IPOH (Herald Malaysia): The Heritage Gallery of the 106 year old Church of Our Lady of Lourdes was officially blessed and opened on November 27 by Bishop Antony Selvanayagam after the 10.30am Mass.

The Heritage Gallery is dedicated in memory of Fr Xavier Anthony Dass who was the builder of the new church and the 5th Parish Priest. It was a very historical day for the parish as it was the 1st Sunday of Advent, the Official Launch of the New Roman Missal and also the Parish Assembly.

Among the dignitaries were Rev Dato’ Bro Vincent Corkery, the representative of St. Michael’s Institution, Ipoh and the La Sallian Brothers, and Retired Commander Ian Anderson RN (Royal Navy), the man behind www.ipohworld.org, a website which is dedicated to Ipoh history. Commander Ian has been journeying and sharing his expertise in setting up the Heritage Gallery.

This Heritage Gallery was initiated by the former parish priest, Fr Bernard Paul and continued with the strong support of the current parish priest, Fr Francis Anthony. The Heritage Gallery showcases the photographs of the Parish Priest, the Assistant Parish Priest, the first church right up to the current church, the constructions, the 1st grotto and its development to the current grotto, important events, the life of St Bernadette, Mother Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes who is the patron of the parish, Lourdes in France and many more. Some of the photographs were obtained from the Archive of Paris Foreign Missionaries (MEP).

Historical items on display include the first land transfer agreement title which was signed in 1902 by the first Parish Priest, Fr Marie Henrie Sausseau (MEP), the church building plan which was hand drawn by the architect and the agreement signed by Fr Xavier Anthony Dass dated 1957, various projectors used in the parish, electronic equipment, publications, and the old churc’s stained glass. There are liturgical items such as the first Missal used in the parish which was published in 1890s, monstrance, chalice, host maker and cutter and many more. Most of the items on display originated from countries such as Vatican City, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, India, Philippines and elsewhere.

In his speech, Bishop Selva expressed his happiness. He wants the good work to be continued and the Heritage Gallery to be updated from time to time. He said that in this IT age, many tend to create websites but over some time, the website is not maintained. The Heritage Gallery must not suffer the same fate, but must always be updated with the latest finding and must showcase the true history.

Fr Francis in his speech said that the MEP priests left their homeland to come here to preach the word of God to us and now it is our duty to continue to build the kingdom of God. We must not forget our root. He thanked Marcus Anthony and Alexandar who had dedicated their time in making this Heritage Gallery a reality. He also thanked all those who made this Heritage Gallery a success.