Fr. Pere Michel de Gigord, MEP, arrived yesterday morning for a three day visit to Kota Bharu, He was here as Parish Priest from 1973 - 1978 and was a great motivator for the youths of the parish in those years. The youths included Francis and Paul Lai, Stanley Bates, Francis Lee, and a number of others, grew up to be young men and women who took an active part in church activities. He organized a study camp-retreat form them in 1976 conducted by Brother John D' Cruz and went on picnics and outings with them.
When he bid farewell to the parish in August 1978, I was just posted to Kelantan as a fresh teacher. I remembered he called on me to 'build up the church' before he left for Indonesia for a year to do further studies in Islam, but later, he went to the Philippines as a chaplain for University students in Mindanao. At one time, he was kidnapped by Muslim separatists, but thank God, he was later released safely. He spent over 20 years in the Philippines as a Catholic Chaplain for the university students until his retirement.
In June 2001, he visited Kelantan before he went home to Paris. 15 years later, he made a two months trip to revisit all the places he had been. He was in the Philippines in August last month before his final leg of his Journey to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Kelantan and Penang. Many of our former youths and parishioners residing in Singapore, KL and Ipoh gave him a tremendous welcome, Last night, about 25 of our parishioners held a reunion dinner for him.
Cest La Vie! Fr. Michel. Bon Voyage as you travel back home, with fond memories of our time together. May God continue to bless you and God willing, we will meet again in Paris or in Kota Bharu in the future!
Joseph Wang
(Fotos courtesy of former Fatima Parish members: KL - Stanley Bates, Patsy Irene Bates, Christopher Lee, Jacqueline Tegjeu, Ipoh - Edmund Yeo, Singapore - Dominic Chia, KB - Joseph Wang)
REUNION IN KOTA BHARU
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| Fr. Michel giving his speech |
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| Joseph and Celestine Wang |
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| Celestine & Angeline Ho |
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| Dennis and Irene Yeo |
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| Group foto with KB Parishioners 26 September 2015 |
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| Mrs Isabella Lai and Catherine Lee |
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| with Rosalind Wong |
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| James and Catherine Lee pose with Fr. Michel |
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The Yeo Family with Fr. Michel
RENUNION IN IPOH with Former Fatima Parishioners
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| Group foto with former KB Parishioners in Ipoh |
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| James Lopez and Alison Nettto |
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| Catherine Vander Slott and Rebecca, Louis and Lily Yeo |
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| James Lopez with Archbishop Emeritus Soter Fernancez |
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| Francis Januarius |
REUNION IN SINGAPORE
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| Singapore group welcoming Fr. Michel |
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| Singapore Fans of Fr. Michel welcomes him |
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Welcome for Fr, Michel by former students and families.
REUNION IN KUALA LUMPUR
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| About 50 participants from KL & PJ gathered for the Reunion |
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| Having a good time down memory lane with old fotos projected |
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| Fr. Michel killing his cake! |
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| The large group watching the slide presentation |
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| with Christopher Lee |
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| The Group of former Fatima KB Parishioners watching intently the slide-photo show |
