HERALD celebrates silver jubilee with Mass, dinner

It was more like a gathering of good friends congregating to celebrate the birthday of a dear old friend, someone dear and near.

Sep 27, 2019

By Regina William
It was more like a gathering of good friends congregating to celebrate the birthday of a dear old friend, someone dear and near.

The 25th Anniversary of HERALD, the Catholic Weekly commenced with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Julian Leow at the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist in Kuala Lumpur Sunday, September 8.

Also concelebrating the Mass were Cardinal Soter Fernandez, Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam, HERALD editor Fr Lawrence Andrew SJ, Fr S. Stanislaus, Fr Edwin Peter, Msgr Leonard Lexson, Fr John Gnanapiragasam and Fr James Gabriel.

Invited guests included past and present writers, sub-editors, stringers, employees, lawyers, sponsors and even the CEO of Vivar Print ing, Chong Kok Wai, who has been faithfully working with HERALD through thick and thin.

After Mass, about 110 guests congregated at the Community Hall for dinner and fellowship.

Archbishop Joseph Marino, the Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia, sent his apologies as he was on his way to Timor Leste. In his message, read by long time columnist Anil Netto, he said that HERALD can be considered a weekly “catechism” solidifying the faith of the people and their commitment to instil Christian values in their daily lives.

“Ever since my arrival in Kuala Lumpur as Apostolic Nuncio, HERALD has been a point of reference to learn the pulse of the Church in Peninsular Malaysia, its everyday life, its aspirations and its challenges. In that context, it always gives me great joy to see printed in this weekly  newspaper the teachings of Pope Francis, especially his call to create a culture of encounter among all peoples.” 

Fr Lawrence then shared his experiences throughout the 25 years of spearheading HERALD, which was not without its nail biting and anx ious moments.

He talked about the experience, learning and lessons from the ‘Allah’ issue including going to court, which propelled HERALD into the limelight.

Archbishop Leow meanwhile spoke on the need for HERALD to be revamped, in tandem with these times, especially when the digital era is the buzz word.

A short video was also shown on the two former publishers, Cardinal Soter and Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam, sharing their thoughts on the growth of HERALD.

A cake was also cut with the three Bishops, Fr Lawrence Andrew, SJ and Carol Low, one of HERALD’s first employees.

A toast to 25 glorious years and more to come was given by lawyer Francis Pereira.

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