New logo launch

Today after so many months, I've finally taken some time to update this blog.

I have been busy living life in all its aspects.

Anyway, today I changed the logo of my blog. I designed it myself with my brand new S-Pen from my Samsung Note 10.1. A powerful machine indeed.

It may not win any prizes for design but it is done from divine inspiration.

That matters more to me...lol.

Well, the new logo is in the shape of an eye. If you look carefully, it consists of two Cs.
One is the normal C, which is the left side of the eye and the other is a flip side of a C for the right side of the eye.

Then the inside the eye is the eyeball E.

So it spells CCE for Cradle Catholic Eyes.

I've been using green all these while even for my old logo because green is one of the liturgical colours of the Catholic faith - Ordinary Time.

It is also the main colour of the natural environment which God has entrusted us with.

Visually I feel this logo now gives my readers a better impact of my blog title.

I redesigned these because I've been working on a project which will be launched very soon.

So please stay tuned my friends.

Have a superbly blessed Wednesday.

A Time To Give

Tomorrow we will enter into the third week of Lent. I know, I know it seems like yesterday when it was Ash Wednesday... then again it seems like yesterday when it was Jan 1 and now we are at the first quarter of the year.

If you have been swept away by life's routine and haven't really quieten down this season of Lent, there's still time. You still have the whole of the 3rd week, 4th week and 5th week before Palm Sunday on April 1.

I know I myself am making a conscious effort despite so much noise and activity living in a fast paced city.

As I mentioned in my earlier posting, inner peace and quiet time with the Lord is a CHOICE. It can be scheduled in. For me my best time is early morning before the rest of the family wakes up and also just after my daughter Mary goes to kindy.

Of course, it is different for everyone. Some of you who are nocturnal creatures may find that the best time is when everyone else in the family has gone to bed at night and peace reigns.

Anyway, the pillars of Lent is fasting, prayer, abstinence and alms giving. I shall not go into what these are cos' if you are Catholic, you already know what they are, right? Opps, perhaps I am taking too much for granted. Maybe some cradle Catholic out there still wonder what exactly these are.

Well, you can check out this site and find out more.

My parish priest Fr Simon has been reminding us that during this time of fasting from food and all things we love too much, we would have spent less and the money saved from these efforts can then be donated to help the needy.

Now, I know most of you have your favourite charity or organisation to give to. However, this Lent I encourage you to expand your giving circle and consider the Church of St Thomas More, my parish.

Why?

Well, for starters besides still paying off our RM4mil loan from the Archdiocese for our building fund, we have started actively helping foreign immigrants to have a better life. For a new parish which is paying off a huge loan and serving a growing community made of young families, funding is always a help.

We have been fortunate that God has blessed us with many generous donors thus far in the initial stage of the building fund raising activities. That's how we are no longer worshipping in a badminton hall of a private school and now celebrate mass in a beautiful church.

After starting this blog and being involved in the parish fund raising activities, I created a PayPal Donate button just to see if people actually would donate online.

Well, one very generous Catholic from Singapore (a true loving thy neighbour story here) donated some. My friend Jimmy from the Finance Ministry of my parish and I was very encouraged by it.

However, since I slowed down on blogging, nobody else has donated online. Anyway, here's my appeal once again to the global Catholic community to send some over here.

Having said that, all Malaysians reading this post is most encouraged to charge your credit cards, (debit card or PayPal) and earn some extra points while helping us out.

In fact, there was an announcement in the Budget last year that the government may consider giving tax relief for donations to places of worship.Let's make them honour that soon...

Once again, I'm calling for action, just look at the right side of my blog and you will find the Donate button I'm talking about. Just click and follow the instructions and you would have helped us out immensely.

Thanking you in advance for your generosity this Lent. God bless you.

WOW! I can't believe this blog is a winner ... ;-)

I was really happy this morning to receive an email informing me that my blog is now one of the top 40 Catholism blogs of 2010. Seems unreal that my personal ramblings could lead to this...

According to Emma Lee of AwardingTheWeb, who initiated the award, winners were chosen through a scoring system led by internet nominations,which came from my reader base!

Well, I know from my blog traffic that I do get lotsa visitors and I sometimes wonder whether they do come back to read updates (which I must confess are few due to my crazy schedules these days). So this nomination and scoring thingy kinda gave me a little tap on the shoulder though I know it is also an advertising campaign (of onlinephdprograms - who may be one of AwardingTheWeb sponsors that keep what they do alive).

Whatever it is ... this has given me new vigour and energy to blog again (this post included). I've experienced so many God-led miracles since March and they are shouting to be told and heard, so watch out for them soon.

My only hope is that if you are my reader and hopefully follower too, please make it official by clicking on the FOLLOW button on the right. To me, it means a lot and is like a personal hello, I like your sharing, or I can identify with that.

I'm so happy that one of the other winner is a local blog for our young adult ministry STM Lifeline. Click this link to see who the other top 40 winners are: http://www.onlinephdprograms.com/top_catholicism/#Cradle_Catholic_Eyes

May God's choicest blessings be upon all of you,
Hazel

Creative Catholics - that's the new name for my online shopping blog

Yes! A little advertisement for my other blog - which showcase creative Catholics with something interesting to offer.

So far, I've only managed to put up my own Cradle Creations knotted Rosaries, but very soon, we will have other things available for your Christmas shopping, I pray.

One, will be very beautiful crafts from a charming lady from my BEC. Won't reveal too much till I release it officially on Creative Catholics (formerly, actually very recently - known as The Creative Catholic Centre).

Second, I hope will be a new Christmas album by a group of brillant Malaysian Catholic musicians and singers, comprising both adults and youths. Proud to say I know at least two of them personally cos' they come from my parish (St Thomas More).

I'm extremely excited. Life is full of surprises. I'd never guess that one day, I'll actually be doing craft for sale and to top it off - one with a spiritual and religious twist to it. Guess God is teaching me creative ways of evangelisation.

(Spreading the Catholic Faith to the ends of the earth thru craft...cool, rite?)

Enough said for now, have to catch up on my sleep...

Birth Of The Cradle Creations Knotted Rosary Workshop

Anne Marie and Juliet, our first two clients who signed up to learn how to make the rosaries (first two pix).

Kerry-Ann crafting a custom-made order for a sweet boy who bought a beaded cross for someone special, wonder whether it's for his mom or gf??? *wink wink*

Kerry-Ann and I posing before we tutup kedai (close shop around 1pm).

The close-up shot of the stock that was left when we ended.

Two satisfied clients, Mei (left, wearing the purple beaded cross made by Kerry-Ann) and Maria putting on her Olive wood cross Rosary (cross was bought and blessed in Jerusalem) - other parts of the Rosary was knotted by yours truly.

Last week was indeed a hectic week. In between work, a really good friend Ralph Curzon passed away, and then there was the St Thomas More parish Family Day in which our 100% effort was required to raise funds for our new home.

The great news is I heard all the RM50,000 worth of coupons were sold out. This meant we raised almost that amount - minus some cost here and there. Of course, the battle is not yet won. We are still very much in need of about or over RM9.5mil, with inflation always rearing its ugly head.

Good news is this 17 May, we shall have a forum to further discuss and brainstorm ideas to generate more funds (speedily, we hope) in order to make our new home a reality next Easter.

If you are a non-parishioner - we need all your prayers and most importantly your money (full story on my posting dated 25 April 2009).

Anyway, a personal note of thanks to the many people who came by my knotted Rosary stall - to either sign up and learn to make them or just to buy one. We raised about RM218. Not too bad la hor.

Anne Marie Tan from SS17 was my first client, while Angelina Bong, originally from Kuching, spent the most in our stall buying my Jerusalem olive wood cross rosary and a few beautifully beaded crosses made by my cousin and Godsister Kerry-Ann (sorry forgot to take your pix).

We realised that most people preferred to just buy the Rosaries instead of learning how to make them. In the end, what counts is STM gets the funding, right? Which is why I've decided to recruit Rosary makers after my class and then we can make more for sale.

Ready made designs should range from RM10-RM20 per rosary. If custom-made, then it could be about RM50 and above. For now, to order - please email me at hazelong888@gmail.com

All proceeds (minus the cost) will help build our permanent and visible place of worship brick by brick.

I was also very happy to have made friends with Juliet Lee, Marie Meity from Sumatra, Indonesia and Lifeliner, Alexis Ryan and Jacqueline, whom I discovered is also from Putra Heights. Ee Lynn, thanks for supporting the stall.

That's all for now... got to get ready for BEC Rosary tonight...which Rosary shall I bring tonight? Hmmm ... too many choices now.

Help Us Build Our Church this 1 May 09

More in DVD

Come Friday (1 May 2009), we, parishioners of St Thomas More (STM) will celebrate our annual Family Day. Our very first as STM parish.

Being Workers' Day and a public holiday, most of us are encouraged to take our minds and hearts off our daily grind -blood, sweat and tears - and instead refocus on spending time together as a domestic family as well as the Body of Christ, celebrating mass in the morning, followed by makan (feasting) and games.

Every year, our respective BECs (neighbourhood small groups/cell groups) and ministries also take the opportunity to raise funds for our yearly activities. Yes! This is the time of the year when the bulk of funds flow in (well for most BECs and ministries anyway).

This year, I personally feel, our parish has a common vision and mission. That is to raise over RM10 million (just about USD 3 million - we accept all kind donations from our universal brethren throughout the world) so that we can finally have a permanent place of worship.

You see, before we became a parish (which was very recently this year - I can't really remember the exact date), we were just a chapel community known as Capel Kurnia Kristus (CKK - Chapel of Christ's Blessing, literally translated).

Just to sidetrack, our Archbishop Datuk Murphy Pakiam, prefers chapels to be named in Bahasa Malaysia (our national language) while saint names or Marian names are given to parishes.

Perhaps, His Grace, chose the name of St Thomas More for our parish because he (St Thomas)was a politician who stood up for justice until it cost him his life. Well, we in Malaysia definitely need such a role model for our politicians, especially now, with the kind of Perak "frogs" emerging (heartbreaking because it's my homestate).

Btw, who needs television anymore with the many Kisah Benar (true stories) happening around us, of which an international Mongolian spy was blown up into pieces after being at the wrong place, with the wrong person, at the wrong time. Many "famous" people were also ending up in the missing persons lists for short spurts and extended periods (for some, perhaps permanently). Only God knows and time will tell. We certainly live in interesting times. Great stories to tell our children and grandchildren.

Back to the original story, CKK started off as just a small group of Catholic families celebrating mass together in Subang Jaya sometime in 1981. Then it grew when the USJ areas opened up and the congregation, through God's Grace, started to celebrate mass regularly at two double-storey shoplots in USJ 11 sometime in 1995. As the numbers grew, as well as its activities, CKK officially moved into our current location in SS13, Subang Jaya (close to the Sunway area) since year 2000 (location map above). I was told recently, that the very first mass celebrated in our present home was sometime in 1999.

Ever since then, we celebrate mass in a badminton hall which is now part of the Sri Sedaya private school. Every Sunday, as early as 6am, a very committed team of people will dress up the hall and transform it into a church - equipped with the stations of the cross, altar, chair for the presider and the works in time for the 8.30am mass, while another team strips it down at about 1pm after the 11.30am mass.

I must say I'm proud of this odd arrangement at times as it shows our unity, creativity and persistance to hold on to the dream of one day celebrating mass in a permanent and visible church building.

As I write this post, I'm glad to say that the map above will soon be obsolete. We were informed that piling works for our new church building (located in the industrial around the area near USJ3, 4 and USJ 12), had already began. In fact, most of us were overjoyed when Fr Simon Labrooy, our new parish priest showed us an artist impression of our new home at the end of the Easter Vigil and Easter morning masses. It really wowed me (and I think the rest of the congregation).

Fr Simon's heartfelt prayer (and I think for most of us too) was to celebrate Easter 2010 in the brand new STM building.

The only thing left to make that prayer a reality is of course the extra RM9.5million. According to the financial report on the building fund we have ONLY raised about RM487,477.63 as at Feb.
Dear friends, fellow Catholics, near and far. We appeal to your generosity to help us build our church.

Besides pledges from STM parishioners, we had and are continuously raising funds through different activities. Will post them regularly as they come up.

As I mentioned earlier, our Family Day is a great event to help us cos' all proceeds will go towards building our new home. Every nasi lemak (SS19B BEC - my former BEC) or corn-in the-cup (Choir) you eat or game (Putra Heights BEC) you play will help us build our church, brick by brick.

For me personally, I shall be offering Knotted Rosary making classes - in line with praying the Rosary in May. Shall post more about it very soon (must advertise a bit la).

So bring your friends and family to STM this Friday morning. Join us for mass at 8.30am (if you can). Food, fun and games will commence from 9.30am and is estimated to end by about 1pm. Pls call me to book the coupons at RM10 a book.

To me, the new STM church will not only be a good thing for us parishioners, but actually a BIG victory for all Malaysians Catholic Christians and even non-Catholic Christians.

In times when getting approval to build a church is so hard to come by, STM will indeed be a great sign of our Almighty Allah's Awesome Power and Glory.

Amin!