Wednesday, April 23, 2014

A trip down South 南下一趟

With Fr.Valentine

Before Holy Week, my wife and I went down to Johor Baru to attend a wedding dinner.

I took this opportunity to visit Fr. Velentine with Tony at the St. Francis Assisi Spiritual Center in Ulu Tiram, outskirts of Johor Baru.

We spent 2 dys in JB and left for home en rout Melaka to visit Fr. Paul Wong In Ayer Salak where he is the parish priest of St. Mary's Church.

On the way, We stopped at Senai to buy some Hakka kiuh muih such as Yam cake, Kuih Ubi Kayu. We also ate Lui Cha (Hakka herbal soup and vegetarian dishes). 

It is a convenient stop. 

I like eating but not a glutton. I enjoy all types of food but would not go out of the way for any particular item. I have no favorite but enjoy anything and everything.

Fr. Paul has invited me to host a sharing session on family life in July at his parish. My trip is to plan with him on the theme and session details. 

Fr. Paul was appointed the Parish Priest of St. Mary's Church in January 2011. Since then he has initiated many programs ang activities in deepening the spirituality of famillies and communitarian spirit of the community.

The pastoral theme of the parish for 2014 is " Build Loving Home". For the first quarter of the year, programmes completed are wedding Anniversary celebration every month, Lunar New Year festivities, Lenten reflection, Holy Week Liturgy. 

Month of May saw Fr. Paul's tireless effort to organize a reunion of priests and religious hailed from Ayer Salak. He went personally to visit many of them scattered all over places to come back for the event in the middle of May.

Kampong Ayer Salak is about 16 kms from Melaka city center. It is uniquely a Catholic settlement which was founded in 1885. 

It produced many priests and religious Brothers and Sisters. A gathering of them will showcase a proud history of the settlement and good example for the youth to emulate. It will be a boaster to the dwindling religious Vocation.

St. Mary is a simple and beautiful church surrounded by trees and plants, especially Easter Palm trees. It has the capacity to supply palm leaves to 17 parishes, mostly in Klang Valley area, for use in the Palm Sunday celebrations. 
在圣周前,我和太太到新山出席一个结婚宴会。

我也乘此机会,到乌鲁地南“圣方济格灵修中心“拜访一位华伦天奴神父。

我们在新山住了两天,途径马六甲回家。我们要到马六甲阿依沙叻拜候王保禄神父。

我们路过士乃,买了一些客家茶粿。这里的芋头糕,真材实料,美味极了,据说是当地很有名气的老字号。

我喜欢吃,但称不上是老饕。我喜欢任何事物,但不会有特爱,更不会专程驾车迢迢数十公外去找吃。任何事物,都是入口可吃,好吃、不好吃,都是独一无二。

士乃是非常的顺路,也很方便购买,因为那个档口就在大道旁。从脸书(Facebook)上,我才记起,这档茶粿摊,是陈新伟神父家人所开,历史悠久,很有口碑。新伟神父目前在台湾服务。

去年的中,马六甲阿依沙叻堂的主任王保禄神父邀请我,在今年的七月份,到他的堂区主持一个家庭生活分享会,我这次到他家(教堂),就是要与他详谈分享会的主题及细节。

王神父在2011年,受委任为该堂区主任。


在过去的三年里,王神父推动了多项提升教友的灵修与团体生活的活动。今年的活动主题是:建造幸福家园,期望促进教友家庭生活的美满,进而打造一个温馨、充满和气及合群的家庭堂区。

今年首季(农历新年、四旬期),活动注重在夫妇、婚配、青年及家庭。在五月份,活动注重在家庭与圣召。阿依沙叻堂区“出产”了好多圣召,值得大家引以为荣。王神父在过去数月里,联络及亲身拜访散布在各地的阿依沙叻土生土长的神父、修士及修女,邀请他们在五月中,回家乡团聚,重温家庭的温馨及甜蜜,也为后辈立个学习的楷模,让阿依沙叻沃土,成为圣召温床。


阿依沙叻新村离开马六甲市区大约十六公里,是一个非常独特的天主教徒聚居的一个村落。该村创立于1885年,拥有一间深居历史性的百多年老教堂。目前所使用的是建于1970年的新教堂,离开旧教堂百步之距而已。

圣玛利亚堂是一间简朴但美观的教堂,四周被树木花草环抱。这教堂四周也种了好多圣枝棕榈树。每年的圣周,教堂会剪割圣枝,供应给17间教堂,大部分在巴生河谷流域,作为圣枝主日庆典使用。 我的堂区圣家堂,就是其中的一间。

(新山的照片 Facebook)

(士乃的照片 Facebook)

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