Alleluia! Give Thanks To The Risen Lord!

This Easter, we have 1,140 who have officially entered the Catholic Church from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur and the Dioceses of Penang and Malacca Johore. On Easter Vigil, April 20, they received the sacraments of initiation — Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. On this article, we feature some sharings of the new converts.

Apr 19, 2019

Found my peace and light in the Church
“In hot pursuit of education, I came to the Land of Malaysia.

This was the start of my love affair. Was born a Buddhist in Guang- Dong but I never felt peace. Instead, turbulence chased after me, following me, after my tail. Life was a canvas with paintings, drawn and re-drawn.


The turning point came, In the darkest month of September, At the darkest hour, At the lowest point of my life, In the deepest hole I have ever been in, Thoughts of giving up were just a thin line, at its highest tension.

A tiny blow and I would have broken into a million pieces, even disappeared into thin air.

Unknown reason, in search of solution and peace, Brought me to this very church, This very church in Malaysia, attracting me, Luring me, to this pure love affair, GOD Entering the church compound, Peace flooded me, An ethereal feeling I never felt before.

Seeing Mother Mary was the real deal, Light showed up at the end of my darkness filled path, Snapped me out of depression, Repent!!!

Blessings from the Father……

This is where my peace resides Found God Decision set in stone I want to convert To be a Catholic is my final Destination.

To Be With God, One and Only, God.”-- Philomena Li JiaHui, China

Truly feel blessed to know Christ
“I was born into a mixed religion family. My father is a Hindu and my mother is a Catholic. My family practises Hinduism.

From young, I did not feel any relationship with God. There was a turning point in my life when I felt an emptiness and a lack of direction.

“Then, one day, I met a Christian preacher who talked about the bible and showed me a passage to read.

This was Romans 7:14-25. This changed my life because it was as if those words described my entire life so precisely and in great detail. I knew then that God was speaking to me through this Scripture passage.

“Since that day, I wanted to know God and so I went to see my aunt who is a caretaker in St Peter’s Church, Melaka. She guided me and eventually led me to join the RCIA to know the Catholic faith better. Today, I feel God’s presence every day. I feel truly blessed to know Jesus Christ and to receive God’s grace and mercy.” -- Clement Akassh a/l Govindasamy, St Peter’s Church, Melaka

God works in mysterious ways
“My sisters and I joined RCIA in 2018 — clueless, sceptical and in search of a miracle. We had been going to church since we were children but strayed away. Thinking that this was God’s test of our perseverance, we continued to last through the RCIA classes. But God works in mysterious ways.

We did not realise at which point in time our hearts were suddenly wide open, wanting to receive His love, His acceptance, His forgiveness. Since then, we look forward to every Sunday where we get to know God more through the facilitators and our fellowship with our RCIA family.

“This amazing journey has even unified our parents in Holy Matrimony. In Fr Joachim Robert’s words, ‘It was all God’s plan’ and everything that has happened up to this point in time has brought each and every one in my family back to Church.

“We hope that many more come to know Him and the loving graces of God. Even for those who have taken many steps away from Him, it just takes one conscious step to bring you back to Him.” --Amanda Loh Hooi Ying, Samantha Loh Hui Chien, Jean Jayne Loh Hui Ying, Holy Spirit Cathedral, Penang

He chose me
“My journey to become a Catholic started when I was in a convent school at the age of 13. I know now that it was
God’s first calling.

“As I write this at the age of 55 and with the experience of two failed attempts at conversion, I realise that God’s work has been all over my life. He never left me.

“The breaking point in my life was when I lost my job in 2015.

Losing a job was a big thing for me, especially after all the sacrifices and hard work I had put in to go up the corporate ladder. Serious depression hit me. Loneliness and sleepless nights were a daily affair.

I was at my lowest. Then I prayed. I prayed and prayed. I gave all my worries and fears to the Lord. I slowly started to see signs that told me that I should not fear and that everything was going to be alright.

It was God telling me to have faith; I am with you. God saved me from my depression. He gave me the strength to move on. I now have a job after 3 years and I know it is God’s work. He brought me to RCIA class again. He chose me.

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you : Isaiah 43:2 -- Anne Nana Easiah, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Johor

Want to develop a deeper relationship with God
For Raymond Yew and his wife Agnes, and their six-year-old daughter Alice, life at home was always full of strife until they experienced Jesus Christ in their lives.

Raymond and his wife took that step to enrol in the RCIA last year, and will be baptised this Easter Vigil. Their daughter Alice was baptised in December 2018, allowing her to enter Sunday school.

Raymond, a manufacturer and wholesaler in soy bean products, used to work seven days a week. He was a Taoist, and was always prone to losing his temper.

“The atmosphere at home was terrible, and there was always an angry undercurrent there.

“It wasn’t the ideal setting for a child to grow up in,” he said. On top of this, Raymond suffered serious health problems, which affected his nervous system and he found he could not walk.

That was one and a half years ago.

After undergoing treatment and an operation, he could walk, but still felt there was something he had to do about his anger as it contributed to the conflicts at home, affecting his family and marriage.

His two younger brothers, who had embraced the Catholic faith a year before at St Michael’s Church, encouraged him to search for God, and to enrol in the RCIA.

Since entering the RCIA, he has felt God’s peace and joy in his heart, and his health has improved.

He is also more patient and happy.

“I used to work seven days a week because I wanted to chase after money. But now, I close my business on Sundays to attend Mass, because I want to chase after Jesus.

“I want to spend more time with God and develop a closer relationship with Jesus. “God is more important than money.

“I know it is Jesus who set me free from the anger that held me captive for many years,” he said.

His wife Agnes encouraged him to enter the RCIA and signed up with him, as she wanted to be open to the will of God for their family. Raymond said he hopes his mother too will enter the RCIA next year, as she has already shown signs of being open to the Catholic faith.

“I will pray also for my father, that he will be able to experience Jesus’ love by becoming Catholic,” he said. -- St Michael’s Church, Ipoh

Happy that my past sins will be cleansed
“I married a Catholic and used to go to church for prayers. I always had a feeling that I wanted to know more about the Catholic faith. Then I heard about the RCIA.

“I joined the RCIA in 2018 with the support of my husband who attended the classes with me. “During my RCIA journey, I realised that I did not choose to be in the Catholic Church but infact I was chosen by Christ to be here.

“Now, I am very happy and blessed because, after Baptism, my past sins will be cleansed and I will continue pray to Christ and to receive the sacraments.

“I take this opportunity to thank all the RCIA facilitators of the parish. They played an important part in this journey. Amen.” -- Louisa Roger, Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puchong

Catholic Church is more accurate
“My life was pretty messed up back in 2015. In December 2015, I followed my cousin and aunt to St Thomas More Church, Subang, for a mini pilgrimage (as news reported a Marian apparition there). After that, I started to go for Mass once a month.

“In 2016, I did a water fast for the first time for three consecutive days before Good Friday. A few months later, one of my friends invited me to Kingdom City church, Kuala Lumpur, as there was a guest pastor from Planet Shaker, Australia.

After the preaching, the pastor said, ‘Whoever has any addictions, problems etc, come to the front and I will pray for you!’

I went and when the pastor laid hands on me, my heart beat faster and faster till I felt that it was gointo burst. I felt like I was having a heart attack.

“On the one hand, I felt shame, regret and sadness, while on the other hand, I felt joy, I felt peace and hope. All these emotions just exploded in me and I was crying uncontrollably. When the pastor lifted his hands from me, all these feelings were just gone. At that moment, I knew that GOD is what I want in life.

“After that session, I started to learn more about Christianity. I found out that I had experienced a Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

“Nonetheless, the more I learned, the more I understood that the Catholic teachings and doctrines are correct and were passed down since the Apostolic age (though I have utmost respect for many Protestant pastors and apologists.)

“Slowly, I began attending Masses more often and later, every week.

“And finally in 2018, I joined the RCIA class.” -- Gabriel Cheong, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Johor

Realised how beautiful my life is
“Thank you for the gift of life and for the gift of wonderful people I have met along my RCIA journey. They have strengthened me, challenged me, loved me and encouraged me.

“After coming to know God, I feel touched. I can feel Him. He is always with me.

“I remember during our retreat, when we were ‘washing the feet’, I was starting to get worried, because I knew that I could not bend down like the others, as I have difficulty bending and kneeling down.

“At that moment, I prayed to God, ‘Help me God. I want to do it, please help me. May God bless me, I believe in God.’

“As my godparent came to wash my feet, she blessed me too when she had finished.

“I started to try to bend and kneel slowly, to wash my godparent’s feet, and to my amazement, I could do it, “I then realised how meaningful and beautiful my life is.

“Thanks to the Lord. Amen.” --Leong Yuet Ying, Church of the Good Shepherd, KL

Was drawn to the Mass
“I grew up among family and friends who are Christians. My late grandmother was Catholic. Most of my encounters of church were mainly during weddings or funerals. Sometimes I joined in the church activities when I was invited by friends. I remember actually attending a few catechism classes as a kid. Even though my knowledge of the faith then was superficial, I did appreciate the idea of it.

“Over the past few years, I started feeling quite drawn towards attending Mass at church. It was as though the Mass gave me a feeling of something to look forward to. I began actively exploring the Catholic faith when I joined the Alpha for Catholics organised by Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. I enjoyed it and found that it stirred up feelings of wanting to know more about the faith. I didn’t want the learning to stop at Alpha and so I decided to continue by joining the RCIA.

“Looking back, and throughout my journey of life, I am more aware that God has always been a part of my life. Whether or not I realised it back then, He has been working in so many ways to bring me to where I am today. I experience God mostly through the people

around me, and I believe that it is His way of leading me to know Him better and to building a relationship with Him. “As I look forward to serve as a member of the Catholic Church, I hope that I continue to be filled with the light of Christ, so that I can be the light to others around me.” -- Aryn Elizabeth Lim Yen Li, Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Penang

It was all about timing
“I always wanted to be a Catholic.

“For me, it was all about timing. When the time was right, I found St Anne’s RCIA! It was a Godsend! (literally!)

“Kind, loving people greeted me at every RCIA.The people I met, the experiences I had, and the lessons I learned, all seemed to fit. I loved the friendliness and openness of everyone. I had always tried to change something about myself because I was not happy with who I was or who I had become. I eagerly attended each week’s RCIA classes and somewhere along the process, SOMETHING began to change in me.

“Throughout my life and to this day, I have always believed that although we may not know in advance, God has a plan for all of us. Part of His plan was for me to become Catholic. I am so thankful that I listened. “I thoroughly enjoyed my RCIA gatherings. The catechists taught us about the true meaning of the sacraments, Church history, and why we should pray. I felt like they lit a fire within me.”

“Thank you for allowing me into yours, here at St Anne.” -- Regina@Kanages, Church of St Anne, Port Klang

Jesus will lead me to the right path
“For the past 15 years, attending Mass has been a routine for me as I accompanied my Catholic spouse and children. I did not know what the Mass is all about. Even though on several occasions GOD sent me signs of his presence, I just ignored it.

“All of a sudden, in December 2017, I had a strong urge to find out more about Jesus. So, I decided to join the RCIA at St Peter’s Church.

“During the retreat at MAJODI centre, I came to fully understand why and how Jesus suffered and died for us. I learnt that Baptism is the “passport” to get closer to GOD and Jesus. Now, I truly believe that Jesus is the light that will lead me to the right path.

“I am eagerly looking forward to being baptised so that I would be able to receive the Holy Eucharist and carry out the mission of being “Baptised and Sent”.

“I am glad that soon I will be celebrating the Mass, instead of just attending the Mass.” -- Lillian Lim, St Peter’s Church, Melaka

Exposed to the faith since young
“I was a Hindu for 31 years but I was raised in a Catholic way because I lived with my uncle and aunty who are Catholics. From them, I was introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the Holy Spirit. Their prayers in the home and stories of Jesus gave me an interest in the faith. They have been my staunchest supporters in my journey into the Catholic Church which I am entering with a full heart.” -- Sebastian @ Kumar Batmah Nathan, Church of St Francis of Assisi, Cheras

The Catholic Church is the right one for me
“Since young, I have always been searching for something but I could not identify what it was.

“I felt a void in me, and I was longing for something, but I could not make sense of it.”

“During high school, I started exploring spiritual paths and read works of Christian pastors online.

“It was only recently when my grandmother was in hospital and was at the last stage of her illness that my questions about what I was seeking, were answered.

“My uncle, Nigel Chan, from Penang, who is a new Catholic convert, came to help look after her with me at the hospital.

“Upon sharing my thoughts with him, he introduced me to the Catholic faith, and told me to embark on the RCIA, because Jesus Christ changed his life.

“He shared with me his testimony of how he formerly believed in the scientific way of explaining things. After the RCIA, he changed his perception.

“He told me that there is no obligation to convert to the Catholic faith, even after going through RCIA, but to have an open heart and mind,” “Through his parish in Penang, he found out which parish was nearest to my home in Ipoh and the RCIA person to contact, which I did.

“Although I did attend a Catholic school, the Ave Maria Convent, when young, and they said morning prayers, it did not touch me, as no one explained the meaning of those prayers to me.

“I was just reciting them. I attended some Christian churches with friends at that time, but did not think to convert.

“Now, I find that the Catholic Church is the right one for me, because it aligns with the spiritual values I was seeking (truth, righteousness and peace), and spreading the message of God’s love connects with me.

“The other members of my family, my younger sister and parents, respect my decision and were in church to see me baptised at the Easter Vigil. -- Chloe Lee, St Michael’s Church, Ipoh

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