The New Way of Being Church

The New Way of Being Church

There was a time when neighbours knew each other’s names, when the young and the old alike had more than their families looking out for them. There was a time when our neighbourhoods were our closest communities.

No more. Neighbourhoods have become the place where nobody knows your name. As neighbours gradually became estranged, parishioners became strangers! Into this “neighbourhood crisis” the words of Jesus still ring true: second only to the command to love God is the command to “love your neighbour as yourself.”

It is in the neighbourhood that we meet men and women who are in need of our love and care. The Church promotes vibrant Neighbourhood Christian Communities (NCCs) to make the dream of vibrant parishes come true. Saint John Paul II said, “NCCs are the new way of being Church.”

Let us try to make our neighbourhoods into places where compassion and care are once again part of the culture, where good news is once again more than words, and where the love of God can be once again rooted and established.

“NCC allows us to grow closer as neighbours and nurture the bonds of the Christian community to build the church for the greater glory of God.”

Jacob Tan

Green Oval NCC, CDM

CHURCH BUILDING FUND

CHURCH BUILDING FUND

Event 1

Programme Details

20 Dec 2020 – 30 Dec 2020
09:00 HR – 13:00 HR

Location:
Foyer

Free Entry

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Simbang Gabi 2019

Simbang Gabi 2019

Simbang Gabi Celebrations (15 – 23 December 19)

We are into the last few nights of Simbang Gabi, a novena consisting of nine consecutive nights of masses before Christmas! A tradition celebrated by our Filipino community has also been well-attended by non-Filipino Catholics, each night ending in food and fellowship. We thank Father Rommel H Anico, our parish priests, liturgical ministries and our Filipino community who have helped make Simbang Gabi meaningful!

25 December Christmas

25 December Christmas

25th December is not only a reminder to the world of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, but also his great contributions to the history of humanity. As we celebrate his birth, we are reminded of what his whole life, deeds and words symbolise and mean for every man and woman of good will.

The entire life and work of Jesus of Nazareth contains an invitation to all human beings to build a better world through recognising that we are children of the same God – a good, compassionate and merciful Father. By recognising so, we can achieve the happiness we all long for by loving, serving, forgiving, sharing and understanding each other.

The invitation of Jesus of Nazareth is therefore a call and challenge to the entire world to make our existence on earth a kinder place for every human being – against all forms of selfishness, injustice, discrimination, violence and death.

The celebration of Christmas presents us with the perfect opportunity to focus on humility and poverty. We are constantly reminded about the ways of the world – to protect ourselves selfishly and rise above others. However, the celebration of Christmas reminds us of the Nativity scene in Bethlehem – of humility, total giving of one’s life, service to others, love and the way of the cross.

The celebration of Christmas is therefore a reminder of the truth – God cares about humanity and everything that is deeply human.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us be reminded of the call of Jesus – to construct a life where we can love one another absolutely, just the way God loves us.

Simbang Gabi Celebrations (15 – 23 December)

We are into the last few nights of Simbang Gabi, a novena consisting of nine consecutive nights of masses before Christmas! A tradition celebrated by our Filipino community has also been well-attended by non-Filipino Catholics, each night ending in food and fellowship. We thank Father Rommel H Anico, our parish priests, liturgical ministries and our Filipino community who have helped make Simbang Gabi meaningful!

Reflection 5 Jan 2020 Epiphany of the Lord

WE OBSERVED HIS STAR AT ITS RISING…

MATTHEW 2:2

Is 60:1-6 Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13

Eph 3:2-3, 5-6 Mt 2:1-12

The bush, though on fire, was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2) What a sight this burning bush must have been to Moses! But what exactly was it? One explanation is that this fire signified God’s desire that everyone worship him alone (Deuteronomy 4:24). He wants to burn away all the other “gods” that we have set up in his place. Another explanation is that this fire represents God’s judgment against sin. To those who repent, it is a cleansing fire, but to those who turn away, it is a condemning fire. The fact that the fire engulfed the bush but did not burn it away gives us great hope. A third explanation focuses on how God chose an everyday item from the natural world—an ordinary bush—to display his glory. This explanation tells us that God is present everywhere. It also points us to the fire of the Holy Spirit, who can transform us—ordinary people—into the image of God (Acts 2:3-4). Lent is a time when God wants to purify us. It’s a time when he tells us that he wants us to have no false gods before him (Exodus 20:3). Lent is a perfect time for us to come to the Lord and ask him to burn away our sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.Lent is also the perfect time for us to invite the fire of the Holy Spirit into our hearts so that we can be a source of blessing to the people we meet. Let’s make it a point this Lent to ask Jesus to send his fire to purify our hearts and empower our lives. Let’s ask him to set us on fire for him and his Church!