We are in the midst of a 9-days celebration of novenas in conjunction with the feast of St Thomas, the Apostle. Day One celebration commenced on Friday, 24 June 2022 with the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Throughout this 9-days celebration, we have selected several aspects which focus on faith, the Word of God, the Eucharist, married life, community living and evangelisation. On the last three days, we will contemplate the life of St Thomas and how he was a servant of the Word of God, his loyalty to Christ Jesus and being a saint for our times.
For the past two years, our novenas and feast day celebrations were put on hold, but now we are privileged and happy to be able to gather and celebrate our faith. The feast of our Parish’s patron saint is an opportunity for us to deepen our devotion to St Thomas. It is a time for us to look beyond the here and now, and place God at the centre of our hearts in everything that we do.
The Universal Church commemorates various solemnities, feasts and memorials in the liturgical celebrations. This year, the Feast of St Thomas falls on Sunday, 3 July 2022 and as such, the Parish will celebrate the feast on Saturday, 2 July 2022 as Sunday remains a day of obligation, thus taking on the order of precedence in the liturgy.
Every saint has a unique life story, and each of these stories inspire our own personal faith, taking it to greater heights and giving it a deeper meaning. As we participate and celebrate our Parish’s feast day this year, let the celebrations create a path for us to experience the joy of the Risen Lord within our community. We hope that the celebrations will inspire and kindle in our hearts a greater devotion towards St Thomas. Through his intercessions, may we cultivate our relationship with God. May this feast also unlock our hearts and renew our faith - to grow in better understanding of the virtues of life and enable us to face the challenges of our time.
I was surfing the internet for the Litany of St Thomas, the Apostle, but I was unable to find one. Therefore, for the celebrations this year, we have composed a very special Litany to St Thomas of our own. He is our friend in heaven, and his faith in the Risen Lord has become a witness to the reality of the resurrection. He sacrificed his life for the love of Jesus and led the unbelievers to Christ. He spread the light of Christ in their hearts.
We will pray the Litany throughout the novenas, and we shall add it into our daily prayer as well. The final three days of our Parish feast day celebrations will be live streamed on social media, and we hope that those who are unable to attend the celebrations in person, will join us online. For this and all other information pertaining to our Parish, please log on to our website: https://www.stthomaskuantan.org
We honour God the Father through St Thomas, who has a special place in our hearts. May St Thomas, who humbly confessed, “My Lord and My God” inspire our faith, protect us from all distress and intercede for all our needs, always. St Thomas, pray for us!
