New principals commissioned during a special ceremony (from left): Mrs Tan Wai Lan, CHIJ St Nicholas; Mrs Mabel Leong, Assumption English School; Mrs Denise Chelliah, St Francis Xavier Kindergarten; Mr Adolphus Tan, St Patrick’s School; Mrs Daphne Sing, De La Salle School; and Mrs Catherine Chiang, St Gabriel’s Primary School.Six new principals of Catholic schools were commissioned in a Jan 28 ceremony organised by the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools (ACCS). They were Mrs Tan Wai Lan (CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School), Mrs Daphne Sing (De La Salle School), Mr Adolphus Tan (St Patrick’s School), Mrs Denise Chelliah (St Francis Xavier Kindergarten), Mrs Mabel Leong (Assumption English School) and Mrs Catherine Chiang (St Gabriel’s Primary School). The commissioning, held in the Catholic Junior College Chapel, was part of the Principals’ Commissioning and Renewal of Commitment ceremony, which ACCS has been organising for the past eight years.
 Parishioners of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour taking part in a 4-km walk to assist Catholics in a Chinese village.
A parish’s Charity Fun Walk raised about $10,000 for the construction of church facilities on Hainan Island, China. Parishioners of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour took part in the 4-km walk along East Coast Park on Jan 2 morning. They included youths and elderly, people in wheelchairs, children and even babies in the arms of their parents. The event was part of the parish’s 50th anniversary celebrations, which had the theme, One Church, One Family.
Singaporean Catholics pose with Cambodians in Taom. The wheelchair the young Cambodian is using was donated by Singaporeans.
Forty-nine Catholics from Singapore spent nine days in Cambodia giving material aid to needy Cambodians. From Dec 26, 2011, to Jan 3, 2012, the group, which included youths and adults from Novena Church, three Redemptorists, catechists and a catechumen, visited poor villagers in and around Siem Reap. Members of the Divine Love Group, comprising people from different parishes in Singapore, coordinated the trip. Jesuit missionaries in Siem Reap also took part in the outreach.
 Fr Damien Lim, Singapore’s first Opus Dei priest, celebrating his first Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church.
Fr Damien Lim, the first Singaporean member of Opus Dei to be ordained, celebrated his first Mass in Singapore on Jan 21. A few hundred of his friends and relatives attended the 10 am celebration, held at the Blessed Sacrament Church, the parish where he was baptised when he was a university student. Fr Damien, who is in his early 40s, celebrated the Mass with several other priests. They included Fr Avelino Marin, Vicar of Opus Dei in Southeast Asia, and Fr Anthony Hutjes, parish priest of Blessed Sacrament Church.
 Left: Amanda Chia seen here with her parents. Below: Khoo Chit Hui.
Amanda Chia and Khoo Chit Hui had reason to be rejoice on Jan 9. That day, when the GCE O Level results were released, they found out that they were the two top scoring Sec 5 students in Singapore. Both scored four A1s and one A2. “It was mind blowing, it’s not something I expected,” Chia, from Holy Innocents’ High School, told CatholicNews.
 Chan Ying Ying and Mansura Begum both got 5 O Levels and qualified for further education at a polytechnic. Chan had faced family problems while Begum is hearing-impaired.It was their teachers’ care and dedication that helped them achieve good results in the face of challenges, said two students from St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School. Chan Ying Ying and Mansura Begum both got 5 O Levels and qualified for further education at a polytechnic. This, despite the fact that Chan faced family problems and had to stay at a shelter, and Begum is hearing-impaired. “I received a lot of support and encouragement from my teachers,” said Chan.
 Charismatic group leaders at the recent SACCRE retreat. Photo: JANICE LOW
Leaders of Charismatic groups in the archdiocese have attended a retreat aimed at addressing various aspects of leadership. More than 70 leaders from prayer groups, communities and ministries affiliated to SACCRE (Singapore Archdiocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal) gathered at the St Francis Xavier Major Seminary from Jan 13-15.
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 The Serangoon District Youth Conference aimed at instilling a deep desire for Jesus among young people.
More than 350 youths recently gathered for what has been billed as the first ever Serangoon District Youth Conference. The event, which had the theme Heart of Worship, focused on the Eucharist as the source and summit of worship. It was held at CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) from Jan 14-15 and attracted young people aged 15-23 years from the Serangoon District parishes.
Representatives of Christian Churches bless the congregation towards the end of the Jan 16 prayer service at the Lutheran Church of our Redeemer. In pulpit: Lutheran Bishop Terry Kee. Standing below him from left: Rev Richard Chiu, Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer; Franciscan Friar Derrick Yap, Church of St Mary of the Angels; Rev David Wee Boon Hup, Barker Road Methodist Church; Rev Dr Matthew Lim, International Baptist Church Singapore; Catholic Vicar General Msgr Eugene Vaz; Rev Nick Singh, Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer; Jesuit Fr Philip Heng, Church of St Ignatius Church; Rev Susheel Cheriyan, Mar Thoma Syrian Church and Mr Lawrence Chong, Focolare Movement. Photo: WONG LEONG JEAM... Lutheran bishop urges Christians of various denominations at ecumenical servicePut aside petty squabbles and competition to prepare for the coming of Christ. This was the message Lutheran Bishop Terry Kee had for Christians of different denominations who attended a Jan 16 prayer service to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
 Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury walking with Pope Benedict XVI at Lambeth Palace in London in September 2010, during the pope’s four-day visit to Britain. CNS file photoVATICAN CITY – Divisions among Christians, including on moral issues, weakens their credibility and their ability to respond to the spiritual yearning of many men and women today, Pope Benedict XVI said. While “there is more that unites us than divides us” on the basic tenets of faith – belief in Christ, the son of God and saviour of humanity – “divisions remain and regard many practical and ethical questions, giving rise to confusion and mistrust, weakening our ability to transmit the saving word of Christ”, Pope Benedict said on Jan 18 at his weekly general audience. With about 8,000 pilgrims and visitors gathered in the Vatican audience hall, Pope Benedict spoke about the importance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, held annually from Jan 18-25 around the world.
By now all those who already have the ashes of their loved ones at a parish columbarium, or who have booked a niche for future use, should have received a letter from their columbarium. This letter was accompanied by the official text of the new Terms and Conditions Governing the Use of All Parish Columbaria in the Archdiocese of Singapore. The letter explains how the new Terms and Conditions affect your use of the Columbarium. You are kindly requested to sign the Reply Form and notify your Columbarium of your agreement. If for any reason you wish to terminate your use of the Columbarium, you should indicate this in the Reply Form and return the same to your Columbarium by 20 February 2012, failing which you shall be deemed to have agreed to the new Terms and Conditions.
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| Dr Eugene Gan seen here with his family. The Singapore-born professor teaches at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, USA. |
A Catholic professor speaks about his book on approaching the new media
It was out of personal frustration that Singapore-born Eugene Gan began his research into what the Church has to say about the use of media. “I wanted to know how to use [the media] rightly … I wanted to figure it out for my own use as a media professional. I wanted to do great stuff with a computer. What does it mean to really engage people and bring them to something better … to inspire,” said the professor at a Catholic university in the US. And with the prevalence of online pornography, video game violence and the abuse of online social networks, Dr Gan was concerned as a “media professional and parent” of three boys that there were seemingly no guidelines. Dr Gan, who teaches interactive media and communication arts at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, spent about five years combing through Scripture and Church documents in search of an answer. The fruit of his labour is the book, Infinite Bandwidth: Encountering Christ in the Media, published in 2010. It is also the result of encouragement from his spiritual director and friends, who thought that such a book was necessary in today’s world.
 Keeping regular physical proximity and having common activities provide a sense of intimacy for dating couples. They simply enjoy “falling in love”. Mutual liking and longing, stimulated by personal attractions, make them feel close to each other. People feel close with those they are attracted to. However, mature and sustained intimacy is more than a sentiment. It encompasses physical, emotional, social, moral and spiritual aspects of a fond personal relationship. Poor skills in developing intimacy can lead people to get flesh too close too quickly. Early corporal intimacy tends to create a dependency on physical closeness for maintaining the relationship. Likewise, too much reliance on external activities for mutual bonding can backfire, for it hinders holistic and integrated intimacy. Profound intimacy indicates deep and mutual knowledge and acceptance of each other. It requires a process of developing communion that enables people to confidently disclose and share their needs, feelings, thoughts and values. In a marriage, such intimacy is expressed and strengthened by sexual union, an act of mutual giving and accepting, and fulfilling. It is further developed and enhanced by mutual commitment and responsibility.
VATICAN CITY, 31 JAN 2012 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for February is: "That all peoples may have access to water and other resources needed for daily life".
His mission intention is: "That the Lord may sustain the efforts of health workers assisting the sick and elderly in the world's poorest regions".
BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/ VIS 20120131 (70)
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