PENANG — College General Major Seminary hosted a special triple celebration on June 19, marking a significant day for the institution.
Firstly, it was the feast day of the college. The date is calendared as the feast day of St Philip Minh Van Doan and companions. St Philip Minh, born in 1815, was a student of College General from 1840 to 1846. As a priest, he returned to Vietnam in 1853, and was martyred by beheading for refusing to trample on the cross, for not denying his religion and for not revealing the whereabouts of his fellow priests. He is buried in Cai-mong, Vietnam and his relics are at College General. He was beatified in 1900 and canonised in 1988.
The seminary also celebrated the 25th sacerdotal anniversaries of six alumni: Msgr Jude Miranda, Fr Robert Daniel, Fr Michael Dass, Fr Terrance Thomas, Fr Albet Arockiasamy, and Msgr Peter Ng. The day was further enlivened by the birthdays of rector Fr Simon Labrooy and seminarian Benedict Lim. The event was attended by clergy from the Penang diocese and other guests.
The celebrations began with a Mass animated by the seminarians, with Fr Terrance Thomas as the main celebrant. In his homily, Fr Albet reflected on his formative years at the seminary, highlighting the influence of his experiences, the guidance from formators, and the bond with fellow seminarians. Following the Mass, Cardinal Francis Sebastian spoke about the symbolism of the colour red, representing both the blood of martyrs and the fire of the Holy Spirit guiding the Church.
The celebration continued at the college refectory with a luncheon. The silver jubilarians shared reflections on their 25 years of priesthood, and the seminarians sang “You Are a Priest Forever” as a tribute to the priests.
