26 Catholic engaged couples
By Agnes Chai
Feb 6 2021
KOTA KINABALU – Where there is a will, there is a way. Organizers of the Pre-marriage Course (PMC) at Sacred Heart Cathedral parish refused to give up looking for a way to offer PMC to 26 Catholic engaged couples after having postponed four times during the Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed by the government.
The PMC (English) was originally planned for October last year. After its several postponements, the Christian Family Life Committee, with advice and encouragement from parish priest Fr Paul Lo, conducted the course for the first time virtually via Zoom. Once the decision was made, much planning and discussion went into the details of how a virtual program should look like.
After some teething hitches at the beginning, the 6-day virtual PMC (English), which ran from Jan 28 to Feb 2, sailed through smoothly, to the relief of its facilitators. The committee agreed on keeping each session within an hourly time frame. They noted with great encouragement that all registered couples were punctual and participated fully.
26 Catholic engaged couples
Although the MCO has curtailed a more dynamic and open marriage preparation which the parish offers through a normal physical program, the participants expressed their gratefulness for having participated in it via zoom. They have found it informative and interesting, and found it useful knowledge for equipping them for the vocation of marriage. The sessions have also provided discussion guides for fruitful and convenient interaction.
For the facilitators, their first success with the online program has filled them with hope to serve the Church in the new normal in spite of the numerous post-COVID-19 challenges.
