The Lord hears you in all ways you speak to Him

Oct 04, 2024

KUALA LUMPUR: The Church of the Holy Rosary in Brickfields was filled with devoted members of the Deaf community for a special Mass on September 22, held in celebration of the International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) 2024.

Organised by the Archdiocesan Catholic Ministry for the Deaf (CMfD), the international theme for this year’s IDSL was “Sign up for Sign Language Rights,” while CMfD’s theme was inspired by Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

The event brought together the Deaf community and their families from Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Ipoh, Seremban, Sibu, and Singapore. The day began at 8.00am with Rosary recitation in sign language, interpreted by Genevieve Yap and Celine George.

After the rosary (in sign language), the Mass was presided over by Archbishop Julian Leow with CMfD’s Ecclesiastical Assistant, Fr Michael Chua, interpreting the Mass and Fr Dominic Tan, the parish priest, concelebrating. In his homily, Archbishop Julian emphasised the importance of learning sign language to break communication barriers and foster love and understanding.

“As we celebrate IDSL, it reminds me that we, before the Deaf community, are the ones who are Deaf for not being able to communicate with them. Seeing Fr Michael communicate the homily to the Deaf community, I felt that I am Deaf, because I can't 'speak’ in their language. I think we should make an effort to learn sign language so we can reach out and break the barrier of love.

Let’s take the effort to communicate through our eyes and with our hands, with our faithful brother and sister,” he said.

The Mass saw Deaf members actively participate in the celebration, including in the offertory, and serving as wardens. Before the final hymn, Beatrice Anne shared her journey to Catholicism, taking up RCIA classes in sign language online via Zoom while working in Sri Lanka, then continuing the journey through physical classes when she returned back to Malaysia.

“I was drawn to know Christ and Catholicism, and all the struggles in between did not seem like a battle but in fact an encouragement that made me want to defeat it to get closer to the Lord,” she said, while highlighting that the support she received from the CMfD community and her Godmother, Geraldine Shalini John, played an important part in her baptism on July 27, by Fr Alvin Ng, SJ, parish priest of the Church of St Francis Xavier, Petaling Jaya.

After Mass, Dewan Hsiong had a fun-filled vibe with various booths showcasing the Deaf community’s skills and talents, including henna art, cookies by Deaf baker, Beatrice Anne, and religious statues by Deaf sculptor Raymond Raj. There was also an activity corner for Children of Deaf Adults (CODA) and a mini exhibition on Deaf culture, basic communication with the Deaf, and a showcase of CMfD’s hosted programmes, including the recent Papal visit in Singapore.

Isabella Peng, IDSL Coordinator, welcomed everyone to the ISDL celebration 2024 and emphasised the importance of the ISDL celebration. “ISDL is an opportunity for us to support the Deaf community, protect their identity, and support their talents so they do not go unnoticed among the larger community,” she said.

Parishioners also had the opportunity to participate in an interactive basic sign language learning session taught by Geraldine Shalini John. The celebration also saw a beautiful Chinese dance by Teresa Chong, portraying the possibility of having harmony between dance and music despite being Deaf.

CMfD’s senior BIM (Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia) interpreter, Anthony Lim, at the celebration, highlighting his journey in becoming a church interpreter, said that his initial interest in learning sign language was sparked by curiosity and that it would be fun to learn a language that relies on hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate.

“Just as any other learning journey, mine had its fair share of challenges at the initial stage, but it is a fulfilling one, as through this, I am now able to communicate with the Deaf and open doors for others to also learn BIM and help us become a more inclusive faith community,” he said.

CMfD coordinator, Melina Fair, said the celebration would not have been possible without the support from everyone involved. “I thank all who participated in IDSL, the organising committee who assisted in planning and organising the IDSL 2024, and also the many sign language students who came in to assist us as volunteers, not forgetting parish priest Fr Dominic Tan, as well as each and every one from Holy Rosary Church.”

There was also a drama performed by Deaf members illustrating the ease of communication when sign language is known by members of the community, for instance, when communicating with a Deaf e-hailing driver or when someone in the service or health care industry is communicating with a Deaf customer or patient.

Fr Michael said sign language opens up one’s world, the world of the Deaf and bridges communication to create opportunities for the Deaf. “People often group Deafness as a disability. But the real issue is accessibility. The Deaf do not wish to be treated differently or accorded with special rights. Through the wider use of sign language, what the Deaf want is an opportunity, which they can have through a common communication when we take the effort to learn sign language.”

Before leaving, Archbishop Julian encouraged everyone to learn sign language to be able to communicate with the Deaf and concluded by signing “Jesus loves you,” which was followed by clapping (hands raised up in the air) by all present.