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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SMC's Family Day with a difference |
| Posted by Diocese of Penang (pgdiocese) on Sep 12 2008 |
22 June 2008
IPOH: It seemed somehow apt that the Gospel reading for Mass on St Michael’s Church Family Day, was on the poor widow’s contribution.
SMC Family Day, held on a public holiday on June 7, reflected this moral of giving completely or selfless giving of oneself as shown by the poor widow in Mk 12:38-44.
Those who came to participate in the Family Day included the poor, the marginalised and the physically challenged. These were the people who normally don’t go out very often and have nowhere to go due to limited resources. Their presence made Family Day more meaningful and fun.
“When they come, they treasure these outings, for even a small event like Family Day means a lot to them,” observed one parishioner.
There were forty or more of them in all, at the SMC Family Day comprising single mothers and their young children, and the physically challenged in wheelchairs from Sungai Siput. They were brought in by bus through sponsorship by an independent group which regularly helps single mothers and their children in the area. Some of them were from the parish of St John the Baptist in Sungai Siput, which helped coordinate the outing.
One of the mothers, J. Anjeli, 55, came with her disabled daughter Christina Francis, 19.
Though Christina could not enunciate her words clearly, the joy and happiness showed in her face as she savoured being in the company of others. She readily thrust her hand forward to shake hands and softly said her name when introducing herself.
Anjeli said her daughter enjoyed such outings immensely. “Afterwards, we are going to the park to enjoy the outdoors,” she said.
Vincent Lourdes, who was in charge of the group’s outing said they are taken out on excursions three times a year.
Also present were the orphans from the Asrama Bintang Orphanage. They were more than happy to chat with anyone who stopped by.
While ordinary folk or the more well-to-do ones tend to be distracted by other things in life, these “poor” are the ones who treasure meeting and interacting with others, and show where their priority is - the family of God’s people.
They form the “core” of the church spiritually because they give completely of themselves, however little it is compared to our worldly standards.
When they come to participate in the church’s family gathering, they remind us how they form the base of the family of the Church, paying attention to the simple things.
SMC parish priest Fr Michael Cheah, spoke on the importance of practising righteousness in our lives.
“Very often we see people getting titles, but others who deserve them don’t get recognition. We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Let us learn to practise righteousness in church and in the community,” he said.
Explaining the widow’s contribution, he said: “Jesus wants the totality of ourselves. We should not be in our comfort zones but should give of ourselves completely to God,”
The Family Day was organized by the 22 BECs whose members worked hard to put up many stalls. It was launched by Mr and Mrs Louis Thong, the oldest practising Catholic couple from BEC St Anne in SMC. Besides having a clown, there were games, and limbo rock dance, plus a variety of food for visitors.
Last changed: Sep 18 2008 at 9:24 AM
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