The Church of St Francis Xavier in Jalan Banda Kaba celebrated the annual parish feast on November 30 – December 1 at the parish. St Francis Xavier is also patron of Missions and patron of the Diocese of Malacca Johore.
By Bernard Anthony
MALACCA — The Church of St Francis Xavier in Jalan Banda Kaba celebrated the annual parish feast on November 30 – December 1 at the parish. St Francis Xavier is also patron of Missions and patron of the Diocese of Malacca Johore.
On the actual feast day, Dec 3, the 9.00am Mass was celebrated in the historic ruins of St Paul’s Church at Bukit Melaka (formerly St Paul’s Hill). Over 500 Catholics from near and far made their way to the hilltop, joined by 12 priests to commemorate the occasion.
Parish priest, Fr Moses Rayappan, was the main celebrant, with the priests from the Malacca Vicariate concelebrating including Fr Patrick Tyoh (Batu Pahat), Fr Aaron Alammalay (Muar) and Fr Albet Arockiasamy (Tampin, NS).
At the beginning of the Mass, Fr Moses expressed gratitude for the gift of St Francis Xavier, who first brought the faith to this land in the 1500s. He thanked God for the perfect weather and for the larger-than-expected crowd. He invited the congregation to pray for their personal intentions and to emulate St Francis Xavier’s zeal in bringing others to Christ.
In his homily, in both English and Bahasa Malaysia, Fr Moses reflected on the life of St Francis Xavier. He shared how the saint, born in 1506, met St Ignatius of Loyola, and despite their differences, God used them as instruments to fulfil His mission. He emphasised St Francis Xavier’s life of prayer, his unyielding commitment to missionary work, and his apostolic creativity. The saint’s ability to adapt to different cultures and languages in his travels across India, Southeast Asia, and Japan served as an example of how today’s Christians should embrace new, creative approaches to share the faith.
Fr Moses also reflected on why, today, many are hesitant to share Jesus with others. He cited a lack of zeal, faith, and determination as reasons for this reluctance. He reminded the faithful that St Francis, despite language barriers and cultural differences, dedicated his life to bringing Christ to others.
Looking ahead, Fr Moses noted that 2025 will mark the 480th anniversary of the saint’s visit to Malacca in 1545 and the 180th anniversary of the parish. He invited the congregation to embrace the spirit of pilgrimage and hope, encouraging them to bring the message of Jesus Christ to others with creativity and compassion.
Fr Michael Goh and Fr Albet gave a brief homily in Mandarin and Tamil respectively.
Fr Moses expressed his thanks to all those who attended and contributed to the celebration. He acknowledged the efforts of those who helped set up the liturgy, including those who carried chairs up and down the hill for the Mass. He also reflected that St Francis himself may have walked this very path and celebrated Mass at the site, where his remains were temporarily buried before being transferred to Goa.
After the Mass, the faithful were invited to venerate the first-class relic of the saint.
