KUALA LUMPUR — Some 70 Secular Carmelites of the Secular Discalced Carmelite Order (OCDS) in Malaysia celebrated their 7th OCDS Malaysia National Congress at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre, Kuala Lumpur, from 25-28 April 2019, attentively engaging with the theme “Building a Better Learning-Living-Loving Community.”
Discalced Carmelite (OCD) Friars of the General Delegation of Singapore-Taiwan-Thailand and La Salle, Br John d’Cruz facilitated the 3-day programme which followed a community-building thrust at its core and as its emphasis.
The General Delegate to the OCDS, Fr Alzinir Debastiani, OCD, on his tour of OCDS East Asia, was the special guest at the opening night, sharing his insights of the learning-living-loving dynamics in community-building and his worldwide experience working with Secular Carmelites of different cultures and nationalities.
The Carmelites had a pleasant surprise when Archbishop Julian Leow of Kuala Lumpur came by. He graciously spoke to them, encouraging and supporting them with his jovial greetings and kind words, extending his blessing to them to have an enjoyable and fruitful Congress.
In unpacking the Congress Programme, Matthew Liow, OCDS, representing the National Council, presented an overview of the 3-day Programme, revealing a shift from Formation for Mission, to a better Community-building response to the Baptismal-Carmelite vocation, as per the theme set forth.
Recalling thus the Baptismal-Carmelite vocation lived and nurtured during the immediate three years of the previous 6th National Congress’s theme “Called to Love and to Serve”, the four communities shared their respective communal experiences of service with love.
As the Congress programme continued to unfold, Br John d’Cruz recapped the Learning-Living-Loving practicalities in community-building, a point of departure from which the Congress Programme was developed.
An evening of person-to-person “reconciliation/affirmation” in a candle-light setting, receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and spending personal quiet time at the Chapel, were included in the programme.
The OCD Friars in the persons of Fr Kenneth Gopal, Fr Nicholas Hoh, Fr John Chua, were respectively tasked with speaking on “OCDS Promise in Community-building”; “Carmelite Spirituality for the OCDS”, and “Witnessing to our Carmelite Spirituality in a Learning-Living-Loving Community”.
The overarching teaching of the three sessions was to share on the “Promise” taken by Secular Carmelites which was lived by them in the world, witnessing to not in a vacuum, but in their contemporary Teresian Spirituality.
In order to actualise those sessions, all participants then gathered in their respective communities for a communal workshop, discussing set guide questions. Their concerted communal efforts produced results which were presented to express both the community’s ‘now’ realities and the community’s ‘practical ways’ to build (and striving to be) a better learning-living-loving community.
In summarising the Congress Programme, Fr John Chua, OCD mind-mapped the main points, and Matthew Liow, OCDS, briefly shared a preliminary take-home agenda taken from the workshop presentations.
The Congress Programme ended with the triennial election of the National Council of OCDS Malaysia for the ensuing term 2019-2022:
President: Simon Yiek, OCDS (Miri Community)
1st Councillor: Jacqueline Ann Sammy, OCDS (Kuching Community)
2nd Councillor: Theresa Chuah, OCDS (Kuala Lumpur Community)
Councillor for Growth and Development: Matthew Liow, OCDS (Kota Kinabalu Community)
Secretary: Dorothy Kinajil, OCDS (Kota Kinabalu Community)
Treasurer: Janet Ling, OCDS (Kuching Community)
The General Delegate of the Singapore-Taiwan General Delegation, Fr John Chua, OCD, continues to be the Spiritual Assistant to the OCDS in Malaysia.
National Council of the Secular OCDS Malaysia
