Christmas cheer for Myanmar refugees at the Church of St Joseph

Free Malaysia Today

Founded in 1908, this humble parish has, for over a decade, opened its doors and heart to the Myanmar refugee community here, creating a sanctuary where faith transcends borders.   Story by: Dinesh Kumar Maganathan  Shot by: Afizi Ismail  Presented by: Theevya Ragu  Edited by: Muhammad Akif Irfan   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2024/12/24/myanmar-refugees-find-hope-belonging-at-church-of-st-joseph/   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTLifestyle #Christmas2024 #StJosephChurch #MyanmarRefugees

Transcript

00:00At the Church of St. Joseph in Sinthol, the Yuletide spirit comes alive with hope and

00:10warmth shining like the Christmas star for the Myanmar refugee community it embraces.

00:16Founded in 1908, this parish has been a sanctuary of faith and compassion for Myanmar refugees

00:23for over a decade.

00:25Today it welcomes over 700 of them with open arms, giving them a sense of belonging that

00:31transcends borders.

00:34For Simon Pakkai, his wife Mary Nhu Kim, and their children Lucy Vung and Michael Sang,

00:40members of the Zomi ethnic group, St. Joseph's has been a slice of home ever since they fled

00:46their village in Myanmar in 2011.

00:50There's a sense of warmth I feel when attending mass in this church, especially when we meet

00:57with others of our own community.

00:59We celebrate the mass together, work together, eat together.

01:02We feel real happiness.

01:04And although we miss our native home, we are grateful to be here.

01:07It makes us happy.

01:08It feels like home.

01:12Even though this is not our country, we can come here and pray and do activities like

01:16we used to do in our home church.

01:21Paul Pak Chin, his wife Joanna Nhu Chiang, and their daughters, Mary Len and Philomena

01:26Huay, have also made St. Joseph's their home.

01:31I feel joy coming to this church.

01:33It was very difficult when we first came to this country.

01:36We had left everything and everyone back home.

01:41We felt very sad and we missed them.

01:43But slowly things got better.

01:45Now our children can attend catechism classes and Sunday school and we can attend the church

01:50service.

01:54It's like our home.

01:56We feel very peaceful when we're here in church.

02:06Both families have been navigating the daily challenges of displacement and are employed

02:10as restaurant workers.

02:12But every Christmas, they find a haven of peace and celebration at St. Joseph's, rekindling

02:18the warmth of traditions they hold dear.

02:23We miss our hometown and all of our relatives during Christmas.

02:29But we feel very lucky that we can come to this church and be together with others of

02:32our Zomi community and celebrate in church in our own language.

02:40It's a wonderful feeling.

02:42When it's Christmas, we are filled with happiness, especially when we gather here two Sundays

02:47every month with our community.

02:51It does make us very happy.

02:56For parish priest Fr.

02:57Frederick Joseph, this mission is deeply rooted in the church's history.

03:03From the beginning, St. Joseph's served Tamil Nadu railway workers in Sentul.

03:08Today, the church continues that legacy by welcoming migrants and refugees.

03:13They like to be around the church because they feel very at home and there's no pressure

03:20for them to leave.

03:22And it's part of our Catholic responsibility to take care of migrants who are Catholics

03:34and come to congregate in our places of worship.

03:38And they are to be seen as our own people, not to be seen as a foreigner or migrants

03:44as such.

03:46Over the past decade, the number of Myanmar refugees attending the church has grown exponentially.

03:52On Christmas Day, the community swells to over 1,500 people, drawn by the promise of

03:58fellowship, faith and the festive spirit.

04:02The migrant community, most of all, they need a sense of belonging, but they want to

04:07be treated equally as Malaysians as such when it comes to places of worship.

04:13During the Christmas season, the church's celebrations are a joyful symphony of faith,

04:18culture and togetherness.

04:20Families gather to pray, sing and share traditional meals.

04:24For the families here, it is a time to pray for peace and joy, both for their family in

04:29Malaysia and their loved ones back in Myanmar.

04:35My Christmas wish is to welcome the newborn Jesus into our family and have a meaningful

04:40celebration.

04:41My Christmas wish would be that to have a healthy surrounding, like my surrounding,

04:52I want it to be healthy.

04:54And then I also want my parents to be happy and healthy as well.

04:58Having fun with families and having time to play with them.

05:08Singing, dancing and having the very nice food that my parents will cook for us.

05:14And new clothes.

05:17Presents, just presents.

05:21To all Malaysians, we want to wish you a blessed and holy Christmas.

05:28And every Christmas we bring the message of hope, peace, joy and love.

05:34And that is all that we need in this world.

05:37May God bless you all.

05:39Merry Christmas!

05:41Happy New Year!

05:50Merry Christmas!

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