Welcome to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
The Society of St.Vincent de Paul is an international lay organisation Catholic in character where all are welcomed, who through personal contact seek to relieve those in need without regard to wealth, position, social status or ethnic origin.
In promoting human dignity and integrity, the Society works to redress situations which adversely affect peoples’ lives and their basic rights.
Our conference is part of the Church of St. Francis Xavier, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
This page is currently under construction and will be updated soon.
If you wish to contact us, kindly call:
- Mr. Alvin Rajan Ratnasingam [Mobile: +6019 392 5325]
- Mr. Melvin Victor [Mobile: +6012 212 0477]
- Mr. Francis Lai [Mobile: +6016 682 9330]
- Ms. Cherie Wu [Mobile: +6017 296 1213]
Thank you for visiting.
Change has come to RPX
IT’S been an exciting, yet worrying time for the Home Management Committee of Rumah Pengajian Xavier (RPX). In the last three months, numerous phones calls, discussions, consultation and planning transpired. A decision was required that would have significant impact on the future plans of RPX. A beautiful single storey bungalow was available for rent at a very affordable price. The idea of closing
RPX 1 and 2 in Sec 14 and shifting to a new premises was met with mixed emotions.There were many issues that needed to be addressed from change of school, to rental of the home, school bus transportation plans,the synchronising of operations and the likes.All angles had to be considered and prayed about before a decision was made.On the 2nd February 2011, the Society of St Vincent de Paul officially closed
down RPX 1 and 2 and shifted to the new bungalow: No.6, Lorong 9/5D, 46000 Petaling Jaya. The RPXboys were all more than happy to shift, especially since the house was located near Assunta Secondary School. The new bungalow has three large rooms, used as bedrooms for our12 boys. The HouseMother and our French volunteer each have a small but comfortable room forthemselves.The house comes with a
large compound that will help our boys improve their football skills in order to take on Harimau Muda FC. There is also a large space outdoorswith an awning for our boys to use,perhaps to have an outdoor lunch and relax.The hall is adequate to fit all the boys study tables with the Home Administrator’s table overlooking thelot. Most important of all, the new bungalow is ideal for operating a home,fulfilling the requirements of qualifying for welfare grants. Our plans to one day own a bungalow is still in the pipeline. The bungalows located in Petaling Jaya area are extremely expensive but we are still hoping to be able to raise enough funds to
purchase a bungalow that will cost anything between RM1.2 million to RM 1.5 million. We are unable to obtain a loan as the banks arenot keen on providing loans to non-profit organisations. While we continue to raise funds,we are slowly, but happily adjusting to the new home, which has a renewable 2 year tenancy agreement with a kind and loving landlord.We have fond memories of the old RPX 1 and 2. RPX 1
existed for a good 9 years and has seen so many of our lads grow into youngz men. The good and friendly neighbours, who put up with our noisy and robust boys will surely be missed. RPX has hosted many functions and entertained numerous benefactors. RPX 1 was used to host the inaugural RPX play Romeo and Juliet. RPX 1 has been put up for sale while RPX 2 has been returned to the kind and generous landlord who had allowed us to use it for free.For further information on RPX, please contact John Fortescue, the Home Administrator at 019 8800943.
Making a choice to serve
Paul Dorel
singing with
the choir of the
Church
of St Francis
Xavier.
By Mike Selvanathan THE din of Restoran Syed at 9am set the stage for an interesting meeting. In front of me sat a good looking, lanky Frenchman who seemed just at home placing an order for roti pisang and kopi tarik as he would in the streets of Paris ordering crepe a la banane and a latte. I was in conversation with Paul Dorel,a Master’s Degree holder in the field of logistics and production from a prestigious French university. He spent six months working in the infamous Martell Cognac Company before deciding to answer God’s call.Paul knew
that he would one day connect with the growing voice inside him even as he spent days and weeks trying to improve the storage of Martell bottles. Then it hit him one day,right out of the classified pages of a Catholic newspaper. So intense was the call and the pull that he broke out in a cold sweat, reading and rereading its unmistakable message. The Missions Etrangères de Paris (MEP) was looking for young men and women to take up the challenge of serving missionaries that worked with the down trodden and underprivileged communities
across the world.Now, Paul is an individual not much different from the average man on the street. But where many of us would have large doubts about a decision so big, Paul nodded gracefully to God almost immediately and went home to speak to his family about his future plans. Paul is no stranger to volunteer work. When he was merely a 7-year-old boy he was proudlystanding alongside his parents
who had volunteered to do God’s work in the Ivory Coast.When I pushed to know why he wanted to take this path instead of the road well travelled, he calmly stated that he always thought about giving a part of his life to people with needs. Seeing the advertisement merely reaffirmed his thoughts and he decided it was now or never. His simple yet astonishingly powerful reply was: “I wanted to be a witness of my Christian faith”.I asked him what he expected when he submitted his application to be part of MEP. In the form, he remembers stating that he would like to render his teaching skills to a community in India. However, a priest asked if he was okay to go to Malaysia to work with boys from poor families instead. His answer was immediate.He dashed out in blissful exhilaration, his mind a sea of rushing questions. He scheduled his medical appointment, bought himself a huge suitcase and read voraciously on Rumah Pengajian Xavier and Malaysia.
His logistics background ensured that he knew at least where she sat in the map of the world. Three weeks later, on the 26th of August 2010 he arrived in Kuala Lumpur.Paul is now six months into the programme,exactly half way through. He says the RPX boys are
his all consuming passion. He spends almost every day (and night) with them and refers to them as ‘my brothers’. His pursuit is to be able
to build their future and herein lies the biggest challenge of his calling: to instill the values of discipline, hard work and the love of God. Not just a Christian God but a Universal one, as the lads are of multiple faiths. He feels that the boys are growing up very fast and they are getting noisier and a little mischievous.But he counts as an achievement when they join together in prayer or when they work together in a project.In the little free time that Paul gets, he has travelled across Malaysia and visited destinations like the highland triplets, Genting,
Frasers and Cameron, as well as a trip down to neighboring Singapore. Before his assignment is through,he plans to experience Taman Negara and the splendor of the East Coast. Not one to miss out on serving the church, Paul also lends his voice to the choir at St Francis Xavier Church.Undoubtedly, time will pass and his year of service will come to an end. What’s next I asked? Paul says he will re-enter the corporate world and has plans to settle down and build a family. But he will continue to serve the Lord back home. We spoke of many things
that morning. He told me of Normandy, where he was born and how different it sounded from the D-Day site we’re used to watching World War II movies.He spoke of his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut or a sailor; no different from any young man dreaming of his future. Yet, in this little pocket of time I shared with Paul, I was amazed at his simple yet solid conviction and devotion, and just how loudly God’s voice sounded in his heart. I pondered if God’s voice sounded different in my own being? Would I have done the same if he asked it of me?
Sharing and enriching each other
Xavier Desforges was the MEP volunteer from France who spent a year with the lads of RPX before another Frenchman Paul Dorel joined the team. Here Xavier talks about his time with the lads and his stay in Malaysia. THE year I spent with the lads of RPX has been encouraging. There are fifteen of them from the ages of 13 to 20 years and they mostly come from families that are having difficulties. Everything here in the home is done for their good and benefit.The Home is very well organised, has a strong structure that allows them to have a very safe environment for education and character building. SSVP volunteers as well as ‘independent’teach them, monitor them in their personal development as well as in their studies.Since the beginning I have been impressed and deeply touched by the
communicative joy of the boys, their shining smile and the way they benefit from each instant God allows them to live. For a young Frenchman, you cannot imagine how important it is, to see how with very little – you can build a big structure. The boys are an example of simplicity, pure kindness and blowing presence of God. There are zones of darkness once in a while, in their behaviour, however the general feeling I have and what I will remember from the time spent with them is that their joy is real without any material corruption. And for a Western young man it is a huge lesson and it shows that possessing and having money does not make one deeply glad. They are
generous in their feelings, they are generous in the time they share with me and the others, they are generous in their smiles and attention to the others, even if they remain teenagers – and we know what teenagers are made of – but I am impressed by the special kindness and generosity. Furthermore, I can tell that from a European point of view that they are very good, educated and ‘responsible’ boys compared to our very ‘selfish’, money-focused and material way of life. Our boys here in RPX are not corrupted by this spirit and this is something very important.The spirit that is taught here is a model I will try to talk about once I am back in France. I liked to repeat to myself and to my family and friends in France that I live “extraordinary moments here in very ordinary daily life”.
I will not go back to France with good football skills as the boys would have liked but I will go back to France with images of talented boys who have the deep willingness to succeed and to make their best for themselves and for their family. (I will also go back to France with a Mohok).
I give thanks to God everyday for all those unique shared moments and I realise that my point of view is now the opposite of which that I came with: I am no more the one who comes to serve others but I am really the one who is served by learning more about humanity each day. I am really sad to see the end of my mission here but I have the strong willingness to carry on with it in France as there is so much to do.Joy, serenity, peace and simplicity are the big words of my rich year here.
Serving in many ministries
The lads of RPX are active members of many church ministries Berchman’s Altar Servers Society.Samuel d’ Cruz, 14, has been an altar server for 2 years.Samuel confided that he had harboured a strong desire to be an altar server for many years but did not have the courage to make the first move.Through the intercession of God, he met Fr Simon at a BEC mass and the latter advised him there were not enough servers in the church and encouraged him to be one. With the door
opened to him, Samuel seized the opportunity and immediately enrolled himself. Today, he is happy at having made that choice. His mum is also happy and proud of seeing him standing next to the priest and serving at the sanctuary. For Samuel, he says that standing in the presence of God,he needs to live an exemplary life worthy of God’s grace. He also has to be attentive and not fumble when serving at mass
as “everyone is watching.” The 2 years has been a joy for him as he gets to interact with other boys around his age. Every Sunday after their weekly meeting, he and the other servers will have a game of football to unwind before the start of the new week.Multimedia Resource Ministry. Davin,Simon and Kok Ming are members of this ministry. They were introduced to this ministry by SFX LifeTeen
Youth coordinator, Linda Archibald a year ago. Their duties are to prepare the powerpoint slides (hymns and announcements) for the 1st and 2nd Sunset masses of each month. They work closely with the choir and find out what hymns will be sung for the mass so that they can type out the lyrics for projection. They also operate the LCD projector. “It is a good experience and we have to be attentive throughout
the mass. We must know when to click for the next slide to be projected,” says Davin. For Simon, he said joining this ministry has enabled him to know more SFX parishioners.Choir. French volunteer Paul Dorel is a member of the choir for both the 8.30am and 11.30am masses. Paul enjoys singing and he gamely takes on the hymns sung in Bahasa Malaysia at times.
Serving in many ministries RPX is grateful to be included once again as one of the recipients of the Community Chest & U Project. This project, housed outside the Village Grocer in Bangsar, allows shoppers to drop dry food items into charity bins. The food is then donated to homes for needy women and children in the Klang Valley,including RPX. On the 16th of August last year, members from the various SSVP
conferences in Klang Valley together with SSVP spiritual director, Rev Fr Mari Arokiam gathered in Bilik Bellamine, SFX Church to hear a talk on the Adoration Before the Blessed Sacrament by Rev Fr Simon Yong. Thereafter members adjourned to the Santa Maria della Strada Chapel for an hour of quiet time with the Lord. This spiritual exercise is necessary to help members be better servants in their encounter
with those in need.In August 2010, RPX bade farewell to volunteer Xavier Desforges who returned to France after serving in the Home for 1 year. In Sept 2010, SSVP and the RPX lads were delighted to hear from Xavier that he has entered the seminary to be trained as a diocesan priest. By Xavier’s own admission, he had been thinking of the priesthood for many years but was never certain about it. He
finally decided to answer God’s call after serving in RPX and talking with Fr Simon Yong.On early October last year, RPX residents joined other pet lovers by attending Mass on the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. Many parishioners brought along their pets for blessings.Amongst the exotic pets was a snake named Monty and RPX lad Uthaya gamely allowed the snake to slither over him, much to his own excitement and
earning him admiration from the other RPX lads. MEP French volunteer,Paul Dorel too was present at the Mass and he commented that in France, they do not have blessing for pets on this feast day. The services of 8 RPX boys were enlisted to help out at the parish census taking conducted on 16 & 17 October 2010. All 8 boys came out in full force to help out at the Sunset Mass and the 3 Sunday morningmasses.
They were earlier given a run through of the questions in the census taking form, how to answer queries from parishioners, and which rows of pews they are supposed to distribute the census forms and collect back after completion. Later with more than 4,000 completed forms collected, RPX boy, Davin were amongst those who came forward to help with the data entry.
Happenings in SSVP and RPX
A snake
named
Monty and
RPX lad Uthaya
RPX is grateful to be included once again as one of the recipients of the Community Chest & U Project. This project, housed outside the Village Grocer in Bangsar, allows shoppers to drop dry food items into charity bins. The food is then donated to homes for needy women and children in the Klang Valley,including RPX. On the 16th of August last year, members from the various SSVP conferences
in Klang Valley together with SSVP spiritual director, Rev Fr Mari Arokiam gathered in Bilik Bellamine, SFX
Church to hear a talk on the Adoration Before the Blessed Sacrament by Rev Fr Simon Yong. Thereafter members adjourned to the Santa Maria della Strada Chapel for an hour of quiet time with the Lord. This spiritual exercise is necessary to help members be better servants in their encounter with those in need.In August 2010, RPX bade farewell to volunteer Xavier Desforges who returned to France after serving in the Home for 1 year. In Sept 2010, SSVP and the RPX lads were delighted to hear from Xavier that he has entered the seminary to be
trained as a diocesan priest. By Xavier’s own admission, he had been thinking of the priesthood for many years but was never certain about it. He finally decided to answer God’s call after serving in RPX and talking with Fr Simon Yong.On early October last year, RPX residents joined other pet lovers by attending Mass on the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. Many parishioners brought along their pets for blessings.
Amongst the exotic pets was a snake named Monty and RPX lad Uthaya gamely allowed the snake to slither over him, much to his own excitement and earning him admiration from the other RPX lads. MEP French volunteer,Paul Dorel too was present at the Mass and he
commented that in France, they do not have blessing for pets on this feast day. The services of 8 RPX boys were enlisted to help out at the parish census taking conducted on 16 & 17 October 2010. All 8 boys came out in full force to help out at the Sunset Mass and the 3 Sunday morning masses. They were earlier given a run through of the questions in the census taking form, how to answer queries from
parishioners, and which rows of pews they are supposed to distribute the census forms and collect back after completion. Later with more than 4,000 completed forms collected, RPX boy, Davin were amongst those who came forward to help with the data entry.
The old boys are doing well
Rumah Pengajian Xavier (RPX) is almost a decade old, and some of our earliest residents have now ‘graduated’ from the Home, moving on with their lives and finding their place in society. Xavier News catches up with 2 ex-residents Kartik Maniam, 23, and Ganesh Raj Pupalan, 21.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your background
at RPX.
KM: I first joined RPX in January 2002, when I was in Form 1. At that time, I could only speak my mother tongue (Tamil), and no English or Bahasa Malaysia. I stayed in RPX for 7 years and sat for my PMR, SPM and LLCI exams in 2008, where I got 1 distinction & a pass with credit. I left in 2008 after completing my LCCI. GRP: I joined RPX in 2003 after my UPSR exams as my mother could not support all four of us siblings. I stayed in RPX up till my STPM examinations in 2009 (7 years). I left the Home because I had completed my secondary education, and partly to be closer to my mother as well. Also, as much as I have benefitted from my stay, it was time to give the opportunity to other needy and deserving students.
Since leaving RPX, what have you been doing?
Have the challenges been tough?
KM: I was doing my CAT course and examinations,while working part-time at a accountancy and management consultancy firm. However, mid-way through my course, there was a sudden change in syllabus, which caught all of my peers by surprise, leaving many questions unanswered. GRP: While waiting for admission to my IT Diploma course, I worked at a few places to learn
more about the working world while earning some income. I have worked at a fast-food chain, retail environment and finally at a software development house. Presently, I am pursuing my 2.5 year Diploma in IT at Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University College (KLMUC), and have completed a semester.
What are your plans going forward?
KM: Taking it positively, I am planning to do a Bachelor in Accounts & Finance (BAF), which will take another 3.5 years. My part-time work gives me a lot of experience, as we work on accounts for SMEs in many industries. My goal is to one day open my own audit firm. GRP: Once completing my diploma, I would like to pursue a Degree in IT, which will takeanother 2 years. Presently, I am gaining handson
experience working part-time in software development and services. I am making it my goal to be an accomplished computer programmer,
and hope to secure good career prospects once I graduate and have learnt enough. Looking back, how has RPX benefitted and/ or affected your outlook of life?
KM: RPX has benefited me tremendously. From not knowing English & Bahasa Malaysia, to where I am now, I feel really blessed. I am thankful to the volunteers & teachers. Our home administrators Uncle Francis, Raj and Auntie Cherie really thought us about having a positive attitude, discipline, manners, cleanliness — which are very important in gaining employment, and life in general. GRP: At RPX, the focus is not only on our academic performance, but also character building.
Our administrators in RPX thought us to carry ourselves well in society. When I first arrived, I was very self-conscious and concerned what people think of me. Now, I think I am more matured, and worry less about what people think, as long as I believe I am doing the right thing.
What are your fondest/worst/funniest
memories at RPX?
KM: There was once Uncle Raj and Uncle Francis came in the middle of the night, to discipline all of us for something wrong we had done. Funny incident: we were all in Port Dickson and were not allowed to return to KL, as a towel had gone missing. However, eventually it was found and it was just a mistake. GRP: My funny incident was due to my fear of dead animals, especially cats. At RPX, we were
required to speak English or Malay among ourselves. Once, Uncle Francis caught me speaking Tamil, and co-incidentally a cat died outside the home that day. As punishment, I had to bury the cat.
Do you still keep in touch with your friends
in RPX? What advice would you offer to your
juniors in RPX?
KM: Yes, I do keep in touch closely with the boys, maybe once a week. My advice: this is a valuable opportunity so please grab it and study hard. If I could do it, you can do better. GRP: RPX is like my family, so I still keep very much in touch with my friends there. My advice:
Study hard, be co-operative with the home administrator and housemother. And don’t have girlfriends (grinning).
Do you plan on returning one day to help
out at the home?
KM: Yes, I look forward to volunteer as a tutor and other areas such as disciplining and advising. GRP: In the future, yes, I do have some ideas and am keen to see what I can do to help the boys at RPX.
Who is your role model in life?
KM: Dr. Abdul Kalam, Indian ex-President and aerospace engineer. GRP: Uncle Francis Lai, ex-RPX home administrator.
Do you believe the world will end in ‘2012’(next year), as portrayed by the title movie
What will you do?KM: No, I don’t believe the world will end in 2012. We will not know when the world will end. As long as we are alive, we should contribute something beneficial & meaningful to others, be it monetary, knowledge or kind actions. GRP: No, I don’t. Maybe there are visible climatic symptoms, but as human beings we won’t know for sure. If the world is ending, I will borrow & spend a lot of money, get married, and do all the things I’ve always wanted to, while we still can.
Adoptees: The stories behind their struggle
Besides the running of the education home, the Society of the St Vincent de Paul is dedicated to actively assisting 35 families (as of January 2011) with the money that is collected from the second collection on the first Sunday of every month at the Church of St Francis Xavier, as well as from various benefactors. Here we share three stories about the poor whom we assist. Mary*, our latest case,
has six children; her husband left some years ago. At that time she had no choice but to leave her four elder children in a welfare home. Last year in October she came to us appealing for assistance to help her and the two remaining children. After visiting her (part of the process of assisting is to actually visit their homes to appreciate the difficulties the poor faces), the decision was made to
assist her with food rations. In December, when Mary came to collect her rations, she told us that her four children staying in the welfare home miss her and want to come back home. In line with our Christian beliefs of keeping the family together where possible, we encouraged her to reunite the family. On the Society’s part, we have increased our food rations to feed the additional four children as well as sponsoring the school bus fare. Mary is currently working part-time as a cleaner. Jane* has a daughter and a son. She is from India and was brought from
India to get married to a Malaysian. Her husband is very sickly and unable to work. She is a hardworking lady but unfortunately suffers from severe depression, though Jane has never used that as an excuse to not work. She is a hardworking person who is sincerely trying to earn a decent income for her family. Jane’s daughter, just completed her Form 5 and the son is in Standard 5. Fortunately, Jane’s
daughter is a very filial and caring daughter. Always there taking care of her mother, father and brother. A bright girl, she has been doing consistently well in her exams. SSVP has been sponsoring the children’s school busfare, tuition fees and providing them with food rations. The SSVP is now in the midst of planning with Jane’s daughter for her future. She has indicated that she wants to study nursing, which is no surprise since she is a very good and caring girl. Based on preliminary survey, the total cost for a nursing degree is RM50,000 for study over a four year period. We hope that with the continuous donations received, we would have sufficient funds to allow this bright girl to pursue her ambition.
Alice’s* husband suffers from kidney failure and hence is unable to work as his condition puts him in hospital periodically. She has three children: One is in a welfare Home, another with an aunt and the third, who is in Form 2 lives at home. Alice is hardworking and was working in various places as a cleaner. Through some contacts, the SSVP found out there were vacancies in the kitchen of a reputable restaurant and encouraged her to apply. She took the initiative and followed up and has just recently started working there. We are
currently assisting her with food rations. The above are only glimpses of how SSVP continues to help the poor. Your donations are not just used to buy food for the poor. In Mary’s case, though we only provide food rations and bus fare for the family, we have indirectly assisted in uniting the 4 children with their mother. In Jane’s case, SSVP continues to give Jane’s daughter the support and encouragement to have a better future for her and her family. For Alice, the new job may allow her to stand on her own two feet and in time to come may no longer need our assistance. *Names has been changed to protect the identities of our adoptees.
House for Sale at No. 11, Jalan 14/46, 46100 Petaling Jaya.
The house has been renovated and extended at the front
and at the back. For further enquiries on the sale of the
house kindly contact the Home Management Chairperson,
Woon Lee Been: 016 6680999.
Ozanam Service Centre on Old Klang Road
This is the story of three ssvp conferences desire to serve the poor and needy that resulted in the setting up of the Ozanam Service Centre at Old Klang Road. Burnard Anthony Faleel, the administrator of the centre, talks to us about the journey thus far. The primary role of the Vincentianis to provide love and compassion to individuals. If that interest calls for food, clothing or other assistance, so be it. However, it is in loving where the contact with Christ emerges. That
contact with Christ is what separates the Society of St. Vincent de Paul from just another social agency. St. Vincent emphasised that love for the poor must be both “affective and effective”. This emphasis of St Vincent brought about the idea that Vincentians need to become available closest to the place where the poor and needy are mostly found saw the setting up of this centre. Many of the poor due to a lack of basic education are unable to resolve many issues that we the educated and privileged take for granted. The Ozanam Service Centre opened its doors to the public officially on the 1st June 2010, I
started work as an administrator of the centre on the 1st of July 2010. To date more that 60 cases have registered at the centre. Below are
the statistics of the significance of having this service centre. When we first started, there was very little publicity of the services offered at the centre. However as word got around on the works of the Service Centre, more and more needy people have visited the centre. As for myself, despite having no experience working with government agencies, the people whom I meet at these agencies are most
accommodating and helpful One of the important elements of spirituality of the SSVP is visiting the poor at the place where they reside. Vincentians are needed to “follow up” on cases once they have registered at the centre. Some of poor require transport to hospitals or clinics when they are sick. We have two pro-bono doctors who have been most helpful to me when I referred sick people to them who can’t afford to buy medicine. Some require help to go to the welfare department when they are called to attend interviews. With this I would like to end
by saying that The Ozanam Service Centre is fast becoming a Beacon of hope to the poor and needy. It is still finding its way to the hearts of the poor and needy, and sustaining it needs the support of the members and volunteers. You don’t need to be a Vincentian to volunteer at the service centre. Those interested to volunteer their time or enquire about the Ozanam Service Centre, can contact: 03-77815124.
No. Description of Assistance Closed On Going Total
1 Cases of those without birth certificates/ Identity Cards 2 2 4
2 Cases applying for welfare aid from the government 2 17 19
3 Cases applying for SOCSO 1 1 2
4 Assisted in obtaining jobs 2 0 2
5 Cases referred to pro-bono doctors 2 0 2
6 Cases successfully placed in homes 2 1 3
7 cases with no outstanding follow up but needs visitation 0 23 23
8 Cases referred to conferences for further action and follow up Not applicable Not Applicable 8
TOTAL CASES 11 44 63
Xavier News
Happenings in RPX
The boys celebrated a belated Christmas 2009 when they returned to RPX for the new school year as they were greeted with cartons of chocolates, ginger bread, assorted biscuits and other goodies donated by Serunai. Parishioner Paul Kang who coordinated the gift of the food items said it was indeed a privilege to share the spirit of Christmas with the boys. Fr Albert Tan was present to witness the handover of the goodies and spent a few minutes chatting with the boys. In January 2010, the boys also attended a Christmas lunch hosted by a BEC member.
The Year of the Tiger saw the BEC of SS2 St Anne hosting a tea party for the boys. A variety of local fare was brought by the BEC members and RPX French volunteer, Xavier Desforges gamely tried the spread of Malaysian food including acar and spicy curries. After having their stomachs filled, all present were enlightened to a talk on Chinese New Year customs by a young member from the BEC. Later on
behalf of the BEC, a teenager from the group donned a costume of the God of Wealth and distributed ang pows to the residents of RPX. A member of the BEC also made a generous personal donation to the Home. The following day, the boys were treated to a sumptuous Chinese New Year lunch in Sam You Restaurant by a parishioner. There they met many other SFX parishioners and the atmosphere was like a big family get together.
In March 2010 the Home welcomed a new resident, Samuel De Cruz who is an altar server in SFX. With encouragement
Happenings in RPXfrom the Home Administrator, 2 other RPX boys are now training to be altar servers. It is hoped that through this exposure, the boys will be made aware of the joy and beauty of serving God and perhaps spur them to consider a vocation to the priesthood.
In the same month RPX lad, Davin Sugumar signed up for a 1 hour slot in the 1000 Hour Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Davin said that it was a meaningful experience spending quiet time with the Lord and praying for the Church and priests. During the March 2010 school holidays, all Catholic boys from RPX too spent an hour before the Blessed Sacrament to be with Jesus.
On May 22, 2010 five boys were sponsored to a course on The Art of Creating & Building Robots Using Recyclable Everyday Objects. The course taught them new skills, the need for conservation and how to turn waste into wealth. The RPX lads created their robot from plastic containers, discarded water cistern scrap metal and the like.
In May 2010 SSVP members attended 2 talks on spirituality, one entitled “Sacraments and Mission” by Fr Simon Yong and another entitled “The Word of God is a Lamp Unto My Feet” by Fr Phillips Muthu. Members recognised that it is important for them to be formed spiritually first if they are to be effective in their service to the needy.As Fr Simon used to say “The more you want to serve, the more you need to be formed spiritually.” Fr Phillips too reminded social workers that apart from giving assistance to the needy, they need to ensure that their prayer life must be balanced.On June 12, 2010 RPX lad Yohannes received the sacrament of Confirmation. It was a proud moment for him.
