Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom confirms 111 candidates

On January 18, Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom anointed 111 candidates with Chrism Oil during the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Chapel of St Francis of Assisi, Sukang. Around 500 parishioners gathered to participate in the celebration.

Feb 06, 2015

SANDAKAN (Herald Malaysia): On January 18, Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom anointed 111 candidates with Chrism Oil during the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Chapel of St Francis of Assisi, Sukang. Around 500 parishioners gathered to participate in the celebration.

Also in attendance were Fr Thomas Makajil, parish Rector from the Cathedral of St Mary, Sandakan, Sr Appolonia Gumpu fsic, Sr Maria Dipal rgs and members from Sandakan, Ulu Dusun and Beluran.

Bishop Julius, in his homily, gave thanks to God for his many blessings and mercy, especially for the 111 confirmands. “The Sacrament of Confirmation reminds us that we have grown up in the faith; thus, we must participate in the Church’s mission in the world to spread the gospel of salvation to others, especially to those who do not know Christ.” He also gave the confirmands three guidelines that will help them in their Catholic faith.

1) We cannot give to others what we do not have:
If Christ is not in our personal lives, we cannot bring Christ to others. It is only when we have an intimate relationship with Christ, that we can bring Christ to others. We must have faith in order to be the bearer of Christ to the world, so that the world will know Christ as our Saviour. He invited everyone to spread the mission of Christ which is the responsibility of every individual.

2) Our acts must be more convincing than our words: Some claim to believe but their actions do not reflect a life of faith. This kind of life will not convince others. Faith must encourage us through acts that are pleasing to God. Faith is not just a belief; we should see it through our behaviour.

3) Relationship with God We must always rely on God. The best way is to pray and to make prayer part of our daily life. Prayer is important, as it will give us the energy to survive and prayer will also enable us to build a more intimate relationship with God. He called on the parishioners, especially the confimands, to begin practising a prayer life.

Fr Thomas expressed his gratitude for the pastoral visit of Bishop Julius and the continued support from the Sandakan Catholic Community. He congratulated the 111 confirmands who had received the Sacrament of Confirmation and gave them advice on the new challenges that they will be facing. He also invited the younger members of the parish to be more participative in the development of the Paitan Mission community.
Bishop Julius invited the parishioners to give thanks for God’s graces on the many changes that have occurred in the mission since 1982. “Paitan is like a small seed that has now become a huge tree and we are able to see its fruits,” he said. He urged the parishioners to be united in prayer, both spiritually and as a community, and to have a spirit of ownership for the mission.

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