Evelyn Jock
The St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish Pastoral Council which is responsible for pastoral activities and promoting the caring mission of Christ according to the Gospel, organised its 5th Parish Pastoral Assembly on 22 March 2025. The assembly brought together the clergy, Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Simon J. Kontou, Assistant Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Mitchelly Kiun, Deacon Ricki Boy Hasim and religious sisters, leaders and representatives of ministries and groups, couples and single persons coming and walking together in reflection and prayer.
The assembly embraces ‘Amoris Laetitia-the Joy of Love an apostolic document by our Holy Father, Pope Francis. The document which emphasised on topics related to marriage and families were presented by the clergies and members of the Parish Pastoral Council. There were spiritual conversation to dwell in depth on the topics as a community, which involve active listening, openly sharing one’s experiences and discernment on God’s will.
Rev. Fr. Simon J. Kontou officially opened the assembly. He shared that the first assembly was first started in 2018 with a total of 80 people from the various parishes and that earlier in 2014 and 2015, two Synods were held by the Catholic Church, which focused on the vocation and role of the family in the church and the world. The two synods resulted in the final report, ‘Amoris Laetitia-The Joy of Love’ which was issued in 2016. This assembly embraces ‘Amoris Laetitia’ which is related to the realities of today’s world where the family is faced with a lot of challenges such as separation, divorce, living together, not wanting children and etc. He mentioned that due to the intricate and engaging narrative of Amoris Laetitia, it is to be read and studied slowly. He invited the participants to realise the importance of such an assembly, to fully participate in it and continue to be enlightened in their spiritual life, be it now or in the future.
Amoris Laetitia asks the church to meet the people where they are, with all the complexities and brokenness of their lives. Today more families are entangled in the miserable issues of the world. These people may feel that they have been excommunicated but the church must address this and integrate them into the community. Amoris Laetitia brings us on a journey to the joys and challenges of marriage and the family. It emphasised that the vocation of marriage is a gift from God and is indissoluble. Of course not all people will enter the vocation of marriage such as the clergy, religious brothers and sisters. It also stress on the pastoral care of families and education of children. At the same time, Amoris Laetitia also stressed on the importance of prayer, faith and the pursuit of holiness. How wonderful it would be if Amoris Laetitia reaches out not only to the participants but to a whole lot of people in the Church and more may realise what the Catholic church is wanting us to do.
