Students and Catechists go through Holy Door

Oct 14, 2016

By Anna James
On September 24, in keeping with the Holy Year of Mercy, a pilgrimage through the Holy Door was made at the Church of St John Vianney, Tampin, followed by a trip to Pertubuhan Kebajikan Villa Harapan, Duyong, Malacca. The pilgrimage was open to Forms 1 to 3 students and their catechism teachers.

Before the pilgrimage, we asked God to protect us from danger and to be our companion during our journey, our guide at the crossroads, our breath in our weariness, our shade in the heat, our light in our darkness and our strength in our discouragements.

When we arrived, the catechism students were informed as to why they were there at the Holy Door and the conditions to obtain the mercy of the Lord, that is, confession, communion and prayer for the Pope’s intentions. Deacon James Anthony, who accompanied the group, impressed upon the students that by passing through the Holy Door, they would become witnesses of mercy and love.

The students were then given written questions relating to the Year of Mercy, answers to which were to be handed back in due time. The students went through the Door of Mercy in a very dignified manner, touching the door and bowing in prayer before entering the Church. Mr Anthony Tan, a parishioner of St John Vianney Church, enlightened us with a video presentation on the life of St John Vianney and the history of the Church. We were then treated to a sumptious breakfast and thanked them for their welcoming spirit.

After the visit to the Holy Door, we continued on our way to Villa Harapan. In the bus, Rosalind, the pilgrimage leader, took the opportunity to introduce the Angelus to the students at 12 noon. We also sang hymns.

We arrived at Villa Harapan at 12.20 pm and were welcomed by Roseline Dass, the Administrator of the Home. Before lunch, we were given a briefing about the Home so that we had a better idea of the residents’ circumstances and why they were put in the Home in the first place. The residents of the Home were treated to lunch and the students helped in the serving of the food. There are over a 100 residents of different races, all living in harmony with one another.

We hope that the trip to Villa Harapan, a Home for the homeless, has brought an awareness to our young students that the homeless need our love and mercy and that we must not forget the poor. This was a fitting end to our pilgrimage as a question was put to the students on our journey home: What would Jesus do if He was here at Villa Harapan? Catechism teacher, Josephine Ong, was proud of the students for showing respect to the residents at all times and for helping to serve them.