The Novena of Grace to St. Francis Xavier 2010

The Novena of Grace is a nine-day prayer, held from the 4th to the 12th of March in honour of St. Francis Xavier. According to the norm, the novena is set within the Eucharist with the novena prayer intention recited after the Prayer of the Faithful.

The first Novena of Grace of St. Francis Xavier is said to have taken place in Goa, India 1615, when a boy, crippled from birth, was cured. After Francis Xavier was proclaimed a saint on 12th March 1622, the novena grew in popularity around the world. It reached the Church of St. Francis Xavier, PJ in 2004 and was first presided by Rev. Fr. Simon Yong, SJ. Since then, we’ve had various priests presiding over it with videos on the life of St. Francis and personal sharings by those who have received graces after praying the novena.

The Catholic Church is midway through the ‘Year for Priests’ - a year set aside for us faithful to pray for and with our clergy, seminarians and aspirants, while paying tribute to the ordained priestly ministry. This clarion call of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI with the theme ‘Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests’, is echoed in our parish's novena. Accordingly this year, Fr. Simon’s sermons have covered a vast array of priests and religious who have defended the faith often enduring torture and death.

This novena has been an opportunity for us to come with open hearts, ready to be further infused with the graces of God as we encounter Christ in His priests. We celebrate the gift of the ordained priesthood and thereby rediscover our own calling as laity to be a priestly community.

Even more so, let us celebrate Christ's faithfulness to His Bride - the Church, mirrored in the faithfulness of our priests to Christ and His Church. For without the priesthood, there can be no Eucharist; without the Eucharist, there can be no Church.

Lydia Colaco

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Meet the New SFX newsletter

In reality, here we discover divine justice, which is so profoundly different from its human counterpart. God has paid for us the price of the exchange in His Son, a price that is truly exorbitant. Before the justice of the Cross, man may rebel for this reveals how man is not a self-sufficient being, but in need of Another in order to realise himself fully. Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one’s own need – the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship.

Message of His Holiness

Benedict XVI

For Lent 2010

Meet the New SFX Newsletter

Dear Parishioners,

Even as I write this editorial, I am aware of how quickly time is passing. We began Lent with the imposition of ashes, and by the time this newsletter is published, Easter will be just around the corner. Much of this edition is focused upon Lent and our own parish’s preparation.

We take a look at the Novena of Grace to St. Francis Xavier, an enriching spiritual experience for those who attended. What are its origins? How can we ‘Embrace Lent with the Arms of Faith’? And there is a continuation on the WISE Commissions – ‘What can I do for you Lord?’ Think of it as a ‘getting-to-know-SFX’ series.

It may be unusual but we’ve included a tribute to the late Allan Hoh. Who was he? Well, if you haven’t heard Fr. Simon speaking of him at mass earlier this year, now is the chance to find out. We also bid farewell to KC Wong, another parishioner who passed on unexpectedly. He served our parish loyally and with great cheer all these years.

As always, we continue to update you regarding the renovation of SFX and the 1000 hours of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for Year of Priests at our lovely new Chapel Santa Maria della Strada.

To be faithful to God, we must be a people of prayer and deep spirituality. I would like to implore… Yes, implore you… To pray for our priests. Was there ever a time when you needed the priest? He celebrates the Eucharist, baptises our children, confirms them, sanctifies their marriage vows, hears our confession, he gives the sacrament of anointing to our sick and dying loved ones. He is there at their funerals.

Will you pray one hour for him?

In his lifetime, he would have prayed hundreds of hours for you…

You can find out much more about our parish’s activities through our newly revamped website at www.sfx.com.my. The whole look and feel is meant to draw you, our parishioner, into the life of the Parish. It’s interactive and modern. You can listen to the sermons of our Parish Priests, look at photos, get updates, give your feedback and contribute articles, plus a whole lot more. So…Happy surfing!

With that, let us join together on Easter with the Elect in renewing our Baptismal Promises. I have always liked the final part of the profession of faith of this rite – “This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord.” There is an impact in those words that is so stirring and powerful for me.

God bless you all. Have a blessed Easter.

Kathleen Sammy

The Editor

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The 1000 Hours of Silent Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament

From Chapel Santa Maria della Strada 22nd Nov 09

"The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic Adoration. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease."

These were the words of Pope John Paul II in Dominicae Cenae, the letter addressed to all the Bishops of the Church on the Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist. What was written in 1980 still rings true till today that we as a church need the Eucharistic Adoration more than ever.


We need not go very far to see the need for the Eucharistic Adoration when just last year, Fr. Simon summoned the parishioners to come and pray the over-night Vigil before the Blessed Sacrament for the life threatening operation of Fr. O.C. Lim. Although we cannot deny the skilled hands of the surgeons in the heart-related surgery, it was undeniable that the earnest prayers of the parishioners brought about his eventual recovery.


Then came the issue of the word “Allah” used in the Herald with the Government. Despite having strong reason and evidence to support our case, Fr. Lawrence asked for prayers believing that we could only win the case through “fasting and praying”. Once again the church came together and prayed through the night before the Blessed Sacrament for a favourable outcome from the hearing. The final verdict pronounced “The Government’s decision not to allow the Herald to use the word Allah is illegal and null and void.”. According to Fr. Lawrence those words were the best pronouncement the court could ever give to the Catholic Church. In the eyes of faith a miracle had transpired in our midst. In times of dire need, the Lord has not failed to listen to the prayers of His people who kneel before Him in the Blessed Sacrament.


These examples do not mean that we have the key to bend God’s arm and have Him meet our every whim and fancy. Rather they are acts of turning to God for help in times of great need. Although we cannot foretell the outcome of our prayers, we know and trust that the God to whom we pray will not only listen to our voice but will also act. Put it simply, our God is the living God present in the Blessed Sacrament.


In this Year for Priests, our Parish Priest encourages the parishioners to pray for the clergy, religious, seminarians in formation and also for more vocation. This is a graced time for the people of God to give something in return to their priests – the gift of prayer. Fr. Simon believes that at least a thousand parishioners would generously give an hour of their time to pray through the act of participation in the 1,000 Hours of Silent Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. This could just be a step to bring the Parishioners of SFX closer to God as a Church in Faithfulness to Christ and a spirit-filled preparation towards the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Parish in 2011.

Br.Eugene Koh, SJ

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Chinese New Year at SFX

This year’s CNY was celebrated at the 11.30am mass on the 14^th of February. Coincidentally, it was also Valentine’s Day. Both Fr. Simon and Fr. Albert were dressed in the liturgical colour green as was befitting. The crowd was massive. Many were joyously dressed in the festive red colour. Both priests handed out angpow packets and ‘kam’ (mandarin oranges) after the mass. The design of this year’s SFX angpow packet was based on the stained glass of St. Francis Xavier. It is the final angpow design in a 3-year series which saw the utilisation of the other two main glass panels of Our Lady and the Sacred Heart in the 1st and 2nd year.

The traditional firecracker was also lit outside and exploded with a big bang to the glee of children who had gathered around to watch.

Kathleen Sammy

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Embracing Lent with the Arms of Faith

We take this journey of Lent every year and together with the Elect, we will renew our baptismal vows at Easter. We join them in scrutinising our own lives and praying to God for the grace to overcome temptation.

The sign of the cross in ashes upon our foreheads marked the beginning of our Lenten season – a symbol of fragility and mortality, and the need to be redeemed by the mercy of God. In this, we the faithful are called to adopt an attitude of internal penance.

In immersing ourselves in Lent, we embrace our cross that we might rise with Him at Easter. Many of us link Lent to penance, fasting, prayer and almsgiving.

Catholics are blessed with the Sacrament of Reconciliation and having confessed our sins with heartfelt contriteness, we stand with the Elect on Easter night – filled with great joy as it were, at the new life that God has given us.

Fasting in turn is a personal commitment. Many of us fast in different ways these days. Fasting is indeed an aid to prayer. Many of the saints fasted and prayed. The pangs of hunger mirror our hunger for God.

However, the prophet Isaiah warns us that fasting without changing our behaviour is not pleasing to God. "This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own" (Is 58:6-7).

Fasting should draw our concern towards those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the injustice of our economic and political structures etc. Almsgiving is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude towards our loving Father. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the baptised Catholic.

In terms of scriptural meditation and prayer, a reflection upon the Lord’s Passion as narrated in the Bible will aid to us in inspiring devotion. As we contemplate the divine mystery that the Sinless One would die for our sins, our hearts will more deeply experience gratitude for His infinite love, how very astounding His mercy and forgiveness is and His example of abandonment to the will of the Father which so many of us grapple with.

Since ancient times, Catholics have observed Fridays during Lent as a time to meditate upon the mystery of the Cross. In our parish of St. Francis Xavier – our Lord’s Passion has been depicted vibrantly in stained glass windows. We have the traditional Via Crucis in the church proper, and additionally the Via Dolorosa (Scriptural Way of the Cross) in the Chapel of Santa Maria della Strada.

The images are evocative and rightly so.

The colours fill the church towards sunset during the 6.15pm Friday mass.

The features of Christ. Accused. Convicted. The weight of the cross upon His wounded body. In pain. Meeting His beloved Mother. The crucifixion. His redemptive sacrifice. The scenes come alive and in the quiet mournful songs that we sing, the faithful accompany Him on His final earthly journey.

As we contemplate and pray the Via Crucis, we remember that this life is but a journey. A pitstop on the way to our true Heavenly abode. We acknowledge the need to carry our crosses courageously united to the will of the Father. His mercy is boundless. Therefore, let us journey towards Easter assured of His love.

“Lent is like a long ‘retreat’ during which we can turn back into ourselves and listen to the voice of God, in order to defeat the temptations of the Evil One. It is a period of spiritual ‘combat’ which we must experience alongside Jesus, not with pride and presumption, but using the arms of faith: prayer, listening to the word of God and penance. In this way we will be able to celebrate Easter in truth, ready to renew the promises of our Baptism”.

Benedict XVI

Kathleen Sammy

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What Can I do for You, Lord? Pt 1

What can I do for You, Lord?

W.I.S.E. Commissions (Part 1 of 4 parts) – The Worship Commission

Gone were the days where people feel that only the priests and nuns are the ‘real’ church and the laities are passive bystanders who just need to attend Mass every weekend. Each one of us is called to share actively in the mission of the church. As active as we are in our own lives in the secular world, have you ever wished that you could be more involved with what is going on in the church? After all, the Church also exists in the visible form so that we can also contribute within her in a visible way. This article on the Worship Commission is a continuation of the previous issue regarding the 4 commissions, known as W.I.S.E. serving the various needs of the parish.

As we worship, someone has to do the logistics of it all.

Given that 2000 years ago, the LCD projector, audio equipment, organ/piano, etc. were not invented yet, I imagine that the celebration of the Liturgy and the Eucharist would have involved less logistical process (or more, depending on how one looks at it). Nevertheless, as we grow in time, within the increasing human capability given to us, this sacred action of worship due to God should be done befittingly in honour of Him. Ever wondered how the human members of the Mystical Body of Christ manage this public worship at SFX? Within the Worship Commission, the following 6 commissions are available to assist the priest in Mass, followed by other commission for other forms of worshiping:

Liturgy Team (previously Liturgical Planning Team & Liturgical Services Team).

The Liturgy Team, which now includes communion ministers, lectors and commentators, plans important Eucharistic celebrations by preparing liturgical scripts for Masses, and co-ordinating the input from other participating groups to ensure that the Eucharist is celebrated without any technical glitches. Within it, the Liturgy Core Group (liturgical co-ordinators of the various zones/BECs and representatives of other related groups), is responsible for:

o Ensuring that at every Mass there are adequate liturgical ministers and wardens available to serve.

o Preparing duty rosters for the liturgical ministers.

o Assisting in planning and organising feast day and special occasion Masses.

o Recruiting new members and organising formation classes for them.

o Producing the annual Lectors/Commentators Handbook

Chief Coordinator: Rachel Santa Maria +6012 327 2605

Berchman's Altar Servers Society (BASS)

Founded in 1960 as the Altar Boys Society its name was changed in 1980 to its present name to incorporate its patron Saint, John Berchmans. Although the primary objective of BASS is to assist the priests at Mass and other services held at SFX Church, it has over the years been inculcating religious and moral values and a strong sense of brotherhood among its members. The new members are continuously reminded of the importance of preserving and upholding BASS’ ideals. Membership currently stands at 45 and is restricted to male youths who have completed their First Holy Communion.

President: Desmond Raju +6017 386 3809

Limay Ngu

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An Invitation to be a Contributing Writer!

Would you like to contribute an article on Easter or perhaps share on your own experience as an SFX parishioner as we move towards our Golden Jubilee?

Email the Editor at sfx50in2011@gmail.com.

We reserve the right to choose which articles will be printed and to edit as needed.

Please provide your name and contact. Thank you!

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