Thousands attend St Anne's feastday in BM

BUKIT MERTAJAM :St Anne’s annual novena and feastday celebrations carried the theme Deepening our Discipleship through a Spirituality of Communion. The novena began on July 17, together with the Launching of the Year of the Priest by Bishop Anthony Selvanayagam.

Throughout the nine-day celebrations, priests from all over the diocese as well as from other dioceses celebrated the Mass, focused on the theme and shared on our discipleship.

More than 1,500 volunteers from St Anne’s parish took part in this year’s event. There were many helping hands as well from parishes nearby, namely from Butterworth, Permatang Tinggi and Kulim.

Parish priest Msgr Stephen Liew welcomed the pilgrims with an open heart and introduced a museum this year. This museum contains the various gifts offered by pilgrims throughout the years. There were gifts of gold and silver, foreign currencies and historical books and missals of the past. Among the many interesting items displayed were tiny baby cradles carved in gold; people showed their gratitude to St Anne by offering this gold baby cradle, when their wish for a child was fulfilled after making their petitions through St Anne, said one of the volunteers at the museum.

Besides Masses in English, Tamil and Mandarin, there were Masses in Thai and Kadazan languages. A pilgrim from Sarawak here for the first time was amazed at the large crowd praying at the old church. Pilgrims from Sarawak were seen in their traditional costumes. Pilgrims from Thailand offered many flower garlands and candles.

The open-air Mass was held for the second time this year after a good response last year. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Anthony Selvanayagam together with some priests from all four dioceses. More than 80,000 pilgrims were estimated to have gathered for this mass.

Bishop Selva and parish priest Msgr Liew welcomed all the people gathered here, including pilgrims from beyond the diocese.

In his homily, Bishop Selva stressed that we are all gathered for one purpose: to celebrate Jesus.

“St Anne brought all of us here in mysterious ways to celebrate Jesus Christ. St Anne brought us here to celebrate her beloved grandson. Jesus lived and travelled with his disciples, and yet He asked them ‘Who do you say I am?’ Only Peter declared that He is the Son of God.

“Now, the same Jesus puts the same question to you; Who is Jesus to you? The feast brought us here and Jesus is asking you: ‘Who am I to you?’ Jesus is alive today in our midst, and Bishop Selva urged the pilgrims to be in community with one another and experience Jesus Christ.

The procession in honour of St Anne took place right after the Mass.

Then, the petitions and thanksgiving letters offered to St Anne by pilgrims throughout the Novena were burnt by Bishop Selva, that the prayers of the pilgrims will reach our heavenly Father.

The organizing chairman of St Anne’s annual novena and feast day celebrations, Matthew Michael, said that this annual event ended very well with such good weather and with the many volunteers making this event a success.

The Chief Minister of Penang made a surprise visit to St Anne’s on July 26 for the 5.30pm Mass. — By Marlina Sara