Spring Cleaning

Hi everyone....

Seems that I have somewhat got my posts mixed up which doesn't reflect the objectives of the blog. As such, I'm doing some spring cleaning which may take a while and all the posts you have read before can be accessed at www.emowisdom.blogspot.com.

Until I get everything in order, apologies for any mess you find here and there on the blog...

Agape

xoxo

Holy Rosary Church, Brickfields

I resided in KL for a while without even realizing this church was situated where it was. It was only when it came out in a conversation with some friends last year that I came to know about it.

I was told that I could get a good view of the church if I were to take the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) train as it was located just before the Central Station.

One day when I had the chance to use the train, I had my eyes peeled for the church. And there it was, situated right below my nose unknown to me. As such I made a mental note to visit the church one day.

That one day manifested itself when I was in the area one Saturday afternoon. I decided then to pop by and attend the Mass there. When I got there, the ushers directed traffic to ensure that there was sufficient parking for everyone who was attending Mass.

I was a little surprised to see that the church was packed as it wasn't even 5pm yet. I later found out that the Mass starts at 5pm on Saturdays. This was then followed by Novena to Our Blessed Mother.

The church was an extremely beautiful one with unique architecture. I won't pretend to be an expert in that field but I like the look as it gives the church a traditional feel. Also catching my eyes were the statues of what I believe to be saints perched on the pillars of the church.

Adding to the surreal feeling of yesteryear was the use of Overhead Projector (OHP) to project readings, responses and prayers on the screen. As I have stated in an earlier entry, I loved Msgr Daniel who reminds you of a father figure who dispenses sound advice with a lot of kindness and love.

Would I return to this church? Well, I have been attending at least 5 or 6 Masses there since I showed up earlier this year. So, the answer is a resounding YES!!!!

The schedule for weekend Mass are as follows;

Saturday : 05:00pm (Eng)
Sunday : 08:30am (Eng)
: 10:30am (Eng)

St Joseph's Cathedral, Kuching

I attended Mass in this magnificent Cathedral a few times previously, though my last visit there was over 2 years ago.

I would have to say that this still remains my all time favorite church here in Malaysia. It's a pity that I'd have to fly across South China Sea to attend Mass there.

It's unique in the sense that the sanctuary area is "sunken". If I'm not wrong, the sanctuary is lower than the land surrounding the cathedral. And it also has an archbishop's throne on the right hand side of the sanctuary.

A few years earlier, I had the privilege to witness the Easter's Service of Light. Behind where the lectern usually stands, was a baptismal font or perhaps bath should be a more appropriate word to use.

And I watched initially in horror which turned to fascination and eventually admiration as the RCIA candidates were baptised by the Archbishop. Now why gamut of emotions you may ask? Well, horror as I realised that the font was approximately 3-4 feet deep. And the candidates were supposed to step into the font led to my fascination with the unfolding scene I was witnessing.

And admiration at the faith of the candidates. I don't think that it is the easiest of things to do. To step into a receptacle filled with water and to have to immerse yourself in the water 3 times before stepping out dripping wet and cold in view of a few thousand onlookers. I guess it is testament to the faith they profess which gave them the strength to do what they did.

Going back to the cathedral, it was one of the bigger ones that I have ever been to. I think that it should comfortably sit around 3 thousand without any problems. If there was any grouse I had with the place was that it was a bit stuffy as the fans were somewhat insufficient to circulate the air on a hot and humid day.

Another reason why I loved the cathedral was the architecture. I was extremely impressed with the inner ceilings of the cathedral which was made of wood pieces, much like parquet flooring. I was unable to obtain photos of the cathedral at present moment, so perhaps a trip down to Kuching is in order soon...

I also loved the Stations of the Cross which was integrated with the grilles which surrounds the cathedral. They were made up of what I believe to be acrylic pieces colored made in a mosaic of color and kaleidoscope which was a sight to behold. And it would be a remiss of me to mention the huge cross which hung over the Sanctuary floor suspended by some almost invisible cable.

A friend of mine told me that the cathedral was renovated in the mid 90s to have a day chapel where the daily Masses are celebrated. As such, a heavy curtain was installed and it would be drawn to set up an area behind the sanctuary for the celebration of daily Masses which would not normally attract a huge congregation.

Another sight that was breathtaking was the tabernacle. It is built in the shape of a traditional village house known locally as a "baruk". I believe it was built out of copper and stands on several stilts. Some hidden piping lets off a flow of water to a pool below the structure and a brass cross stands a top the tabernacle. The same friend of mine told me that the cross was once the processional cross pre-renovation.

I also found the church wardens/ushers to be extremely friendly as they distributed the hymnals and missals to the arriving congregation with a wide smile and sincere greetings. And it seems that a lot of effort was put in by the choir in preparation for Mass as they were singing expertly all the hymns, responses etc.

Overall, my regret was the fact that I didn't take the effort to obtain photos in my last visit there. I hope to be able to address that soon. If there are any readers out there who have photos they'd like to share on this topic, kindly send me a message.

Based on info obtained from www.kuchingcatholic.org.my Mass times are as follows on weekends;

Saturday : 06:00pm (Eng)
Sunday : 06:30am (Eng)
: 08:00am (Man)
: 09:30am (BM)
: 05:30pm (Eng)