Evelyn Jock
Sandakan: On 6 July 2022, parishioners of St. Mary’s Cathedral Sandakan organised a potluck fellowship in thanks and appreciation, and to bid farewell to Rev. Fr. Stephen Esguerra, Assistant Parish Priest of St. Mary’s Cathedral, who has been assigned to St. Martin’s Church, Telupid. Fr Stephen served in this Parish since his priestly ordination on 28 October 2019. The fellowship also formally welcomed Assistant Parish Priests, Rev. Fr Thomas Makajil and Fr. Raymond Lee Seng Huat, to St. Mary’s Cathedral. Whereas Fr. Thomas has been with St. Mary’s Cathedral for a while, Fr. Raymond is a newly ordained priest who entered the priesthood on 16 May 2022.
The 2-in-1 potluck fellowship was a first for the St. Mary’s Cathedral after a long span of non-celebration and non big crowd gathering because of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the fellowship was celebrated during a school weekday, the crowd was not expected to be big. However, it was indeed a blessing to see the crowd gathering at 7:30 pm in the evening. BEC families, communities and various church groups came with potluck to celebrate this event. There was plenty of food and the crowd numbered around 350 to 400. We witness the joy of walking together as a Synodal family. Parishioners of the various ethnic groups in the churches in Sandakan, St Mary’s Cathedral, St. Mark’s Church and St. Peter’s Chapel, Sg. Manila, came together and celebrated as a big family of God.
In his farewell speech, Fr Stephen thanked the parishioners for their friendship, support, love, and prayers during his priesthood ministry in Sandakan. He shared that he learnt a lot and experience wonderful moments from all and that he appreciated the generosity of the parishioners in serving one another through Christ’s love. He trusts that everyone will be faithful in their callings and continue to journey together as a Synodal church to build the kingdom of God.
We thank Fr. Stephen for his ministry among us for the last 2 years 9 months and we wish him well as he begins his ministry at St. Martin’s Church, Telupid effective July 2022. Fr. Stephen has touched many lives through his outreach, personal interactions and enriching the spiritual lives of some of the parishioners, the elderly and the youth. We pray that wherever and however the good Lord might call him to serve in the future, he will be a priest after the heart of Jesus, and that he will carry with him always the happy memories of his time in St Mary’s Cathedral Sandakan, as well as the assurance of the prayers of his former parishioners.
Meanwhile, the parishioners also expressed their warm welcome to Fr. Thomas and Fr. Raymond, asking God to give them strength and guidance in their ministry at the parish.