By Bob Ho
JOHOR — Faced with a growing congregation and increasingly limited space, the Church of the Holy Family in Ulu Tiram, Johor, has embarked on a fundraising roadshow to help realise its long-awaited dream of building a new church.
Parish priest, Fr Martinian Lee, and a six-member team visited the Church of St Ignatius (SIC) on July 18 and 19, appealing for donations after the weekend Masses to help bridge a RM14.4 million funding shortfall.
“I am here to ask you for money,” Fr Martinian told the congregation with candour. “We have a huge shortfall of RM14.4 million. I have come to seek your generosity and good hearts. Please support us.”
Explaining the need for the new church, Fr Martinian said the existing building could no longer adequately accommodate the growing parish community.
“Our community has outgrown the present building. We need more space, not only for the celebration of Mass but also for our pastoral activities, including faith formation and catechism classes,” he said.
Fr Martinian also thanked Archbishop Julian Leow for permitting the Diocese of Malacca Johore to appeal for support in parishes within the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. He also expressed his appreciation to SIC parish priest, Fr Thomas Koo, CDD and the parish community for their warm welcome and generous support.
An information and donation booth was set up outside the church entrance, where members of the Holy Family team met parishioners after Mass. They were assisted by volunteers from the SIC Hospitality Ministry, who helped direct the faithful to the booth.
Construction of the new multipurpose church complex is already underway following the groundbreaking ceremony officiated by Bishop Bernard Paul on May 1, 2024.
The Church of the Holy Family traces its beginnings to a small chapel established in 1951 before being elevated to parish status in 1972. The proposed new church represents the fulfilment of a vision that has been more than three decades in the making and will provide a larger space for worship, faith formation and parish life.
As construction progresses, the parish continues to appeal for the generosity of the faithful to help bring the project to completion.
