By Stephenie Chia, Archdiocese of KL
KUCHING— The Malaysian Catechetical Commission (MCC), which advises the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia on local catechetical matters, convened its annual meeting from 9 to 13 June 2025 in Kuching, Sarawak. This gathering brought together clergy, religious and lay representatives from each of the country’s nine dioceses to share experiences, discuss common challenges and collaborate on resolutions at a national level.
The meeting was presided by Rt Rev Joseph Hii, Bishop of Sibu and Episcopal President of the MCC, with Dr Steven Selvaraju from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur serving as the Chairman of the Commission. The delegates were also joined by observers from the Archdiocese of Singapore and the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei, who added their perspective and experiences to the depth of the discussions.
Catechesis in a Changing World
In his keynote address, Bishop Joseph Hii reflected on how the three-fold ministry of Christ as priest, prophet and king is continued by the Church today through the liturgical and catechetical ministries. He recognized the strong foundations of the catechetical commissions today were thanks to predecessors who made efforts to ensure the work of catechesis, of helping people understand the faith, would be carried out well, not just in their time, but for future generations. Thus, he encouraged those present to reflect on how our current catechetical ministries could answer the needs of our generation, with all the challenges that come from ecological destruction, rising secularisation, advancements in technology and subsequent change in the social landscape, without changing the character of catechesis, which is the echoing of the faith of the apostles. Finally, he added his hopes that this commission could become a regional commission including Singapore and Brunei, so that we could work toward better collaboration across the region.
The discussion that followed the keynote address echoed his sentiments with delegates sharing their challenges in catechising and living their faith due to religious restrictions from civil authorities and increasing secularisation of the people. It was agreed that the work of catechesis, of spreading the good news and teaching the faith in various was more vital than ever in the coming years and more could be done to support the formation needs of those who faced religious restrictions in their region.
Facing the Challenges in Our Ministries
Following that, delegates were invited to share the experiences of their respective dioceses – their programs, the challenges they faced, as well as their creative solutions and steps for the future. The sharing of experiences was not just about the reporting of what was done, but about celebrating the successes of each one, learning about and from one another, as well as encouraging each other on this challenging journey. This sharing sparked a lively discussion among the delegates, many of whom expressed how encouraged and inspired they were by each other’s stories — realising that while needs and resources differ, mutual support and learning can help our ministries grow and move forward.
The meeting then continued with discussions on various matters involving the catechetical ministries in Malaysia. Key items for discussion included the Malaysian Catechetical Series (MCS), a series of ten catechism books used as the main text for catechism classes in Malaysia, development of supplementary topics for Form 5 catechism, the resources and liturgical rites used for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and the issues surrounding baptism and reception of baptized non-Catholics. The resolutions from the meeting will be brought to the Bishops’ Conference for deliberation.
Catechetical Sunday – All the Faithful are Called to Catechesis
In addition to discussing key issues, the Commission also deliberated on the celebration of Catechetical Sunday for the coming year. Catechetical Sunday, which had been celebrated on the last Sunday of January until last year, was moved to the first Sunday of August this year. This move was made to give diocesan and parish catechetical ministries more time to plan for the celebration, in addition to the commissioning of catechists. While the rite of commissioning is important, the focus of Catechetical Sunday, based on the Church document Provido Sane Concilio (Better Care for Catechetical Teaching), is actually to bring awareness to all the Catholic faithful that everyone is involved in the work of catechesis: to make Christ present and to echo his teachings in our families, our work, our Church and our world today. Hence, catechetical ministries are called to promote the work of catechesis, not just on Catechetical Sunday, but throughout the whole month of August.
With this in mind, the Commission chose the theme: “Be Christ to Others”, inspired by Matthew 25:40 – “Truly, I say to you: just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it to me”. This theme was also chosen based on the strategic focus on social realities, which is one of the areas of concern to be discussed at the Malaysia Pastoral Convention in September next year.
The main itinerary of the Commission meeting ended with the election of new office bearers for the coming three-year term from 2025 until 2028.
Concluding Remarks
The meeting concluded with closing remarks from Bishop Joseph Hii, who highlighted the dignity of the ancient ministry of catechist in the Church and expressed his hopes for the commissions to continue developing the effectiveness of this ministry that helps others discover Christ and grow according to God’s will. He voiced his gratitude to the delegates from the Archdiocese of Kuching, who hosted the meeting and all present who had made the effort to come together for this time of sharing.
Other Activities
In addition to the discussions on catechetical matters, the Commission meetings are also a platform for delegates to encounter the context and culture of the host diocese, allowing everyone present to experience for themselves the joys and challenges in the life of the local church.
This meeting was no exception, as the hosts or this meeting invited delegates to visit the newly built Church of St Peter in Padungan during one of the breaks in the meeting. Delegates admired the beautiful gothic style of architecture and the multiple stained-glass windows on every wall at the Church of St Peter – while the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Vincent Chin expressed his gratitude for all the funds that had poured in to help build the church – truly a work of divine providence.
In addition to the visit to the Church of St Peter, delegates were also invited to join Archbishop Simon Poh at the Gawai mass in the Parish of St Theresa in Serian, which covers a large area including 103 mass centres and over 45000 parishioners. It was truly an eye-opening experience for some of the delegates, especially those from smaller dioceses to see so many coming together for mass on a weekday night to celebrate the harvest festival. This celebration, steeped in tradition and integrating many of the local practices was a beautiful expression of inculturation, where culture enriches the faith of the people and faith illuminates their traditional practices with the spirit of the Gospel. Through these two visits, delegates could truly experience the faith and cultural richness of the people of Sarawak.
We’d like to express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to our host, the Catechetical Commission of the Archdiocese of Kuching for hosting the meeting and organizing the programs; Archbishop Simon Poh for his support and hospitality, the priests and parishioners of St Theresa’s Parish and St Peter’s Church for their hospitality and all who have extended their hand to welcome us on our visit.
The next MCC meeting will be hosted by the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur in 2026.
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