Report of Fr Laurence's trip to Malaysia
23-26 January 2003
Patricia Por, WCCM Malaysia

Talk in Malacca – 23 January 2003: Discovering the Prayer of the Heart

The first evening was spent in the town of Malacca, two hours drive from Kuala Lumpur. About 100 parishioners from St. Francis Xavier Church and two neighbouring parishes. attended the talk based on Jesus’ seven teachings on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, which is what we put into practice in meditation . This was followed by meditation and Q&A.

Group leader Stephen Chia thanked Fr Laurence for bringing a’ breathe of fresh air’ to their community and meditation group. He hoped that more will join their weekly group which started seven years ago following Fr Laurence’s last visit with Peter Ng. He also welcomed the Chinese translation of ‘Your Daily Practice’ , hot off the press in Medio Media , very kindly brought in by Liz King from the USA and hoped that the Chinese speaking group will be revived with the promise of more resource material in the Chinese language.

School at Stella Maris, Penang – 24-26 January 2003

45 participants gathered at the seaside Retreat House , Stella Maris on the island of Penang for the first School for Teachers in Malaysia. They were predominantly from Singapore and Malaysia with representation from Thailand, Indonesia and USA.
The plenary sessions were conducted by Fr Laurence and Peter Ng . National Co-ordinator in Singapore.

In the opening session on Friday evening , Fr Laurence reminded us that meditation is a gift to be shared,. summing up the aims of the school which is to equip us to impart this contemplative dimension of prayer to others. Each participant was asked to relate his/her own experience on how they received this gift. It was apparent by the end of the session that the trees of meditation in Malaysia (with 17 going on 18 branches) and Singapore(with 19 going on 21 branches) took root from a tiny seed that was sown in the hearts of one couple, Peter & Patricia Ng some 15 years ago in Singapore.

On the second day, morning meditation was followed by walking meditation along the beach, the latter being a first experience for many of us. It was particularly meaningful to start and end with a bow to the Lord of Sea and Sky in acknowledgement of the wonder of God’s creation.

‘The Essential Teaching’ was presented by Peter Ng and Fr Laurence dealt with the ‘History of the Tradition.’ The rest of the morning was spent in small group discussion where participants gave short talks and appraised each other for delivery and presentation.

‘We found the sharing in small groups very enriching and encouraging with much learning taking place through criticisms and exhortations from one another in each group’
says Agnes Yong from Singapore.

Leading one group was Fr Alfred Chan, Spiritual Director of WCCM Singapore, undaunted by the physical disabilities sustained following a recent stroke. His enthusiasm and commitment to the practice and the community was exemplary.

The Bishop of Penang, Antony Selvanayagam graced the occasion by joining us for dinner, participating in the Question and Answer session and watching the video presentation on’ Introduction to Communication skills ‘ . He was pleased to note that it is a Ministry run by lay people and assured those in his Diocese of his support in their efforts to promote this dimension of prayer.

The evening ended with a departure from the business of the day. A verbal sparring session between the Singaporeans and Malaysians over water supply and territorial rights provided much laughter over beer and tidbits.

Resource material made available for the first time was the Chinese translation of ‘Your Daily Practice’ fresh off the press from Medio Media USA and personally delivered by Liz King. Sister Phuangphet Huatsiri from Thailand brought a few
copies of the same book in the Thai language. Apart from the usual publications, CDs taped and made in Singapore included ‘Sharing the Gift’, Towards fullness of Life’, Jesus the Teacher Within’ by Fr Laurence, and ‘Preparing for Silence’ by Fr John Main, all of which comprised short talks useful for group meetings.

The Sunday morning commenced with Mass and meditation. Fr Laurence concluded the teaching with the "Stages of the Journey" and the "Psychology of Meditation". The video filmed during the last school in Singapore in 1999 was shown after lunch. Group discussion in the afternoon now focused on the plan of action participants could take to help others encounter the Spirit within. The various ideas were presented in the Plenary Feedback session. Energised by the weekend, the Singapore participants left with some directions in mind as Agnes Yong reports: “First, some of us feel the need to pass the gift of meditation to our own family members, especially the children and older folks, after sharing ideas on how to go about it. In this respect, the first Chinese booklet made possible with the help of Liz King (USA) sold at the school retreat, is a gem for us to bring home to some of our Chinese –educated mothers/mothers-in-law. Secondly, we hope to lead others in the church community into meditation by getting the green light from parish priests to conduct introductory programmes on meditation and to publicise meditation sessions through flyers and posters. In particular, attempts will be made to incorporate a module on meditation in the RCIA course with the hope of teaching new converts to the faith. Thirdly there is also hope of sharing with believers of other faiths through health support groups among survivors of major illnesses and thereby introducing Christian Meditation to the community we work and live in.

The Penangites plan to approach the Bishop for a meditation room in their new Diocesan Centre and to start a group there. Leaders in other parts of Malaysia will continue to conduct Introductory courses in their parishes and other States.

Fr Laurence pledged support by making available a copy of ‘A Pearl of Great Price’ to each participant to assist us on our mission.

Peter Ng was deeply encouraged by the enthusiasm and faith of the participants. ‘It was a humbling experience to know how much others could teach us – sharing the teaching is a leap of faith as well as deepening our own understanding of it’

Dorothy Gopal, one of the Malaysian meditators summed up her experience as ‘ a weekend of recharging the call to commitment in this way of prayer as well as an opportunity to deeper friendship with others.’

Patricia Por, WCCM Malaysia