Rejoice and be glad!

Apr 26, 2019

Ready to serve the people
“Throughout my life, I have always believed that, although we may not know it in advance, God has a plan for all of us. I believe that part of His plan was for me to become a Catholic, to learn about Jesus and to follow in His footsteps..

“My RCIA journey did not have any miraculous events to change my life overnight, it was one small step at a time, week after week. I found that the RCIA is not a programme but a process that allows me to understand that God is there with me and for me. RCIA has helped me to feel it deep down in my soul that I do not travel this journey alone, regardless of how easy or hard the journey is for me.

I know deep down in my heart that God is always there with me on my journey.

“After journeying for nearly a year in the RCIA process, I am here now, finally a Catholic. I am ready to serve the people in the name of God the Almighty. Amen.” -- Catherine Sumithradevi, St John’s Cathedral, KL

Learnt to put God at the centre of my life
“In the beginning, I was sceptical about journeying in the RCIA to be baptised as a Catholic. Growing up a Buddhist, I was never religious, although I believed in the existence of God. “When I met my husband, I would occasionally attend Mass but never knew the true meaning of celebrating it. Even when we decided to tie-the-knot after several years, I still felt that I was not ready.

“As part of the ‘marriage requirements’,  we attended the Catholic Marriage Preparation Course (CMPC), I hesitantly, but we went with open hearts and mminds. I learnt to put God in the centre of my life — but the question was “How can I ‘put’ someone in my life when I barely know him”? Hence, with my husband’s encouragement, I decided to attend
RCIA and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

“I find joy in getting to know Him more and, most importantly, when I come for Mass with my husband, I will be able to fully partake in the Holy Banquet after I am baptised at the Easter Vigil.” -- Evonne Yeo, St Peter’s Church, Melaka

The Lord called me
“For 40 years I was a nonbeliever even though I attended most of the Sunday Masses and celebrations in church.

“I truly believed then that I was the only one who could shape my own future. I was doing alright in my life and was contented. Everything was fine until recently when I realised that all my children had grown up and lived apart from us and also, I lost my dear mother.

“All these made me very sad and depressed. I also felt that my spiritual life was so empty. “My wife suggested that I join RCIA but I was very reluctant because of what I had heard from the new converts who claimed to have experienced God’s miracles and calling.

I told her I did not experience any of these.

“It was only when I was all  alone one day that I heard a strange voice in my head. The voice asked me where I was going?’ Later I realised it was the Lord who was calling me. I related this to my wife and with this experience, I decided to join the RCIA to enrich my spiritual journey.

“He is our Lord and our God.” -- James Mark Lye Kim Leong, Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Penang

Love can overcome anything
“I was raised a Buddhist as my parents were strict believers of the Buddhist faith.

“However, I was always attracted by the ways of the Catholic Church.

“It all started when I was studying at the Infant Jesus Convent (IJC) as it is a Catholic mission school. I was always curious to know more about the man called Jesus. I always wondered why many of my Catholic friends are so faithful towards this man. So, I asked them and learnt that he had suffered and was humiliated just for the sake of His people.

They also explained to me about the torture that He went through just because He loved His people.

“Personally, that made me very confused because it was difficult to believe that one man was willing to risk everything just because of love.

“ Then, as the years went by, not being very religious left me feeling very empty. The feeling continued until I got to know my fiancé. This man welcomed me and showed me the love that I had never felt before. He also introduced me to his family and from there I saw how a Catholic family lived. They were full of love and always very accepting of one another.


“As for me, now that I am about to get married, I want to raise my children as Catholics and to be in a Catholic community.

I also believe that once a man and a woman are joined\ together, nothing shall separate them as they will help each other to get to heaven.

“For this man Jesus, I believe the power of love can help overcome anything to get to our destination true peace.”--Anne Fong Bee Leng, St Peter’s Church, Melaka

RCIA is like a rejuvenation camp!
“During this whole RCIA journey, I got to know more about GOD and the Catholic faith even though I had attended Sunday school from Standard 1 to Form 3.

“My father, a Buddhist, did not allow my brother and I to get baptised until we were 18.

“I used to follow my mother, a cradle Catholic, to church for Mass every Sunday and she taught me everything about being a Catholic. I could say all the prayers, knew the Order of the Mass and celebrated all holy days. But despite knowing all that, I did not know the true meaning behind all these prayers and celebration.

“After almost a year of RCIA classes, I finally understand the true definition of being a Catholic. I started to appreciate the prayers and understand all the traditions.

“In addition, a lot of resentment I had towards others have slowly disappeared and I experienced quite a few changes in my life.

“All I can say is that RCIA is not your average class where you sit and learn about facts. It is like a rejuvenation camp where you not only get to see life in another perspective but experience it as well.

“As the youngest member of this year’s RCIA, I would like to thank all the facilitators, my sponsors and all the participants who have journeyed with me for the past few months, for guiding me to the right path. “I know that God will continue to guide me even if somehow I lose my faith in the distant future. I hope future RCIA participants will experience this change in their lives as well.” -- Sean Lim Sir Xan, Church of St Francis of Assisi, Cheras

God takes care of everything
“I come from a poor family. My father had to work very hard. He was raised by my Aunt as my grandmother had passed away and my grandpa needed help.

“My father was baptised when he was still a child while my mom is not a Christian. She was baptised when she was 45 years old.

“Both my husband and I were not Christians. Twelve years ago, my husband had to work outstation and I became very stressed as I was working too and had to take care of our three children. “One day, I bumped into my manager at the traffic light. She invited me for lunch and we shared a lot of things.

“Then, she came to my workstation and gave me a small prayer book. She told me to go to church and I started going to St John’s Church during my lunch hour. “One day I asked my dad to bring me to the Mass on Sunday at Good Shepherd Church. At this church, I started my RCIA in June 2018. After attending the class, I feel I am closer to God.

“I believe that God will take care of everything throughout my life.” -- Mary Goh Poh Choo, Church of the Good Shepherd, KL