The Malaysia Pastoral Convention 2026 (MPC 2026) held in Sibu brought together clergy, religious and lay leaders to reflect deeply on the Church’s mission in today’s Malaysian context. Among its many themes, catechetical formation stood out as a vital thread connecting faith, family, and social responsibility.

Drawing inspiration from Laudato Si where Pope Francis in his encyclical reminded us that creation is not something of the past but is still unfolding and needing care, everyone is called to stewardship in Malaysia, a nation described as a treasure that must be cherished. Catechists are thus invited to nurture ecological awareness and moral responsibility, helping learners see creation as a living expression of God’s love.

The sessions at MPC 2026 emphasized formation that builds unity in diversity, urging catechists to be bridges of dialogue and mutual respect. Families were recognized as the foundation of both Church and society, with catechesis playing a key role in supporting parents, children and youth. Strengthening faith and Gospel values through education was seen as essential to forming integrity, dignity and responsibility.

MPC 2026 also called for a listening Church — one that accompanies the poor, marginalized and young people with humility and compassion. Catechists are challenged to listen seriously to youth, understand their realities and provide genuine pastoral accompaniment.

Finally, transformation begins with personal conversion. Before institutional change can occur, catechists must learn to listen, welcome and live with humility. Through this renewal, catechetical ministry becomes missionary — forming hearts that reflect Christ’s compassion and minds that engage Malaysia’s social and ecological challenges.

MPC 2026 thus reaffirms catechesis as a living dialogue between faith and life, calling every catechist to be an instrument of God’s love in a diverse and evolvin

Often, we are encouraged to spend time in daily prayer. This can be difficult for many of us –we often start and then falter. However, in a digital landscape filled with notifications and endless scrolling, a new generation of mobile applications is helping believers transform screen time into sacred time. For Catholics seeking to build a sustainable daily prayer habit, digital tools offer accessible entry points into traditional practices—from praying the Rosary to Lectio Divina.

While many apps focus on vast libraries or gamified habit tracking, one long-standing option—now in its 20^th year—stands out for its minimalist approach to daily contemplation: Pray as you Go.

Produced by the Jesuits in Britain, Pray as you Go is designed around a simple premise: helping people pray during the periods of transit and transition in their daily lives—whether on waking, commuting, walking or resting. Unlike apps that require active reading or extensive browsing, Pray as you Go centres on a 10 to 13-minute daily audio framework rooted in Ignatian spirituality.

It begins with the tolling of a church bell, which immediately puts you in the right frame of mind, and eases into opening music from around the world. This also helps us appreciate sacred music and calms us despite the rush of the morning. Scripture is read twice, punctuated by gentle questions that prompt personal reflection such as “What word in this passage caught your attention?” or “Where did you feel God’s presence today?” There is then a pause for personal reflection. Further simple questions invite listeners to reflect before ending the conversation with a closing prayer.

If any of the accompanying songs resonate with you, they are readily available on Spotify, YouTube, Deezer and Tidal. The app is completely free, contains no advertisements and intentionally omits streak trackers or social pressure. The focus remains entirely on the personal encounter with God.

Beyond the daily session, the app includes guided Examens – an Ignatian review of the day – specialized retreat series, prayers for mental health and exercises to help process complex emotions. By bringing the ancient practice of Ignatian reflection to headphones and smartphones, tools like Pray as you Go demonstrate that technology, when thoughtfully designed, can be an effective invitation to quietude and prayer.

I recently attended the Parenting Teens workshop organized by the Penang Diocese Family Life Commission in collaboration with the Diocesan Mental Health Ministry. The programme brought parents and teenagers together in separate sessions to explore adolescent development, family relationships, mental health and the environment in which young people are growing up.

As a public health professional, I found the discussion particularly relevant. Adolescent wellbeing and the current dilemmas surrounding teenagers in Malaysia (e.g. interpersonal and school violence, bullying, abuse, teenage pregnancy, rising child neglect, self-harm and substance abuse) are shaped by many factors: family relationships, friendships, school, digital media and the wider social environment. How adults understand these influences matters greatly to how we respond to young people.

The developmental and mental health perspectives were useful, although I noticed that the sessions had limited explicit Catholic content. This led me to reflect on what could happen when these insights are brought more intentionally into the work of catechesis.

Understanding the Adolescent

Adolescence is a period of significant neurological, psychological and social development. The cognitive capacities involved in judgement, planning, impulse control, emotional regulation and decision-making continue to develop through adolescence and into early adulthood (until their mid-20s or early 30s). At the same time, adolescents may show greater sensitivity to emotional experience, rewards and peer influence. In situations that are emotionally charged and socially significant, these influences can weigh more heavily on decision-making than they do in adulthood.

This does not mean that adolescents lack responsibility or are incapable of making rational decisions. Rather, it highlights the importance of providing guidance, appropriate boundaries and opportunities to practise decision-making. Responsibility develops progressively as young people gain experience and learn to evaluate choices, consequences and competing influences.

This has practical implications for catechesis. Young people need space to think through situations, ask questions, consider consequences and learn to make sound choices in order to develop an informed conscience and the ability to exercise judgement.

The Catechist as Formator

Here, the role of the catechist goes beyond teaching a curriculum. While the roles of father and mother are indispensable, catechists too accompany young people as they develop their understanding of faith, themselves and their relationships with others.

This requires some awareness of adolescent development. A teenager who is withdrawn, distracted or disengaged may be struggling with something outside the catechetical setting. It could involve friendship difficulties, bullying, family circumstances, trauma or emotional distress.

While a catechist does not need to diagnose the problem, what matters is being attentive enough to notice when something may require a different response, a conversation with parents or a referral to someone with the appropriate expertise.

Communication Matters

While healthy faith-oriented boundaries between catechists and young people are necessary so that catechesis does not turn into counselling, adolescents also need to know that they can ask difficult questions and be heard in the setting. This becomes especially important when conversations involve sexuality, relationships, pornography, bullying, abuse or mental health.

Here, a simple approach can be useful:

Listen → Clarify → Validate → Guide.

First, allow the young person to speak. Clarify what has actually happened rather than relying on assumptions. Acknowledge the person’s feelings without necessarily agreeing with the behaviour. Then provide guidance in the light of faith and sound judgement.

Meeting Young People Where They Are

Young people have already encountered ideas about sexuality, relationships, identity, body image, freedom and belonging through friends, family, social media and popular culture.

It is therefore pivotal for catechesis to engage these realities. For example, when teaching about sexuality, young people need to understand why the Church speaks about the dignity of the person, love, responsibility, self-gift and the proper use of freedom –beyond the list of what is allowed and what is not. Conversational opportunities help young people think morally and critically. The same should apply to conversations about pornography, online relationships and peer pressure.

Forming Conscience

Parents, teachers and catechists cannot be present at every moment. The goal of formation is therefore to help adolescents develop the ability to recognize what is right and to choose it freely.

Here, catechists can use real-life situations to encourage reflection in a manner that will help young people to learn to understand and apply a dignified, informed decision-making process. The sequence of reflection could involve: What is happening? Who might be affected? What choices are available? What are the consequences? Is this really a free choice, or is there pressure involved? What would respect for the dignity of the other person require?

Theology of the Body

Theology of the Body has an important place in this conversation.

Adolescents are forming their understanding of their bodies, sexuality and relationships in a culture where people can easily be reduced to appearance, attractiveness or sexual value.

The Catholic understanding begins with the dignity of the person. The body is part of the person and is not an object for use. Here, freedom is connected to truth and responsibility, and love needs to be genuinely self-giving.

Mental Health and Safeguarding

The involvement of the Diocesan Mental Health Ministry is particularly relevant.

PDCC has already taken steps to safeguard our children, including through the ‘Safeguarding Minors’ workshop held online in March 2026. This provides a good foundation.

The next task is to consider how this learning can continue to inform adolescent catechesis, especially as young people increasingly navigate digital spaces. Catechists may encounter concerns involving bullying, grooming, inappropriate online contact, exploitation, abuse or emotional distress. They are not expected to become mental health professionals, but they should be trained to respond appropriately, maintain boundaries, recognize when a concern requires action and follow the Diocese’s safeguarding and referral procedures.

A Practical Protocol for Catechists

A simple framework could help catechists respond when a young person raises a concern:

1. Listen– Give the young person space to speak.
2. Understand– Consider the family, peer, school and digital context.
3. Clarify– Establish what is known without making assumptions.
4. Assess– Identify any safeguarding or serious wellbeing concerns.
5. Form– Bring the issue into conversation with Scripture, Catholic teaching and the lives of the saints.
6. Discern– Consider dignity, freedom, responsibility and consequences.
7. Accompany– Continue appropriate pastoral support.
8. Refer– Follow diocesan procedures when the matter requires safeguarding or professional intervention.

A Wider Opportunity for Catechetical Formation

The ‘Parenting Teens’ workshop made me reflect on the fundamental vocation of the catechist and how it complements that of parents in accompanying young people through adolescence. Parents remain the primary educators of their children, while catechists have a particular role in nurturing their faith, forming conscience and helping them connect Christian teaching with the realities of everyday life.

These roles are distinct, but they are deeply complementary. The challenge for catechesis is to meet young people in the realities of their lives and then lead them towards Christ. This means understanding the developmental stage of the young people entrusted to catechists for faith formation, while remaining firmly grounded in the Church’s mission of evangelization and catechesis. The task is to accompany and form young people and gradually entrust them with greater responsibility as they develop towards adulthood.

 Artificial intelligence (AI) has quietly become part of everyday life. From how we search for information and communicate to how we work and create, AI is increasingly present in our daily routines.

A 2025 Deloitte survey found that 76% of Gen Z and millennials reported using AI in their day-to-day lives. As the technology becomes more accessible, we are moving towards a generation that may have never experienced a world before generative AI became part of ordinary life. That raises an important question, especially for us as members of the Church: What is AI doing to us?

Understanding AI and Gen AI

Artificial intelligence is not new, but generative AI has changed how accessible it has become. Tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Meta AI, NotebookLM and CapCut can now generate text, images, music, video and other forms of content within seconds.

The convenience is remarkable. AI can save time, assist with research, support creativity and make certain tasks easier. But the real concern begins when assistance becomes dependence.

When convenience becomes dependence

Think about the way we communicate in our parishes today. A poster can be designed within minutes. A caption can be generated almost instantly. A speech, image or video can be produced with very little human effort.

There is nothing inherently wrong with using these tools. The question is whether we are still doing the thinking and creating ourselves, or whether we have gradually handed over the process.

Before AI became so accessible, creating something for a parish required us to think, experiment, make mistakes and make decisions. It took longer, but the process required us to put something of ourselves into what we created.

Perhaps we should therefore ask ourselves an uncomfortable question:

“Can I still do these things without AI?”

If we struggle to write a simple caption, develop an idea, prepare a speech or create a basic poster without assistance, perhaps our relationship with AI deserves closer examination. The issue is not that we use technology. The issue is whether convenience has begun to replace our ability, confidence or willingness to do things ourselves.

What is happening to human creativity?

This concern becomes even more significant when we consider the younger generation.

For many of us, developing an idea once meant searching through books, asking another person, trying something ourselves or simply sitting with a problem until we worked it out. The next generation may grow up with AI as an ordinary part of school, work and creativity.

That is not necessarily a bad thing. Every generation learns to use new tools. But there is a difference between using a tool and allowing a tool to replace the development of our own abilities.

If we constantly ask AI to write for us, we practise writing less. If we turn to it whenever we need an idea, we give ourselves fewer opportunities to develop our own imagination. If we rely on it whenever we encounter a difficult problem, we may become less willing to sit with that problem and work through it ourselves.

Human creativity needs room to grow. It develops through mistakes, limitations, conversations, experiences and even frustrations. When everything can be produced instantly, we need to be careful not to lose the value of the creative process itself.

 Who is guiding us?

This brings us to an even deeper question for Christians. We have become very good at prompting AI. But are we equally attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit?

When preparing something for our parish, our first concern should not simply be whether it looks professional or can be produced quickly. We should also ask whether what we are creating is faithful to our purpose as a Christian community.

This is where prayer and discernment become important.

Pope Francis, speaking at the 50^th G7 Summit in 2024, described artificial intelligence as arising from the creative potential God has given human beings. He reminded us that science and technology are products of human creativity and therefore carry a responsibility to serve humanity.

This perspective is important for Catholics. Technology does not exist outside our relationship with God. Human creativity itself is a gift from the Creator. The Book of Exodus reminds us that God gives human beings wisdom, understanding and knowledge for every kind of craft (Exodus 35:31).

Our ability to design, write, imagine, build and create is part of what makes us human. We should therefore, be careful not to surrender that gift simply because a machine can now perform certain tasks more quickly.

 AI can assist us, but it cannot replace us

Pope Leo XIV has taken this reflection further in his 2026 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which addresses the safeguarding of the human person in the age of Artificial Intelligence. He emphasizes the distinction between artificial intelligence and human intelligence. With human intelligence, conscience and freedom are responsible for guiding technological development.

AI can process enormous amounts of information, recognize patterns and generate content at extraordinary speed. Yet it does not experience the world as we do. It does not grow through relationships or understand love, suffering, responsibility and compassion from within.

Consider the life of a parish. An AI system may help us write a message for a bereavement ministry, but it has never sat beside a grieving family. It may suggest words for a youth programme, but it has never listened to the worries and hopes of a young person.

 The human context matters

Generative AI can produce suggestions, but the human person provides the purpose, context and intention. An idea for a parish programme might come from noticing a particular need, a conversation with another parishioner or a moment of prayer and reflection. AI may help develop that idea, but it did not experience the community that gave birth to it.

This is where discernment becomes essential.

The important question is not simply: “What can AI create?” but: “What are we called to create?” These are two very different questions.

So, should Catholics stop using AI?

The answer is not to reject AI or pretend we can return to a world without it. AI will continue to develop, and the Church will encounter it in education, communication, administration, evangelization and many other areas.

AI can help us brainstorm, organize information, check grammar, improve a first draft or save time on routine tasks. What we should avoid is allowing convenience to become a substitute for thought.

Before asking AI to create something for the Church, perhaps we should first ask ourselves what we are trying to communicate and why it matters. We can pray about it, consider the people we are serving and discern whether our work will genuinely help them encounter Christ. Then, if AI can assist us, use it. But we remain the ones making the decision.

Keep the human person at the center

The Church does not need to become anti-technology. At the same time, it should not become an AI-dependent Church. Our task is to remain a discerning Church that knows how to use technology without allowing technology to define us.

We are not called to abandon the tools of our time. We are called to use them responsibly while protecting what technology cannot provide: conscience, human relationship, compassion, faith, creativity and love.

The greatest danger is not that AI will become capable of doing more and more things for us. The greater danger is that we may become so comfortable allowing it to do those things that we gradually forget what we, ourselves, are capable of doing.

Our creativity is not merely a skill that can be outsourced when something more convenient comes along. It is part of the gift of being created in the image and likeness of God.

So, the next time we sit down to prepare something for our parish, let us remember that the most important prompt in the life of a Christian is not the one we give to a machine. It is the invitation for us to receive a prompt from the Holy Spirit.

AI can be our assistant. It should never become our master.

Recently, I received an invitation to attend a formation entitled Landings: Exploring a New Pastoral Outreach to Welcome Returning Catholics. The invitation came a little over a week after I completed Module One of my formation as an Evangelizing Catechist. The timing made me pause and reflect.

Even before receiving the invitation, I had been thinking about people who have left the Church, especially those who may still desire to return but carry fears within them. I found myself writing in my journal some of the following questions returning Catholics may ask: Will I really be welcomed? Will I be judged for having been away? Will people ask where I have been? Do I still belong?

There was something deep within me that I felt I needed to reflect on. When the invitation came, it felt like a prompting to continue reflecting on what evangelization really asks of us. As catechists, we often focus on what we need to teach. We prepare lessons with passages from Scripture, prayers and activities. But evangelization invites us to look beyond the lesson and towards the person sitting in front of us.

Do we listen before we teach? The disciples on the road to Emmaus give us a beautiful example (Luke 24:13-27). Jesus walks alongside two disciples who are confused and disappointed. He asks them what they are discussing and allows them to speak. He listens to their story before He opens the Scriptures to them. Jesus first draws near. He listens. He accompanies. Then only He teaches. Perhaps this is also our calling as catechists.

A child who struggles to participate may be communicating something we have not yet understood. A young person who asks difficult questions may not be rejecting the faith. A parent who seems distant may be carrying challenges we know nothing about. Sometimes, there is a story behind what we see.

Listening does not mean that we stop teaching. It means that we take time to understand the person before us so that we can accompany them more effectively towards Christ. Evangelizing Catechesis is not simply about passing on information. It is about helping people encounter Jesus.

So, before our next catechism session, perhaps we can pause and ask ourselves:

• Do I know the person I am teaching?
• Have I created a space where they feel safe to ask questions?
• Do they experience Christ through the way I welcome them?

These questions are not only for the children in our catechism classes. They are also for the families we accompany, the young people we serve and the people in our parish communities who may be searching, struggling or quietly wondering whether they still belong. Sometimes evangelization begins with Scripture. Sometimes it begins with Catechesis. And sometimes it begins with something as simple as saying: “Tell me. I want to understand you.”

As catechists, may we learn not only to teach the faith, but also to listen, accompany and walk with those entrusted to us. For before we can help someone encounter Christ, perhaps we first need to help them know that they are seen, heard and welcomed. Before we teach, can we learn to listen?

Saints hold a special place in the life of the Catholic Church. They are honoured not simply because they were good people, but because their lives demonstrated extraordinary faith, courage, charity and devotion to God.

The process by which the Catholic Church officially recognizes a person as a saint is known as canonization. It is a careful and often lengthy process involving historical research, examination of the person’s life and writings, testimonies from witnesses, theological review and, ordinarily, the verification of miracles attributed to the person’s intercession.

The journey towards canonization is commonly explained through four stages of recognition:

Servant of God, Venerable, Blessed and Saint.

1. Servant of God

The process normally begins at least five years after the person’s death. This waiting period allows time for emotions surrounding the person’s death to settle and helps ensure that the investigation can be conducted objectively.

However, the Pope may waive the five-year waiting period in exceptional circumstances. One well-known example was the cause of Mother Teresa.

A request to open the cause is usually made to the bishop of the diocese where the person died. The bishop begins an initial investigation into the candidate’s life, reputation for holiness, writings and actions.

Before proceeding, approval is sought from the Holy See. When there is no objection to opening the cause, a nihil obstat may be granted. This Latin expression means “nothing stands in the way” or “nothing hinders.”

Once the cause has officially begun, the candidate is given the title Servant of God. In the Diocese of Penang, Cardinal Sebastian Francis opened the cause of beatification and canonization for Sybil Kathigasu (1899-1948) on 1 July 2024.

2. Venerable

The next stage involves a more detailed examination of the candidate’s life.

A Church official known as a postulator helps coordinate the cause. The postulator gathers documents, historical records and testimonies from people who knew the candidate or are familiar with the candidate’s life and work.

This evidence is presented to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome. Historians, theologians, bishops and cardinals examine whether the candidate practised Christian virtues to a heroic degree.

These virtues may include faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, courage and temperance.

When the Pope formally recognizes that the candidate lived a life of heroic virtue, the person is declared Venerable.

Being declared Venerable does not yet permit the person to be publicly honoured throughout the Church as a saint. However, it confirms that the Church considers the person’s life an exceptional example of Christian discipleship.

3. Blessed — Beatification

The third stage is known as beatification.

For a Venerable who was not a martyr, beatification ordinarily requires the recognition of one miracle attributed to the candidate’s intercession. Catholics may ask the candidate to pray for them, just as they might ask a friend or family member to pray for them.

A reported miracle must undergo a strict investigation. In the case of an alleged healing, medical experts examine whether the recovery was complete, lasting and medically inexplicable. Theologians then determine whether the healing can reasonably be connected to prayers made through the candidate’s intercession.

Martyrs are treated differently because they gave their lives for the Christian faith. A miracle is ordinarily not required for a martyr’s beatification.

Once beatification has been approved, the candidate receives the title, Blessed. Public devotion may then be permitted within particular places, dioceses, religious communities or groups associated with the person.

4. Saint — Canonization

The final stage is canonization.

Ordinarily, another verified miracle is required after beatification. This miracle undergoes the same careful medical, theological and ecclesiastical examination as the first.

For a martyr who did not require a miracle for beatification, a verified miracle is ordinarily required before canonization. In exceptional circumstances, the Pope may dispense with the usual requirements.

After the necessary investigations have been completed, the Pope solemnly declares that the Blessed is a saint. The person’s name is then added to the Church’s official canon, or list, of saints.

Canonization permits the saint to be publicly honoured throughout the universal Church. The saint’s life is presented as an example for Christians to imitate, and Catholics may confidently ask for the saint’s intercession.

More Than a Title

The canonization process is not simply a system for awarding religious titles. Its purpose is to determine, with great care, whether a person’s life offers an authentic and inspiring example of Christian holiness.

The four titles—Servant of God, Venerable, Blessed and Saint—represent different stages of investigation and recognition. Behind every canonization are years, and sometimes centuries, of prayer, research, testimony and discernment.

Ultimately, the lives of the saints remind the faithful that holiness is not reserved for a select few. Every Christian is called to grow in faith, love God and neighbour, serve those in need and remain faithful through the challenges of life.

References / Further Reading

The following sources provide further information on the Catholic Church’s process of beatification and canonization:

1. Dicastery for the Causes of Saints — Sanctorum Mater: Instruction for Conducting Diocesan or Eparchial Inquiries in the Causes of Saints
   https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/csaints/documents/rc_con_csaints_doc_20070517_sanctorum-mater_en.html
2. Dicastery for the Causes of Saints — Regulation of the Postulators
   https://www.causesanti.va/it/documenti/regulation-of-the-postulators.html
3. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops — Saints: The Canonization Process and Key Terms
   https://www.usccb.org/offices/public-affairs/saints
4. Vatican News — WWII heroine could be Malaysia’s first saint: Sybil Kathigasu
   https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2024-07/malaysia-begins-canonization-process-wwii-sybil-kathigasu.html

Twenty-five years ago, sitting in the pews of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Kuala Lumpur, I listened to a homily that stayed with me long after the final blessing. Looking out at the young people gathered in the mother church of the Archdiocese, myself among them, the priest said words that felt both heavy and inspiring: “You are the pillars of the Church.”

At the time, as a young person navigating my faith, I understood his words quite simply. To me, being a pillar meant an encouragement to roll up my sleeves and serve. It meant joining the parish youth ministry, helping out at food fairs, or singing in the choir. It was about keeping the machinery of parish activities moving, filled with the loud, joyful energy that defines youth groups.

Looking back now, a quarter of a century later, I appreciate the much deeper theological weight behind that phrase. While Christ alone is the true foundation, the cornerstone upon which everything rests, every baptized person is called to help uphold, sustain, and strengthen His Mystical Body. We are not passive spectators in a spiritual building; as St. Peter reminds us, we are called to be “living stones” built into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5).

For generations, the prevailing narrative in many parishes has been that young people are the “Church of tomorrow.” We invest in them, organize youth camps, and build catechism programs with an eye toward the future, waiting for the day they are ready to lead. But having walked this path for the last twenty-five years, a journey that eventually brought me from the cathedral in Kuala Lumpur to a new spiritual home here in the Penang diocese, I see the subtle danger in that mindset. It implies that until tomorrow arrives, the young are merely waiting in the wings, consumers of ministry rather than active agents of it.

Pope Francis directly challenged this notion in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation, Christus Vivit (Christ is Alive). Addressing the youth of the world, the Holy Father wrote clearly: “You are the now of God.” They are not the future of the Church; they are its present.

The young people filling our pews today are an essential part of the Church right now. They bring an energy and an authenticity that a healthy community desperately needs to thrive. More importantly, they are on the front lines of evangelization through concrete community service and the works of mercy. Whether it is feeding the hungry, visiting the lonely, or standing up for the vulnerable in modern urban spaces, young people live out the Gospel in places the institutional Church cannot easily reach. When a young person performs a corporal or spiritual work of mercy with integrity among their peers, they become a vital witness to a world searching for truth.

However, being a living stone is a two-way street that requires courage from our current youth and trust from parish leadership. To the young Catholics of today, recognizing yourselves as pillars means realizing that your baptism is an immediate commissioning to serve. Do not wait for permission to be the hands and feet of Christ’s mercy to the world.

To my peers, those of us who were the youth twenty-five years ago and are now the parents, catechists, and parish council members, our call is to open the doors we once knocked on. It means moving beyond assigning youth to superficial tasks and instead trusting them with real shared responsibility in leading these missions of mercy.

The Cathedral of St. John stands as a beautiful testament to the faith of my past, just as the vibrant parishes of Penang form the landscape of my present. But the true strength of our local Church does not lie in its concrete or stained glass. It lies in the people who fill those spaces across generations. By encouraging our youth to be living stones today, we ensure that the building remains structurally sound for the next twenty-five years and beyond.

Author Bio:

Marie Ann Dawson was actively involved in Catholic youth ministry at the Cathedral of  St. John the Evangelist, Kuala Lumpur, twenty-five years ago. She now resides in the Diocese of Penang, continuing to journey with the local church community, with a particular focus on special needs catechism

In conjunction with Catechetical Sunday, celebrated on Sunday 2 August 2026, Rev Deacon Clement Samuel had a special message (below) for all Evangelizing Catechists (ECs).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On this Catechetical Sunday, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to each one of you for your faithful and generous ministry as Evangelizing Catechists in the Diocese of Penang.

Our theme this year, “Be Christ to Others,” beautifully captures the vocation to which each of you has been called. Through your words, your witness, your patience, and your love, you make Christ present to the children, youth, and adults entrusted to your care. You are not merely teaching lessons—you are introducing people to a living relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thank you for the countless hours you dedicate in preparing lessons, accompanying your students, praying for them, and serving our parishes with such generosity. Your ministry often involves unseen sacrifices of time, energy, and personal commitments, yet you continue to answer God’s call with joyful hearts. Please know that your service is deeply valued and sincerely appreciated.

As the Church reminds us, catechesis is a ministry of hope. Every seed of faith you plant, every child you encourage, every adult you accompany, and every Gospel truth you proclaim can bear fruit for eternity. Although you may not always see the results of your labour, God is at work through your faithful witness.

May you never lose sight of the privilege and joy of your vocation. Continue to let Christ shine through your lives so that those you teach may encounter Him not only in your words but also in your compassion, humility, and joyful service.

On behalf of our Bishop, our priests, and the Diocesan Catechetical Commission, thank you for your commitment to building God’s Kingdom. We pray that the Holy Spirit will renew your zeal, strengthen you in every challenge, and fill your hearts with the joy of the Gospel.

May our Blessed Mother Mary, Seat of Wisdom, intercede for you always, and may the Lord richly bless you and your families.

Happy Catechetical Sunday!

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

With gratitude and every blessing,

Rev Deacon Clement Samuel, Head of Catechetical Commission, Diocese of Penang

At Mass that Friday morning, I found myself struggling with a particularly difficult first reading from Nahum, with its vivid images of cracking whips, charging horses, flashing swords and the many slain in the destruction of Nineveh.  As I tried to make sense of what I was hearing, I became conscious of the children of different ages and their evangelizing catechists (ECs) around me.  Some seemed attentive, while others were fidgeting or looking elsewhere.  I could not know what they were making of the reading, but finding it difficult myself, I began to wonder how much of it they might understand.

The children ranged from about seven to seventeen, so what they could understand and take from the reading would naturally differ.  Language added another layer of difficulty.  The lector proclaimed the reading in Malay, with the text also projected on slides.  The Malay used in Scripture and worship contains words and expressions that are not always part of everyday speech, and even some of us who are bilingual or multilingual can find it difficult to follow.  Beyond the language itself was the unfamiliar world of Assyria and Nineveh.

All this made me more aware of the distance that can sometimes exist between what is proclaimed or taught and what a child is able to make of it.  Age, language, experience and an unfamiliar biblical world can all contribute to that distance.  What began with that morning’s reading soon opened into a broader reflection on catechesis: how do we, as ECs, help children find a way into what we are trying to share with them?

The reading from Nahum gave me something concrete to think about.  To make sense of the passage, we first have to enter its world.  Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, whose power and brutality had long threatened the people of Judah.  Against that background, the disturbing imagery begins to make more sense.  Nahum offers a suffering people the assurance that God has not abandoned them and that oppression will not have the last word.

Understanding this passage from Nahum in its own setting is part of how the Church asks us to approach Scripture.  We are to pay attention to the historical circumstances and forms of expression used by the biblical writers (Dei Verbum 12; CCC 110).  But understanding the passage ourselves is only part of the task.  There is still the question of how a child might begin to make sense of it.

A young child may know nothing about the Assyrian Empire but may understand what it means to be afraid of someone bigger and more powerful.  Beginning with that familiar experience could provide a doorway into the unfamiliar world of the reading and the experience of a people living under the shadow of an empire.

A doorway into the reading matters, but so does what the child takes away from it.  Without some understanding of the passage, its vivid images of destruction could easily overshadow what Nahum is saying to a suffering people.  The Church reminds us to read Scripture within the unity of the whole of Scripture (CCC 112) and, as Christians, in the light of Christ.  Perhaps then we can help a child discover in Nahum that God sees suffering and does not ignore injustice, and that oppression will not have the last word.

How we share the faith with children is something we need to keep reflecting on as ECs.  The 2026 Catechetical Sunday theme, “Be Christ to others” (Mt 25:40), is a timely reminder of the children entrusted to our care and of what this ministry asks of us.

The term Evangelizing Catechist itself says something about the nature of that ministry.  The Directory for Catechesis (2020) places catechesis within the evangelizing mission of the Church, where teaching is joined to witness and accompaniment.  Our Diocese is moving in this direction too as it works towards a renewed catechism syllabus for a new generation.

In thinking about the children entrusted to this ministry, some words from Cardinal Sebastian Francis come to mind.  Speaking about safeguarding children, he said:

“Keep the Child at the centre of the narrative of the Kingdom of God as Our Lord Jesus did, and you will never go wrong.”

His words speak naturally to ECs as well.  Keeping the child at the centre means taking seriously the child before us: age, experience, language, questions and capacity to understand.  It does not move Christ from the centre of what we proclaim; rather, it asks us to consider how that proclamation might reach the child we are actually teaching.

Knowing what we teach matters; so does knowing whom we teach.  Doing both can make catechesis demanding.  Knowledge matters, but so do imagination, discernment, patience and a willingness to listen.  Children come to us with different ages, experiences, languages and capacities for attention and understanding.  What engages one child may not reach another.

Language can add another layer to that challenge.  Some children may be more comfortable in Malay or in a language they use at home or school, while ECs themselves may have to find ways of expressing the faith clearly in a language or register that is not always easy for them either.  Even when EC and child share the same language, the words and expressions of Scripture and worship may not belong to everyday speech.  Finding language that can reach the child can therefore be part of finding the doorway, without losing what lies beyond it.

The limited time we have with children adds to the challenge.  Listening to the homily that morning, I was reminded that even the priest has only a few minutes to break open the Word and leave something with the congregation.  ECs too have only so much time with the children each week.  We cannot say everything in the time we have, so perhaps the question is what we most hope the children will carry with them.

Beyond completing a lesson, there is the deeper hope of accompanying them in faith and gradually leading them towards Christ.  What remains may sometimes be quite small: an insight remembered, a question still being pondered, a glimpse of God that continues to grow after the hour is over.

That leaves me wondering what we are planting in the time we have with them. It may be something whose growth we never see.

Faced with so many demands, ECs need courage and a willingness to keep growing in their ministry.  Good intentions alone are not enough; formation and practical skills matter too.

Our preparation matters too.  Catechesis calls for more than preparing a lesson.  It calls for recollection, prayer and reflection: time to sit with what we hope to share, to understand it as best we can and to allow it first to speak to our own lives.  We are, after all, sharing a faith that we ourselves are still learning to live.

Jesus himself so often begins with what people know: seeds and bread, sheep and lamps, families and meals.  From the familiar, he opens a way towards something deeper.

And so, I find myself returning to the two images that have emerged from this reflection: the doorway and the seed.  We look for a doorway through which a child might enter, and we try to plant something that may remain and grow.  We may not always find the right doorway, nor see what becomes of the seed.

Perhaps that is part of the humility of being an EC.  We prepare, pray and sow as faithfully as we can, while recognising that the growth is not ours to command.  We are trying to lead children towards Christ while learning, ourselves, to follow him.  Perhaps the call to “Be Christ to others” begins there.