Lay Associations

The Catholic Lawyers Society, Kuala Lumpur (CLS) was initiated on March 23, 1992. It is a non-profit society, registered under the Societies Act Malaysia, for Catholic lawyers, judges, law lecturers and law students.

Oct 06, 2014

The Catholic Lawyers
The Catholic Lawyers Society, Kuala Lumpur (CLS) was initiated on March 23, 1992. It is a non-profit society, registered under the Societies Act Malaysia, for Catholic lawyers, judges, law lecturers and law students.

As a professional society, it promotes social justice and peace through the rule of law in the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It facilitates fellowship and understanding among its members and provides a forum for matters of interest to the Catholic community.

CLS is actively involved in providing a voice to the Catholic community by engaging the political and judicial authorities on issues concerning social justice and peace.

Some of the issues that CLS have been involved include Constitutional matters, Freedom of religion, Conversion of religion and Catholic Annulment and Marriage Tribunal.

It also provides Free Legal Clinics as one of its good causes for the community.

These clinics aim to help the poor and the needy to gain access to justice.

The legal advisors are volunteer members who are themselves professional lawyers and work in legal firms or run their own practices.

The clinic provides advice on personal issues and the individual must be present in person at the clinic.

The clinic generally serves as the first contact point for persons seeking legal advice on their grievances or disputes on employment, family, housing, immigration & nationality, debt, crime, mental health, personal injury, public law, welfare benefits, community care, and others.

CLS members are practising Catholics; hence, they provide a Catholic perspective when giving advice. The clinics are organised in collaboration with Catholic parishes.

A Red Mass is a Mass celebrated annually in the Catholic Church for lawyers, judges and government officials. The Mass requests guidance from the Holy Spirit for all who seek justice, and offers the opportunity to reflect on what Catholics believe is the God-given power and responsibility of all in the legal profession.

The Catholic Doctors
The Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia (CDAM) was founded in the 1970’s by a group of Catholic Doctors who felt a desire to meet regularly to share information with one another, to enhance their spirituality, to discuss moral and ethical issues in the field of medicine and how it affects our Catholic Community in Malaysia.

There are about 80 Catholic Medical Doctors in the Association.

Among the acitivities organised are: regular meetings, yearly retreats and outreach programmes. They have also organised fundraisers to help the poor, the sick, the elderly and the marginalsed.

The CDAM has formed The Physician Outreach Programme (POP). Some of the programmes under the POP are: giving free vaccinations/immunisation to the refugee children from Afghanistan and Myanmar; Aid to two HIV Homes in Batu Arang, including the ‘White House’; aid to the Orang Asli Kindergarten in Kampar, providing free medical service to the Montfort Boys and Girls Homes and also to the Elderly residents of the Little Sisters of the Poor Home in Cheras.

Besides reaching out to the poor and the needy in Malaysia, The CDAM has also sent its members to help out in natural disasters in Asian Countries eg. to Aceh, Indonesia during the Tsunami and to Ho Chi Minh City to help relocate an HIV Home.

The Association and its Members also donated generously for the victims of the earthquake and radiation leakage in North Japan and also to the Phillipines for the Typhoon Haiyan disaster. -- By Dr Freddie Loh

The Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary is an International Lay Association founded in Dublin, Ireland on September 7, 1921 by the Servant of God, Frank Duff. It spread to Malaysia in the Forties and is still growing very strong. In 1962, Kuala Lumpur was a Comitium under the Senatus of Singapore.

Kuala Lumpur Comitium was upgraded to the status of Kuala Lumpur Regia on December 19, 1982 by Concilium, the highest council of Legion of Mary. Kuala Lumpur Regia is the national council of the Legion of Mary in West Malaysia. The Legion of Mary in East Malaysia is still under the Senatus of Singapore. In the early Eighties, we had a Legion Envoy by the name of Sis. Socorro B. Cruz who did a lot of work in helping to spread the Legion of Mary and to establish new praesidia in many parishes.

Currently, the Legion of Mary can be found in most city parishes in Selangor, Negri Sembilan and other states in West Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur Regia supervises two Comitia, 14 Curiae and 19 Praesidia directly attached to Regia. Only Catholics can be Legionaries and the age group ranges from young boys and girls who are junior legionaries, to the seniors who are legionaries who range from young working adults right up to grandparent status.The Legion of Mary has language groups i.e. English, Mandarin, Tamil and Tagalog. Most members are female as they are more willing to be Legionaries and get closer to Mother Mary and to be of service to her.

In this modern era, the Legion encounters challenges, like all other ministries. The younger generations have to be encouraged to be committed, disciplined and have the mindset for spirituality and apostolate work on a weekly basis. The Legion needs encouragement and moral support from the priestly and religious sectors.

The Spiritual Director for Kuala Lumpur Regia is Fr Raymond Pereira. The Regia has its monthly meeting on the 4th Sunday at APC, Jalan Robertson, Kuala Lumpur.-- By Jenny S.H. Tan

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