BUKIT MERTAJAM — The iconic Church of St Anne here was officially proclaimed a minor basilica, three years after being granted the title by the Holy See.
The solemn declaration was held during a special eucharistic celebration at the Minor Basilica of St Anne here this evening, presided by Cardinal William Goh of Singapore.
Malaysia’s Catholic Apostolic Nuncio (ambassador) Archbishop Wojciech Zaluski also joined in the special eucharistic celebration together with Bishop of Penang Right Reverend Datuk Seri Sebastian Francis.
Also present were Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Most Reverend Julian Leow Beng Kim.
About 2,000 clergy, religious and lay faithful from Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Pakistan and New Zealand attended the historic ceremony.
Parish Priest of the Church of St Michael Alor Star, Father Michael Cheah, read out the solemn declaration in Latin and English.
Cheah was the parish priest of the Church of St Anne and was instrumental in overseeing the construction of the Minangkabau-inspired building which is a today a minor basilica.
As part of the solemn declaration, the church displayed two papal symbols: the ‘ombrellino’ (little umbrella) and a silk canopy with yellow and red liveries.
In addition, the church also displayed a tintinnabulum (or bells) mounted on a pole to symbolise its link to the Pope.
The logo of the crossed keys of St Peter was displayed on the church’s banners, furnishings and on the seal of the minor basilica. The keys refer to the promise of Christ to Peter and symbolise the continuous relations between the basilica and the Pope.
This Roman Catholic pilgrimage church, which was founded in 1846 by French missionaries from the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris, is Malaysia’s first basilica.
There are currently four major basilicas within Rome, with several minor basilicas located in other parts of the world.
Every July, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and visitors from the region congregate at the sprawling site, located about two kilometres from the Bukit Mertajam town, during the colourful St Anne Feast Day celebrations.
The Penang diocese had received a decree from the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome dated Sept 5, 2019 which granted the title of Minor Basilica to the Church of St Anne.
Talks to get the Church of St Anne to apply for basilica status first surfaced in 2012, when Francis was appointed Bishop of the Penang Catholic Diocese.
The idea was later supported by Archbishop Joseph Salvador Marino, the apostolic nuncio and ambassador of the Vatican to Malaysia, who arrived in the country in 2013.
Francis had, in a recent interview that was published in the Jan 8 edition of The Catholic Weekly Herald, said that his application to the Holy See to elevate the church was not because of its two-century-old existence, but more for its ability to draw the crowds from all walks of life.
“If you look at the testimonies, the church has had an effect on everything under the sun, from people overcoming financial difficulties to finding jobs, life partners and having children.
“My application to elevate the church to a minor basilica is not because of its huge building or antiquity. It is about the harmony that exudes from this great place.
“It’s not about religion, it’s about life. It’s about spirituality. It’s about blessing us. That is why I decided to name St Anne as the shrine of harmony to instil, ingrain and impress the bond of humanity among all of us,” he was quoted as saying.
