St Anne's Feast Day Celebrations at St Anne's Church Port Klang

The Statue of St Anne









St Anne's Church in Port Klang at
10.00a.m, morning of Sat. 26th July 2008

St Anne's Church at 6.30p.m. , bursting at the seams, spilling out to the roads outside. Even the drizzle half way through the mass, did not bother the crowd, infact to the faithful, they were showers of blessings from God above. The standing room infront of the statue of St Anne and where candles were light, were so tight that it was difficult to even lift one's hands and crossed them in prayer. Judging from the huge crowd, and the tight squeeze inside the church compounds, and the spillover, out to the public road outside, this year's pilgrims converging at the Church of St Anne appears to surpass previous years. There were literally, thousands and thousands of devotees, believers and the faithful, with many from other faith and religion, making their yearly pilgrimage, drawn to St Anne either through favours granted or believing in St Anne ,had come to pray for special intentions. Many had come from as far as Singapore. A good career, a happy marriage, family harmony, and for God's grace in granting them children. St Anne is known to be especially gracious towards such intentions and prays earnestly to God for us; and indeed many have had their prayers answered.

The packed Church
Despite the inflation, and price increases in just about everything; this year sees more donations of food to the public, free lunch, ready packed food,sweet breads and buns aplenty to just about everyone and free flowing of water and drinks, right into the night. When this writer left well after nine pm, buns were still being distributed to the crowd and soft drinks still flowing strong. Astonishing! The grace and power of God eh, people?

Faithful pilgrims too has occasion to thank the parish of St. Anne, Father Lawrence Andrew, Father Joe Stephen and the organising committee for organising very easy to follow mass celebrations , guided by translations in the four main languages. They came in faith, they understood all that goes on and they went away enlightened, thanking God and St Anne and knowing more about celebrating mass the Catholic Way. So much work and effort had been put in so that all who came could be fed, feel welcomed and loved.

Thank you St. Anne; thank you Loving Father who has heard our prayers through St Anne.

RCIA Workshops-Our Lady of Lourdes Church

A friend told me that there is something new, something exciting at the weekly RCIA workshops , so why don't I drop by to experience it for myself. So I took her advise and drop by for a little visit, Sunday afternoon, to see what the interesting new development was. First, the candidates, hmmmm...a very interesting batch of new faces, then ah..new faces to the team, three very senior parish members. Rachel? Where on earth did she get all her energy from? And of course the wonderful original members of the team, Louis, Alan, Ron, Daniel, Elaine, Sam (others, on the team but not around today) the golden backbone of the team. Good to see you again people !

Way to go farmers of God! The time you spend planting seeds and nuturing them in Jesus's name will surely bring in the grace and blessings for yourselves.

And what's new? An Introduction to the Early World? Journey through the Bible? For RCIA candidates? There was a big question mark in my mind at first. That was compounded by the inability to hear the lessons due to fierce competition for God's attention, coming from just below. Apparently our foreign brothers and sisters were having a fellowship in the hall below and the sounds of their praise and worship practically drown out the lessons presented on the screen. What struck me were ....RCIA candidates straining their ears to catch the lessons, as best as they could... The element of wanting to know more........Interesting! I raised an eyebrow at Bro Ron, ( you know indirectly, telling him, hey! brother! why don't you do something?) and he smiling told me, "these brothers and sisters are praising and worshipping God and we cannot stop them expressing their love for God. Indeed, we cannot, everyone of us deserves attention and love from the Lord, nobody should be stopped from pouring out their joy.. Wow! Beautiful! Must be the Holy Spirit working within him.

Very wisely , the word sharing was pushed up and the video session pushed back.

Then wonders of wonders! the sound system decided to behave and out came the words flowing loud and clear. Bible lessons classroom style, conducted in an easy to understand fashion. It certainly is a good way to introduce the Bible to the new candidates and I just know that at the end of the workshops, even if the candidates do not score 100%, they would at least graduate with a good basic knowledge of the Bible.

I, for one find the lessons comfortably paced, not too demanding on the mind, informative, and easy to comprehend. The candidates are adults so it should be well received. What's more, God's farmers are perpetually on standby mode-ever ready with their fertilizers and water hoses, to feed and water the new seedlings sprouting from the fertile grounds, if needs be.

RCIA Facilitators, the candidates past and current owe you their thanks! Our thanks to Father John, the Parish Sheperd as well!

The Good and Weeds in us

I love the gospel of Matthew, where the parables and teachings of Jesus somehow stands out more-like the light from a beacon rising up and shining bright, out in the darken seas. Matt 13:24-43 talks about a sower who planted good seeds for wheat but an enemy came and sowed among them, weeds. To me it is like those of us who heard the Word of God, accepted and received it and was given the gift of faith and life, but then along came Satan with all his temptations and so we wandered away from the path of life, and could not find our way back to the path leading to the kingdom of God, but God, ever mindful of his flock and realising his sheep is missing goes out to seek and calls for their return.

This faltering of faith in every individual, reminds me of the passage from Matt: 14: 29 when the Lord came walking on the sea and Peter called out to the Lord that if it was indeed Him (Jesus)to bid him (Peter) go to the Lord on the water and the Lord said to him "Come" and Peter trusting in the Lord, got out of the boat and walked on the water and went to Jesus but when he saw the wind, he became afraid and started to sink. He called out to Jesus to save him and immediately Jesus reach out and caught hold of him. Peter shifted his focus away from Jesus to the wind and seeing the fierce winds,, doubts crept in and took away his faith; he started to sink but the Lord was quick to respond to his call; reach out and caught hold of him and saved him. Often, we let the weeds in our life suffocate the goodness and faith in us that we lose sight of the Lord and start to lose direction.

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So too when Satan start offering his candies, like naive children, we eagerly reach out to savour of the illusionary sweetness and became so addicted to the glitters of sin that we lose our bearings and sway away from our faith; from the "wheat" and the goodness in us. Even then, The Father in his love does not cast us away, He does not shut the gates of Heaven from us, just because we are contaminated by sins and wrongs, instead he waits patiently for us to untangle ourselves from the "weeds" and heed his call to return home. Sometimes, it takes more than a call, it takes, pains,sufferings and misfortunes in our lives before we turn back to God, once again and in renewed faith, retrace our steps back to the Loving Father in Heaven, into the Kingdom of God.

FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH (Nehemiah 8:10) A Charismatic Prayer Group Word Sharing

The tugging feeling started at around 3.15p.m. this afternoon. The great need to attend the evening's Charismatic Praise and Worship at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Klang and the feelings persisted even when I reached home. I wanted to stay home; it had been a long day but no, the voice within kept on urging ...nagging go..you must go. And So, I said alright Lord, I will go and so I went. Just what could be so special that I am so drawn to attend, this evening's session, I wondered.

The membership has certainly grown and with active participation from some very dynamic and enthusiastic youths. Choice of hymns -fanastic! Powerful renditions; outpouring of healing grace, the essence of a Charismatic prayer and worship session. I was totally drawn into the Spirit as I joined in the thanksgiving- joyous voices rose in great gusto to praise and worship the Lord with sheer abandonment; just allowing the Spirit to lead and direct our motions and movements. Amazingly bonding, united, one with the Spirit!

The guest speaker for the night? Bro. Mervin Ratnasingam. He was there with his lovely wife and two beautiful young kids. I am a believer of the Charismatic movement but not yet a regular member..

Nothing prepared me for the God given talent in the speaker for the night - the raw passion, the clarity of his message , great innotation and diction! The makings of a great evangelist! A lesson delivered with clear knowledge and understanding of the Word of the Lord! An entirely new approach in delivering his topic of the day " For the Joy of the Lord is your Strength". Nahemiah 8:10 Presented with great conviction , passion and in a totally new perpective ! Very refreshing, exceptionally lively, funny yet intense. Even when, he had us in stitches and holding on to the sides of our stomachs, the intended message was not lost-the theme of the evening rings out loud and clear. We need to cultivate and create joy in our lives, focusing on the joy of the Lord-what brings joy to the Lord, what pleases the Lord and that will act as our strength,in carrying out the will of the Lord and drawing the inward flow of joy back into our lives.

Let me share some important pointers I learnt . CHARA ( meaning rejoice, be glad, full of joy ) and CHARIS (grace) Two soul inspiring words,. complementing Nahemiah 8:10 "For the Joy of the Lord is our Strength." Indeed to have joy, there must be grace. And "that my joy may be in you and your joy will be full" John 15:11. Joy cannot come to us unless we make a conscious effort to want, to invite and welcome it into our lives through carrying out the wishes and will of the Lord (His Commandments ) and emulating the goodness of the Lord. When you do good to someone, and witness the difference you have made in his life,does it not gladden your heart and make you feel at the top of the world?

The key word is to "CREATE and made aware the need to have Joy in our everyday lives, and then work towards making it a permanent fixture in our lives. Bro Mervin describes it as an" attitude" thing. Yes it certainly appears to be. There must be a determination to want joy in our lives, to choose joy over sadness. Once created it will flow out like a fountain of love , spreading round and around, filling our cups to the brim and we cannot have all this without drawing on the strength of the Lord. " I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he , it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15: 5

A remarkable sharing indeed. Bro Mervin, you have certainly utilised the blessings of the Lord well. Praise the Lord! Like you brother, once upon a time, I too detested those who love to use the three words "Praise the Lord." on and on...I thought well perhaps, a little fanatical huh? Today, these three little words have become big time words in my life and it flows easily from my lips! Praise the Lord again ! Amen!

Thank you Brother, I thoroughly enjoyed the session, and yes, Thank you Lord, you know best!

Knowing and Understanding the Bible

Father Philip from Mersing, shared the Word of God with the Parishers of Our Lady of Lourdes, Klang, in the absence of Father John, the Parish's Resident Sheperd, who is away in Sydney, Australia to attend the World Youth Day, 2008.

The importance of knowing the Bible, the Basic Pillar of the Christian Faith, The Word of God. was passionately extolled. The Catholic Church celebrates Bible Sunday, emphasising the serious need for the people of God to know and understand His word and rightly so. We, who are of the Christian Faith and of the Catholic Community, how are we to follow and live up to the teachings of Christ Jesus if we do not study the Bible and have basic if not excellent knowledge of the Word of God? Can we understand what we do not know? Can we carry out his commandments if we do not read His Word and see for ourselves what is close to His Heart? It is wonderful that we have the Parish priest, the church elders and leaders to constantly remind us to carry out good and charitable deeds as befitting of a faith community. However nothing is more powerful and enlightening than reading, studying, understanding the Bible ourselves and allowing the teachings of Christ Jesus to flow into our minds and hearts and allowing His spirit to guide us to follow in his footsteps. Nothing is more fruitful and amazing than the awakening of the willing spirit within which rises up to bond with the Holy Spirt and in so doing carry out the will of God, in the manner pleasing to Him.

Therefore People, Do not stress yourselves; pace, prepare yourselves, do not try to do more than what you can too fast, lest you burn out and become like the seeds that fell on rocky grounds that immediately sprang up but when the sun came up, they were scorched and withered away. (Mt. 13: 1:23) God has given each of us different gifts and abilities. Prepare yourselves and work within the gifts and abilities given you. Do not compare yourselves with others. In the Parable of the Sower and His Seeds-The seeds fell on to different places and on different terrains. Not only does it tells us to open our minds, nourish it and allow the word of God to thrive and grow, but it also draws emphasis to the different enviroment,circumstance and society, we live in.

Therefore do not be anxious to live up to the expectations of others, do not try to please too much, too fast but act out the will of God according to your means and abilities...use the Word of God to guide you through the right paths of life and you will surely be at peace with the Lord and yourself.

Father Philip's little story of the beautiful colourful stones, washed and smoothen by waves, in his comparision to the sharp edges in peoples' lives which causes them to hurt others in their lives is very relevant. It will take a great deal of time and efforts, understanding and love, to smoothen away the sharp, hurtful edges jutting from the frames of people in our lives, and cutting us, especially , people we care for , but you know people, the remedies and healings is in the Word of God, the parables and teachings of our Lord Jesus. The key is to trust in Him, Surrender whatever hurts and burdens we have and lay them at His Feet and you will find that the sharp edges no longer draws blood and cutting less. In time to come, it just ceases to bother and attitudes change, theirs and ours. At the end of the day, we all live new lives; reborn.

Thank you Father Philip for sharing the Word of God with the parishers of The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Klang.

Rise above the Need; Thank and Praise God More

I had been searching high and low , asking around if anyone has the lyrics to this beautiful hymn ' Higher Hands'. and had all but given up hope of ever getting it, when I was surprised by an angelic gesture of "giving" from a lovely lady.She had obviously gone to a lot of trouble typing out the lyrics for me; then when I was having my quiet moment with God, she had come into Church quietly, and left the beautifully typed hymn by my side and then disappeared before I could even thank her. Someone who gives without expecting anything in return not even grateful thanks. Thank you sister and God Bless You! Isn't it amazing how God sends "angels" into our lives when we least expect it? Let me share the words of this beautiful hymn with you:-

Though it seems I'm oft unnoticed and lost in time and space,

God above is watching over me, though I can not see his face

Chorus

Higher Hands are leading me, Higher hands are leading me

I am not alone I know., As I walk this world below

For Higher Hands are leading me

Oh How sweet to know He hears me,

When I go to Him in Prayer

And I tell all my troubles,

When my heart is bowed with care

There is a great eternal purpose

In the life of every one

And some day, we'll know its meaning

When our days on earth is done.

All my times are in His Keeping

He has numbered me my years

And some day, He will take me yonder

Where there will be no pain or tears.

Beautiful, meaningful words which never failed to bring tears to my eyes, each time the hymn is sung. Yes Indeed, with God in our lives, we will never be alone for He is watching over us and Leading us even though we cannot see His Face. A great source of comfort and great strengthening of faith. This beautiful hymn opens an instant link, bonding to the Higher Powers above. Friends, allow the promise it contains to fill your heart and you will surely be filled with the courage to discard your baggage, move forward positively, confident in the light and care of the Lord.

You will find that going before the Lord, praying and spending time with Him need not always be in moments of need, they could be happy times spent in thanksgiving, praise, glorifying and refreshing/renewing our spiritual ties with our God-Happy moments of togetherness. In moments like these, see Him not only as our God, but our Heavenly Father, filled with joy for us, and rejoicing because we, his children have been blessed with life's goodness. Trust me Friends, you will find an uplifting of your spirit,heart & soul. You will find yourself asking less but praising and glorifying more. Praise the Lord!

Church of Our Lady of Lourdes Klang, Monthly Jubilee Mass, Procession & Benediction

The traffic jam in Klang is as usual at its worse between 6-7.30p.m. But thank God, I managed to reach the Church just as the mass was being celebrated.. This special mass is celebrated on the 11th of every month the whole year of 2008 in honour of the Holy Mother, The Blessed Virgin Mary , Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Adoration was truly beautiful and indeed the Holy Mother, Our Lord's first disciple was the rock on which the Apostles looked up to, revered and drawn strength from during the early days of the Christian church. Today, we continue to look up to this wonderful Mother, Mary who is so filled with the Holy Spirit to guide us and draw us closer to Christ Jesus. Infact the devotion to the Holy Mother is growing in magnitude . We all need comfort, we all need intercessions, we all need love, we all need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Who better to come to turn to for assistance than the Mother of our LORD? We look up to her to pray for us, to guide us, comfort us and lead us to Jesus's side. Our Devotion and thanks to the Holy Mother for instilling and strengthing our faith and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Trinity.

A Section of the crowd

following the candlelight

procession Decending from Wisma Lourdes

The Beautiful Statue of
The Blessed Virgin Mary
leading the procession

And back into the church after the procession.

A call to follow Christ Jesus (RCIA)

I love this church and I love the presence of Christ Jesus in my life. Listen, how beautifully, He calls out to us " Come to me. all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

He is offering us Peace. Don't we all want Peace in our Lives?

Friends, allow me to join my Parish, Our Lady of Lourdes, Klang in issuing a personal invitation to all who has a need of God's grace and mercy at this time of their lives to : Come Follow Jesus through the Catholic way.

Jesus said" I am the Good Shepherd: John 10:11
" If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water." John 7:37-38

FORMATION SESSIONS: EVERY SUNDAYS STARTING 1ST JUNE 2008 FROM 3.30P.M. TILL 5.30P.M. The sessions has started but the door is still open to anyone who wishes to enter.

In Christianity, God shows his love for us by coming down to us that He may be with us. He is not so high up that we cannot reach Him, He is with us, A God of Love.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. JOHN 3:16

Friends, do you know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to die for our sins that we may be saved ? Do you wish to enter the kingdom of God and have salvation? John 1:12 says " To all who received him, who believe in his name, he gave power to become children of God".

Friends, Do you want to be children of God; do you hear the call of God, in your heart and soul? Have you a need for God in your life at this time of your life? We invite you :-

" COME . AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL SAVIOUR ,CHRIST JESUS, WHO WILLINGLY LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR OUR SAKE, THAT OUR SINS MAY BE FORGIVEN . COME, GET TO KNOW HIM THAT HIS LOVE MAY EMPOWER YOU., THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY"

The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes 's Adult Faith Formation classes , the RCIA (The rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is currently in session every Sundays from 3.30p.m. till 5.30p.m. If you would like to experience fulfillment in Jesus's name:- WE INVITE YOU TO COME BY TO THE CHURCH PREMISE ON SUNDAYS AND JOIN IN THE RCIA SESSIONS OR YOU MAY CALL

The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Klang. No 114, Jalan Tengku Kelana, 41100 Klang

Tel No: 603-33713053 Fax:603-33737823.
Parish Priest Father John Gnanapiragasam.

Our dedicated and inspired team of RCIA Facilitators are ready to help you on your journey.

AN EXTRACT FROM FATHER JOHN GNANAPIRAGASAM'S RCIA PAMPLET

The Bible Passage quoted:
"I have come that they may have Life, Life in all its fullness." John 10:10

The Parish Invitation:

Come attend our Faith Formation Sessions

Only Jesus Christ can make your Life Meaningful; Only Jesus Christ can save you!

What you will learn from this Faith Formation Session:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church:
Part I
The Profession of Faith
What Catholics Believe:
THE CREED.
Part II
The Celebration of the Christian Mystery.
How Catholic Life is celebrated in Christ.
THE SACRAMENTS
PART III
Life of Christ
How Catholics Live the Life of Christ?
THE COMMANDMENTS
PART IV
Christian Prayer
How Catholics Pray the life in Christ?
THE OUR FATHER

The Parish welcomes all Enquirers and cordially invites sponsors and companions to walk the faith journey with our new candidates.