A Choice Made

With two more months left, things are moving fast as the final year seminarians prepare themselves for their graduation and eventual insertion into the priestly ministry. They have their final Baccalaureate (Theology) exams to undergo and following that, the essential preparations for their diaconate and the priesthood.

NS and Seminary

I just came from finishing a movie with the rest of the Seminary community. We saw it during our dinner as it was the eve of Hari Raya holiday. This is our usual movie night during such occasions. The movie? Ah Boys To Men (pt 1).

One of the aspirants who attended our last weekend's vocation retreat had commented that life in the seminary to him is somewhat more difficult than life in the army today! If he had come in and join us in the seminary during my time as a seminarian his comments may not have been too far off the mark. However, today, much have changed and the environment has improved tremendously.

Handing Over

Well, the announcement finally came about. This was what all in the archdiocese was waiting to hear.

As of 6 pm, Singapore time, on 18th May 2013, we have a new archbishop taking office in the person of His Grace Archbishop William Goh. It was almost 3 months ago that we witnessed his ordination and installation to the episcopate at the Singapore Expo.

Isaiah 43: 19....

The Lenten period continues as we cross the halfway mark with Laetare Sunday last week.

With the months that went by as we make our way towards the great feast of Easter, we were given experiences that spoke of the work of God that would want to instil in us a proper sense of the dynamics of God's activity - He is still actively working in our world, as I write, and continues in His unique and mysterious manner that always circumvents all human machinations and motives.

The recent ordination of His Grace Archbishop Coadjutor William Goh at the Max Pavilion of the Singapore Expo, offers the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore (clergy, religious and lay faithful) an opportunity to move into the year ahead with renewed vision to face the challenges ahead, with the values of His Grace that spoke of passion and compassion. This stems from his motto of his coat of arms, "Ut Vivant", i.e. "that they may live..." (Jn 10: 10 - 11). Our archdiocese need to sorely return to basics and know how to care for the flock like how the father in the prodigal son parable of 4th Sunday of Lent gospel reading did, when he dealt very magnanimously and with love as well.

New Challenges...

What a month this had been and more seems to be coming up that will somehow speak of the changing landscape of all that is related to the archdiocese and in all aspect of our own lives - spiritual, material, physical

The seminarians just came back early this morning after visiting the KL archdiocese in attending to a sacerdotal (priestly) ordination of two of their alumni from our Singapore seminary. Deacons Gregory Chan and Peter Anthoney were ordained yesterday in the cathedral by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, to the order of priests.

Today, the Singapore archdiocese will rejoice as we celebrate the ordination to the order of deacons for Joviat Ho, Benedict Chng, Alphonsus Raj and Edward Seah. The entire Seminary community will be heading to the Church of St Joseph - Bt Timah for the Mass ceremony this evening.

Not too far off from here is the next ordination, this time of the episcopal nature when Msgr William Goh is formally installed as Archbishop-Coadjutor, at the Singapore Expo in February 22.