The young priests, deacons and seminarians getting ready for the White Water Rafting
By Deacon Sylvester Wong
Apr 22 2022
THIS year the Kota Kinabalu Archdiocesan young clergy organised their annual Easter outing at Kiulu Pisapakan Riverside Lodge and Campsite Apr 18-20.
Four priests, four deacons and one seminarian came together to have a time of fellowship and relaxing together by the river.
The program started with the setting up of the campsite, and chilling at the river. Further into the night, a karaoke cum BBQ livened up the camaraderie under the full moon with a continual river breeze.
On the second day, they were joined by the congregation of Kg Mangkaladom at the Eucharistic Celebration, followed by fellowship.
The highlight of the outing, the most exciting outdoor activity, made their day on the third morning. The 12- KM white water rafting at Kiulu River from Pukak to Malangang burned off all the calories that they have loaded the past two days.
Besides the plentiful good food and drinks, they were blessed with good company and plenty of assistance from the locals, plus a wonderful weather.
With the people of Kg Mangaladom after the Holy Mass Apr 19
Appreciation of the young clergy/deacons
“I have always looked forward to the annual Easter break. Not only do I get to have a good rest from the hectic parish life, spending time with my fellow brother priests give me space to share my personal experiences, especially throughout the Lent and the Holy Triduum. A special element in this Easter break is the opportunity to celebrate Mass with the people from the kampung and to share the beauty of our priestly vocation.” – Fr Russell Lawrine
“This Easter break is a gathering, a time and opportunity to share our journey, apart from relaxing with my fellow brothers. It is a time given to share our faith, as well as the struggles we encounter along the way. Listening to one another helps me to understand better the ministry and to improve myself in areas that needed to improve.” – Fr Gilbert Marcus
“As a Korean priest, I was delighted to be able to attend this Easter gathering with the young priests and deacons. It was such a good time to recharge our body, mind and spirit after the Easter Triduum where the body and mind were tired out. We are still young and inexperienced in many things. This coming together provides the opportunity to understand and empathize with each other as companions on the same journey. What I realised through this time is that priests need priests, and only priests can understand priests. If there is a chance next year, I hope we can all get together again and have a good time.”- Fr Andrew Kim SST
“Celebrating the Easter joy and gathering together as young clergy helps us walk the road to Emmaus, where the encounter of the Risen Lord is made visible when brotherhood shares the same journey and comes together in the breaking of bread. The Lord has Risen. Alleluia!” – Fr Wilson Francis
“For the first time, I spent my Easter break with the young clergy. We had a chance to share together our Easter Triduum experiences and also other experiences in life. We had a lot of fun. Personally, this Easter break somehow empowered me to realize that I am not alone in this journey of vocation. More to come… ” – Deacon Terans Thadeus
“The young clergy outing is one of our best opportunities to be able to share our experiences in shepherding the Church, strengthening each other and be more alive in our calling.” – Deacon Peter Chung
“A journey of life is full of ‘mysteries’. For me, this Easter break/young clergy outing is a ‘Joyful Mystery’. Looking forward to the next …” – Deacon Lasius Gantis
“How good, how delightful it is to live as brothers together! – Psalms 133:1. It was a nice and pleasant place to be by the river to celebrate, witness, worship and experience the Risen Lord. White water rafting was especially exciting – it helped to cultivate brotherhood and team work in the journey.” – Deacon Sylvester Wong
