Posted date: February 26, 2020
“Today too, there is a need to appeal to men and women of good will to share, by almsgiving, their goods with those most in need, as a means of personally participating in the building of a better world. Charitable giving makes us more human, whereas hoarding risks making us less human, imprisoned by our own selfishness.” (Pope Francis’ Lenten Message 2020)...
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Posted date: January 28, 2020
31 January, 2020
25 January, 2020
For Church members during worship in Church
As health precaution against Wuhan flu, here are some guidelines for immediate action in all churches:
There will be no Holy Water in church fonts at church entrances.
At Masses and services, during sign of peace, bow instead of shake hands.
People with flu-like symptoms are exempted from Sunday Mass obligation.
Do not leave used tissues in the pews. Dispose of properly.
Practice good hygiene with proper washing of hands.
With Chinese New Year blessings from Archbishop Simon Poh
教友到教堂礼拜预防武汉肺炎指南
以下是为预防武汉肺炎在所有教堂采取的措施：
圣堂所有入口处的圣水盆将不提供圣水。
弥撒和礼仪中互祝平安时，以鞠躬代替握手。
有类似感冒的症状的人们可豁免主日望弥撒的义务。
不可将用过的纸巾留在座位，应将它妥善处理。
实行良好的个人卫生，正确的洗手。
傅云生总主教祝大家农历新年蒙福。
31 January, 2020
25 January, 2020
For Church members during worship in Church
As health precaution against Wuhan flu, here are some guidelines for immediate action in all churches:
There will be no Holy Water in church fonts at church entrances.
At Masses and services, during sign of peace, bow instead of shake ...
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Posted date: January 1, 2020
Today, a Saviour has been born to us. He is Christ the Lord! (Luke 2:11)
Recently I was in Jerusalem on 29 November 2019 for the blessing of the “Sama Koih” plaque which is the Our Father prayer in the Bidayuh Bau dialect. The pilgrimage was a moment of grace to reflect on the events of the life of Jesus, especially on the land where our Lord Jesus, the Emmanuel was born, lived, walked, crucified and rose again. With the feast of the Epiphany on 5 January, we know that the three wise men came from the east to offer gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh. I would like to reflect on this significance.
These three gifts summarise the purpose and identity of Jesus:
Frankincense is used to worship God - Jesus is Divine
Gold is tribute paid to King - Jesus is a King of our lives. May God’s Kingdom come
Myrrh is used for anointing at death - Jesus came to die. He gave his life as a ransom for our sins.
Jesus is divine, the Son of God and our Risen Lord. Jesus is our King, born to die - to set us free from sins and to offer us life.
The word “Emmanuel” means “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). Our God who is Divine and from on high in the heavens, came down to live among us, walk among us and share our human joy and suffering. In Jesus, God lives with us on this land. We see the face of God in Jesus.
John 3:16 summarises it: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). Believe them in Jesus and have life, life in its abundance (John 10:10).
At Jesus’ birth, everyone and all people of good will are called to be one family – brothers and sisters to one another, called to harmony and peace on earth as people of good will! For Christmas this year, Pope Francis has asked every Catholic family to prepare a Christmas Nativity scene:
celebrate God’s closeness and rediscover that God is real, concrete and alive;
the baby Jesus with open arms tells us that God came to embrace us in our humanity;
Our God came to be with us, was born a man like us, and continues to accompany us in our lives.
God doesn’t change things with magic, but if we welcome Him into our hearts everything can change;
Let us open the door to our home: Jesus, come in!
When Jesus dwells in our lives, life is reborn, and if life is reborn, it really is Christmas!
I was also blessed by the children during the last two weekend visits to the Cathedral Parish and CWS rural parish Children’s Christmas parties, and the Share-Care project where parishes collected gifts from their Love Boxes to be distributed to the less fortunate. I was touched by the testimonies the sponsors conveyed to me:
Even with simple gifts of school bags and stationery, we can actually see the joy and happiness on the faces of these children.
It’s amazing there is so much laughter, created with only a budget of RM500 to be shared among 400 children.
Life can be so much simpler compared to our city materialistic lifestyle. So much fun despite not owning much and being grateful for simple gifts.
Upon reflection, this should really be the spirit of Christmas; not the new gadgets, dinners and merry making.
The REASON for Christmas is celebrating the birth of Jesus by sharing and caring.
Christmas is first and foremost accepting the GIFT of Jesus, the only Son of our Heavenly Father God.
God gives unconditionally, generously and totally at a very high cost. The price is the ultimate sacrifice of God’s Son on the Cross.
Our God comes to us humbly, in simplicity and poverty. He was born with no material wealth nor social security. But Jesus was welcomed into a loving, faithful, simple and poor family of Joseph and Mary and the poor shepherds and lowly animals.
So when a family has Jesus, they have everything. When we have Christ in the very heart of our family, we have all we need. Amen.
At Jesus’ birth, the angels announced: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to people of good will” (Luke 2:14). This invitation for peace is for all people of good will - from all walks of life, race or faith – to work together hand in hand for the common good of everyone. May open houses with various festivities be the place where people from all faith will come together to strengthen friendship and goodwill, building a society of harmony, mutual respect and acceptance for all humanity.
I wish all a very blessed Christmas filled with joy, love and peace. May 2020 be a year of blessing for everyone.
Most Rev Simon Poh
The Archbishop of Kuching
Today, a Saviour has been born to us. He is Christ the Lord! (Luke 2:11)
Recently I was in Jerusalem on 29 November 2019 for the blessing of the “Sama Koih” plaque which is the Our Father prayer in the Bidayuh Bau dialect. The pilgrimage was a moment of grace to ...
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Posted date: August 31, 2019
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we come together to celebrate 62 years of Merdeka and the 56th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia, we pause to reflect upon the many blessings that God has showered upon us as individuals, Catholics and as a nation. We thank God for the development, opportunities, peace and harmony that we have always enjoyed, despite the many challenges. We thank God for our beautiful country – Negaraku, Tanah tumpahnya darahku.
The two historical celebrations are a constant reminder of our identity as Malaysians. We celebrate the achievements and aspirations of our men and women, our sons and daughters, as they continue to excel nationally and internationally. We celebrate and embrace our creativity and innovations, positive values, our families, communities and nation. Most importantly, we celebrate our diversity as a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious country.
Notwithstanding these successes, we should also be cognizant of the ills especially those who are pitting one community against another and eroding the very fabric of our society. Religious belief should enrich a nation but sadly, it has often been used as a divisive force. This is a disservice and distortion of the core truth of any religious faith. It is alarming that there are people who get away with saying things that borders on incitement while those who point out the obvious are persecuted.
A question that begs an urgent answer is: "Why has our culture become so divisive?” The timeless words of Jesus are so apt. “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand”. (Mark 3:24-25).
The Apostle Paul adds to this argument: "If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out as you will be destroyed by each other”. (Galatians 5:15).
When leaders and communities spend their time and energy bickering and instilling sentiments of hate and mistrust, one begins to wonder what example do they provide to the next generation? What kind of society are we giving birth to?
As Christians, our faith is not confined to just praying and doing good deeds. We are called to build bridges, not walls. Whether in politics, race relations, economic crises or disputes among families or local communities, we are challenged to be peacemakers, to find common ground and to engage in respectful dialogue.
The decisions and choices we make as Christians every day must reflect our continuous commitment towards Malaysia, in all its diversity and uniqueness. We all have a role to play in building up our country – and this translates to building strong bonds of unity among the various races and religions while ensuring that fair-play forms the cornerstone of our society.
Let us not resort to hurling allegations or casting aspersions against our fellow Malaysians of other races and creed. How often have we resorted to being suspicious and judgmental about others who do not share or practice our faith. We must lead the way to forge greater unity for the sake of our country and not be the instigators who keep tearing at the very fabric of our diversity to break us apart.
When there are those who make false allegations against us out of fear, let us not react negatively. Through our actions, we can be the beacon of light for others to see Christ through us. Likewise, we must also learn to trust, unite and journey together with our fellow Malaysians as we are one single race and Malaysians first.
We are all on the same boat journeying together with Malaysians of every race and religion, facing challenges together. Let us cast our oars in the same direction and continue to plant the seeds of unity, maintain peace and reconcile and build our nation and its people. This is how we bring real meaning to Merdeka and what it means to be Malaysians.
We continue to pray that our Government will provide a leadership of inclusiveness, openness and accountability, work towards reducing poverty and improving the quality of life for all.
Our simple hope for Malaysia can be summarised through the humble words of St Teresa of Calcutta, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other”. Indeed, we are alike in our hearts. With God as our loving guide, may our love for our neighbor increase and may we continue to celebrate the diversity of this country – a place where we belong to each other – Sayangi Malaysiaku: Malaysia Bersih.
Almighty God, bless our country Malaysia and make it true to the ideals of freedom and justice. May all Malaysians work together to make our country a great nation. Amen.
SELAMAT MENYAMBUT HARI MERDEKA DAN HARI MALAYSIA!
“May we continue to pray earnestly for our beloved Malaysia.”
+ Most Rev. Julian Leow
Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur
+ Most Rev. Simon Poh
Archbishop of Kuching
+ Most Rev. John Wong
Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu
+ Rt Rev. Bernard Paul
Bishop of Malacca-Johore
+ Rt Rev. Cornelius Piong
Bishop of Keningau
+ Rt Rev. Sebastian Francis
Bishop of Penang
+ Rt Rev. Julius Dusin Gitom
Bishop of Sandakan
+ Rt Rev. Joseph Hii
Bishop of Sibu
+ Rt Rev. Richard Ng
Bishop of Miri
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we come together to celebrate 62 years of Merdeka and the 56th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia, we pause to reflect upon the many blessings that God has showered upon us as individuals, Catholics and as a nation. We thank God for the ...
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Posted date: April 22, 2019
As I wish you Happy Easter, we are also saddened by the shocking news of the bombing and massacre of the innocent in churches and hotels in Colombo on Easter Sunday. For Christians, Easter Sunday is a very sacred celebration.
On Good Friday, Jesus died on the Cross, offering his life in a sacrifice of love. He died and was buried. So Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead after three days. It is also the culmination of the 40-day period of Lent, a time of purification and repentance where Christians fast, pray and practise almsgiving to alleviate suffering and help the poor and needy. Thus Easter Sunday is always celebrated with joy, hope and life.
As such, the premeditated bombing timed to be on the sacred feast of Easter Sunday, both in churches and hotels, is to be strongly condemned. The killing of the innocent – children, women, families – especially at prayer is an atrocious crime against humanity. It is not so long ago that we are still haunted by the sad killing in Christchurch.
Together with the Association of the Churches in Sarawak, we have issued a statement condemning such violence and massacre, irrespective of race, creed or status. Today with our common humanity, inter-connected as one global human family, it is only appropriate that all spiritual leaders speak as one voice to condemn this terrorist act in Sri Lanka.
As the Archbishop of Kuching, I condemn such insensible killing of the innocents and extend our prayer solidarity with the victims and families.
Archbishop Simon PohAs I wish you Happy Easter, we are also saddened by the shocking news of the bombing and massacre of the innocent in churches and hotels in Colombo on Easter Sunday. For Christians, Easter Sunday is a very sacred celebration.
On Good Friday, Jesus died on the Cross, offering his life ...
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