By Seminarian Lordkennylister P James
BAU — The “Love in Action” Family Seminar took place on 12–13 October 2024 at St Gonzalo Garcia Church, Padang Pan, Bau. There were about 100 participants, inclusive of people from various age groups.
The objective of the seminar was to nurture and strengthen relationships among families and the community of faith at St Gonzalo, Padang Pan by highlighting prayer as a means to bond families and eventually towards spiritual growth as a community.
The main speaker for the seminar was Sr Catherine Uming, SSFS, and the sessions were conducted both in Bidayuh and Bahasa Malaysia.
Sr Uming kicked off the seminar by highlighting the challenges faced by modern families, particularly the lack of time for God. This was followed by Seminarian Cantona’s session on “Love in Action,” focussing on Romans 12:9-21, in which St Paul encourages devotion and mutual honour as an action of love.
Following this, Seminarian Kenny discussed the topic on “Our Lady, Model of Compassion in the Family,”. In his session, Kenny emphasised Mary’s obedience, sacrifice and compassion, which can and should be adapted as eternal inspirations for Catholic families.
After dusk, Seminarian Melvin gave a session on the significance of family prayer. The first day ended with Rosary prayer.
The second day began with morning prayer and praise. Mdm Lucy Gumek, an ex-youth coordinator from Kg Krokong, Bau led the fifth session titled, “Our Calling: Living the Beatitude in the Family”. Her session was based on the Gospel of Matthew 5:1-12 and No. 1717 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which speaks of the Beatitudes.
In her presentation, she linked the Beatitudes to family life and highlighted the need for compassion, community support and personal integrity.
The final session was led by Sr Uming, focussing on the fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments, “Honour your father and your mother”. In her session, she touched on three points i.e. 1) the biblical foundation of honouring parents, 2) the role of mutual respect and love in family life, and 3) practical ways to honour parents daily. Towards the end, Sr Uming gave a brief summary of all the sessions.
The seminar came to a closure with a Mass presided by Fr Francis Dakun and Sr Uming’s message of hope and reassurance that the programme would strengthen relationships among parishioners, bringing them and their families closer to Jesus.
Special thanks were extended to Fr Peter Liston, parish priest of St Stephen’s Church, Bau, for giving his support to the seminarians in organising this programme, and to the St Gonzalo Church leaders and community for being generous with their resources for a successful seminar.
