By Ivy Chai
KUCHING — The Archdiocese of Kuching held its Joint Day of Recollection on 1 September 2025 at the ACCPC Grand Hall, attended by over 600 priests, religious and the lay faithful of the Archdiocese.
Delegates sang ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ in the Opening Prayer, followed by taize music and the hymn ‘Jesus keep me near the Cross’ during the Veneration of the Cross. This set the tone for a spiritually uplifting recollection.
After Intercessory prayers in English, BM and Mandarin, the PROTEC 2.0 Campaign was launched by Archbishop Simon Poh with the release of the campaign banner and handing over of the REGENERATE! 5-year campaign posters to parish rectors.
The launch marked the opening of the Season of Creation (1 September 2025 – 31 August 2030), a regional Catholic campaign to bring new life to ecosystems and communities.
‘Listening & Discerning as Disciples of the Lord’
Archbishop Simon Poh in his Talk, ‘Listening & Discerning as Disciples of the Lord’, spoke at length on Discipleship and the living Word of God.
He stressed the importance of spending time with Jesus, reading the Gospel, listening to Jesus’ words with our hearts and then discerning through the process of spiritual conversation.
Who is a Disciple? What is Discipleship?
A disciple is someone who has personally encountered Jesus and believes Jesus is the Risen Lord. A disciple is intentional and active, and committed to a lifelong process of learning from Jesus.
In the parish, discipleship references a disciple who seeks to give glory and honour to Jesus our Lord and Master without seeking self-glory.
Are we seeing a Catholic comeback? A Revival?
Young people appear to be seeking a purpose in life. Citing examples of digital evangelisation where Christian influencers on social media play the role of sharing faith and converting followers, Archbishop Simon questioned the possibility of a revival of the Catholic faith.
“Many are drawn by the rediscovery of Jesus Christ as a personal God who suffered, died, and is still present, offering connection and guidance. We thank the Lord that He has indeed inspired and raised up many young people who have stood up to defend the Catholic faith and are attracting many to come, engage and discover the Catholic faith.”
Archbishop Simon said Pope Leo’s election had drawn attention to the Vatican and the Catholic Church. The consecration of the new St Peter’s Church had brought attention and goodwill to the Catholic Church in Kuching.
In concluding his talk, Archbishop Simon told the delegates that the way forward is to build a synodal and missionary Church, “walking the path together, listening to one another, discerning God’s will, modelled on Mary the perfect disciple.” He posed the following questions for reflection:
1. What is the Holy Spirit saying to me as a disciple of Jesus?
2. What are my commitments: Time, Talents and Treasures – that I can offer to the Lord and his Church?
3. To what events is the Holy Spirit calling us to do TOGETHER?
Kuching Archdiocese Synodal Journey
Addressing the delegates, Fr Patrick Heng, chairman of the Archdiocesan Synod Central Working Committee, opened with a quote from Pope Leo XIV that said we are “a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges and encourages dialogue, a Church ever open to welcoming…with its open arms, all those who are in need of our charity, our presence, our readiness to dialogue and our love”. Fr Patrick then added that the synodal journey is a “continuous process.”
What is the aim of Synodality?
The aim is to “provide an opportunity for the entire People of God to discern together how to move forward on the path towards being a more synodal Church in the long-term.”
Fr Patrick reminded his audience that “It is not to produce documents, but to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands.”
He raised the questions: “How does this journeying together allow the Church to proclaim the Gospel in accordance with the mission entrusted to her? What steps does the Holy Spirit invite us to take in order to grow as a synodal Church?”
Synodal Journey is a Continuous Process
Fr Patrick outlined the Vatican Synodal Process (2021-2024) – the process of listening, encountering, dialoguing, discerning; and the MPC 2026 Road Map – moving towards a Unified Malaysian Church. The goal is for the Catholic Church in Malaysia to come together as clergy, religious and laity to…Celebrate, Listen and Walk. The synodal journey’s focus will be on Family, Church, Ecology and Society.
With the aid of infographics, Fr Patrick traced the Malaysian synodal journey – what have been achieved and the journey ahead. He informed that the Archdiocesan synodal journey is progressing well. The Malaysia Pastoral Convention (MPC) 2026 is scheduled to take place from 9-13 September 2026, now confirmed to be in Sibu, Sarawak.
Fr Patrick also touched on the Perjalanan SALIB (April 2025-September 2026) and the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Archdiocese of Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, and the Diocese of Miri.
Delegates were asked to reflect on the question: “What is the one area, focus, or a matter for consideration that can broaden and deepen our journey beyond 2026?”
Breaking into small groups to reflect and discern through the spiritual conversation process, specific groups were later invited to share their reflections.
A late fellowship lunch capped the Archdiocese of Kuching Joint Day of Recollection 2025.
