Instilling Hope Through Saints

Church of St Francis Xavier, Petaling Jaya (SFX PJ) received a surprise visit by a group of refugee children from Zotung Refugee Catholic Learning Centre (ZRCLC), Kuala Lumpur, in conjunction with the Solemnity of All Saints’ Day Mass, which was celebrated on Wednesday, 1 November 2023 at 1.00 pm.

The children, numbering almost 60 and accompanied by teachers, arrived early for Mass —all dressed up as “little saints” eager to showcase their devotion. Amongst the saints portrayed were Mother Teresa, St Francis of Assisi, St John the Baptist, St Brigid, St Nicholas, St Mary Magdalene, St Joseph, and Holy Mother Mary. Their visit was warmly welcomed by assistant parish priest Fr Alvin Ng, SJ.

Zotung Learning Centre’s Head Administrator, Christopher James shared with SFX parishioners that the children set out to spread the message of hope to all. As a result of conflict and persecution in Myanmar, the refugee families with young children from the Chin state in Burma fled to various parts of Southeast Asia including Malaysia. Zotung Refugee Catholic Learning Centre has since been providing education to refugee children who are unable to enrol in local schools due to their status.  

At Zotung, these children learn essential life skills, in addition to core subjects of English, Mathematics, Science, Art, Music and Information Technology. More importantly, the teachers also ensure that they instil a profound sense of gratitude and encourage their students to always pay it forward through the gift of time and talent. The centre also emphasises its outreach programs such as environmental cleaning, visiting senior care centres and other collaborative projects, to empower their students to make our world a better place for all.

The children of Zotung dressed up as saints precisely to remind each and every one in SFX that there is hope, and we could all live out the life of a saint. “We teach our children that there is a reason God put them where they are, and there is always hope for the future. And the best way to teach hope is for our children to give hope to others,” said Christopher James.

After Mass, the “little saints” became the centre of attention with their colourful ensemble as parishioners came forward to take photos and interacted with them. Zotung, the only Catholic refugee learning centre in Malaysia, is growing fast due to a spike in immigrants arriving into Malaysia. Despite having a dedicated team, the learning centre still requires more manpower and resources—be it retired or professional teachers, as it plans to rapidly expand its physical teaching facilities.

Written by Cordelia Lee, SFX Social Communications Ministry