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Thousands bid farewell to Fr Ben |
| Jun 15 2009 |
June 06 , 2009
By Lucia Lai
PENANG: The chapel of the Little Sisters of the Poor was overflowing with parishioners who came to bid farewell to Fr Benedict Nieukey. The huge turnout testified to the fact that Fr Benedict Nieukey was a very much loved priest.
“Your presence here shows that Fr Ben must have touched your lives,” said the Bishop of Penang, Bishop Antony Selvanayagam.
“Today we are gathered here for a celebration — a thanksgiving celebration to God for the person of Fr Ben,” said Bishop Selvanayagam at the beginning of the Mass.
It was the funeral Mass of Fr. Benedict Nieukey, the chaplain of the Little Sisters of the Poor, on May 27, 10.00am at the Chapel of the Little Sisters of the Poor.
Also present, apart from the priests of the Diocese of Penang, were Archbishop Emeritus Soter Fernandez and Archbishop Murphy Pakiam from KL. In his homily, Bishop Selva said that the Easter season, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit is an appropriate time for the celebration to remember Fr Ben. He said that as Jesus went through his passion, death and resurrection, we too do likewise. We journey with Jesus when we go through all the ups and downs, temptations and failings, he said.
“It is only when we journey with Jesus through his passion and death, that we become one with Jesus in his resurrection. For those who know Fr Ben well, you can vouch that he had spent his life caring for people. He had identified himself with Jesus’ passion.”
“Jesus had completed his mission after his resurrection. Likewise, Fr Ben too has completed his mission on earth. We are here to say ‘thank you’ for all that he had been and ask the Lord to look at him with justice and mercy.” he continued.
After his homily, the Bishop asked for a minute of silence to “Think in what special way Fr Ben had touched you.”
Towards the end of the Mass, Bishop Selva thanked everyone for their presence. A special thank you went to Mr and Mrs Bruno, the couple who were Fr Ben’s close friends and who had been helping him. He also thanked Fr Ben’s family and relatives, the doctors who had taken care of him and the various organizations he was involved in especially the Marriage Encounter. Final thanks went to the Sisters in the Home for their wonderful and loving care and for nursing Fr Ben during his last moments. —
Last changed: Nov 17 2009 at 11:14 AM
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