Parishioners stand up for the next session of the Easter Sunday mass at St Francis Anglican Church in Kota Samarahan. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
KOTA SAMARAHAN (April 10): Major churches in Kuching and Kota Samarahan welcomed thousands of parishioners who attended Easter Sunday mass yesterday.
It was a sight that had not been seen since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Easter is regarded as an important day for the Christians as it signifies the Resurrection of Jesus, which many see as a symbol of hope and optimism.
It is the culmination of the Holy Week, beginning with Holy Thursday and followed by Good Friday and the Easter Vigil on Saturday.
According to St Francis’ Church Kota Samarahan priest-in-charge Reverend Kelvin Jawa, however, the observation of Easter actually begins late Saturday – going by the ancient Judean tradition of marking a new day at dusk, instead of at midnight like the practice today.
“For us, the celebration commenced at 6.43pm yesterday (Saturday),” he said in his sermon yesterday.
The St Francis’ Church held three services yesterday: the English session that commenced at 7am, the Iban session at 9am, and the Bahasa Malaysia session at 2pm.
In Kuching, the St Joseph’s Cathedral also carried out a baptism ritual during the 11am Easter Sunday mass, which was conducted in Bahasa Malaysia.
A total of 72 candidates were baptised during the session, which was live-streamed on Facebook.
At the Faith Methodist Church (FMC) Kuching, the Easter Sunday mass was highlighted by the sermon delivered by Reverend Gabriel Ling, entitled ‘The Empty Tomb’.
“Easter reminds us that Jesus is alive. The story of his tomb found by his disciples to be empty three days after the crucifixion validates his teachings about God to people.
“Without the empty tomb, many might not believe in Jesus and his teachings,” said Ling in his sermon, which was live-streamed live on YouTube.
Meanwhile, the Kingdomcity Kuching at CityONE Megamall hosted about 200 members of its congregation for its Easter mass yesterday.
The church’s person-in-charge Pastor Caleb Nedu regarded Easter more than just a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus.
“It is the basis of our faith, and the reason for our existence.
“Our vision is to see our society impacted with God’s love and to understand that He loves all.
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow…The lyrics from an old hymn, which ring true today.
“Jesus’ life and resurrection mean that I can live my life to the fullest, according to His purpose,” said Caleb in a statement.
Last Saturday, Kingdomcity Kuching hosted an Easter Carnival at Aeon Mall Kuching, which welcomed over 500 visitors.
Apart from Kuching, Kingdomcity also has campuses in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh (Perak), Johor Bahru, Melaka and Kota Kinabalu (Sabah). It also has presence in many countries such as Singapore, Australia, the United Arad Emirates and Botswana.