Thousands throng St Anne, Port Klang

Aug 06, 2015

By Marie Lee
Thousands thronged the Church of St Anne to attend the annual Feastday of this revered saint. St Anne is especially known to intercede for a happy marriage and the blessings of a child. Many childless couples have shared their testimonies of being blessed with a child through the intercession of St Anne. Stories of other miracles also abound. There are testimonies of people healed of cancers and other ailments; others who have failed in their businesses and, with the help of St Anne, their business became successful and they also experienced peace and contentment in their lives. For those desiring help in exams, family harmony and peace, it has become a family tradition to gather at St Anne’s Church every year to pray together as a family unit.

This year, the overall theme for the Feastday was Family-The Reflection of God’s beauty. The importance of the family unit is beautifully portrayed through the image of family unity and joy, and through prayers devoted to harmony in the family and home where God’s creations multiply and exist fruitfully in accordance to His Will. This year’s prayers were very family centred, reflecting on the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The holiness, reverence, love and faithfulness of the holy family works to preserve family love and unity and is a great example for all of us to emulate.

Archbishop Julian Leow celebrated the 6.30pm Mass on Saturday, July 25 to a packed congregation. In his homily, the Archbishop spoke on the Green Agenda: Protecting God’s Creation and respecting God’s plan. Touching on Pope Francis’ Encyclical letter Laudato Si’, Archbishop Leow made an earnest call for everyone to appreciate and value God’s creations. He urged us to work together to protect and value the good clean air, availability of power, water, the green environment, and embrace their goodness so that they will remain a constant source of goodness for our existence.

He further elaborated that losing these essentials of nature leads to a decline in the quality of human life and the breakdown of society. He pointed out that not respecting the environment would result in harming the fertility of the earth’s soil, causing people to lose their livelihood. They are then forced to seek livelihood elsewhere, leading to the breakdown of the family unit. In their quest for survival, many fall prey to human traffickers and other evils. The Archbishop called out to the people to respect and take care of God’s creations, preserve them well, as their preservation provides the economic and social ecology crucial to our peaceful living, and the preservation of family togetherness. Nothing should be taken for granted.

After the Mass, Fr Lawrence Andrew SJ read a powerful testimony from a childless couple who, for years had tried all methods to have a child but failed. Finally, they decided to put their full trust in God and their prayers were answered. Early this year, this couple were blessed with a child. This powerful testimony touched many hearts and strengthened the faith and hope of the thousands who had gathered.

The celebrations culminated in a candlelight procession around the residential area, followed by Benediction. Demonstrating the compassion, care and love of all people as creatures and family of God, food and drinks were distributed to all pilgrims who came for the celebrations.