A bilingual, family-oriented evangelisation ministry is holding a concert in April to reach out to Christians and non-Christians. Clouds of Praise’s “Dream Concert” is scheduled to be held at the Raffles Hotel’s Jubilee Hall on April 6 at 8 pm. Programme details are being planned and finalised, says the group’s pastoral director Bernard Lim. More information and ticketing details will be made available later.
 The Serra Club of Singapore held a thanksgiving lunch and offered Masses for prayer intercessors who participated in the Pray for Priests 2012 initiative. The initiative involved forming teams of prayer intercessors with a minimum of seven people to pray for one particular priest daily. A total of 1,412 intercessors prayed for 145 priests in the archdiocese, Serra Club of Singapore said.
Four recently ordained deacons say they look forward to serving people and growing in holiness. Alphonsus Dominic, Benedict Chng, Edward Seah and Jovita Ho were ordained deacons at St Joseph Church (Bukit Timah) on Jan 25. The diaconate period marks a step closer towards priestly ordination for them. “Besides being of service to the archbishop as a deacon, it is also about being available to the people especially through preaching the Gospel, assisting at the liturgy and performing charity in the name of the Church,” Deacon Jovita Ho told CatholicNews.
 Vatican invites Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin to conference on re-instilling values in sportsVATICAN CITY – In an effort to flex its moral muscle in the professional sports arena, the Vatican has invited top-tier Christian athletes Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin to help bring ethical values back to a scandal-ridden world of sports. The Pontifical Council for Culture is planning to host an international conference on re-instilling values in sports later this year, inviting representatives from top world governing bodies like FIFA (the International Federation of Association Football), the International Cycling Union and the Italian National Olympic Committee.
Christian athletes to aid scandal-hit sports worldVatican invites Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin to conference on re-instilling values in sports 
 Msgr William Goh has been appointed by the Holy See as Coadjutor Archbishop of Singapore with the right to succession. The Holy See is also assigning Msgr Goh a titular see which is no longer inhabited. The following is an explanation of the symbols on the Coadjutor Archbishop-elect’s coat of arms: On the left: The lion represents the Republic of Singapore. The star represents the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the New Evangelisation, illuminated by God to lead us to Jesus despite the tempestuous seas. The Fleur-de-lys, which is typically associated with France, signifies the founding of the Catholic Church in Singapore by the French missionaries. The Double Sail Ship represents mission and the co-responsibility of the clergy (black) and the laity (gold) in moving the Church forward in the New Evangelisation. This commemorates the timely significance of the episcopal appointment during the Year of Faith.
A Solemn Vespers cum Holy Hour in preparation for The Episcopal Ordination of Coadjutor Archbishop-Elect, Msgr William Goh, and a Thanksgiving Mass following the Ordination will be held as follows:
SOLEMN VESPERS CUM HOLY HOUR (All are welcome)
Date : Sunday 17 February 2013
Time : 7.30pm
Venue : Church of the Risen Christ, 91 Toa Payoh Central, Singapore 319193 (click here for Map)
Getting There
By Bus: 28, 56, 73, 88, 105, 153, 157, 159, 163, 231, 232
By MRT: Toa Payoh
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 Public approval ‘is not the criterion to which we submit’, he saysVATICAN CITY – In their task of leading people to the light of Christ, bishops must have the courage to face opposition and peacefully stand firm in the truth, Pope Benedict XVI said. Meeting the approval of the wider public “is not the criterion to which we submit. Our criterion is the Lord himself,” the pope said on Jan 6 as he celebrated the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord with a Mass in St Peter’s Basilica. “The fear of God frees us from the fear of men. It liberates,” he said.
Bishops must stand firm to lead people to Christ: popePublic approval ‘is not the criterion to which we submit’, he says
FMM team making stoles, vestments and mitres for Msgr William Goh’s episcopal ordinationA team of nuns and lay people are now busy making stoles, vestments and mitres for Coadjutor Archbishop-elect William Goh’s episcopal ordination on Feb 22. “We will be making 200 stoles [for priests and bishops], 20 vestments [for bishops] and four mitres [for the consecrating bishops and the coadjutor archbishop], all in matching design for this important occasion,” said Sr Teresa Lee, a Franciscan Missionaries of Mary nun, who is in charge of the project.
 KOTA KINABALU, MALAYSIA – Coadjutor Archbishop John Wong is now Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu after the pope accepted the resignation of Archbishop John Lee on Dec 1. Archbishop Wong’s installation ceremony is scheduled for Jan 24 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. When asked if he would announce any new programmes for the archdiocese, Archbishop Wong, 44, said, “At the moment, I shall focus on continuing what has already been established.” However, in conjunction with the Year of Faith, Archbishop Wong said he wants all the activities and programmes of evangelisation in the archdiocese to promote faith and morality. At the Synod of Bishops meeting in Rome last year, Archbishop Wong emphasised that dialogue between religions is an important agenda for the new evangelisation. The archbishop, who is fluent in Malay, English and Chinese, also acknowledged that the rights of Christians as the minority in certain regions need first to be protected and their faith strengthened.
It is becoming increasingly difficult these days to contemplate the significance of the Holy Eucharist during Mass because of loud music during Communion. This is not to disparage the invaluable contribution of the choir but rather to suggest improvements so that the experience of the Mass for the congregants can be further enhanced. Though the Mass is a thanksgiving ceremony, joyous and celebratory in nature, there should not be an over-exuberance in music so as to eclipse the contemplative component, which is equally important. Ideally, the music during Communion should be sufficiently toned down to provide a tranquil ambience to facilitate contemplation on the real presence of Christ.
Please allow me to clarify the misconceptions of Ms Estella Young (Non-biblical Traditions?, CN Jan 13) and Louis Figueroa (Not Rooted In Pagan Celebration, CN Jan 13) and to state what I wanted to say in my letter that was glossed over by your readers both in print and online. Ms Young mentioned that “adults dress as zombies or mutilated corpses – the bloodier, the better” is not the point I’m saying. The point I am making is that Halloween can be redeemed by going back to the early practices of our Irish Catholics and to help our children celebrate Halloween by praying for the dead as what All Saints and All Souls are all about, and that we need not be afraid of the dead as what the secular world teaches. Secondly, all celebrations whether it be Chinese New Year or National Day (as Ms Young points out) – that “it is a time where we honour our elders, visit friends and family to spread good tidings of God’s peace and blessings, and even have a special Mass where we thank God for a good Lunar New Year ahead” – are congruous with our Catholic faith and so are teaching points for parents as first catechists.
KUANTAN, MALAYSIA – The Malaysian government has agreed to withdraw its planned acquisition of Church land in Kuantan, the head of the Church legal team announced. Dato Bastian Vendargon told a large group of parishioners from St Thomas Church in Kuantan, led by their parish priest Fr Mitchel Anthony Joseph, of the development on Jan 11. The group was at the Kuantan High Court for the hearing of the judicial review application by the Church against government acquisition of land on which St Thomas Secondary School is located. This decision was recorded in court “by consent of all parties involved”, said Mr Benedict Wong, another member of the Church’s legal team. The proposed acquisition case began after the Church received a notice from the Government Land Office.
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