkan semua perkongsian dan pandangan – dibentangkan, hala tuju yang sedikit lebih jelas telah muncul; tetapi masih juga ada apa yang ramai rasa adalah isu-isu yang sangat kontroversi. Laporan itu diangkat in toto (secara keseluruhan) bagi perbincangan kumpulan – 10 kumpulan pada keseluruhannya.

Sepuluh kumpulan ini membentangkan reaksi dan tindak balas mereka kepada laporan ini. ‘Relatio’ kedua yang mengambil kira reaksi dan tindak balas ini telah dirangka, dibentang dan diundi, perenggan demi perenggan. Kecuali bagi tiga perenggan yang tidak memperolehi majoriti dua pertiga, ‘relatio’ itu telah diterima. Minda Bapa-bapa Sinod menjadi jauh lebih jelas pada peringkat ini. ‘Relatio’ ini, ia mesti ditegaskan, bertindak sebagai satu dokumen – dipanggil ‘Lineamenta’ – untuk kajian lanjut oleh semua Uskup bersama jemaat mereka sebelum ia dibincangkan dalam Sinod seterusnya, iaitu Sinod Biasa XIV. Tema bagi Sinod seterusnya ialah: “Panggilan dan Misi Keluarga dalam Gereja dan dalam Dunia Pada Hari ini’.

Bapa Suci hadir di semua sesi plenary, dengan sabar dan tekun mendengar semua orang yang berucap. Kehadirannya member inspirasi dan jaminan, walaupun beliau tidak campur tangan sama sekali. Hanya pada penghujung sinod baharulah beliau menyampaikan ucapan penggulungan. Ucapannya itu telah disambut dengan tepukan gemuruh daripada hadirin yang berdiri selepas beliau menceritakan bagaimana beliau rasa apabila Bapa-bapa Sinod dengan jujur berkongsi masalah mereka dalam menjaga domba mereka, di mana mereka menghadapi godaan daripada fahaman ekstrim yang berlawanan (dengan kaku berpegang teguh kepada undang-undang gereja (canon law) atau dengan mudah melepaskannya), semua dengan niat baik untuk menggembala dengan baik. Ucapannya sangat menyenangkan dan memberi jaminan. Beliau mengesahkan kehadirannya sebagai pengganti Peter adalah jaminan bagi perpaduan Gereja. Beliau menegaskan: “Saya dengan gembira dapat berkata – dengan semangat kolegialiti dan sinodaliti – kita benar-benar telah menjalani pengalaman ‘Sinod’, satu jalan kesatuan, satu ‘perjalanan bersama’”.

Perpaduan dan perjalanan bersama dengan Pope Francis begitu menyentuh hati saya sepanjang Sinod.

Perjalanan yang tenang untuk keluar dari ‘hutan idea-idea’ menuju kea rah kebenaran asas dalam rumah tangga dan keluarga seperti yang diwahyukan dalam Al-Kitab, diajar oleh Gereja dan dijalani dengan setia oleh ramai pasangan, selain komitmen Uskup-uskup untuk keluar dan mendampingi mereka yang sesat dan cedera dengan kasih dan keprihatinan hanya boleh dianggap sebagai kerja Roh Kudus. Kehadiran-Nya dirasai.

Roh Kudus pasti akan terus hadir di dalam Gereja apabila Uskup-uskup membawa pulang laporan Sinod untuk dibincangkan dan direnungkan bersama jemaat mereka dan apabila Sinod seterusnya bersidang dari 4 hingga 25 Oktober 2015 untuk menimbang dan memahami hasil daripada semua renungan ini. Ia adalah penting bagi jemaat di setiap keuskupan – jemaat awam, religious dan paderi – untuk memberi input mereka mengenai laporan ini supaya Sinod seterusnya ada satu dokumen yang kaya dan bernas untuk dibincangkan.

Sesungguhnya seluruh Sinod adalah kerja seluruh Gereja, walaupun Uskup-uskup yang mewakili Persidangan Uskup-uskup yang akan menghadirinya. Pengalaman, aspirasi dan pandangan umat akan difahami dan dikemukakan kepada Sinod oleh wakil-wakil delegasi ini. Sinod ternyata seluruh umat Tuhan yang berjalan bersama-sama untuk mewartakan kepada dunia tentang Firman Tuhan mengenai rumah tangga dan keluarga. Pada waktu yang sama, mereka turut mewartakan belaskasihan Tuhan kepada mereka yang sudah tersasar dari Firman-Nya selain keluar untuk membwa mereka pulang kepada Tuhan.

Ia adalah penting untuk berdoa bagi Sinod Biasa XIV dan persiapan baginya. Semoga kehadiran Roh Kudus dirasai dan bimbingan-Nya dipatuhi, supaya Gereja benar-benar menjadi ibu yang mengilhamkan dan memupuk rumah tangga dan keluarga yang bagus seperti yang dirancang oleh Tuhan selain merawat dan memulihkan pasangan dan keluarga yang terluka lalu membawa mereka kepada Tuhan.

Uskup Agung John Ha

[Read in English]

My Experience at the Extraordinary Synod 2014

Archbishop John Ha with the Archbishop of Taiwan (left). Photo: CNS

 The journeying together (which the word “Synod” means) of the Bishops as shepherds of their respective Catholic communities with Pope Francis was for me a profound experience of the universal Church as a pilgrim people. The Bishops were from all over the world. While some knew one another, a lot were meeting for the first time – new faces but not strangers. There was warmth because there was a deep sense of brotherhood that came from the Bishops’ common calling in baptism and ordination (priestly as well as episcopal).

What had we Bishops come to journey together for? To share our pastoral experiences and search together for a relevant and effective way of pasturing our respective flocks in today’s world. In the Third Extraordinary Synod, our attention was focused on the family. For today’s family faces serious challenges. We were well aware that we would not be making decisions on this very important area of our pastoral ministry. We were in that part of the journey together which would take the Church to the next stations – namely, further consultation at the level of the particular churches and the Ordinary Synod which would take place from 4 to 25 October 2015.

Heeding the Holy Father’s call to be frank, honest and humble, we trustingly shared with one another our experiences and views, leaving practically no stone unturned. What motivated us to do this was our love for the Church, in particular our people in our respective local churches. We wanted to be able to minister to them as pastors after the heart of Christ who went in search of the lost sheep. If strong views were expressed in the Synod, it was because we earnestly wanted to reach out to all, especially those who were facing challenges beyond their ability to handle and those who might have given up hope because their marriages and families were on the verge of breaking up or had already broken up.

Quite expectedly then, in the first week – which was dedicated to sharing of experiences and views by the Synodal Fathers as well as by married couples invited to the Synod –a whole lot of ideas were frankly expressed. These ranged from very traditional to very shocking views and from very comforting to very uncomfortable ones. I felt I was in a “jungle of ideas” without any clear direction of where we were going. When the first “relatio” – a report which captured all sharings and views – was presented, there emerged a little clearer direction; but there were still what many felt were very controversial issues. The report was taken up in toto for group discussions – ten groups in all.

These ten groups presented their reactions and responses to this report. A second “relatio” which took these reactions and responses into account was drafted, presented and voted on, paragraph by paragraph. Except for three paragraphs that failed to obtain a two-third majority, the “relatio” was accepted. The mind of the Synodal Fathers became much clearer at this stage. This “relatio”, it must be pointed out, was to serve as a document – called “Lineamenta” – for further study by all Bishops with their faithful before being taken up by the next Synod, the XIV Ordinary Synod. The theme for the next Synod is: “The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and in the World Today”.

The Holy Father was present in all plenary sessions, patiently and attentively listening to everyone who spoke. His presence was inspiring and reassuring, though he did not make any intervention. It was only at the end that he gave his closing address. That address of his won him a standing ovation as he described how he felt when the Synodal Fathers honestly shared their struggle in tending their sheep, in which they faced temptations of opposite extremes (rigidly holding on to canon law or readily letting go of it), all with the good intention of good pasturing. His address was very comforting and reassuring. He affirmed that his presence as the successor of Peter was a guarantee of the unity of the Church. He asserted: “I can happily say that – with a spirit of collegiality and of synodality – we have truly lived the experience of “Synod”, a path of solidarity, a “journey together”. That sense of unity and journeying together with the Pope overwhelmed me throughout the Synod.

The steady journey out of the “jungle of ideas” towards the fundamental truths of marriage and the family revealed in the Scriptures, taught by the Church and faithfully lived out by countless couples, as well as the Bishops’ commitment to go out and reach out to the lost and wounded with love and care could only be the work of the Holy Spirit. His presence was felt.

The Holy Spirit will surely continue to be present in the Church as the Bishops take home the Synodal report to discuss and reflect on with their faithful and when the next Synod is convened from 4 to 25 October 2015 to consider and discern the results of all these reflections. It is important for the faithful of every diocese – laity, religious and priests – to give their input on this report so that the next Synod will have a rich and sound document to work on.

Indeed, the whole Synod is the work of the entire Church, although it is Bishops representing Bishops’ Conferences who will attend it. The experiences, aspirations and views of the faithful will be discerned and presented to the Synod by these delegates. The Synod is indeed the whole people of God journeying together to proclaim to the world God’s word on marriage and the family. At the same time, they also proclaim God’s mercy to those who have strayed from His word and will as well as go out to bring them home to God.

It is important to pray for the XIV Ordinary Synod and the run-up to it. May the Holy Spirit’s presence be felt and His guidance heeded to, so that the Church will truly be the mother who inspires and nurtures good marriages and families as designed by God and nurses and heals wounded couples and families and brings them to God.

Archbishop John Ha

[Baca dalam Bahasa Malaysia]

7th World Meeting of Families: My Reflection

The 7th World Meeting of Families held in Milan from 30 May to 3 June 2012 was a meaningful and moving, edifying and encouraging event. It comprised a Theological-pastoral Congress, Feast of Testimonies with sharings by families given in the Pope’s presence followed by his spontaneous response, a meeting between the Holy Father and 80,000 confirmation candidates at the Meazza Stadium, and a concluding Mass celebrated by the Holy Father in the Northern Park of the Region of Bresso. Official records have it that the Congress was attended by 6,900 delegates from 153 nations, the Feast of Testimonies by 350,000 people and the Mass by 1,000,000.

All these component functions of the 7th World Meeting of Families were simply too overwhelming to put into a brief sharing. In this instalment of my column, BITS AND PIECES, I would like to single out a few points for sharing.

First of all, the sight of 6,900 participants in the Convention Hall of the Fieramilanocity was awesome. Their interest in the Congress spoke loudly of their seriousness with regard to family life and desire to proclaim to the world God’s design for the family. It is possible in the present world, as always, to be committed to one’s marriage and family, even in the midst of problems, challenges and sufferings. Genuine love is ready to embrace one’s spouse and family and seek their good, whatever be the cost. Love was the hallmark of the Congress.

Secondly, on the second day of the Congress, before the programme began, a big group of delegates from Zimbabwe sang and danced to the drum beats orchestrated by a couple of men. That was delightful and entertaining. Needless to say, it attracted a huge crowd of spectators. Joy and gaiety filled the air. Despite the problems faced in their own country, these delegates could still sing and dance in joy, because they had faith in Jesus Christ. That was the joy that the world could not give but only Christ can and does give.

Thirdly, the whole roped in about 5,000 volunteers, many of whom were young people, to help delegates and participants to go to the right places, attend to their needs and so forth. I am sure even well before the event, these volunteers had to attend meetings and go through familiarization as well as training sessions. During the event, they were there the whole day long everyday to attend to delegates. Surely, these volunteers would have been tired. But they kept the fatigue to themselves and radiated smiles of joy as they went about serving the delegates. What love and commitment their gestures reflected! There are indeed countless young people who are committed to their faith in Jesus Christ and willing to be faithful disciples of His. Surely, they give hope to the world.

Fourthly, at the Pope’s meeting with the 80,000 confirmation candidates, a big group of choreographers staged a colourful, mesmerising and moving performance, couched in a meaningful prayer service. The performance that used up the whole football field of the Meazza Stadium featured a number of scenes. Among them was the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove with His seven gifts poured out on the confirmation candidates. Following that, they were directed by the Lord to “put out into the deep” (Lk. 5:4). As they did so, they netted a large number of fishes. The Pope and the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Angelo Scola, were in the boat. The big catch was depicted by hundreds of actors dressed in silvery garments that glittered in the bright light of the hot sun.

Chapter 21 of John’s Gospel also presents the story of a miraculous catch of large fish by the apostles who followed the risen Lord’s instruction. The number of fish caught was 153. I cannot resist the temptation of mentioning this because of the number of nations participating in the 7th World Meeting was also 153. Some scholars interpret the number 153 of John’s Gospel as representing the number of nations in the known world then. Was it divine providence to bring in delegates from 153 nations to this World Meeting of Families and inspire the producers of the choreography to depict the story of the miraculous catch?

The choreography sent a powerful message to the assembly. The Church is sent out to the deep – that is, the world that is torn in so many ways by secularism, materialism and individualism. The goal is to proclaim the risen Lord and bring people to Him. This mission is far from easy. But with the Holy Spirit present and led by the Pope as Christ’s Vicar, the Church will have a miraculous catch.

This miraculous catch was in a sense already experienced at the concluding Mass of the 7th World Meeting of Families. One million is a huge number. The Holy Father drew this crowd. In an unending chorus, they called out his name in Italian – BE-NED-DET-TO. At the end of each function, the salutation “Viva il Papa!” echoed unceasingly until he disappeared from the scene. All these were clear signs of the love people have for the Pope. This went contrary to the negative opinion the press generally held.

More importantly, in the person of the Pope, the faithful gathered in the Northern Park of the Region of Bresso for the Mass, saw the Vicar of Christ. What could this be if not faith in Christ and fidelity to Him?

Archbishop John Ha

Easter

Photo: Hobart Kho

I was in Thailand for the Bishops’ Institute for Theological Animation IV from 24 to 26 April 2012. The theme was “Fundamentalism and Relativism – Their Impact on Young People”. Needless to say the input sessions were interesting and informative. They attempted to keep the participating Bishops abreast of contemporary issues. Clearly, concern for young people being influenced and drawn by unhealthy trends, including religious ones, in today’s world dominated the Institute. As commonly experienced in such institutes, problems were raised but solutions were far from sight.

I returned home affected in a mixed way – inspired yet feeling helpless, motivated to do something yet feeling somewhat lost as to how to go about it, imbued with a sense of solidarity with brother Bishops in Thailand yet returning alone to Kuching to shoulder the great pastoral responsibility of looking after the young in the Archdiocese. Hope was tempered with discouragement, a clear hearing of the pastoral call was hampered by an awareness of its magnitude, and a sense of urgency was hindered by a sense of incapacity on my part. Like Moses encountering the Lord in the burning bush (cf. Ex. 3), I heard the Lord’s call but was tempted to give a lot of excuses. Like the burning bush being not burnt up, the Lord’s call continued to burn in my heart without being burnt up.

I arrived in Kuching on Friday 27 April night – and the following day I went with two seminarians to Sri Aman where Fr. Patrick Heng had arranged for an Easter celebration with the parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Peace. The world brightened up for me as I saw so many young faces in Church for the Eucharist. After Mass there was an hour of games for families. Parents and young children participated in the games and they all enjoyed the fun. But there was more than fun. The community that gathered did so in their Christian faith and love. Yes, many were young people! They were there because of their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. They were there as part of the community of Christians – the parish of Our Lady Queen of Peace, with Fr. Patrick their regular shepherd.

On 30 April I went to Saberkas. Coming down the descending escalator, I saw a resident of the Cheshire Home at the foot of the escalator on the first floor. He was on a wheel chair selling tidbits and mineral water. I stopped by to chat with him. A few minutes later two young men approached him – and without saying a word, slipped a few ringgit between his hands and left.

That touched me: here was a physically challenged young man doing a little business to earn himself something in an honest way – not hampered by his difficult physical conditions, not angry, not shy and so forthcoming in his conversation. Then two young men healthy turned up with a generous heart – sharing with this physically challenged young men part of what they had and then walking away unobtrusively.

I encountered two different categories of young men – the able-bodied and the physically handicapped. The latter was in no way inhibited by his physical condition; the former were caring youngsters. This encounter called to mind the many wonderful young Catholics in the Archdiocese of Kuching who are truly committed to the Lord. I thought of the Triduum Spirituality I shared with them last year – and the pre-event retreat the 160 young servants “demanded” from me. I thought of the KAYA 20 and the many previous KAYAs. I thought of the Empowered Ministry who went to deliver aid to victims of the floods in the Philippines a few years ago.

Wow, it was Easter for me – my spirit rose from the pangs of the potential death which could have fallen on me had I given in to the negative thoughts that were pounding on me as I returned from Thailand. Yes, there are still young people around who are good, honest, caring, courageous, faith-filled, alive and committed to the Lord! They reflect the presence of the risen Lord in our midst.

Young Christians, thank you for your commitment to your faith. Keep the light of the risen Lord burning bright. God bless you.

Archbishop John Ha

Faith can not be destroyed

St Ignatius Church, Shanghai

I visited Shanghai and Hangzhou in China from 9-19 October this year. In both cities I had the privilege of seeing the Cathedrals there – St. Ignatius in Shanghai and Immaculate Conception in Hangzhou.

St. Ignatius Cathedral was built by French Jesuits between 1905 and 1910 and was vandalized by the Red Guards during the cultural revolution that began in 1966. Returned later to the Catholic Church, the Cathedral went through restoration. It now stands tall and proud as a testimony to the faith of the Chinese Catholics in Shanghai.

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Hangzhou was built in 1659 by the Italian Jesuit, Martino Martini, from Trent (Italy). The Cathedral faced several storms in its history. When a royal edict prohibited the propagation of the Catholic faith in 1723, the building was converted into a temple for ancestral worship. Later it was turned into the “Temple of the Celestial Empress”. In 1862, it was occupied by rebels known as the Taiping Army. Returned in 1864 to the Catholic Bishop, Louis Gabriel Delaplace from France, the Cathedral underwent expansion. In November 1912, it was damaged by fire, but very quickly restored. During the cultural revolution it was used for housing and prison cells. In May 1982, it was returned to the Diocese of Hangzhou. Now it is the bastion of faith for all Catholics in the Diocese.

Among the many thoughts that struck me as I visited these two Cathedrals, the faith of the Catholics in China made the deepest cut. This faith survived all persecution that came from the powers-that-be including the communist regime. Many suffered martyrdom. Such faith could only come from the Holy Spirit. Indeed, physical life could be terminated; freedom could be restricted; but faith could not be destroyed. That is because faith is relationship with God and in this relationship eternal life is found.

Archbishop John Ha

[Bits & Pieces] Extraordinary Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Biblical Federation

The Catholic Biblical Federation held an Extraordinary Plenary Assembly in Arricia (near Rome) from 15 to 19 June 2011. The purpose was to revise the Federation’s Constitution. There were about 170 delegates from all over the world. I represented the Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It was very heartening and edifying to hear about the enthusiasm of countless ministers of the Lord’s Word in different dioceses throughout the world.

FAMILY CONFERENCE – “FAMILY SENT ON MISSION” 

The Archdiocese of Kuching is well into the final year of its five-year pastoral focus on the family. The theme for the year is “Family Sent On Mission”. An archdiocesan-wide Conference was held simultaneously in English and Chinese at the Christian Ecumenical and Worship Centre over the weekend of 16 and 17 July 2011. I need to clarify that the same Conference will be taken to all the rural parishes and given in BM (Malay).

Between the two languages there were nearly 500 participants. Their interest and enthusiasm were encouraging. Faith sharers gave wonderful testimony of how couples and families put into practice the Word of God in their lives and in this way built up their families. I thank God for these life testimonies.

What is the Archdiocese of Kuching that we have drawn the attention of some people elsewhere? The Bishop of Ratchaburi (Thailand), Bishop John Bosco Panya Kitcharoen, with five of his priests, a religious brother and two married couples came to attend the Family Conference and study our pastoral focus on the family. After the Conference, they visited two kampongs – one in St. Stephen’s Parish, Bau, and the other in St. Ann’s Parish, Kota Padawan. They wanted to see how the pastoral focus on the family was carried out at the grassroots. At the end of their visit, we had a discussion with questions and answers as well as sharings of their experience. In general, they had a fruitful time here and I was pleasantly surprised that their experience of our pastoral focus was very positive.

VERBUM DOMINI – The Pope’s Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation 

The XII Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops was held in Rome from 5 to 26 October 2008. The 253 Bishops gathered for it looked at the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church. Following the Synod, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI issued an Exhortation entitled VERBUM DOMINI (= WORD OF THE LORD). This very rich document presents the theology of the Word of God which comprises Sacred Scripture and the Living Tradition of the Church. It then touches on the various areas of the Church’s life inspired and charged by the Word of God as well as the mission to proclaim this Word to the world.

The Synod was a very good experience for me. There Bishops shared the ups and downs of their pastoral and missionary efforts in building up the faith of their faithful on the Word of God and drawing others to it.

St. Peter’s College, Kuching, organized and hosted a refresher course for its alumni to study this Apostolic Exhortation. There were over 50 priests who came from both Sarawak and Sabah – including five of us Bishops. We went through the document and shared our own little efforts in promoting the Word of the Lord – each one in a little corner of the Lord’s vineyard. The study and sharing were enriching and motivating. Hopefully, every one left the course with at least one more idea of how to enhance and enrich our priestly ministry with the Word of the Lord.

May the Church in East Malaysia be on fire with the Word of the Lord!

Archbishop John Ha 

22 July 2011