By Herald Malaysia
PORT KLANG — The Church of St Anne celebrated its annual patronal feast from July 17 to 26 with a renewed call for parishioners and pilgrims to become “Pilgrims of Peace,” carrying the peace of Christ into their families, communities and the wider world.
Inspired by the theme Peace Be with You – Pilgrims of Peace, the ten-day celebration centred on Christ’s greeting to His disciples and the Beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Mt 5:9). The theme drew inspiration from the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi, whose life remains a witness to peace, simplicity and care for creation, as well as Pope Leo XIV’s World Day of Peace message, Peace Be with You All: Towards an Unarmed and Disarming Peace.
Preparations for the feast were briefly overshadowed when parish priest, Fr David Arulanantham, suffered a fractured shoulder after a fall. Yet his resilience and encouragement inspired parishioners to press on with renewed confidence, becoming a lived witness to the very peace and trust in God’s providence that the feast would proclaim. Throughout the novena, each Eucharistic celebration explored different dimensions of Christian peace — from reconciliation and healing to hope, dialogue and care for creation. The homilies challenged the faithful not merely to admire peace as an ideal but to make it a way of life through forgiveness, compassion and everyday acts of love.
A distinctive feature of this year’s celebration was the active participation of the parish’s Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs). Before each evening Mass, the respective BEC creatively presented the day’s theme through drama, music, narration and symbolic reflections, helping pilgrims prepare their hearts for the Eucharist.
As the feast progressed, pilgrims arrived in growing numbers to light candles, offer petitions, seek the intercession of St Anne and celebrate the Eucharist. Twenty Masses were celebrated over the ten days, including eight during the final weekend. Special liturgies for the elderly and the sick, including the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, reflected Christ’s compassion and brought comfort, healing and hope to many families.
Several initiatives reinforced the theme of peace throughout the celebration. The parish youths’ Peacemaker Tree invited pilgrims to write prayers and personal commitments on leaf-shaped cards, transforming bare branches into a vibrant symbol of faith, hope and the shared mission to become peacemakers.
Pilgrims also found moments of quiet prayer at the Sukkat Shalom (Tabernacle of Peace), a space inspired by the biblical understanding of shalom as wholeness, harmony and communion with God.
Another meaningful symbol was the Peace Candle, presented to principal celebrants, visiting priests and later to BEC leaders during the Mass. The gesture expressed gratitude while commissioning them to continue fostering reconciliation, unity and hope within their communities throughout the year.
Behind every liturgy and programme stood hundreds of volunteers, ministry members and benefactors whose generosity and quiet service reflected the very message the feast sought to proclaim — that peace is built not only through words but through humble acts of love and selfless service.
As the celebration ended, pilgrims returned home with more than memories of a parish feast. They left challenged to become peacemakers in their own homes, workplaces and communities, living out Christ’s enduring call: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
