PENINSULA
MALAYSIA PASTORAL CONVENTION 2016 REPORT
Date: Sunday 2nd – Wednesday,
5th October 2016
Venue: MAJODI centre, Johor Baru.
Participants from Kota Bharu :
Fr. Francis Andrew, Gerard Yeo, Joseph Wang, Sr.
Carol Gan.
MY NOTES ON THE PROCEEDINGS.......
Day
1: Registration at
Majodi Centre, lunch, Opening Mass by
Bishop Sebastian Dinner, 8.00 pm Indtroduction/Orientation
by Fr. Clarence Devadass, Chairman of PMPC Organising committee followed by Keynote address by the 3 Arch/bishops.
Ended with Holy Hour at 9.00 pm.
Day
2: After breakfast,
Morning Prayer, Video presentation of Journey of PMPC 1976-2016, Plenary Session I: Malaysia 2016: New Economy, New
Society, No New Politics yet... Wither the Chur ch? by Dr. Francis Loh, followed by
Intervention/responses from the delegates.(Question-Answer session) Followed by Diocesan Assembly/Synod Report (by
Fr. James Rajendran, Fr. Jude Miranda, Msgr Mitchel Anthony)
After lunch, afternoon
prayer, followed by Workshop 1 where
we were divided into 40 groups to discuss 2 Questions:
Q1. “What have been the significant
contributions of the Church in Peninsular Malaysia and to society at large in
the past 40 years?”
Q2. In the light of the keynote address of the Bishops, the Diocesan
Synod/Assembly report, and current social realities, how can the Church in
Peninsular Malaysia become Creative, Inclusive, and Bridge-building?”
Day 3: After breakfast, morning prayer, the
Workshop I Reporting/Intervention/Resonses. Plenary session II: “ Becoming
Missionary Disciples in Asia/Maslaysia” by Fr. James Kroeger, MM followed by intervention/responses from
delegates.
After
lunch, afternoon prayer, participants discussed in their groups Workshop II question:
“As we
experience the PMPC IV, as a Pentecost in the Church in Peninsular Malaysia,
what does the living out of this spirit-filled experience demand of us (clergy,
religious, laity and together) in transforming the Chruch in the coming years?
The day
ended with mass by Bishop Julian Leow, Dinner and fellowship.
Day 4: After breakfast, Morning prayer, we
had the collated Workshop II report + plenary intervention. Following this,
speeches by Archbishop John Ha
(Kuching) and Archbishop Joseph Salvador Marino, (Apostolic
Nuncio). PMPC IV ended with the concluding mass by Bishop Bernard Paul, and
summation & Commissioning ceremony, ‘the ceremony of Light’
Conclusion:
It was a
great experience to be able to come together with clergy, religious, and laity,
youth and elderly, including the different language groups and differently
abled. Daily mass and praying the Liturgy of the hours ending with Holy Hour at
night was a new experience, especially for the Laity. The 2 inputs by the two
speakers gave us food for thought and our little sharing in the workshops may
have helped to contribute to the future direction of the church. We learned
that the Church must be creative, inclusive, bridge-building and involved
through the BEC in the process of Integral Evangelization.
(A detailed report of PMPC IV can be found in the Herald
October 23 )
Report by Joseph Wang.
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| Group photo of all the over 650 participants at PMPC IV |
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| Bishop Sebastian Francis concelebrating the Opening Mass |
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| The 3 Bishops at the Clsoing mass and Sending off |
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| Taking a break in between sessions under the huge canopy outside the Convention Hall in Majodi |
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| Candle-lights at the 'Ceremony of Light,- Commisioning of delegates' |
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| Fr. Clarence Devadass, Organising secretary of PMPC IV giving a summary of the convention |
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| The 3 Bishops of Peninsular Malaysia, beginning the Commissioning ceremony |
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| Meeting up with Fr. Robert and Edmund Yeo |
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| Frederick Lim, Edmund Yeo and Joseph Wang |
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| Dining together with participants at the Cafeteria |
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| All the clergy- Bishops and priests pose for a group photo |
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| “ Becoming Missionary Disciples in Asia/Maslaysia” by Fr. James Kroeger, MM |
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| Our Representatives at PMPC IV: Sr. Carol, Joseph Wang, Fr. Francis Andrew and Gerard Yeo |
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| Posing for a foto with Archbishop Julian Liow |
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| With Bishop Bernard Paul |
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| With Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam |
