By Peter Tan
The SFX Golden Seniors, with 42 of its members and Rev. Fr. Norris Seenivasan as the Spiritual Director went on a pilgrimage to St. Anne’s Minor Basilica in Bukit Mertajam and Penang from 21-23 July 2023 (3 days and 2 nights) in conjunction with St Anne’s Feast Day.
On 21 July 2023, the coach departed for St. Anne’s Minor Basilica from Petron Station, near SFX Church at 8.20am. During the bus journey, the pilgrims recited the rosary prayers and sang inspirational hymns. The bus made a brief stop at the Sg Buloh R&R for breakfast. All the pilgrims had a good rest on the bus before stopping at Taiping for lunch.
We checked into the De Garden Hotel, Butterworth at 4.00 pm to unpack and freshen up. At 5.00 pm, we boarded the bus to St. Anne’s Minor Basilica at Bukit Mertajam. At the Basilica, the pilgrims wandered around the beautiful grounds, walked up the old Church building, bought rosary beads and other holy items at the gift shop as well as collected holy water, before attending the evening Mass at 7.00pm.
The next day, we visited Balik Pulau to attend morning Mass at the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus. After Mass, by special arrangement with the local parish, the pilgrims were treated to a sumptuous lunch comprising Penang assam laksa, kuay teow and famous durians from Balik Pulau.
After lunch, we proceeded to Georgetown to shop for Penang’s famous biscuits. Then we walked along Penang Road to queue up for Penang’s must-try chendol, rojak and fried kuay teow. The group then returned to Butterworth for a hearty dinner.
On the third day of the pilgrimage, the group checked out of the hotel and proceeded to St Anne’s Minor Basilica for Stations of the Cross, followed by Mass at 11.00 am.
After Mass, we started our journey home, stopping at Taiping for lunch and Ipoh for some light shopping. We arrived safely home in PJ with wonderful memories of a spirit-filled pilgrimage for each and everyone of us. The journey also turned out to be a gastronomic discovery, as our pilgrims had the opportunity to savour famous local delicacies in Ipoh, Taiping, Bukit Mertajam, and Penang.