A CATHOLIC IN SUBANG JAYA

Tuesday, 1 September 2009

A CATHOLIC IN SUBANG JAYA

The rain had started. The sky looked angry with flashes of lightning and a rumbling thunder edging closer as each flash lightens up the sky. The roads were jammed. I made my way by car after fetching my good friends in SS15 for Holy Thursday of the Easter Triduum at St Francis Xavier in Petaling Jaya. This was 1995.
This is what we Catholics from Metropolitan College did many years ago before as there was not a place of worship in Subang Jaya. We knew there was a small chapel at a 2 storey shoplot in 1995. Capel Kurnia Kristus or CKK was born here. However, we always made our way to St Francis Xavier in Petaling Jaya.
CKK has since shifted to a hall in Seri Sedaya College in SS13 and this has helped the college students in Subang Jaya as it is nearer to their homes compared to St Francis Xavier in Petaling Jaya or Church of Divine Mercy in Shah Alam.
As we all know, public transportation in Subang Jaya to Petaling Jaya is not very easy and is even more difficult when getting to Church of Divine Mercy in Shah Alam. Yet, it is with the faith in God that many students and people come as they make their way, no matter how difficult it was, to pray.
Church Of Divine Mercy is the first church located nearby which is located in the industrial area of Glenmarie.
Subang Jaya and USJ have only a chapel in Capel Kurnia Kristus but this year, we now have St Thomas More -a Parish.
A new permanent place of worship is now found in USJ3 at Jalan TP5 within the industrial area fronting Proton’s Centre of Excellence. It is a location which would be quite a task to get to as public transportation is non existent there. It is the 2nd church after Church Of Divine Mercy to be located within an industrial area.
We look forward to our new permanent place of worship but I still think and hope that the chapel is continued in SS13. Many foreign students as well as our country people from Sabah and Sarawak are attending mass at SS13 and this would be very helpful.
CKK or Capel Kurnia Kristus was born out of the love of the religion and St Thomas More came about due to the faith of the Catholics in Subang Jaya. St Thomas More is currently in need of funds to help build the church and many fund raising activities are being held presently.

I remembered many years ago when I was a student at Metropolitan College and together with my friends from East Malaysia travelling every Sunday to St Francis Xavier in Petaling Jaya and catching up with more friends. We enjoyed Fr Larry Tan an easy going natured person and we found Fr OC Lim quite insightful.
Now, I sit by my computer writing this and feeling proud. The Catholics in Subang Jaya will soon have a permanent place of our own - St Thomas More.
Yesterday, I took my car and drove to the site of the new Catholic Church. It is easily found. Make your way towards USJ3 and enter the Taman Perindustrian USJ. As you enter the industrial area, turn at the first right and that will lead you towards Jalan TP5. I cannot wait for the permanent place of St Thomas More to be open.
Subang Jaya is blessed to have a community which respects each other’s faith, religion and opinion.
I would like to also take this opportunity to wish all our fellow Muslims a blessed Puasa and Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri at the end of Ramadhan.