Around 50 parishioners, mostly church group leaders, of Holy Trinity Parish, Tawau celebrated Msgr. Nicholas Ong’s 60th birthday with a dinner at a local restaurant on Sunday, 10th January.
In his speech, PPC chairman Mario thanked the rector for his untiring effort in forming more and more BECs thereby bringing us at Holy Trinity closer and closer to the diocesan’s vision of a community serving each other with God’s love. He also thanked the rector for devoting much time to the formation of the neo catechumenal community in the parish.
Msgr. Nicholas in turn thanked those present for celebrating his birthday.He said priests do not usually celebrate their birthdays. Instead they usually celebrate their ordination anniversaries. He quipped by saying, ‘ may be we could make an exemption this year as we are in the year of the priests.’
On a more serious note, Msgr. Ong shared with us that although being 60 years old now, he did not wish to remind himself that he was getting old. Rather he wishes to feel renewed each time he gets to his birthday as there are still so many things he has to do in spreading the good news.
He thanked everyone for giving him the dinner, and also those who have been constantly helping him in his pastoral duty at Holy Trinity Church.
The dinner ended with a presentation of a gift by the PPC chairman on behalf of those present and the cutting of the birthday cake.
marcus chin