By Stephanie Chia
“Those who have welcomed Christ’s call and freely responded to it are urged on by love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded by their successors. All Christ’s faithful are called to hand it on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 3)
MIRI — The Malaysian Catechetical Commission (MCC) held its annual meeting in Miri, Sarawak, from 3–7 July 2023. The meeting was presided by Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Julian Leow as the Episcopal President of the Commission, and brought together priests, religious and lay representatives from the Archdioceses of Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, as well as from the dioceses of Keningau, Melaka-Johor, Miri, Penang, Sandakan and Sibu with observers from the National Catechetical Office, the Archdiocese of Singapore and Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei.
This annual meeting of minds from all across Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei fosters a sense of solidarity and friendship among the catechetical ministries of each diocese.
Established as a consultative body to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, 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 cooperation and common action in the Church at a national level.
The MCC discusses various matters pertaining to catechesis in the local Church: the Malaysian Catechetical Series (MCS), formation of catechists, catechetical focus for the coming year as well as the sharing of ideas and challenges in each diocese.
Highlights of the Meeting
The meeting began with an opening address by Archbishop Julian Leow, who posed several key questions regarding the relevance of catechesis to the young people of today, the role catechists are now called to play and whether they are equipped to be role models and to journey with the young. After the opening address, Dr Steven Selvaraju, who is the current Chairperson of the MCC, invited participants to ponder the questions and share their thoughts and responses with the gathering.
The general response from the participants of the meeting reflected their varied experiences of catechesis in the context of different dioceses—from the questions posed by young people in Kuala Lumpur to the challenges faced by children and adults in rural Sabah and Sarawak.
Though the situation for each diocese was so different, most participants of the meeting gave a positive response: that young people still ask the same questions about meaning, life and relationship with God. But the impact of catechesis centred more and more on the approach and the person of the catechist, rather than the imposing of doctrines or rules without meaning.
The sharing of Ms Wendy Loe from the Archdiocese of Singapore was particularly poignant: in a world where everyone, from media influencers to peers, says that they have to have certain standards, attitudes, behaviour, and knowledge to be admired, to be rewarded, to succeed. It is so important for young people to feel that they are loved and accepted just as they are, even if they do not conform to expected standards, before they are expected to learn the doctrines and practices of the faith.
Fr David Arulanatham from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur added that as witnesses for the faith, catechists don’t just teach a class like a subject in school, but proclaim the love of Christ, introducing Him to young people and encouraging them to become more and more like Him.
Inspired by this sharing on the keynote address, the meeting continued full force for the next few days, with discussions on the catechetical focus for the coming year, preparations for Catechetical Sunday, the MCS books, formation and training of catechists as well as the sharing of experiences from each diocese.
One of the key outcomes of the discussion was the catechetical focus for 2024, which is aligned with the four strategic focus areas leading up to the Malaysia Pastoral Convention (MPC) 2026. The phrase: “We are stewards of God’s Creation” together with the Bible verse: “Like good stewards of the varied graces of God, use whatever gift each one of you has received to serve one another.” (1 Peter 4:10) was chosen as the theme for Catechetical Sunday 2024 and is a reminder to all Catholics of their call to proclaim Christ with whatever they have and wherever they are, particularly in the area of Church and ecology.
Another subject discussed deeply was the content of the Malaysian Catechetical Series (MCS). For those who are unaware, the MCS books were published between 2004–2010 as a textbook for catechism classes from Primary One to Secondary Four.
In response to a survey conducted by Deacon Sherman Kuek, representative of the Melaka-Johor Diocese, among catechists in his diocese that highlighted a need for updated content, Archbishop Julian, representing the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, reiterated that the content of catechesis does not change, but the approach, methods and activities used can be adapted to suit the context of each catechetical session.
In relation to this, it was the general consensus among participants of the meeting that the need for formation of catechists was more compelling than ever.
Following this, each diocese shared their highlights, challenges and efforts in promoting catechesis and faith formation in their respective dioceses. Many dioceses focused on efforts to reconnect with catechists after three years of lockdown restrictions: Melaka Johor Diocese conducted parish surveys, while Kota Kinabalu Archdiocese set up roadshows, listening to catechists at the grassroots and will be organising a catechetical convention for catechists in the Sabah region.
Sibu Diocese recently organised a catechist formation in three languages while Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese is also developing new formation programmes for catechists in addition to existing programmes.
Penang Diocese is currently reconnecting with their catechists with an online formation on the Directory for Catechesis while also emphasising the role of the Bible in catechesis. The representative from Brunei also shared that they focus on using the Bible as a source for their catechesis and Singapore Archdiocese shared their comprehensive efforts in reaching out to both catechists and youths who fall through the gaps.
The idea of sharing these highlights from each diocese was not for comparison, but as a way to celebrate successes, stimulate new ideas and learn from each other’s experiences.
Finally, the meeting drew to a close with the concluding remarks given by Archbishop Julian Leow, who echoed the general view of participants that catechesis is more than just the teaching of the faith; it is a life-long process, not just an event or programme to be carried out and finished with. Instead, it is an introduction to the person of Jesus, through the cultivating of personal relationships—the best syllabus or the best books in the world could not replace the value of a good catechist. He expressed his hope for more of the faithful to be attracted to the special ministry of catechesis and his whole-hearted support for their formation.
Finally, he called for more collaboration among the dioceses and also within the dioceses, with the various other ministries of the Church, to enrich the catechetical experience, to deepen relationships, and most importantly, because catechesis is the work of the whole Christian community, not just its catechists.
Other Activities
In addition to the discussions on catechetical matters, the MCC annual meeting is also a platform for participants to encounter, share and experience the diversity of cultures in Malaysia. The meeting being hosted by the Diocese of Miri this year allowed all delegates and observers present to experience first-hand the life of the people of Miri.
These precious experiences began with a dinner and fellowship at St Dominic and the Rosary Church on Tuesday night, where we were invited to experience the local food and warm hospitality of the parishioners. The hospitality continued with a visit and house blessing at “Rumah Wilson” a longhouse in Sungai Nakat, Bukit Song on Wednesday and concluded with dinner and fellowship at Holy Rosary Chapel in Piasau Utara on Thursday night.
Archbishop Julian Leow, who joined in with the fellowship and activities, expressed his gratitude and admiration for their hospitality, unity and openness to invite us into their communities and activities. It was truly a wonderful experience for those present to be so welcomed and to sense the willingness to journey together as a Malaysian Church.
Our heartfelt appreciation to our first-time host, the Diocese of Miri, especially for the Miri Catechetical Commission, who organised the fellowship programmes, Bishop Richard Ng for his encouragement and support, and to all the people who extended their hands to us in welcome.
The Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu will be the host of the next MCC meeting in June 2024.
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