Students from remote Kiulu attend Year of Mercy programme

About 120 students from remote villages of Kiulu District in the West Coast of Sabah joined adult Catholics to listen to a catechesis on the mercy of God and the need for repentance during the season of Lent at St Joseph Husband of Mary Church on Mar 2, 2018.

Mar 23, 2018

KIULU, Sabah: About 120 students from remote villages of Kiulu District in the West Coast of Sabah joined adult Catholics to listen to a catechesis on the mercy of God and the need for repentance during the season of Lent at St Joseph Husband of Mary Church on Mar 2, 2018.

The students were from the San Damiano hostels for girls and boys, located within walking distance of the church.

The talk, given by a panel of speakers from the Social Communications Commission of the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu (Soccom ADKK) was centred on the Gospel reading on “The Samaritan Woman”.

Fr Thomas Madanan, the parish priest and the Commission’s Spiritual Advisor, told the gathering, “For Christians, seeking God’s mercy and showing mercy to others is the endeavour of a lifetime.”

“That’s why, although the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy (YoM) officially ended in November 2016, Soccom has continued with its special YoM programme,” he explained.

Ramin Ebi, head of the Soccom committee at the local parish here, welcomed the delegation from Soccom ADKK, in the presence of Rinus Katong, chairman of the Parish Pastoral Council.

Soccom ADKK members, Joseph Leong, Gideon Abel and Jenney Juanis, who jointly gave the catechesis, told the parishioners here that the same love and mercy shown to the Samaritan woman by Jesus is available to them too, as long as they are open to the Lenten call for conversion and willing to believe in the Gospel.

The speakers invited them to be reconciled with each other in their respective families by way of foregiveness and other acts of mercy, particularly during the season of Lent.

The students also had the opportunity to watch a video on various celebrations during the YoM in the

Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu and were given leaflets on the Jubilee Year entitled, “What ‘Mercy’ Means to Me and My Family”.

Patricia Regis, another Soccom ADKK member, responsible for documentation and research work, was also present to lend support for the event.

Since the programme was held on a Friday, it was preceeded by Stations of Cross and a Eucharist, both conducted in the Kadazan language, the common lingo of the local community.

Fr Madanan dedicated the Mass for the repose of the soul of Irene Obon, a former chairperson and long serving member of Soccom ADKK who was called to eternal rest on Feb 21, 2018.

St Joseph Husband of Mary in Kiulu is the fourth parish where this special YoM programme was conducted in the Archdiocese.

Previous occasions were at the Holy Rosary Church, Limbahau (Nov 11, 2016), the Holy Nativity Church, Terawi (April 28, 2017), and St Catherine’s Church, Inanam (Aug 18, 2017). -- KK SOCCOM

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