50th anniversary of OMPH Church with a Gold topped crib at the bottom of altar
I witnessed a fabulous Christmas mass this year. It
was the finale to OMPH Church’s 50th anniversary. Parish priest Fr Patrick Massang said it ‘had to reflect the anniversary and was decorated
with that touch of Gold for the Jubilee effect'.
The crib at the outdoor Jubilee stage had ‘gold
bamboo’ while inside the church in front of the altar the crib was decorated with gold painted holly and berries.
As for the Christmas tree it was decked out with gold
balls and yellow light to give it that Golden theme. For the first time we had a Christmas wreath of gold, green holly and poinsettia red.
At the outdoor Jubilee stage ....
..indoor .. the gold topped crib and Christmas wreath
...golden Christmas tree ....
The Christmas sketch of Joseph and Mary bringing in
the Child Jesus to be placed at the crib at the altar. This was followed by the Three
Kings with gold crowns lighting the Christmas wreath just added to the
nostalgic twist this Christmas mass.
The atmosphere was nice ....
..receiving the Child Jesus ....
...and placed in the crib ...
..the three wise men who wore Gold crowns
..all take turns to light the Christmas wreath. Video below by A.Law
Fr Massang explained the significance of gold 'represents
resilience and excellent achievements over the past 50 years acknowledging the
foundation built by the elders of of OMPH.
The 3 Kings with their crown of gold signifying their wisdom represent
the long journey taken by every parishioner for 50 years. They light the
candles to signify a brighter year ahead for all coming out of the darkness of
the pandemic.
Joseph and Mary light the gold candle to signify that Christ our king will journey with us for the next 50 years'.
Nice mass all throughout ....and nostalgic
It was the tail end of the pandemic which would
explain for the large turnout on Christmas night mass.
Seeing the church overflow was a sight to behold as it
was three years since being a witness such a beautiful sight. It looked so nostalgic
that I had to document it.
...and it was packed ...
..choir loft
..outside
packed ..downstairs and upstairs ..
In all it was a wonderful Christmas gathering 2022.
At the outdoor Jubilee stage ...its lit up at night
Had a gastronomic Christmas lunch today. It was nothing fancy (maybe the dish names were) .. just simple BUT it was all home cooked.
It was creative ..and a well thought out mix and match of ...what's that word i heard today 'chapalang' dishes and it was delicious and not heavy.
Imagine chicken rendang, salad and fragrant yelow rice or baked fish with focasscia bread, dumpling with shepherd pie and rinsed with fresh green pea soup...
The possibility are endless and it was a delicious lunch.
Passion and creativity .....another word for Gastronomy
It was an
evening of joy at the Main Convent in Ipoh. The organiser, Convent Girls Alumni
had to forgo the Christmas gathering for the last two years because of the
pandemic but they were full of gusto to organise the gathering this time
around.
Yours truly
too was fondly looking forward to attend the event and see the Convent Chapel,
built over a hundred years and yet still standing and kept well preserved.
the Chinese and English choirs of St Michael's Church
The evening started with carols delivered by the St Michael’s church youth choirs, the Chinese and then followed by the English group. The choirs were lively and provided a rousing start to the evening.
Agnes Wong, the president of COGA presenting Jack Warren of SMC Youth with a souvenir
SMC choir take a group photo at Convent poach
It was a
large choir 46 members in all. Agnes Wong, the COGA President presented a
souvenir to the Youth representative Jack Warren.
This was
followed by the audience participating to sing carrolls whereby the committee
members took an active part to get the audience moving.
The committee and audience sing along
One word of
appreciation on the Christmas cupcakes and snacks which were on sale were
really delicious as they were prepared by the alumni themselves.
It was a
blast at the OMPH Christmas event their first one after the end of the Covid
pandemic.
Themed ‘A
Night of Christmas Music and Song’ it was organised by the OMPH Tamil Choir and
it was 3 hours of nonstop entertainment.
There was also a special event whereby the congregation applauded Fr Patrick Massang’s 37th year of him being ordained a priest.
Fr Patrick Massang's 37th anniversary
..celebrated with the congregation
There was a
children’s fashion show, sketches such as the Nativity scene and various choir performances.
In between
Fr Massang gave us his melodious songs such as ‘Christmas by the River’ and
the many lucky draws which offered good prizes such as a gaming chair worth
Rm450, a handphone Rm550 and the top prize an Ipad worth Rm1500. Christmas did
come early for some lucky parishioners
Christmas came early for this winner of an Ipad
Kids fashion show
OMPH's Fr Massang sings for the parishioners
Tamil choir dancers
St Phillips Nativity performers
Students from UTAR Kampar were present
St Monica Choir group
Dennis English choir
..and the lucky draws went on ....
...and on.
It was a
wonderful Christmas event where both young and old relived the joy of Christmas
once again.
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