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Celebrating the cannonisation of Jeanne Jugan |
| Nov 17 2009 |
8 November 2009
PENANG : Jeanne Jugan or Mary of the Cross, foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, was canonized by the Pope on Oct 11. A thanksgiving Mass on Oct 24 was held at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit to celebrate the occasion.
About 500 people were present, including the sisters and residents from the Home. Bishop Antony Selvanaygam was the main celebrant with Msgr Stephen Liew, Fr Francis Anthony, Fr Henry Rajoo, Fr Michael Thoo, Fr Michael Cheah, Fr Louis Victor, Fr Decroix and Fr Paul Cheong, OFM Cap concelebrating.
In his homily, Bishop Selva said that in the first reading from Isaiah (58: 6- 11) we hear Isaiah talk about social responsibility. He said that Isaiah is urging us not to turn our back on the poor and the unfortunate. ‘Don’t turn your back’ is a call from God and a challenge for all to take it up as our responsibility.
In the second reading (1 John 3:14- 18), the Bishop said that St John is telling us that we must have love in our hearts because without love, we are like walking corpses. It is love that motivates us to reach out to others. St John is reminding us that Jesus taught us love when he gave up his life for us, thus we should be willing to love as much as Jesus did.
The gospel reading about the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), also tells us about our social responsibilities. We are to be sensitive to the needs of people all round us. He asked, “If you say you believe, if you say you are a Christian, what are you doing about it? It is your Christian duty to be responsible for the needs of those around you.”
The Bishop said that Jeanne Jugan is an example of a woman who lived the Gospel. She had faith in God and was humble in obedience. She was not selfish as she shared with the poor. Bishop Selva commented that Jeanne Jugan’s name ‘Sr Mary of the Cross’ reflected her willingness to bear the cross of Jesus. She had this conviction that ‘If I believe in Christ, I care for the poor.’
“Jeanne Jugan believed in these three things — faith, hope and love,” explained Bishop Selva. “Faith — God is there always, hope — that God never abandoned her and love — she gave everything to the poor and the elderly.”
The celebration continued after Mass, when all adjourned to the Holy Spirit Hall. Light food was served. A video entitled For once you were wrong from India was shown. The video was about Jeanne Jugan who was wrong for once when she mentioned she would never be canonized. — By Lucia Lai
Last changed: Nov 17 2009 at 11:01 AM
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