Church of St Michael (1890)
24 Church Road, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
T: 05-2540176
F: 05-2415437
stmc@streamyx.com
Parish Priest : Rev. Michael Cheah
Sat. Sunset Mass : 7.00 pm (English)
Sunday Masses :
8.00 am English
10.00 am Mandarin
5.30 pm English
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BEC's 26th year pilgrimage to St Anne, BM |
| Posted by Diocese of Penang (pgdiocese) on Aug 03 2009 |
July 30 , 2009
PENANG: There have been many inspiring stories written in conjunction with the annual feast of St Anne at Bukit Mertajam and this story of a faithful group of BEC members from Ipoh could be food for thought.
The inaugural trip began in 1984 in a single bus, and since then, BEC Hillview of St Michael’s Church has made the journey in the month of July an annual affair for the past 26 years!
The theme according to group leader and organiser Andrew Quah has been ‘to experience the love of God’ and the pilgrims have been driven by the impetus to undertake their journey for the love of God.
“This journey has been part of the BEC’s yearly activities since the establishment of BEC Hillview in 1984. It was initially meant to enable the elderly members with transportation problems to make the trip to Bukit Mertajam,” said Quah, who with his wife, Teresa, has been instrumental in planning the iterinary meticulously.
“As the subsequent trips proved to be popular with the members, non-Catholics around Gunung Rapat were invited to join in the trip with the object of exposing them to the Catholic faith and create a better understanding of the religion which otherwise was viewed negatively by them,” explained Quah.
“The non-Catholics had also heard of the physical healing attributed through the intercession of St Anne and the favours granted. This has encouraged more non- Catholics to participate. Now we need another bus to cater to the large number of trippers.
Quah has recently passed the reins to Teresa to oversee the organisation of the trips. The aging members’ spirit has not been dampened and the enthusiasm and thrill of making the yearly trip is as strong as ever.
Teresa interjected that she and Andrew have to make prior trips to Penang to arrange the itinerary and through the years, their contacts with the restaurants, hotels and tourist sites have made things easier.
“We try to stay at different hotels each year and have our meals at different eateries. By using the same bus company the rapport between us, the members and the bus company has been very congenial,” she said.
This year the group was fortunate to receive special blessings from the assistant priest of the Church of Seven Sorrows, Fr Dominic Santiago, who prayed for the group after sunset Mass before they crossed over to Bukit Mertajam.
“May you experience the love of God on this journey and the blessings of the Almighty be with you always,” said Fr Dominic. That summed up the meaning and the theme for this year’s trip and really made the 26th journey of ‘experiencing the love of God’ more meaningful and a journey worth making. —By Paul Toh
The inaugural trip began in 1984 in a single bus, and since then, BEC Hillview of St Michael’s Church has made the journey in the month of July an annual affair for the past 26 years!
The theme according to group leader and organiser Andrew Quah has been ‘to experience the love of God’ and the pilgrims have been driven by the impetus to undertake their journey for the love of God.
“This journey has been part of the BEC’s yearly activities since the establishment of BEC Hillview in 1984. It was initially meant to enable the elderly members with transportation problems to make the trip to Bukit Mertajam,” said Quah, who with his wife, Teresa, has been instrumental in planning the iterinary meticulously.
“As the subsequent trips proved to be popular with the members, non-Catholics around Gunung Rapat were invited to join in the trip with the object of exposing them to the Catholic faith and create a better understanding of the religion which otherwise was viewed negatively by them,” explained Quah.
“The non-Catholics had also heard of the physical healing attributed through the intercession of St Anne and the favours granted. This has encouraged more non- Catholics to participate. Now we need another bus to cater to the large number of trippers.
Quah has recently passed the reins to Teresa to oversee the organisation of the trips. The aging members’ spirit has not been dampened and the enthusiasm and thrill of making the yearly trip is as strong as ever.
Teresa interjected that she and Andrew have to make prior trips to Penang to arrange the itinerary and through the years, their contacts with the restaurants, hotels and tourist sites have made things easier.
“We try to stay at different hotels each year and have our meals at different eateries. By using the same bus company the rapport between us, the members and the bus company has been very congenial,” she said.
This year the group was fortunate to receive special blessings from the assistant priest of the Church of Seven Sorrows, Fr Dominic Santiago, who prayed for the group after sunset Mass before they crossed over to Bukit Mertajam.
“May you experience the love of God on this journey and the blessings of the Almighty be with you always,” said Fr Dominic. That summed up the meaning and the theme for this year’s trip and really made the 26th journey of ‘experiencing the love of God’ more meaningful and a journey worth making. —By Paul Toh
Last changed: Aug 03 2009 at 2:08 PM
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