KINTA CHRONICLES: I Joined The Altar Servers To Play Football – Then Became A Priest For 45 Years

Fr Joseph Stephen on his 45th Anniversary of Ordination

Fr Joseph Stephens 45th anniversary was a grand affair. All his Redemptorist brothers were there concelebrating with fellow priests from the Penang Diocese. There were parishoners from Singapore, Johore, Seremban and Kuala Lumpur and his home town who came to celebrate his anniversary. It had all the elements of a joyful affair.

..the visitors from Singapore, Johore, Negeri Sembilan .......

In his sermon Fr Joe said he had no inclination to become a priest. In 1968 he only wanted to play football for the altar servers. His friend told him he would have to join the altar servers first.

He did and every Saturday onwards he would have to sit through 5 Novena sessions, 2 in the morning and 3 in the evening at the Redemptorist Monastery at 31 Tambun Road.

He discovered that Redemptorist priest were very good at repeating themselves. However he found their sermons were inspirational preachings and this point in time had considered becoming a redemptorist.

After 2 years he applied to join the priesthood and was accepted in March 1970. Over for the next 10 years he lived in Singapore, India and Penang learning the structured life of a Redemptorist coming home only on vacations. "My training was lot of changes and challenges to what God was asking of me".

On August 3, 1980 at the 8.30am mass at OMPH Church he was ordained by Bishop Soter Fernandez.

Fr Joe started working in OMPH Parish in 1984. The parish was growing with a lot of young people were moving into the new housing estates eg Ipoh garden south and east. The parish was alive and growing with different ministries. It was a challenging time.I am grateful for the lay ministries. Without them I could do 10% of the work, with them I achieved 99%. There was much to do.. cathechism, RCIA, preparation for marriage, baptism, visiting the elderly all are done by the laity.

As such I am grateful and blessed for these talented parishioners who are able to work with the priest. "There isn’t a perfect parish anywhere in the world. God only asked us to build parishes and parishioners and the bishop entrusted us to run it."...Fr Joe.

45th anniversary cake

(l/r) Fr Francis Xavier, Our Lady of Fatima, Kangar, Perlis, Fr Konstend Gnanapragasam [Asst PP Church of St Joseph, Batu Gajah], Fr Michael Raymond, Church of Divine Mercy, Penang, Fr Eugene Fernandez CSsR, Fr Surain Durai Raj [College General Penang],Fr Cyril Manayagam [College General Penang],Fr Esmond Chua, OFM [PP Gereja Katolik Risen Christ, Penang],Fr Antony Prabhu, CSsR, Fr Joseph Stephen CSsR, Fr Dominic Santhiyagu [PP Church of the Nativity of the BVM, Butterworth, Penang],Fr Ryan Innas Muthu.[College General, Penang], Fr Victor Louis [PP Church of Christ the King, Sg Petani, Kedah], Fr Paul Kee CSsR, Fr Michael Dass [PP Church of St Joseph, Batu Gajah],Fr Patrick Massang CSsR. Missing Fr Phillip Lai, CSsR.