By Bernard Anthony
This year, the Church of the Annunciation celebrated its parish feast with a triduum from Apr 18-20.
PAHANG – Fr Clement Lim, who serves as the administrator here and also as parish priest at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Bentong, led the services on the first two days. The celebration culminated on April 20 with the feast day Mass participated by over 150 faithful from near and far.
Archbishop Julian Leow presided over the Mass, with Fr Clement as the concelebrant.
Since Apr 21 was Good Shepherd Sunday, Archbishop Julian drew parallels between this feast and the feast of the Annunciation. “Today, as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday and the Annunciation, we reflect on how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down His life for us. Through His death and resurrection, He continues to lead us, just as Mary responded to God’s call through the Angel Gabriel.” The prelate emphasised the importance of recognising and following God’s voice over worldly distractions.
Archbishop Julian encouraged the congregation to emulate Mary’s faithfulness and obedience to God’s will. He highlighted that Good Shepherd Sunday is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, expressing his hope for more young people to answer the call to priesthood and leadership in the Church, serving the diverse flocks within our communities. He also urged the faithful to reach out to those unfamiliar with Jesus Christ’s message of salvation.
After the Mass, Fr Clement thanked Archbishop Julian for his presence and announced the archbishop’s upcoming visits to the Catholic communities in Bentong and Genting Highlands the next day. He acknowledged the growing diversity of the parish in Raub, with newcomers from Flores, and stressed the collective responsibility to build the Church and support vocations.
The archbishop expressed his gratitude to Fr Clement for his dedication to the parishes in Bentong, Raub, Kuala Lipis, and Genting Highlands, emphasising the mission to find lost sheep and foster more vocations. He called for prayers for vocations and for building bridges with followers of other faiths.
The celebration concluded with a communal dinner, where local parishioners commemorated Archbishop Julian’s twenty-second anniversary of priesthood with a cake-cutting ceremony. – Herald Malaysia
