By Shannon Wei
KUCHING — As a new way of being church, St Joseph’s Cathedral held its first Parish Pastoral Assembly (PPA) at the Archdiocesan Curia and Cathedral Pastoral Centre (ACCPC) on 23 November.
The assembly took on the theme “WE ARE GOD’S EASTER PEOPLE: CALLED… CHOSEN.. AND SENT”, as guided by the new logo, vision and mission of the parish, which was launched early this year in commemoration of the Cathedral’s 50th anniversary.
The PPA was spearheaded by SJC Parish Pastoral Council, with guidance from Fr Larry Tan, SJ. The assembly aimed to review where the Cathedral Parish stood in terms of its vision and mission, and to reflect and understand how to set the pace towards the future together as ‘God’s Easter people’.
Following a schedule from 8.30 in the morning to 5.30 in the evening, PPA19 saw a turnout of 205 participants from all walks of life.
Invited participants were leaders and facilitators from various ministries, apostolates and organisations such as the Legion of Mary, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Family Bloc Rosary and more.
The assembly started off with an opening hymn, followed by a bible reading and opening prayer led by Fr Larry Tan and a pre-recorded keynote address by Archbishop Simon Poh.
This was followed-up by an opening address by Parish Pastoral Council Chairperson Aloysius Lai and the lighting of an Easter Candle by representatives of six different age groups – the youth; working adults; senior citizens; children; the religious and priestly, to symbolise the risen Lord.
Throughout the assembly, registered participants often gathered in groups to discuss PPA19 aims and the various contributions of their respective ministries and organisations.
An open Q&A session, followed by a closing prayer and hymn, brought a close to PPA19.
Later on, fish-tail banners of the assembly were brought to the Cathedral in time for Saturday Sunset Mass.
Shannon Wei
