Devotion: Parishioners of St Thomas’ Cathedral taking part in the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. — ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Parishioners from near and far came together to celebrate Good Friday, which is back to full form at churches in Penang.
At the 237-year-old Church of the Assumption in Lebuh Farquhar, the Good Friday service is the first to be held since the pandemic.
Led by Rev Stephen Lim, some 300 parishioners joined the two-hour service which started at noon and ended at 2pm.
Among those present were 31-year-old doctor Dr Justin Kuang, his wife Janine Kong, 34, and their three-month-old daughter Chloe Kuang, who were back from Adelaide, Australia.
“I’m back in Penang for a week to attend my brother’s wedding and decided to drop by for the Good Friday service here.
“It is my first time in this church and seeing the large community together is a positive sign of better times ahead.
“We prayed for the good health of everyone and may peace be upon all,” he said.
Besides observing the 14 Stations of the Cross to commemorate Jesus Christ’s last day on earth as a man and represent events of his passion and death, they also observed the rites of Liturgy of the Word, followed by a general intercession to pray for the well-being of the church and all around.
The service culminated with Veneration of the Cross, but instead of the traditional practice of kissing it, parishioners now bowed and knelt before it.
Good Friday services were also held in neighbouring churches, such as at Church of Our Lady Of Sorrows in Jalan Macalister at 4pm and at St Francis Xavier’s Church in Penang Road at 7pm.
In KUCHING, Easter is expected to be marked with gusto by churches here today, following the energetic observance of Good Friday.
At St Thomas’ Cathedral in Jalan McDougall, services were held in English and Mandarin, followed by Stations of the Cross at noon, Veneration of the Cross and evening prayers with hymns and a sermon at 3pm.
The cathedral’s Dean, the Very Reverend Kho Thong Meng, said this period of the Holy Week was a time where the people came together to worship and pray.
A spokesperson from the parish office said 14 stations were set up around the cathedral premises for the Stations of the Cross, with devotional prayers and hymns at each station.
From inside the church, the sanctuary party led by the priest proceeded outside to the stations as the congregations followed along.
“It’s a spiritual experience as we meditate at each station of prayer on what is happening, as we follow Christ’s journey to the cross,” she said.
A public holiday in Sarawak and Sabah, Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary, with the activities of this Holy Week culminating with Easter Sunday.
