The students at the moulding station
By Stephanie Cheong
Sep 11 2023
KUALA LUMPUR – The Church of the Risen Christ was a hive of activity as 40 parishioners and their parish priest, Friar Esmond Chua, OFM, gathered in the church hall, to embark on a work of mercy — moulding soaps to be presented to prisoners in the states of Penang and Kedah, Aug 26.
This year, the soap moulding workshop took on a different approach as the participants were walked through two reflection sessions on What the Bible says about Prison Ministry and the Spirituality of Soap Moulding. It wasn’t only the senior citizens and adults, but also children supervised by their parents, who participated in this activity. As the saying goes, ‘start them young’, it was heartening to watch the children as they went about moulding the soaps, not without a fair amount of spillage.
The parish is humbled that by God’s grace and mercy, the workshop went on well due to the tremendous support given by the parish priest funding the raw materials, donors of the moulding tools and sponsors of the breakfast, lunch and drinks, and last but not least, the enthusiastic participants who came from the different BECs.
A total of 1,195 pieces of soap were moulded. The soaps, packed into four boxes, were presented by assistant priest, Friar Crispus Mosinoh, OFM to Peter Teh from the Penang Diocesan Prison Ministry.
Melissa Nithianathan said, “The reflection sessions were inspiring and helped us understand the spirituality of soap moulding, comparing this process with our walk with God. I learnt patience as well, as we need it to successfully mould the soaps. I enjoyed the delightful experience of working with people from different age groups.”
“It is a wonderful project as we were made to think of those in prison who need our care and concern so they may not feel left out from this world,” chipped in Anne Wong.
“What the Bible says about Prison Ministry was an enlightening presentation and I learnt our roles as prison ministry members/laypersons based on the Scriptures,” remarked Chan Lilian.
Carol Lim added, “My husband and I not only learnt physical soap moulding but received the spiritual aspect as well.”
A happy Annastasia Ignasius commented that it was fun and exciting to work with church members on this project and she looked forward to more of such activities to help the prisoners.
It is the parish’s fervent hope that these soaps, moulded with much love, will bring joy and hope to the prisoners. – Herald Malaysia
