Catechists or facilitators from SHC, CMI and St Paul Dontozidon serving in the catechetical ministry participated in the online Mass via Zoom Feb 2 during the Feast of Presentation of the Lord.
By Catherine Wan
Feb 4 2021
KOTA KINABALU – COVID-19 may have impeded some traditional avenues of evangelism, but it has not stopped parish catechizing from advancing.
At the Feb 2 Mass, exclusively organized for those serving in the Catechetical Ministry from the parishes/sub-parishes of Sacred Heart Cathedral (SHC), Church of Mary Immaculate Bukit Padang, St Paul Dontozidon, St John Kopungit and Our Lady Queen of Peace Kobusak, 183 catechists/facilitators/helpers were “commissioned in the new norm” via Zoom.
The zoomed Mass, which providentially fell on the Feast of Presentation of the Lord, was held in conjunction with the local observance of Catechetical Sunday originally planned for Jan 31,
The Mass was presided by SHC parish priest Fr Paul Lo, who was detected positive for Covid-19 at the end of last year and had to undergo quarantine for almost a month. However, isolation has not stopped the parish priest from active pastoral care of God’s people, whose initiative drew a registration of almost 300 participants to the first-ever zoomed Mass for catechists in the parish.
At the Mass devoid of the physical presence of the faithful, Fr Paul symbolically blessed 17 candles representing the 17 catechetical groups from the parishes/sub-parishes after the Gospel. The candles were placed in front of the picture of the Madonna, who is the faithful disciple of Christ. The catechists were urged to offer their life and service to bring people to Christ like Mother Mary, who serves as a model for all catechists who aspire to serve Christ at His feet with love.
For the Liturgy of the Word, the first reading was done in BM by Richard Angkis, while the second reading was read in Chinese by Serena Wong. The Gospel was proclaimed in English.
Fr Paul pointed out that the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord was relevant to the calling of the catechists to recommit their service. He depicted their commitment to be like a burning candle, burning itself to shine for others. They need to make sacrifices to bring their learners to know Christ.
He highlighted the Holy Father’s reflection on the same occasion in which he pointed out three generations existing in the gospel text – Simeon and Anna representing the elderly generation, Joseph and Mary representing the parents, and Jesus, the Child.
To draw from this, the parish priest related a story of a parishioner from the Sandakan diocese, who testified that his faith came from his grandparents while his active involvement in Church was influenced by his parents.
“Grandparents therefore have their role to play to pass on their faith to their grandchildren, while parents being the primary catechists need to play a more active role in accompanying the faith journey of your children, especially during the MCO where there is no physical Sunday faith formation classes,” underscored Fr Paul.
Referring to the pastoral letter of Archbishop Julian Leow, the Episcopal President of Malaysian Catechetical Commission on the importance of parents in giving priority to the catechetical lessons online for their children, he hoped that parents would emulate the example of the devoted parents of Jesus who nurtured the child in the growth of wisdom.
He then prayed for the parents to be guided by the Holy Spirit to pass on their faith to their children so that they would grow to be like Christ.
After the homily, a representative on behalf of the Catechetical Ministry was invited to respond on behalf of all during the commissioning rite to commit to a deeper relationship with Christ, and to communicate His presence and the Gospel message to the learners through their words and actions. Fr Paul concluded by praying God‘s blessing on all participants online.
As the MCO has been further extended, the catechists were urged to continue to conduct online classes and to encourage their learners to join the online Sunday Mass.
The catechists had an enriching experience albeit online, and appreciated the help of the KK Catechetical Commission, led by Sr Dariah Ajap, in providing a Triduum program to better prepare them for the commissioning, The program, which consisted of Rosary recitation, reflection of the Catechetical Sunday Message and Holy Hour, was conducted on the evenings of Jan 27-29 via the SHC Facebook platform, supplemented by inputs from Fr Nicholas Stephen, spiritual advisor of the Commission for the parents in BM and English.
