On Sunday, 5th October 2014, I woke up early.
I was very excited to attend the Holy Mass at the historical St. John's
Cathedral. The Mass starts at 10.30 am. Since this was our first visit to the
cathedral, my friend and I took the Putra LRT from Universiti Station to Masjid
Jamek Station. The ride took less than 15 minutes. Once we arrived at the
Masjid Jamek Station, we asked the policeman for the direction. We exited the
station and walked along Jalan Melaka, walked across and headed to Jalan Bukit
Nanas. Once again, we stopped by at one old shop and asked an Indian old man
for the direction. He told us to walk straight until we found the second
traffic light, then turn left. Thank God after few minutes of walking and
searching, we stood in front of the whitewashed cathedral with twin spires. The
cathedral is beautifully situated on top of a hill - Bukit Nanas. It is also in close proximity to Convent Bukit Nanas, Bukit Nanas Forest
Reserve and the famous landmark of Malaysia, the Kuala Lumpur Tower. Along the
way to the cathedral, we saw people selling food, clothes and other stuffs. We were
amazed when we enter the cathedral. The people from various races and
backgrounds gathered here to celebrate the Holy Mass. I am so blessed and
definitely will come again in the future.
Below is
the history of this cathedral:
The Church of St John the Evangelist was established in
1883 going by the first baptismal record on 11 August 1883. This 'Mother'
church was the only Catholic church in Selangor when it all began in 1883 with
the help of a towkay named Goh Ah Ngee, a Catholic miner who lived in Kajang.
Back then, this first Catholic church was simply a long wooden hall with a
few windows built on a forested area of Bukit Nanas. The parishioners were a
handful of Chinese converts, a few Europeans and Eurasians from Malacca. The
first parish priest and pioneer of the church of St John was Fr Charles Hector
Letessier. The extension of pastoral care then brought more people into
the fold and by early 1990s, the community grew to number more than a 1,000
people.
The foundation stone for a new church building of brick
structure was laid on 28 March, 1954. That year also saw the ordination of our
First Bishop of Kuala Lumpur, Rev Father Dominic Vendargon. In August of 1955,
the church of St John became the See of the Bishop of Kuala
Lumpur, and Bishop Dominic Vendargon, was the first local bishop of the
newly created Diocese of Kuala Lumpur. In 1962, this church was consecrated and
its status elevated to that of a Cathedral with Fr Edward Limat as the first
Vicar General and Parish Priest.
The interior then saw many significant changes to enhance the church
building. An interesting inscription in mosaic chips at the new altar reads:
ECCE AGNUS DEI (Behold the Lamb of God). The stained glasses from Paris depicting
the three gospel scenes in which the patron of the church, St John appears,
provide the backdrop to the altar.
From being a parish of expatriates and Eurasians from the time
the parish began to take shape, the parish community of St John's Cathedral is
now a thriving 'Cosmopolitan' parish. Situated in the heart of the KualaLumpur, many foreign visitors and diplomats apart from the regular
multi-cultural community come for Sunday worship. We are ever grateful and most
appreciative of all our pastoral priests who have walked with us in
breaking the WORD and taking this parish to a greater measure of
completion in all its fulfillment.
See you in the next entry!
XOXO,
erel
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