Long house villagers attend Laudato Si’ workshop

The Miri Diocese Creation Justice Commission (CJC) team, headed by Fr Joseph Ding, conducted a Laudato Si’ Creation Justice Workshop at the longhouse village of Long Jegan at the Lapok Parish from April 21 to 23.

May 26, 2023

MIRI: The Miri Diocese Creation Justice Commission (CJC) team, headed by Fr Joseph Ding, conducted a Laudato Si’ Creation Justice Workshop at the longhouse village of Long Jegan at the Lapok Parish from April 21 to 23. The villagers warmly welcomed and generously accommodated Fr Joseph and his team during their stay.

Long Jegan village is located around a three-hour drive from Miri, and reaching it requires navigating through an unpaved timber track road that is accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles. The village doesn’t have access to electricity or water supply from the grid. Instead, the villagers rely on their own resources and ingenuity to provide power through diesel-fueled generators and solar panels, while rainwater from the nearby mountains serves as their water supply.

The workshop received a positive response from the village community, with over 80 participants, ranging from school students to warga emas (senior citizens), registering for the weekend event. Conducted in Bahasa Malaysia, the workshop effectively conveyed Pope Francis’ message in Laudato Si’ to the attendees. Notable figures such as Penghulu Patrick, who heads the local area encompassing various villages, and Ketua Kampong Dennis, who leads the Long Jegan village, also attended the workshop with their respective communities.

In his closing speech, Penghulu Patrick expressed gratitude to Fr Joseph and the Miri CJC team for bringing the workshop to Long Jegan village and spreading Pope Francis’ message of caring for our common home. He emphasised his joy in discovering that the Catholic faith aligns with the village’s longstanding traditions of respecting and protecting nature for the benefit of future generations.

It wrapped up after Sunday lunch with a demonstration and lesson on Home Composting by the CJC team. In closing, a team of volunteers signed up to form a Creation Justice Ministry in their village to implement the Framework for Action Plan decided at the workshop.

Laudato Si’ mi Signore! – Praise Be to You, My Lord! --By the Episcopal Commission for Creation Justice, Diocese Miri