Union of Catholic Asian News (http://www.ucanews.com/2010/10/28/church-alone-cannot-make-us-strong/)
Church alone cannot make us strong , 28 October 2010
by C.Y. Lai, Penang
Bishop Antony Selvanayagam of Penang says Catholics must realize that going to church every Sunday alone cannot strengthen faith. What is additionally required he says, is caring and loving for people.
Bishop Selvanayagam has strengthened Basic Ecclesial Communities and set up the Penang Office for Human Development as well as the Parish Human Development Committees. Both encourage action towards human development – the first at the diocesan level and the later at the parish level.
On Oct. 24, Bishop Selvanayagam turned 75, the age when bishops are obliged to request for retirement.
Bishop Selvanayagam was appointed auxiliary bishop of Kuala Lumpur on March 6, 1980, and ordained a bishop on Sept 1 that same year. He was appointed Bishop of Penang on July 2, 1983.
As of October 2008, the Penang diocese had an estimated population of 64,290 Catholics, representing 9 percent of the people in the diocese.
Bishop Selvanayagam’s interview with ucanews.com follows:
ucanews.com: What have been the highlights of your years as bishop?
BISHOP ANTONY SELVANAYAGAM: One important highlight is building communities – setting up BECs (Basic Ecclesial Communities) in all parishes. The Church is not able to meet challenges if it remained at the parish level, so now people are turning to the BEC as the lifeline of the Church. Catholics must begin to realize that going to church every Sunday alone cannot make us strong in our faith, but caring for people and loving one another keeps us alive. My predecessor Archbishop Soter Fernandez had already started BECs. I just continued his good work.
Another important highlight is the setting up of the diocesan-level Penang Office for Human Development (POHD) and the parish-level Parish Human Development Committees (PHDC).
Realizing that human development is very important and also a major thrust of the (peninsular Malaysia bishops), I was all for starting the POHD in 2000. Now, after 11 years, the POHD has moved forward tremendously with various ministries like The Lighthouse (feeding centre for the homeless), migrant ministry and “Bright Sparks” for the development of the whole child.
From POHD at the diocesan level, we encouraged action toward human development at the parish level. Thus, the PHDC was started, and now almost all the parishes in the diocese have PHDC. This is in line with the Church’s call that everyone in the parishes should be responsible for seeing to the wholesome development of others.
Another highlight is in 1985 when I became the first president of the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), a body to bring together all Christians for a united voice. CFM is also a member in the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism. It’s a pity though that Muslims are not included in this council.
We are also proud that our Church does not take a racial stand. We have done away with “Chinese Church,” “Tamil Church,” etc., though we recognize there are different language groups and support them. But at the same time we encourage them to come together for a common function or event.
What have been the major challenges you faced?
To get people to attend formation programs is a challenge. Not many people see the need for formation. They are not fully aware of their role as Catholics. A Catholic has to receive formation continually to keep the Church alive and informed on questions on the faith.
Another challenge is the shortage of priests. Despite this shortage, the priests have stretched themselves tremendously to serve the people faithfully. Fortunately laypeople support the priests and are now coming forward to help in parish life. You see them in the various committees such as for liturgy, catechetics, etc.
Then there is the misconception among many people that being politically involved only means becoming politicians or being involved in political parties.
In fact, being politically involved means speaking up for our rights. We hear people complaining about injustice, unfairness, racism and so on but they don’t act. They expect the Church leaders to speak up and they don’t do anything. That’s not right at all. They should be encouraged to be vocal, to express their views, to fight for their rights. Church leaders play a part but all Catholics should be more active in expressing their rights.
Hearing the word of God in church should help us carry out our political responsibilities. To be politically sensitive to what’s happening around us is part of our responsibilities as Church. We must educate the people on this important area, but since it is also a delicate area, we must be prudent in going about it.
What should the diocese continue to focus on?
My wish is that community building will continue to flourish through BECs, in which people of all religions can see the way Christians live. BECs can also help build political awareness. The BEC is more than an avenue for devotional practice. It encompasses the life of the people.
ML11742.1625
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