By Stephenie Chia
KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Catechetical Commission (MCC), which is a consultative body to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, recently held its annual meeting from 9–13 June 2024 in the city of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The MCC is a pastoral assembly consisting of one clerical and one lay representative from each of the nine dioceses across Malaysia, meeting to promote co-operation and common action in the catechetical ministry at a national level.
The meeting this year was presided by Bishop Joseph Hii Teck Kwong, Bishop of Sibu, as the newly appointed Episcopal President and Dr Steven Selvaraju from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur as the Chairman of the Commission. In addition to the representatives of the nine dioceses: Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, Keningau, Malacca-Johore, Miri, Penang, Sandakan and Sibu, several observers from the Archdiocese of Singapore and the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei also joined the meeting to listen and to share.
In his opening keynote address, Bishop Joseph Hii expressed his gratitude for the work of the catechetical commission so far, comparing catechesis and formation to the education of the people, both formal and informal. He stated that we stand on the foundation of our predecessors, who believed in educating the people and now continue to strive for the betterment of the people of God. He urged those present to deeply consider the current practices of catechesis in order to better help people encounter God and deepen their connection with the Church. Drawing from the comparison between education and catechesis, he adds that it would be good if the process of learning about our faith would become a joyful, life-long journey for everyone in the Christian community.
Key Outcomes
Following the opening address, participants of the meeting discussed several matters including: Catechetical Sunday, national-level projects related to catechesis and concluding with a sharing of diocesan activities.
Catechetical Sunday
The celebration of Catechetical Sunday began with a Church document, Provido Sane Consilio (38), that was published in 1935 with the recommendation that parishes set aside a day to ‘direct the mind of Christian people toward religious education’ so that the entire Church community: bishop, priests, religious and all the lay faithful are reminded of their responsibility to pass on the faith. In view of this purpose, the discussion centred on the effectiveness of the current celebrations and how it can be enhanced in the future in order to increase the awareness of the community’s role in catechesis and its importance to the mission of the Church.
Finally, the discussion on Catechetical Sunday concluded with the selection of the theme for the coming year. The theme is chosen based on the strategic focus leading to the Malaysia Pastoral Convention in 2026: Ecology and Social Realities. Reflecting on the current state of affairs, the delegates selected the theme: ‘We can make the world a better place’ with the Bible verse: “Do not seek your own interest, but rather, that of others” (Phil 2:4). It is hoped that this theme would remind the Christian community of their responsibility and reflect on their role in making Christ known and loved wherever they are.
Projects Related to Catechesis
The MCC is a consultative body that proposes projects for the betterment of the catechetical ministry at the national level; these projects are then implemented by the National Catechetical Office (NCO). At the meeting this year, the NCO reported on the progress of two major projects currently ongoing: supplementary topics to the MCC and the parents’ guide to catechesis.
Several years ago, the MCC proposed for additional materials to be prepared as supplements to the Malaysian Catechetical Series (MCS). The reason for this was that Confirmation was happening later than when the series was created, and there was not enough material in the MCS to cover in their classes. This led to the preparation of lesson guidelines for 15 supplementary topics that catechists could use after completing the MCS. The lesson guidelines are currently under review and MCC members are gathering feedback on their usage before producing a final version for use in all the dioceses.
The second ongoing project for the MCC was a parents’ guide to catechesis that was proposed during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, catechism classes could not be held on-site and a proposal was made to create a catechetical resource for parents to guide them in their role as primary catechists. This project has resulted in the publication of the book ‘As for Me and My House’, which is a comprehensive resource on the vocation and responsibility of parents in catechesis. The book has been translated into 4 languages and is currently available through the NCO and diocesan bookshops.
In addition to these projects, the MCC also discussed the availability of reference texts to be used in the catechumenal process of the RCIA. A new text has been drafted by Dr Steven Selvaraju of Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese and is in the process of being reviewed before publication. Most other dioceses are satisfied with using the currently available texts while some have also been developing their own for use in their respective dioceses.
At the close of this session, Bishop Joseph Hii invited those present to consider how the resources being used and developed by the catechetical ministry can benefit those in other Church movements and ministries. He emphasised that the catechumenal process is the responsibility of the entire Church community and it was important to bridge the gap with other ministries so that the resources we have can be shared to others and encourage life-long catechesis beyond the classroom setting.
Sharing Joys and Challenges
The diocesan delegates continued their meeting with a sharing of catechetical activities held in their respective dioceses. After initial efforts to visit parishes and meet with catechists at the grassroots, many dioceses have begun formations for catechists, both online and physically. The dioceses of Sabah had organised a Catechetical Convention in September 2023 that was attended by more than 800 catechists, while dioceses in Sarawak continued with training of full-time catechists in addition to organising parish level formations for volunteer catechists that teach classes on Sunday. Dioceses in Peninsular Malaysia are continuing their efforts in catechetical formation, especially in theology and catechetical skills with the aim of working towards the certification of catechists.
Finally, delegates from the Archdiocese of Singapore and Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei also shared their various efforts in the formation of catechists and development of new catechetical programs and resources.
Conclusion of the Meeting
In concluding, Bishop Hii reiterated the importance of the Catechetical Ministry in the mission of the Church echoing his predecessors and states his hope that there would be more resources to encourage and support all the baptised in their life-long journey of catechesis.
The meeting then concludes with a resolution for further discussion on developing the catechesis and catechists for the future.
Other Activities
Besides being a platform for discussion on catechesis, this annual meeting is also an opportunity for participants to experience the diversity of cultures in the different dioceses. As visitors from afar, the delegates were warmly welcomed at Holy Rosary Church, Limbahau. The parish priest, Msgr Nicholas Stephen led us on a tour of the church, Marian grotto and even an exhibition where visitors are invited to reflect on the Sacrament of Confirmation. This parish is one of a few with such exhibitions, inviting parishioners and visitors to reflect more deeply on the seven Sacraments. After the tour, participants were invited to experience local food and hospitality at a dinner and fellowship with the parishioners of Holy Rosary Church.
In addition to the church visit, delegates also got to experience local cultures and tourist attractions through the generosity of the Sabah Tourism board. Through this short encounter, we truly sensed that the similarities we have are greater than our differences, and journeying together as a Malaysian Church is very much possible through the willingness to listen and share with one another.
We’d like to express heartfelt appreciation to our host, the Catechetical Commission of the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu for organising the entire programme; Archbishop John Wong for his support, the priests and parishioners of Holy Rosary Church for their hospitality and all who have extended their hand to welcome us on our visit.
The Archdiocese of Kuching will host the next MCC meeting in 2025.
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