We thank God for the gift of Archbishop Pakiam to Archdoicese: Msgr James

May 23, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR (Herald Malaysia): “Today is a special day for Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam. A special day for a great man who has spent 31 years as a priest and 19 years as a Bishop. We thank God for the gift of Archbishop Pakiam to the Archdoicese,” said Msgr James Gnanapiragasam at the Thankgsiving Mass on May 13 at the Cathedral of St John.

Msgr James said Archbishop Pakiam is a practical man, who is true to his motto “Mercy and Peace.”

He continued by saying that though some may think that he does not speak out much, Archbishop Pakiam has established relationships with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), teachers, doctors, nurses, women’s groups and the migrant communities and has also had inter-faith meetings with representatives from other religions towards working tirelessly for justice. Such is his standing that he was also invited to attend a special meeting with President Barack Obama.

Then quoting from Psalm 23, “His crook and His staff will bring me comfort,” Msgr James linked Archbishop Emeritus Pakiam to being a good shepherd. Msgr James explained that the crook is to bring back the stray sheep and the staff is to beat their butts to move them forward. In a lighter vein, Msgr James said that in the seminary, Fr Pakiam used the staff; as Bishop he used the crook so that no one would go astray. Thus being a good shepherd, he used his crook and staff to bring us comfort.

He espoused that Archbishop Pakiam teaches us to serve God in holiness all the days of our lives.

Although retired as the archbishop of the diocese in Dec 2013, Msgr James said that the prelate will remain in the Archdiocese.

Next, Msgr James read from two letters. The first was from the Prefect of the Congregation of Evangelization of Peoples and the second letter was from Archbishop Emeritus Peter Chung of Kuching Archdiocesee.

The Archbishop of Kuching, Most Rev. John Ha had phoned to inform that he was unable to be present as he is on a retreat but gave assurance of prayers.

Archbishop Emeritus Pakiam thanked all the prelates who were present and said that he was happy to see them here. He said that he had forged friendships and cordial relations with them during the Conference of Bishops.

Pertaining to his experience as Bishop, he said that when he attended the Parish Pastoral Assemblies and Confirmation Masses, he saw the fraternity, respect, and welcoming attitude of the parishioners and did not feel out of place.

For all who came from Singapore, Melaka-Johor and Penang Dioceses and KL Archdiocese, Archbishop Emeritus Pakiam thanked them and said that bishops and priests are brothers, and a source of strength for the Bishop. Our lay people truly encourage a cordial relationship with priests by their devout faith.

Thanking his predecessors, Archbishop Emeritus Pakiam said the bishops before him had a clear pastoral plan which is appropriate for a multi-cultural country. The New Way of Being Church, which is a communion of communities, have garnered appreciation from other countries.

He also expressed his apologies to all for any failures during his ministry, including to higher authority and priests and others. Archbishop Emeritus Pakiam said God and the gift of prayer kept him going.

Bishop Paul Tan SJ then presented a special Congratulatory Message from Pope Francis to Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam. -- By Bernard Anthony

A visionary leader...
who rejuvenated the BECs with the formation of core teams

After many years of attending the Parish Pastoral Assemblies (PPA) in the parishes of the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese, Archbishop Pakiam realised that there was something lacking in the undertanding of BECs. In order to help the BECs, he used the four marks of the universal Church which is from the Apostles Creed to lend credence to the core needs of the BEC.

Unity — Communion (One)
In some of his talks at the PPA, he said, “We should be united as one community, striving towards holiness. All parish/BEC activities must lead us to a deeper communion with each other.”

He encouraged the laity to spend time with the Blessed Sacrament in the Church and emphasised on the importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation which is God’s reassurance that His mercy is there for us. He then said priests gather for their monthly recollection and they make it a point to go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He invited the core-teams of the BECs and ministries to do the same to build up their faith and have a deeper relationship with God.

Archbishop Pakiam also encouraged everyone to pray the prayer of the Church, the Divine Office. He emphasized that the Blessed Virgin Mary prayed the psalms and encouraged all to do likewise.

Formation — Renewal (Holy)
In seeking to be holy as the Lord taught us, we need to be trained to do missionary work, going out two by two just as Jesus assigned the apostles in the Gospel. What the parish could do by getting the single adults and youths to go out for apostolic work, making friends with the Nepalese, Myanmarese, etc and reaching out to the Sabahans and Sarawakians. He noted that in Mentakab, Pahang, there are 12 Catholic families from Sabah and Sarawak in three army camps. Only one Sister goes there once a month to do apostolic work. Who else can go to teach them? We can organise faith formation camps for these people and there is a fund for this purpose but who will go?

Dialogue — Catholic
BECs should not be inward looking (Catholics only) but should encompass the whole neighbourhood, reaching out to those from different races and religion. Archbishop Pakiam cited some examples on how BECs can reach out to others: Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion could also visit stroke victims and show compassion. As for Father’s & Mother’s Days, young Catholics in BECs could show appreciation of fatherhood and motherhood by sending greeting cards to others (non-Catholics) as a way of dialogue with other religions.

Poor — Service (Apostolic)
As for the human development of the poor, the Church has done much especially through the soup kitchen, ministries of the PIHD, etc. However more can still be done as welfare work could be developed further.

The apostolic thrust of the Church is to help the poor from all races and religions...to be others centred and not selfish.

Some Sharings

“I knew him when I was in the seminary in College General in 1963. He was my senior there. He was good and serious but also very mischievous.

“Later after being a priest for many years, I found him to be very serious and strict. However he was also very caring and nice. “When I suffered my stroke, he made it a point to visit me. Now, I am in a wheelchair and retired, but he has not forgotten me.

“Just recently he came to me for confession and I was at first hesitant but he said to me that I am still a priest and can administer the sacraments, and confession is one of them.” -- Fr A. Amalanathan

“We have known Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam for many years, and find him to be a humble and soft-spoken man who is loving to his parishioners.

“There are many who are disappointed and frustrated that he is not vocal enough in matters pertaining to the Church in Malaysia. That is not his way. He is doing all he can in his own quiet way.

“Being confrontational and antagonistic is not the only way.”-- Audrey and Daniel Leow, Church of the Visitation, Seremban.

“It is my birthday today and I came with my mum and brother to witness this joyful celebration,” shared Sonia from the Church of St Anthony. Shaun, her brother, added that it was a chance of a lifetime to share in a priest’s golden jubilee celebration. Their mum Scholastica Maria added, “I wanted to join in the celebration and thank the Lord for Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam especially now when we are facing so much persecution.”

“I’m 17 years old and I was recently confirmed by Archbishop Emeritus Pakiam on May 11. I find the prelate a good model for priests and also for lay people as he demonstrated his humility and simple lifestyle. An easily approachable person one can talk to, he cares for his sheep. I would like to see him continue serving, even thought he has retired as Archbishop.” -- Alfred Edmund Leprince - Chapel of Christ the Light, Desa Jaya, Kepong, KL

“I’m originally from Hong Kong, based here at the St Francis Xavier Home For the Aged in Cheras since Dec 2013. “I find today’s Thanksgiving Mass with the speeches very touching.

I also find Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam to be a friendly person. He comes to our Home regularly for visits, that’s where I first met him. I find him to be a spiritual and fatherly figure who really draws us closer to Christ.” -- Sr Maria Magdalene, Little Sisters of the Poor, Cheras

“It was a lovely and wonderful celebration, and gave us the chance to know more about Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam, his sacrifice and dedication towards building our Christian faith in our beloved country, over the last 50 years of priestly service. It is also a great opportunity to know more about the prelate’s background and history of serving the Catholic Community, his contribution towards peace and his zeal in defending religious freedom and rights. The prelate is a man of justice. ”I take this opportunity to wish him all the best and thank him for his marvellous service and contributions and pray the Good Lord will bless him.” -- Raymond Yogeswaran, Church of the Good Shepherd, Setapak, KL