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The passage to the new millenium was awaited at Gethsemane in front of the illuminated walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, on the other side of Kidron Valley and was welcomed at the Maison d'Abraham on the Mount of Olives. This prayerful and joyful celebration, presided by Fr. Giovanni Battistelli, Custos of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, started at 10.00pm of 31st December 1999. Present were also the Greek Melchite bishop Lufti Laham together with the Armenian and Syrian Catholic bishops. A large number of pilgrims mingled with the local community of the Latin Parish of Jerusalem which was led by the parish priest Fr. George Abu Khazen ofm. The initial rite and the proclamation of the Word of God took place in the Basilica of the Agony at Gethsemane. Soon after the proclamation of the Word, at 11.10pm, all left in procession from the Church to the Parvis facing Jerusalem. Here a lantern, containing a burning flame which was lit from the the Anastasis (Church of the Resurrection) was brought out by a minister. The light from this flame was distributed to all those present. With the lighted candles and torches all partecipated in the hymns and listened to the Word "The Angel carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. .. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp." (Rev. 21,10-11,22-23). The reading of John 12, 23-36 followed and after the acclamation the gathering, singing hymns in arabic, italian, spanish and latin, carrying torches in their hands left Gethsemane to climb on Mount of Olives. A cool star-filled night was the backdrop for the last part of the celebration which took part at the Maison d'Abraham. Here a sixteen foot cross was planted in a "Bi-mellenium" platform. Incensed and honoured by those present this cross will remain as a symbol of the beginning of the new Millenium. The celebration came to an end at 11.57pm with the blessing of the Custos. At midnight fireworks were let off to welcome the third christian millenium! This was a moment of thanksgiving and hope. A celebration in which the mystery of Salvation revealed by Christ became the focal point of the passage between the two millennia: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made" (Jn 1,2-3); born of the Virgin mother through the Holy Spirit in the fullness of time; eternal with the Father sends forth his Spirit on a pilgrim Church moving towards the final encounter with the Lord at the end of time. The celebration exhalted also Mary the Mother of God, Mother of the Prince of Peace. She collaborated faithfully with God thus becoming an example for us to express our "yes" to the will of the Father. |
On Monday, 29 November 1999, in the presence Friar Stephen Bliss OFM, Minister Provincial of the Franciscans, Friar Thomas Mannarakath OFM, Custos of the Custody of Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and a number of friars, religious and friends, Friars Moses Yap and John Wong OFM professed solemn vows in the Church of St Mary of the Angels, Bukit Batok, Singapore. This hour-long ceremony of a lifelong commitment to the Franciscan way of life began at 6.00 p.m. It drew a crowd of approximately 400 people. Also present were the families of Friar Moses from Seremban as well as those of Friar John from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The friars were off to Sibu, Sarawak, east Malaysia soon after that to
celebrate the priestly ordination of Friar Joseph Lee OFM at 6.30 p.m. in St
Teresa‰s Church. The church was packed with some 2000 people who came to
witness the 2-hour eucharistic celebration of Friar Joseph‰s ordination by Rt
Rev Dominic Su, Bishop of Sibu. A number of friars and religious were present.
Friar Joseph is the third of 7 children born to Mr and Mrs Lee Ging Lim. He
had worked in Telecoms Malaysia for 17 years before making the decision to
join the Franciscans in Singapore in 1992. After several years of Franciscan
formation, he made his final commitment as a Franciscan friar in June 1997. He
was ordained a deacon in December 1998 after having studied for 7 years at St
Francis Xavier Major Seminary in Ponggol. Friar Joseph has a brother, Fr
Michael Lee, who is a diocesan priest ministering in Mukah and Dalat in the
diocese of Sibu. Friar Joseph will be attached to the Kuching Archdiocese from
next year onwards.
Two days later, the Franciscans made off to Kuching, Sarawak for another celebrationÖthe ordination to the diaconate of Friars Moses Yap, Joseph Goh and John Wong OFM. This event took place at the newly renovated St Peter‰s Church in Padungan, Kuching. Auxiliary Bishop John Ha ordained the three friars in an evening mass at 6.00 p.m. on 4 December. In his homily, Bishop Ha commented that the ordinations were signs of God‰s presence with his people. These friars will return to Singapore for further training in 3 different parishes. Friar Joseph Goh OFM, who hails from Kuching, will be spending the second half of next year serving as a deacon in the archdiocese of Kuching. Yet another celebration ensued soon after. The following day marked the official reception of the Franciscan Friars into the archdiocese of Kuching. A special concelebrated mass was held at St Joseph‰s Cathedral, Kuching at 9.30 a.m. in which Archbishop Peter Chung of Kuching was the main celebrant. Some 20 diocesan priests, 12 Franciscan friars and a number of Franciscan sisters and seminarians were present for the historical event. At the start of the mass, Archbishop Peter Chung and Friar Stephen Bliss OFM, Minister Provincial of the Franciscans signed a memorandum of understanding through which the Franciscan Friars are officially beginning their ministry for the first time in the history of Sarawak, east Malaysia. |
The Franciscan Friars of the Custody of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei
celebrated a string of events in Singapore and East Malaysia from November to
December.