- City Parish
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City Parish, Penang Country Malaysia Denomination Roman Catholic Website http://cityppg.wordpress.com/ Administration Diocese Penang Division Penang Island Clergy Priest(s) Rev Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu Assistant priest Rev Fr. Michael Thoo City Parish is a community of 4 churches in George Town, Penang. It was founded in 1988 due to shrinking number of priests.
Contents
History
In the 1970s, new housing estates were opened around the city. People started moving out of George Town and the number of Catholics staying in the city had decreased greatly. From a number of 10,000 Catholics, it had shrunk to 900 Catholics in 1990s. Also in view was the number of priests, which are also decreasing.
In 1988, the bishop of Penang, Antony Selvanayagam decided to merge the 4 churches located in George Town, namely Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Church of the Assumption, Church of St. Francis Xavier and Church of St. John Britto into one parish named City Parish. The administration centre of the parish will be at Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Macalister Road.
As of October 2010, the 4 churches are administered by Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu (parish priest) and Fr. Michael Thoo (assistant parish priest).
The 4 churches
The 4 churches of City Parish are:
Church of Our Lady of Sorrows (OLS)
The parish was established in 1888 to accommodate the Chinese Catholics of Penang Island. The church grew further and in 1958, the current church, imposing a 107-feet high belfry, was opened. The church also celebrated it's 100th anniversary in 1988. Currently, this church houses the residence of the parish priest of City Parish and also the parish office. It also has a St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop and a Blessed Sacrament Adoration room.
Church of the Assumption (AC)
Main article: Church of the Assumption (Penang)The church is the oldest church in Penang and was founded in 1786. Currently, it serves as a mass centre in City Parish.
Church of St. Francis Xavier (SFX)
The Church of St. Francis Xavier was founded in 1857 in Penang Road. The present church was constructed in 1950. Today, St. Francis Xavier's Church is a mass centre and also houses the St. Joseph's Orphanage, The Lighthouse (a centre for the poor), Lighthouse Bakery and the La Salle Learning Centre.
Church of St. John Britto (SJB)
Church of St. John Britto was built in 1970 by Fr. IJ Aloysius. A community hall was constructed there in 1974. It is also a parish centre in City Parish.
Mass Times
Daily Masses in OLS Church
7:00am English (Tuesday & Wednesday)
6:00pm English (Thursday & Friday)Saturday Masses
Novena : 6:00pm English (AC)
Novena : 6:00pm English (OLS)
Sunset Mass : 6:30pm English (AC)
Sunset Mass: 6:45pm English (OLS)Sunday Masses
8:00am Tamil (SJB)
8:30am English (OLS)
10:00am English (AC)
10:00am Mandarin (OLS)
11:30am Tagalog (OLS)- 1st and 3rd Sundays
6:00pm English (SFX)References
See also
- Church of the Assumption (Penang)
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Penang
- Holy Spirit Cathedral, Penang
External links
Categories:- Churches in Malaysia
- Roman Catholic churches in Malaysia
- Buildings and structures in Penang
- Malaysian building and structure stubs
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