Divine Mercy Church in Penang holds celebration for all

Jan 16, 2015

By Ivan Filmer
Over 1000 tickets were sold. 232 lucky draw prizes were available for the Christmas celebration at the Church of the Divine Mercy (CDM) in Sg Ara. Every family had a chance to get a prize. All unclaimed prizes were given away to foster homes the following Sunday. Each person received a door gift of a CDM mug, a glowing Christmas hat and stationary.

The celebration was aimed at bringing all the BECs together. It was a night with something for everyone. The children enjoyed blowing soap bubbles. In addition to a dinner that included roast turkey, everyone got an ice cream treat from Fr Martin.

The celebration started after Sunset Mass. CDM’s first nativity play was enacted by 30 CEC children. 20 members of the youth provided the music and chorus. The costumes were made by parents. The Youth performed a “Hoedown Showdown.” The Tamil youth group did a dance while their ladies outdid them by performing a Bollywood dance. There were performances by the Chinese, the Indonesians, the Filipinos, and even the senior citizens of the “Living Springs” ministry. The Aikido group also displayed their prowess. The Cantors were not to be outdone, performing “Sister Act” complete with costumes and wigs. The BECs were also challenged with a scripture quiz where each winner received a prize. As an extra treat, a young couple with their infant son, depicting the Holy Family, walked through the crowd handing out sweets to children — instead of the traditional Santa Claus.

When the last of the 15 big lucky draw prizes had been drawn, parish priest Fr Martin Arlando said a closing prayer before fireworks lit up the sky.