Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Alleluia, Jesus Christ is Risen!
Following the appeal for financial support for the Cathedral’s renovation, I would like to take it further by inviting each one who worships regularly in Sacred Heart to consider that this is not just the Cathedral but it is also your spiritual home.
Johor Bahru, the second largest city in Malaysia, is now home to Catholics from out of state who are here because of work opportunities in Johor and Singapore. According to Canon Law, a person who has lived within the territory of a parish for more than 6 months is to be considered a parishioner. Even though you may have a sense of attachment and loyalty to your home parish, be it in Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching or Kota Kinabalu, you have become “de iure and de facto”, (by law and in fact) a parishioner of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Financial support is not the only precept of the Church. For the Cathedral to fully function, it is imperative to take part in her life. We have returned from the pandemic, weaker in terms of participation. Mass attendance is rarely full but more than that, we are in need of rejuvenation and you probably would have noticed that too. We need Lectors to read, Sunday School Teachers to catechise, Extraordinary Ministers to give Holy Communion and to visit the sick and elderly , Hospitality Wardens to welcome, Volunteers for Social Ministry to serve the poor and support for initiatives in securing an ecological future. Your participation is crucial to creating a community more vibrant, more welcoming and most of all, more convincing to those who are searching for Jesus Christ.
The post-Resurrection Christian community was described in the Acts of the Apostles as being “devoted to the teachings of the Apostles, to the brotherhood, to the Breaking of Bread and to prayers”. Making the Cathedral your home provides the opportunity to plant spiritual roots and deepen your faith life.
I welcome and invite each of you who worship here at Sacred Heart to embrace the Cathedral and make it your spiritual home, to the glory of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God bless,
Padre
亲爱的主内兄弟姐妹，
阿肋路亚，耶稣基督真已复活！
继呼吁为主教座堂的翻修提供财务支持之后，我想再进一步邀请每一位经常在圣心堂敬拜的人把主教座堂当成我们属灵的家，而不只是一座教堂。
新山是马来西亚的第二大城市，现在这里有许多来自其他州属的天主教徒，他们都是因为柔佛州和新加坡的工作机会而来到这里的。根据《教会法典》，在教区范围内居住超过 6 个月的人将被视为教友。即使您对自己的原属堂区，无论是槟城、怡保、吉隆坡、古晋或亚庇，仍有一种归属感和忠诚感，但在"法律上和事实上"，您已成为耶稣圣心主教座堂的教友。
财务支持并不是教会的唯一戒律。要使主教座堂充分运作，就必须参与她的生活。我们已经从疫情中恢复过来，但参与度方面有所减弱。参与弥撒的人很少能够使圣堂满座，但更重要的是，我们需要恢復活力，你们可能也注意到了这一点。我们需要读经员来读经、教理老师来教导主日学、特派送圣体员来派送圣体及探访病人和年长者、礼宾司来接待教友、社会事工志愿者来服务贫困人士，以及支持保障生态未来的倡议。您的参与对创建一个更有活力及更受欢迎的团体至关重要。最重要的是，您的参与将使我们的团体对于那些寻找耶稣基督的人更有说服力。
《宗徒大事录》中描述了耶稣复活后的基督徒团体"致力于宗徒的教诲、兄弟情谊、擘饼和祈祷"。将主教座堂视为自己的家，可以让您扎下属灵之根及深化自己的信仰生活。
我欢迎并邀请每一位在圣心堂敬拜的人，为了光荣我们的天主父和主耶稣基督，接纳主教座堂并把她当作自己属灵的家园。
天主降福大家，
杨光明神父
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