Christians Called To Vote In Malaysia’s 12th General Election

The Bishop of Penang, the Right Reverend Bishop Antony Selvanayagam, issued a message regarding the 2008 General Election in a pastoral letter dated February 17, 2008 through the Diocese of Penang website. In the letter addressed to all Fathers, Religious and Lay Faithfuls of the Roman Catholic Church, he said that voting is the sacred Christian duty of all Catholics. He also outlined five points to guide Catholics in casting their votes wisely.

As Christians, we must send out the message loud and clear that we do not take lightly to the action by certain parties to dictate how we should practice our faith. Lets make our voices heard and ensure that the freedom to practice the religion of our choice is not scuttled in any way.

The Bishop’s letter and the election message from the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) can be viewed from the following links:

Letter from the Right Reverend Bishop Antony Selvanayagam
(MS Word format)

Election message from the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM)
(Adobe PDF format)

Chinese New Year Eve Mass At The Church of OMPH

The Altar at The Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Ipoh
The Altar at The Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help gaily
decorated with bright and colourful gladiolus flower arrangement.

Father Phillip Lai presenting ang paus to the congregation at The Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Ipoh
Father Phillip Lai presenting Chinese New Year ang paus to the
congregation at The Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help

Wuan and I went to pray the Chinese New Year Eve Mass at the Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help at Jalan La Salle in Ipoh just now. It was presided over by the Reverend Father Phillip Lai and the Reverend Father Joseph Stephen. Surprisingly, the Church was not packed to the brim as I had anticipated. That was my first time praying the Mass on Chinese New Year Eve. When Mass ended, the congregation was presented with ang paus and mandarin oranges to usher in the new year.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my friends and readers of The Digital Awakening Gong Xi Fa Cai. May the new year brings an abundance of prosperity and joy to you and your family.