Many Catholics taking time to visit a Holy Door

Several thousands of Catholics have visited the twelve designated Holy Doors of Mercy in Peninsular Malaysia since the official launching of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy in December last year.

Jun 03, 2016

By Bernard Anthony
Several thousands of Catholics have visited the twelve designated Holy Doors of Mercy in Peninsular Malaysia since the official launching of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy in December last year. Many more are expected to pass through the Holy Doors in the coming months, before the official closing of the Holy Door of Mercy in November this year.

Many of these pilgrim Churches have seen groups of Catholics, as well as individuals, coming to walk through the Holy Door to seek God’s mercy and to find renewed strength to dedicate themselves to be merciful just as our Father is merciful to us all.

On May 1, a group of Catholics from Kuala Lumpur visited the Church of the Sacred Heart in Kampar to pass through the Holy Door of Mercy.

The parish Year of Mercy Committee members were on hand to welcome the pilgrims. They gathered at the ‘Garden of Mercy’ where Eileen Ng led the pilgrims to pray the devotion to the Sacred Heart at the Shrine dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus after which, they proceeded to the ‘Wall of Mercy.’ Eileen explained the significance of the painting on the wall. It shows an image of Jesus reaching out to the peripheries of society. The pilgrims reflected in silence as they pondered on how they themselves can become agents of mercy to others, especially those in need.

The pilgrims also prayed in front of the icon of Mary, Mother of Mercy in the Garden of Mercy before proceeding to the Holy Door for prayers prior to entering. There was a Para-liturgy prayer from Scripture inside the Church, followed by Prayers of Intercession, The Holy Year Prayer and the Pope’s Intentions. The pilgrims also sang a hymn dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. These prayers helped the pilgrims to focus on the mercy of God and on their call to be merciful.

Eileen also gave talk on the history of the parish, which was founded in 1908, by the MEP Fathers. Presently, there are 400 Catholic families in the parish, but many youths have left Kampar to find jobs.

The parish has two outstation chapels. The current parish priest, Fr Aloysius Tan, has been stationed here for the past two years. He is focused on the spiritual growth of the community, as well as making improvements to the facilities in the parish. There are seven Basic Ecclesial Communities. Two months ago, they started a Soup Kitchen to feed the poor on a weekly basis.

Christine, Terrance and Stephanie also presented a ‘Year of Mercy’ gift to each pilgrim. A love offering was made to the parish.

Eileen and Stephanie also led the pilgrims to visit the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in Air Kuning. The pilgrims prayed together in the chapel. Finally, all were feted to a fellowship prepared by the chapel’s ladies, before they returned to Kuala Lumpur.

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