New multi-purpose hall for Taiping Church

Apr 05, 2019

TAIPING: The Taiping Catholic Church (TCC) has opened its new Dewan St Louis (St Louis Hall), giving the general population of Taiping a top-notch venue for all kinds of events.

The official launch for the biggest state-of-the-art multi-purpose hall in Taiping took place on Feb 17, with DAP members of Parliament - Nga Kor Ming (Teluk Intan) and Teh Kok Lim (Taiping) - and other VIPs gracing the Grand Opening.

They were joined by the former and current TCC parish priests, Father Jude Miranda and Msgr Stephen Liew, respectively.

Guests were entertained to various performances, a dragon dance troupe and a school band, among others, as they dined on an eight-course dinner.

Dewan St Louis was “opened for business” in September last year. Bishop Sebastian Francis of the Penang Diocese had officially blessed the hall on Sunday, Dec 2.

However, a suitable date for the official opening could not be found until this year.

This was partly because in September, TCC saw a “change in management” with Fr Jude being transferred to the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Pulau Tikus, Penang, and Msgr Liew taking over, having been transferred from St Michael’s Church in Ipoh.

Fr Jude, who came to Taiping in 2010, had initiated the project to build the hall in 2013, getting feasibility studies and other necessary information, before forming the building committee two years later.

About RM5 million was raised between then and the completion of the building early last year, before the final approvals and certificate of fitness (CF) were eventually received from all the relevant authorities.

The money was raised solely by the parish, with various campaigns, including buy-a-brick, a lucky draw with tickets sold across the Penang Diocese and fundraising dinners. Large donations from generous benefactors residing in Taiping also helped to make this a dream come true for Fr Jude and TCC parishioners.

Nga, who is also Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker, represented the Perak Pakatan Harapan state government at the official launch, and gave a RM100,000 donation to the Dewan St Louis building fund. The additional funds will be used to help equip the hall with a new sound system, among other things.

The main hall at Dewan St Louis seats up to 1,500 people (150 tables) for dinners and up to 2,500 for forums/conferences and concerts.

Dewan St Louis has already seen various functions, including wedding dinners, an international badminton competition and the church family day.

The two-storey building also boasts of function rooms of various sizes for smaller events and meetings/talks.

More information on Dewan St Louis can be found on TCC’s website www.taipingcatholic.org and Facebook page - Taiping Catholic Church Official.

TCC comprises the churches of St Louis and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH).