Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (1968)
1 Tingkat Besi Satu, 11600 Pulau Pinang
T: 04-6584909, 04-6566681
F: 04-6564309
email: admin@holyspiritcathedral.com
Parish Priest : Rev Bernard Paul
Asst. Priest : Rev Andrew Stephen
Mon - Tues: 7.00am, Wed - Fri, 6.00pm, Sat - 7.00am
Sat. Sunset Mass: 6.00 pm (English)
Sunday Masses :
6.45 am (English)
8.00 am (Mandarin),
10.00 am (English)
5.30 pm (Tamil) 1st & 3rd Sunday
CHURCH OF THE DIVINE MERCY (CDM)
117 Jalan Kenari, 11900 Bayan Lepas
Tel: 04-6466885
Fax: 04-6564309
Administrator: Rev Bernard Paul
Assst. Priest: Rev Andrew Stephen
Friday Mass: 8.00pm (E)
SUnday Masses: 9.00am (BM/E), 6.00pm (E)
Parish bulletin
Parish website
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How the Sg. Ara Church came into being |
| Posted by Diocese of Penang (pgdiocese) on Oct 18 2010 |
17 October 2010
PENANG: It was in 1989 that H. R. Watts, a parishioner of the then Church of the Holy Spirit donated a piece of land consisting of an area of 3848 square metres along Jalan Kenari, Sungai Ara, to the Roman Catholic Church to build a Christian Community Centre and a place of worship so as to promote ecumenism.
On Nov 27, 1996 there was a meeting between Bishop Antony Selvanayagam of Penang, and Major and Mrs Barton (daughter of Mr Watts) as representatives of the land owner. At this meeting Mrs Barton reiterated her father’s wish that the land which was donated unconditionally was to be owned and managed by the Roman Catholic Church as a Christian facility. Subsequently the late Fr Dr Paul Chin, Parish Priest of the then Church of the Holy Spirit (CHS), formed a pro tem committee to look into the feasibility of constructing such a facility. It was suggested that a four storey structure be built.
This would include a hall on the ground floor as a place of worship, with other facilities to be located on the other floors. However the said plan did not materialise at that point in time. In June 2002 Bishop Selva asked Msgr Stephen Liew, the Parish Priest of CHS at that time, to look into the realisation of the project. A committee was formed in March 2003 and many meetings followed. In May 2004 the site plan was submitted, while the building plans were submitted in 2005. Matthew KH Tan was chosen as the architect.
On Dec 19, 2004 the name, Divine Mercy, suggested by the majority of the parishioners of CHS, was announced as the chosen name for the church at the new facility. The Church of the Divine Mercy / Sungai Ara Christian Community Centre was officially launched on July 16, 2005 at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit by Fr Francis Anthony and Fr Henry Rajoo, the current parish priests.
On Nov 28 2007 the ground-breaking ceremony by His Lordship Bishop Antony Selvanayagam was held on the site of the proposed RM6.8 million Church of the Divine Mercy/Christian Community Centre. Subsequently, the Building Committee and the Fundraising Committee took off at full speed, looking into raising money for the project as well as looking into the physical aspects of the project.
The parishioners of CHS gave their whole-hearted support organising various fund raising projects both big and small. According to Fr Francis Anthony, “Many fundraising events were organized with praiseworthy success. It must be noted that these fundraising events brought the best out of the parishioners with their visible bonding and support. Many outstation Catholics and friends chipped in. One small boy in CHS gave me an ang pow packet saying, ‘Father, it is for the church in Sg Ara.’
I opened it and found one ringgit and twenty sen. I was moved to tears. Today’s widow’s mite! This is people power fanned by grace!” In his message Fr Henry Rajoo stated that “It has taken almost three years of much thought and consultation to complete the construction of the Church of the Divine Mercy. It was felt that we should also meet the needs of the IT age, while being budget conscious, in installing some special fittings such as sound proofing, wood carvings (from Indonesia), video and VGA projection, and external CCTV.” The task had not been easy and there were ongoing problems and challenges. “Thankfully all problems were amicably solved through discussion.
Today, the result of our hard work stands before us!”, said Fr Henry. The Church of the Divine Mercy Sungai Ara consisting of a sanctuary, gallery and multi-purpose hall seating 918 people, is now a reality. Adjacent to the church is a four-storey complex with meeting rooms, administrative office, priests’ residence and fifteen classrooms for catechism, formation sessions and functions. The church and its facilities will serve the more than 2,500-strong Catholic community stretching from Relau to Teluk Kumbar. — By Gregory R. Warrier
Last changed: Oct 18 2010 at 9:43 AM
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