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| Papal
Blessing... Archbishop John Ha receives the pallium and
words of edification from Popo John Paul II on 29 June in St.
Peter's Square, Rome. |
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KUCHING –
In the presence of seven Archbishops and Bishops, over 70 priests from Malaysia and Brunei, and about 3000 people, Archbishop John Ha was installed as the second Archbishop of Kuching in a Mass on 16 July at St Joseph’s Cathedral. Also present were representatives from the various Churches under the Association of Churches in Sarawak
(ACS) and local dignitaries.
At the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration, Archbishop Emeritus Peter Chung blessed the cathedra (seat of the Archbishop). Then he handed Archbishop John Ha the crosier (staff). After this, he led the new Archbishop to his cathedra and gave him a sign of respect (a hug), which was followed by a hug from all the priests, representatives from the Sisters of St Francis of Sarawak and De La Salle Brothers, and Chairmen of Parish Councils of the Archdiocese, amidst applause from the congregation.
In this homily, Archbishop John Ha highlighted the theme of succession in the Church. The liturgical readings touched on God’s initiative
“to provide |
| leaders for his people”. He cited Jesus’ words, “You did not choose me. No, I chose you and I commissioned you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last”.
The Archbishop acknowledged the fear with which he initially received his appointment. However, he added, “with the Lord’s assurance of help, guidance and strength, I take courage.”
In a short address given at the end of the Mass, the Archbishop Emeritus expressed his joy “not on the acceptance of my application for retirement, but on the appointment of the new Archbishop”. He advised the new Archbishop in the words of Moses to Joshua, “Be strong, stand firm… Yahweh himself will lead you; he will be with you… Have no fear, do not be disheartened by anything” (Deut 31: 6) and assured him, “be certain that you have been chosen indeed by the Lord for the office of the Archbishop of Kuching”.
The Archbishop Emeritus also asked the people for “pardon for my many failures in carrying out my duties, for the discouragement, frustrations and hurts I caused you.” He assured them that he was not bidding them farewell, but would continue to serve the Archdiocese and its people whom he has grown to love.
Archbishop John Ha also delivered a short speech at the end of the Mass in which he earmarked three areas of pastoral concern to be focused on – faith formation of the faithful; the family; the youth. He looked forward to working together with the people and thus achieving much in these three areas.
On 17 July, a grand dinner celebration was held at Crowne Plaza Hotel in conjunction with the installation. Over 1000 people attended, including clergy, religious Brothers and Sisters, local dignitaries and the laity.
In his official address during dinner, the Archbishop Emeritus thanked the State Government for maintaining an atmosphere of harmony in the State so that all may “enjoy freedom to practise our faith and promote the Good News of the Lord as our mission in this land”.
“We ask God to bless our State leaders and all civil servants with wisdom and a spirit of justice and fairness,” added the Archbishop Emeritus.
In his speech, the Chairman of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, Vincent Eddy, listed three of the many achievements of the Archdiocese of Kuching under Archbishop Emeritus Peter Chung – [1] the significant growth in the Catholic population through the mission of evangelisation, necessitating the creation of Sibu Diocese; [2] in the task of Church-renewal, the continual effort to increase faith understanding through faith formation and renewal programmes; [3] the establishment of St Peter’s College to promote priestly vocations.
Reiterating Archbishop John Ha’s earlier expression of gratitude to the Archbishop Emeritus, Vincent said: “As we wish him a happy retirement, we wish also to thank him for all his services to the Church of God in Kuching. But we wish to do much more, for we are here to assure him, too, of our continued love and respect as he now adjusts to a life without the burdens of office.”
Speaking on behalf of the Archdiocese, Vincent then welcomed the appointment of the new Archbishop and pledged the people’s love and support for him. He also expressed the people’s hope of working together with Archbishop John Ha to realize the proposals contained in the Pastoral Vision of the Church for the “purposes of charting a course for the local Church in the new millennium.”
During the dinner, a group of youths from the city and villages presented a special Cultural Thanksgiving Dance choreographed by multi-racial dance instructors. To underscore the inculturation of Catholicism in Sarawak, the Chinese Lion Dance and Fan Dance were skillfully incorporated into the native traditional dances. This unique presentation told the story of the mission of evangelisation through the various stages of the rice planting cycle beginning with the preparation of the land for planting the seed of Faith. Through a labour of love and pastoral care, this culminates in a great harvest and thanksgiving celebration, as the Word of God begins to bear fruit in our land.There was also a multimedia presentation of a brief history of the Archdiocese over the last 25 years.
At the end of the dinner, Archbishop Emeritus Peter Chung was presented with gifts (an air ticket to Canada, a notebook computer and a handphone) as a token of appreciation.
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