By Ivy Chai
KUCHING — The Kuching Archdiocesan Pastoral Council (APC) 50th Executive Board Meeting was held at St Mary’s Room, Archdiocesan Curia and Cathedral Pastoral Centre (ACCPC) on Saturday, 25 March 2023.
APC chairperson Christina Eng expressed her delight “that after three years, we finally meet in the physical.” She said it was a “milestone that we have crossed, that we are firmly on the road to put the pandemic behind us and move forward, cautiously still, but resolutely nevertheless.”
Present at the meeting were 35 members comprising priests and pastoral councillors from the 12 parishes, and heads of the various commissions and committees.
In his communication to the board members, APC president Archbishop Simon Poh also touched on the “lifting of dispensation of Sunday obligations for Catholics effective Palm Sunday on 2 April.” The Catholic community will now have to go back to Church for Sunday Mass and Holy days of obligation. A Pastoral letter from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference Malaysia was disseminated last week.
Topics of Prime Concern
The board meeting focussed on the concerns brought up as a result of the dialogues and feedback received from grassroot level during the Synodal Process, and from the Parish Pastoral Assemblies and Archdiocesan Pastoral Assembly (KAPA2) held last year.
Of prime concern and which warranted further deliberations were the topics on Parenting, Family, and Spirituality. Archbishop Simon shared that a person has “to encounter Jesus” before his/her spiritual faith can progress to discipleship. Catechists will need to create “awareness” with testimonies of personal encounters with Jesus.
In addition to all the reports from the respective commissions, committees and ministry, the executive board members received an update on the Synodal Process 2021-2024 from Fr Patrick Heng. He further informed that the Pan Malaysia Pastoral Convention has been renamed to Malaysian Pastoral Convention (MPC) as reflected in the new MPC 2026 logo.
 50th Executive Board Meeting was held at St Mary’s Room, Archdiocesan Curia and Cathedral Pastoral Centre (ACCPC) on Saturday 25 March 2023.){kind=link}