Book of 2 3 4 Testimonies 5 6 7 8 9 RCIA/RCIY 2015-2016 10 - - PDF document

Book of Testimonies

RCIA/RCIY 2015-2016

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Contents

Foreword

• Fr. Christopher Soh, S.J. 1

An Enriching Journey Xavier Ong 2 Entry into a Christ-centred Community Ambrose Lee 3 A Transformative Experience Veronica Leow 4 God’s Mercy and Love Ava Leong 5 An Encounter with Jesus Andie Chua 6 Return to Faith Thomas Holmes 7 A Beautiful Journey Katharine Tay 8 Uncovering the Meaning and Purpose of Life Thomas Ng 9 My RCIA Journey Robert Sim 10 An Unexpected Transformation Monica Chung 11 Preparation for a Lifetime Emmanuel Pijcke 12 A Closer Relationship with God Jacob Woo 13 God’s Kingdom

• n Earth

Augusta Wong 14

1

Foreword

We all know the power of stories. They grip the imagination. Move the heart. Focus our efforts. The stories collected here are no exception. They too have the same power. But from where does this power come? Not from the story-tellers

• themselves. I am sure they will be the first to admit. But from

their experiences. Their experiences of travelling and arriving. Of searching and finding. Of encounter and transformation. Their experience of having their hearts set aflame within them. With a gentle fire that burns without consuming. Warms without destroying. Energises without oppressing. A fire that is mysteriously kindled and spread whenever and wherever the stories are told and retold. All it requires is a heart open enough to receive. To receive the stories and the One who chooses to hide Himself within them. The same One who said, I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Luke 12:49) A special word of thanks is owed to all the fire-starters of RCIA

• 2016. Especially to Msgr. Philip Heng, SJ and the rest of his
• team. May their hearts continue to burn within them in the

days ahead… Perhaps this little booklet should come with a warning: Highly flammable! Handle with care! Happy reading… And fire-starting…

• Fr. Christopher Soh, S.J.

Parish Priest

2

An EnrichingJourney

I grew up in Catholic schools and always had some knowledge

• f the faith. I prayed sometimes and considered myself to have

a relationship with God. The RCIA journey was an extremely enriching one both from a knowledge and spiritual standpoint. I learned a lot through Msgr Heng's very interesting weekly sessions and very digestible notes. At the same time, I was also gaining a lot through the sharing and insights of facilitators, sponsors and fellow RCIA members. The beauty of this journey has been the chance to meet many new friends at various points of their respective journeys at the beginning and deepening our faith and prayerfulness together. Touched by the experience and the baptism, many of us are now looking forward to contributing to the community in our

• wn ways.

Xavier Ong

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2 3

Entry into a Christ-centred Community

RCIY has played a defining role in the deepening of my faith in my spiritual journey thus far. From my days as an inquirer, the facilitators and befrienders have always done all they could to enlighten us about the Catholic faith and the significance of its practices, even going the extra mile to relate the various aspects of our faith to the relevant parts of our lives – a key step in forming an intimate relationship with God and living the Word daily. Their efforts in getting to know everyone on a personal level while building an atmosphere of honesty and love helped me understand the idea, and necessity of, a Christ- centred community. In developing our largely personal relationships with God, our individual capacity to understand and love Him falters at times – and therein lies the beauty of a community – we learn from each other, deepen our faith, and see God in each of His children.

Ambrose Lee

4

A Transformative Experience

I was baptised in a Christian church in 1990. Along the years I

• backslid. Through a friend, God brought me to St. Ignatius

Church and encouraged me to attend RCIA. Initially, I was rattled by the one year commitment. However, I wanted to return to church and to rekindle my relationship with God. By attending each session, I found my faith. The holistic and comprehensive course addressed my misunderstanding and doubts of the Roman Catholic Church. I experienced transformation and found peace by realigning my heart to be God-focused and to depend on His divinity. Having completed the course, I feel that my journey had just begun. There were many memorable moments and experiences. The retreat in JB was my first retreat experience. I did not know what to expect. Through Msgr Heng’s guided contemplation, I was able to experience God’s abundant love and healing for me. It was really a wonderful experience. My first confession was

• memorable. I had always believed that one only confesses

directly through personal prayer. However, confessing to God through a priest was unexplainable. One has to experience it to truly appreciate its significance and purpose. I was amongst the last to leave church with puffy eyes. The most important event of my life finally arrived on 26.3.2016 - My Confirmation. I was ecstatic to be a Catholic and to receive the Holy Communion. When I received Christ, I felt happy and complete in God's presence.

Veronica Leow

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God’s Mercy and Love

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”; that really resonates with me as I journeyed along RCIA. Through Breaking of the Word sessions, masses and retreats I learnt that “to forgive someone means that someone is more important than his error in judgment”. We are strongly encouraged to practice the Daily Examen conscientiously. Through God’s grace that helped me in dealing with challenging situations by discerning and trusting God’s will; even if it’s through the uncharitable acts of others. Two months into RCIA I was going through a very rough patch. I prayed very hard for God’s guidance, mercy and forgiveness. If I may quote the definition of mercy: “God entered the chaos

• f my life”. Through God’s mercy and love I experienced joy,

peace and comfort. Now that I’ve embraced the Catholic faith, I feel calmer and at peace at all times. “Give, and it will be given to you…for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” (Luke 6:38)

Ava Leong

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An Encounter withJesus

I've believed in Jesus since I was a child but never had a proper relationship with Him. I would only think of Him when I was in need. On the morning of the Easter vigil, just before baptism, I was going about my usual business like an ordinary day. As I proceeded out of the house, the song 'Come to the Father' crept into my head and I started singing in the car. A sudden and strange sadness came over me as I contemplated the meaning

• f the lyrics and tears of extreme sorrow flowed down. My

heart was filled with such deep sorrow, something I've never felt before. I actually got out of the car to sob incessantly. For the first time, as I closed my eyes, I could see him so vividly, looking down at me from the cross. The look in his eyes telling me how precious I was and that all his sufferings were worth it. A strong guilt washed over me as I sat there attempting to feel the pain of betrayal and desertion He must have felt on the

• cross. I have never felt so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit and

it felt like He was telling me that He chose me despite my flaws and unworthiness. There was so much clarity in His love for me. Since my baptism, Jesus has now become a central part of my life and thoughts, not just someone I look for when I'm in need. I was truly in communion with God.

Andie Chua

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Return to Faith

Growing up in the Presbyterian Church as a child was a pleasant memory for me, however it has been many years since regularly attending church. I have been occasionally attending the Catholic mass with my wife and son who are both baptized Catholics, but for me to become Catholic myself was rather a big step. I’m not sure why I was so hesitant, but I finally decided to try the RCIA program. RCIA has been a wonderful experience to learn more about the Sacraments and understand the true meaning of the Eucharist. There is no better feeling than receiving full communion and becoming cleansed with God’s blessings. A special thanks to my sponsor and co-sponsor, and my facilitators for being such wonderful role models in helping me grow and deepening my faith. The RCIA program has been a great way to strengthen my religious beliefs by regularly attending the program each week seeing so many happy and dedicated people sharing their faith in God. Lastly to Mgsr Heng a very special Father of St Ignatius Catholic Church whose efforts in teaching the RCIA program are never rewarded enough. A big ‘thank you’ to you and your staff for the way you have helped each week to share and pass

• n God’s word and love for us all.

Now the journey really begins……. Thomas Holmes

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A BeautifulJourney

Like most people, my life was preoccupied with striving for the best – until I joined RCIA. My perspective of life changed. I understood the Word better through the lectures by Msgr Philip Heng, S.J. and sharing sessions. I experienced God’s love through the nurture of my godmother, Mui Ching, guidance of the facilitators, sponsors, seniors and the RCIA team and the fellowship of my peers. Meaningful events such as the Day of Recollection which called for intense reflection and deeper conversion; the Rite of Election, presided by Archbishop William Goh, which demonstrated commitment to Christ; and the Scrutinies which required solemn self-searching and repentance, helped me tremendously in deepening my faith. Reconciliation was a healing experience! It began with intimidating thoughts but after my first confession, I felt instant relief, peace and true reconciliation with Jesus. The Easter Vigil when I was accepted into the Catholic Faith, was a very overwhelming and intimate moment with GOD. No words can justify it. You have to experience it yourself! When I passed my tertiary education, I obtained a degree. When I completed my RCIA, I got Salvation and Eternal Life. Need I say more? This is the beginning of a new me. It is a beautiful journey which I hope to share with all. Katharine Tay

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Uncovering the Meaning and Purpose of Life

Going for the 9-month RCIA program sounded tedious. Alas, I had committed to attending it with a buddy so dutifully I went for the first session. Msgr Heng promised us that we would discover the real person inside us, the meaning and purpose of life, and happiness. The community welcomed me warmly to the sessions and patiently answered my many questions about the Bible and the Catholic faith. There was, however, never any pressure to

• convert. Over time, I began to look forward to Tuesday evening

RCIA of learning and fellowship. I not only deepened the relationship with friends along the journey but also found many wonderful new friendships. Just as promised, along the way I found my life’s purpose and joyfully discovered that Jesus loves us very much. At the end of the journey, I happily embraced the faith - 18 years after being married to a devout Catholic. It’s never too late, sign up for RCIA today!

Thomas Ng

10

My RciaJourney

My RCIA journey came quite unexpectedly as I have been procrastinating in becoming a Christian for the longest time. It was not until recently that I began to feel that something was missing in my life that I finally decided to become a catholic after many deliberations. I decided to give Celeste my sister in law a call. The next thing I knew, I found myself attending the RCIA program. Shortly thereafter, Anthony was assigned my Sponsor who also became my Godparent who was always guiding me and explaining the many aspects of the catholic faith. It was as if God had planned it all. I soon found myself looking forward to each Tuesday session and enjoying it. The Retreat in JB, Rite

• f Election and Scrutinies were all very enriching.

The Easter Vigil was indeed a memorable night for me as it marks the end of my RCIA journey. The blessing of the fire, Baptism and the partaking of the Eucharist for the very first time were all very special moments for me to cherish. When the whole event was finally over, it suddenly dawned on me that this is only the beginning of a new chapter for me but already I am beginning to feel happier and more fulfilled spiritually.

Robert Sim

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Robert Sim

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An Unexpected Transformation

As a former protestant with preconceived suspicions about the Catholic faith and practices, I had joined RCIA with the purpose to gain better understanding. Little did I know I was to receive was more than just knowledge – which when explained by Father cleared up misunderstandings about the faith so much better than the futile attempts by friends. I gained strength in faith, which led to a transformation of my character for the better; personal revelations which reinforced my new-found belief; a community of friends who unreservedly commit time and effort to help me along on the journey, and finally, the tremendous privilege to now be able to partake in the Holy Communion following Baptism. So go for RCIA with all your doubts, lack of faith, character flaws and even if you’re alone with no company. Go for it and witness for yourself how the Lord transforms all of that.

Monica Chung

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Preparation for a Lifetime

Although RCIA is a one-year long journey, it prepares you for a lifetime. The focus on the life of Jesus in this journey gradually changed my life viewpoint. RCIA is a deeply reflective programme. At times it was very confronting, as I got to know myself, inclusive of my imperfections, more deeply. It has humbled me in many ways and revealed my authentic self more fully. My belief in self-reliance was replaced by the understanding how we are all part of a bigger Catholic family and rely fully on God’s mercy. RCIA was an indispensable component of my initiation into the Catholic faith. Through the lessons, group sharing and prayers conducted by the devoted RCIA crew, my understanding and faith have grown. Easter Baptism is a most beautiful and joyful celebration of you and your brothers and sisters reunification with God’s family. I am grateful I was brought onto this path and hope you have a blessed journey too. Peace be with you.

Emmanuel Pijcke

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A Closer Relationship with God

My RCIA journey at the Church of St Ignatius has been extremely fruitful and life-giving. Under the spiritual direction

• f Msgr Philip Heng, I was able to develop a closer relationship

with God, especially through Ignatian contemplation. More importantly, my RCIA journey has allowed me to experience my faith in a warm and welcoming community. I am truly grateful to the RCIA team and facilitators for making this journey a meaningful one for me.

Jacob Woo

14

God’s Kingdom on Earth

I first set foot into the attic about a year ago-very new to the faith, with a modest understanding of church teaching and a great draw towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Between the battle I was having within myself surrounding the newness of and doubts about this radical faith I had encompassed myself in, the new community I had not gotten used to yet and the

• ccasional conflict of interest with those close to me, the only

thing that kept me going was the peace that God had blessed me with stemming from the conviction that I was getting closer to the truth and where I was then was exactly where God needed me to be at that point in time to be closest to Him. As the RCIY journey continued, I grew more comfortable with the community which has grown to be family to me. It was in them that God revealed so much of Himself in others and the Father's mercy and providence was made clear to me. As we entered Lent and Holy Week, I faced challenges that threatened to tear my relationship with Jesus apart. It was the RCIY family that kept pointing me back to God even though my vision was so clouded and through them I could finally see Christ in the face of His people exulted highly again. I was baptised this Easter. God has blessed me abundantly with a strong and wonderful community that brings a little bit of His kingdom to earth. "Henceforth all ages shall call me blessed" the Magnificat.

Augusta Wong