Welcoming juniors programme

Aug 07, 2015

TAWAU (Herald Malaysia): To celebrate the presence of the Group BASIC (Brothers & Sisters in Christ), Balung, a programme ‘Welcoming Juniors’ was held at St Paul Catholic Church Balung, on July 5. This programme was organized by the students from the Institute of Teachers’ Education Tawau Campus to welcome the incoming students from the Institute of Teachers Education and University Technology MARA Tawau Campus. About 60 new students from both institutions participated in this programme, including representatives from the Apostolic Youth Parish Holy Trinity.

The new students were introduced to various groups, for example, the Campus Ministry Diocese of Sandakan, Keep In Touch Always (KITA) programme, a group BASIC Balung. Through these programmes, the new students were provided with information on the history, organization and role of the Campus Ministry in the Diocese of Sandakan.

Esther Albert shared with the students on the role of the Campus Ministry Diocese of Sandakan and on other youth programmes organized at parish and diocesan levels, where she also encouraged the new students to participate actively. They were also exposed to the reality of life on campus. It was an opportunity to delve deeply into the challenges they would be facing as Catholic students on campus. They were also advised on the steps they should take to maintain their Catholic faith, to be able to face issues pertaining to their rights and responsibilities as Catholic Students.

A talk on BASIC Balung was given by Maxwell Elity Sulaiman. Apart from imparting relevant information on the various activities at both the parish and diocesan levels, the Welcoming Juniors programme was carried out to establish better rapport with the community through praise and worship sessions.

Fr Johnny Raju, in his homily to the students, spoke on the spirit of service. He impressed upon the students the need to stay strong in their faith and told them to ‘Look to Christ’ whenever they felt overwhelmed by the reality of what life is really like on campus.

The programme yielded positive results for everyone who attended. It not only renewed the spirit of service but also helped to increase the joy of having Christ in their lives.