By Fr Stanley Goh, SJ
KUCHING — There was truly a festive air at St Joseph’s Cathedral on 31 July 2025 as the Jesuits of Kuching celebrated the Solemnity of St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. Over 200 mission partners, friends and well-wishers gathered for a Mass, presided by His Grace, Archbishop Simon Poh and concelebrated by the Jesuit priests alongside other priests from the archdiocese and other religious priests.
In his introduction, Archbishop Simon spoke of St Ignatius’ familiarity with God and how that moved him to do all things for the ‘Greater Glory of God’, a phrase that has become a de-facto motto for the Jesuits worldwide.
In his homily, Fr Joseph Ng, SJ shared about the importance of depth in our journey towards God. He spoke of how St Ignatius encourages everyone to find God in all things, to encounter God in our daily lives so that we can be more aware of the reality of God’s grace everywhere. These regular encounters can lead us into greater depth in our relationship with the Lord, moving us to follow him more closely as we seek to do his will in the world.
The Mass concluded with a surprise cake-cutting ceremony which celebrated not just the Feast of St Ignatius but also Archbishop Simon’s 37th priestly ordination anniversary. With the spiritual celebration over, everyone adjourned to the parish gallery for a simple meal and fellowship which emphasised the importance of community in our shared mission for the greater glory of God.
