St Anne’s annual novena and feastday celebrations.

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BUKIT MERTAJAM (Herald malaysia): The 2011 St Anne’s annual novena and feastday celebrations carried the theme Deepening our Discipleship: Discipleship through Family Life with the slogan My Family, My Life. The novena began on July 22. Throughout the nine-day novena celebrations, priests from Penang diocese as well as from other dioceses celebrated the Mass, focusing very deeply on strengthening and building a good Catholic family.

More than 1,500 volunteers from St Anne’s parish took part in this year’s event. There were many helping hands as well from parishes nearby, namely from Butterworth, Permatang Tinggi and Kulim. This was the first time for Parish priest Fr Henry Rajoo to organize this huge feast. But he truly did it with the help of the organizing committee and the parishioners who have been organizing this feast every year.

Deacon Martin Arlando and Fr Mark Michael were a great help as well. Weeks before the feast, Fr Henry had invited all parishioners to prepare themselves spiritually by attending special Masses every Wednesday and Thursday starting July 6. A Mass for all volunteers was held on July 21. Rehearsals for the processions were also held two weeks before the novena began, to ensure a smooth and organized event, especially for those who were participating for the first time as lantern bearers, flower girls and statue bearers.

The Free Food and Go Green Project initiated by former Parish priest, Msgr Stephen Liew were continued this year too. Every day, free food and drinks were provided. There was chicken curry, nasi lemak, fried bihun, fried mee, chappathi, to name a few. Donations in cash and in the form of food items were donated by many parishioners and by many who chose to remain anonymous. There were also BEC groups who got together and cooked the meals.

Besides Masses in English, Tamil and Mandarin, there were Masses in the Thai and Kadazan languages. On Saturday there were seven Masses, followed by the procession at 10.00pm to accommodate the more than 100,000 pilgrims who attended the celebration. July 26 marked the actual feastday of St Anne. There were two English Masses to cater to the huge crowd.

The 7.30pm Mass was celebrated by Bishop Antony Selvanayagam. The theme for the day was My Family and Vocation. In his homily, Bishop Selva stressed on the vocation that each of us lives in our daily life. “All of us play a vocation role, whether you’re a father or a mother, but are we answering to our own vocation? Or do we look at our families as a mere accident? “Families are built among a father, a mother and children with God, faith and love. We need to pray always as a family.

Nowadays, families don’t even have time to eat together. Put God into your family, open your hearts to God and listen to Him. Your family will surely blossom and God in His own mysterious ways will work wonders for you.” Bishop Selva then led the procession, followed by the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The second procession was held on Saturday, after the 8.00pm Mass. The crowning of St Anne and young Mother Mary was held just before the procession started. Bishop Selva, Fr Henry, former Asst Parish Priest Fr Simon Ee, and some priests from around the country led the procession.

The Rosary was recited throughout the procession, which took 30 minutes. Then, the petitions and thanksgiving letters offered to St Anne by pilgrims throughout the Novena were burnt by Bishop Selva. On Sunday, 31 July, there were five Eucharistic celebrations beginning as early as 6.30am. The church was really packed for every Mass. We were honoured to have the Chief Minister of Penang, YB Lim Guan Eng who joined in the 11.00am English Mass, celebrated by Fr Francis Xavier. In his homily, Fr Xavier mentioned that in our life we fall many times, and we rise up after every fall.

YB Lim and his wife, YB Betty Chew, YB Chong Eng, YB Lydia Ong, YB Michael Tan and several MPSP councillors visited St Anne’s Church. Fr Henry presented a souvenir to YB Lim as a token of appreciation. YB Lim and his group only left after the final hymn. He was seen shaking hands with the people. Bishop Selva who was making his way for the 12.30 pm Tamil Mass, met YB Lim and bade him farewell. The feast of St Anne has been listed in the Penang Tourism calendar. — By Marlina Sara Sylvester