St George Church to build new complex starting this June as Catholic community in Sebauh grows
BINTULU (May 2): St George Church Sebauh will be constructing a new church building complex, expected to begin this June.
The announcement was made by Bishop Richard Ng of the Diocese of Miri during the St George Church Sebauh 50th Golden Jubilee Dinner, which drew around 700 parishioners and guests at Dinner World Restaurant here on Wednesday.
'This is great news for the people of Sebauh, who have long dreamed of a fully equipped, comfortable, and modern church in line with the times,' said Bishop Ng during the 50th anniversary of St George Church Sebauh celebration dinner on Wednesday.
He said the proposed new church building complex was in recognition of the growing number of the Catholic community over the years, especially among the Ibans, Orang Ulus, and other local ethnic groups.
'Since its establishment in 1975, from only 43 believers, it now has more than 12,000 baptised members in the Sebauh district,' he said.
He added that the new church complex will include not only a main worship hall but also residences for a priest and a catechist.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
18 hours ago
- The Star
Malaysians help enrich national archives, from temple records to sambal secrets
Azmi with replicas of the nine traditional sambal recognised as national heritage by the National Heritage Department. PSWAD features these replicas as part of its 'Taste of Malaysia' gallery. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star IMAGINE trying to trace the roots of a major religion in Malaysia, only to find the historical records severely limited. This was the frustrating reality faced by Loka Ng Sai Kai, president of the Selangor Buddhist Development Council (SBDC), both as a student working on his thesis 30 years ago and again in 2019 for personal research. The scarce information on Buddhism's development in Malaysia led him to urge Buddhist organisations to donate their printed materials and photos to the National Archives of Malaysia (ANM) through its Community Archives programme. 'This would be our way of contributing towards nation-building and supporting ANM's efforts in keeping records of the nation's history and heritage,' said Ng. 'After all, who better to contribute materials on the development and history of Buddhism in Malaysia than the Buddhist societies themselves? We have plenty of photos as well as printed and audiovisual materials that can be kept in ANM's archives.' In October 2024, SBDC organised a visit to the ANM headquarters to better understand the agency's roles and responsibilities. They discussed strategies to encourage Buddhist individuals and organisations to donate historically valuable documents to ANM for conservation and future reference. Ng then coordinated a briefing in December to explain the process and requirements for donating materials to the agency. 'Representatives of some 20 Selangor Buddhist organisations attended this briefing to seek clarifications on what constituted items of historical value,' he said. 'We later presented several items to ANM as an initial contribution. Our next round will include a photo of former Selangor mentri besar, the late Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim visiting the Subang Jaya Buddhist Association premises during Wesak Day.' Ng, who travels around Malaysia to deliver lectures and conduct research related to Buddhism, hopes to get Buddhist communities in Sabah and Sarawak to contribute to the Community Archives programme. Another organisation committed to preserving Malaysia's history, this time in the culinary field, is Persatuan Seni Warisan Artistik Digital Malaysia (PSWAD). The group collaborated with the National Heritage Department (JWN) to submit a list of nine traditional sambal officially recognised as national heritage. These chilli pastes, some of which are difficult to find or recreate today, were declared intangible cultural heritage by JWN between 2009 and 2018. 'The list includes recipes, photos, and their origin states,' said PSWAD chairman Azmi Jaffri. 'Some sambal are not commonly available due to the scarcity of ingredients or the complexity of making them. 'By submitting these documents, we ensure the recipes are archived for future generations to learn about these local condiments.' A copy of the list, featuring sambal found in states such as Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Johor and Selangor, was submitted through ANM's Community Archives programme in Klang in May. It included commonly found ones such as sambal belacan and sambal tumis, to rare ones such as sambal getah and sambal rong, both of which Azmi said are made from rubber seed kernels. 'The recipes were acquired from village folk and local communities. The national heritage recognition will allow local entrepreneurs to market sambal as heritage products. 'PSWAD also commissioned a set of silicone-based replicas of the nine sambal variety so people can get a better idea of what they look like,' said Azmi, adding that the set cost RM15,000 and took three weeks to make. He revealed that PSWAD was in the midst of creating an interactive 'Taste of Malaysia' pop-up gallery to offer visitors an authentic, hands-on experience of Malaysian food and culture. 'The gallery will have three components: food display using silicone replicas, mini market selling a selection of sambal and crafts made by local entrepreneurs as well as a cafe,' said Azmi. — By JADE CHAN
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Pope Leo urges crowd of million Catholic youth to spread their faith
Pope Leo led a mass today that capped a special week of events in Rome for Catholic youth. (AP pic) ROME : Pope Leo celebrated the largest event yet of his nearly three-month tenure today, encouraging a crowd of more than a million Catholic young people gathered in a field on the outskirts of Rome to spread their faith. Amid shouts of 'Viva il Papa' (Long live the Pope) from young people dressed in colourful T-shirts and waving national flags at the Tor Vergata field, Leo led a mass that capped a special week of events meant to energise Catholic youth. 'Dear young people… spread your enthusiasm and the witness of your faith to everyone you meet,' the pope said during his sermon for the event, which also urged them not to focus on gaining material possessions but on helping those in need. 'Buying, hoarding and consuming are not enough,' said Leo. 'We need… to realise that everything in the world has meaning only insofar as it serves to unite us to god and to our brothers and sisters.' Many of the youths attending the event spent the night outside in the field, to be ready for the pope's arrival at 7.45am in advance of heat expected to reach 30°C later today. 'It's amazing to see just how big the world church is, and how many people are here… and (are) on fire to see the pope,' said Rita Piendl, 19, who came from Germany. 'We want to truly spread hope and love to the world and we really want to make a difference for the better.' The Catholic Church, which numbers more than 1.4 billion members globally, has grown slightly in recent years but has experienced sliding adherence in Europe. Today's mass was part of a week-long series of events in Rome for Catholic youth, tied to the ongoing Catholic holy year. Leo, the first US-born pope, was elected on May 8 by the world's cardinals to replace the late Pope Francis.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Pope Leo exhorts crowd of million Catholic youth to spread their faith
Pope Leo XIV leads Mass for Jubilee of Youth in Tor Vergata, in Rome, Italy, August 3, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi ROME (Reuters) -Pope Leo celebrated the largest event yet of his nearly three-month tenure on Sunday, encouraging a crowd of more than a million Catholic young people gathered in a field on the outskirts of Rome to spread their faith. Amid shouts of "Viva il Papa" (Long live the Pope) from young people dressed in colourful t-shirts and waving national flags at the Tor Vergata field, Leo led a Mass that capped a special week of events meant to energise Catholic youth. "Dear young people ... spread your enthusiasm and the witness of your faith to everyone you meet," the pope said during his sermon for the event, which also urged them not to focus on gaining material possessions but on helping those in need. "Buying, hoarding and consuming are not enough," said Leo. "We need ... to realise that everything in the world has meaning only insofar as it serves to unite us to God and to our brothers and sisters." Many of the youths attending the event spent the night outside in the field, to be ready for the pope's arrival at 7:45 a.m. (0545 GMT) in advance of heat expected to reach 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) later on Sunday. "It's amazing to see just how big the world church is, and how many people are here ... and (are) on fire to see the pope," said Rita Piendl, 19, who came from Germany. "We want to truly spread hope and love to the world and we really want to make a difference for the better." The Catholic Church, which numbers more than 1.4 billion members globally, has grown slightly in recent years but has experienced sliding adherence in Europe. Sunday's Mass was part of a week-long series of events in Rome for Catholic youth, tied to the ongoing Catholic Holy Year. Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, was elected on May 8 by the world's cardinals to replace the late Pope Francis. (Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Additional reporting by Veronica Altimari and Roberto Mignucci;Editing by Helen Popper)
