By Aaron Lim
Jul 19 2021
PENANG – Whilst waiting for churches to reopen in the later phases of the National Recovery Plan, parishioners of City Parish continued to gather virtually and unite in prayer.
Since the beginning of the full lockdown in June, the parish has been organising a Be with Us, Mary and Joseph devotion to seek the intercession of the parents of Jesus for the intentions of all parishioners amid the pandemic.
The event also coincided with the Year of St Joseph as declared by Pope Francis, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church.
A multi-lingual Rosary, followed by a short formation session and devotion to St Joseph, is streamed live every Wednesday night from the parish’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
Guest speakers are invited to deliver short formation sessions, with Fr Stanley Antoni presenting on St Joseph being an ordinary father with extraordinary faith.
Fr Martin Arlando also delivered two sessions on the role of St Joseph as a beloved, tender, obedient father who teaches the value, dignity and joy of work.
Parish priest Msgr Aloysius Tan hopes that this devotion will bring greater awareness of the role of St Joseph in the history of salvation for mankind.
“Although there are very few references to St Joseph in the Gospel, we know that his silent presence speaks volumes in providing great support to both Jesus and Mary,” he said.
Upcoming devotions will cover topics of St Joseph as an example of love, welcoming the will of the father as well as being a pillar of families.
The faithful are welcome to tune into City Parish’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/ CityParishPenang to participate in this special devotion. – Herald Malaysia
