CSS Arts Corner!

Saturday, January 31, 2009

I am a Catholic Awareness Week baby. @ 01:41

Catholic Awareness Week in NUS is just next week and i’m gonna try my best to lend my full support for the event, simply because i am a CAW baby.

Although many Catholic students on campus join the Catholic Students’ Society (CSS) through its Freshmen’s Orientation Camp (FOC) or through its booth at the matriculation fair or through friends even, i was one stubborn mule who took a full two years before allowing myself to be embraced by this wonderful community.

For the first two years of my university life, i meet CSS on an annual basis - through CAW. Whenever CAW drew near, i felt being awakened to that very special identity which was so intimately bestowed upon me through baptism - a child of God, a young Catholic boy (having been baptised only less then). I felt drawn to this community but also (unfortunately) intimidated by these people because of their maturity in the faith. But of course, they were nice and approachable people, only that my low self-esteem then didn’t allow me to feel ok around fellow Catholics very deep in their faith.

I remember CAW 2006 was an exceptionally huge one where the Central Library booth had various artefacts - different portrayals of Mother Mary in different cultures and much more. Besides being awestruck by the whole display (if i’m not wrong i came back again) the befrienders also played a big role in shaping my experience with the booth. The first person i probably met was Albert. He sincerely told me that he ain’t the expert and was pretty much eager to refer me to an ‘expert’ in the faith but it didn’t really matter. His sincerity and his company while i walked through each artefact, exclaiming at each one of them, was enough to help me to identify that experience as a glowing example of ‘Catholic hospitality’. I remember meeting Justin Yip too, although i’m quite sure he doesn’t remember since we never talked about it! hahaha.. i had no soul patch then as well.

CAW 2007 was the booth outside the central library i guess? I remember going to the booth with that same feeling… like i’m making one of those trips home to a relative i haven’t met for a long long time… like meeting semi-strangers, a distant relative and yet feeling that homey warmth in my heart. I met Felicia Yong and it was so easy to open up and share about my excitement about coming to the booth.

It was the befrienders that made the booth alive and filled with God’s love and that human touch was what kept me coming back and telling myself i must join CSS soon. I think i would have been quite disappointed if i didn’t have a befriender walk with me through the booth. it sounds like a very simple thing but after all i was a young needy Catholic boy and i needed a brother or a sister to walk with me and be my hero.

2nd semester into CSS and the only regret was that i didn’t take that step sooner because i found in CSS many treasures & gifts. In CSS, i found a community that strives to love God even in the littlest of ways and to love each other in the most intimate of ways. In CSS i encountered God through the people who have loved me as a brother even though they never knew me.

In CSS i found a home in NUS, a place of rest, a place where even the littlest Catholic boy like me have a seat with God and His CSS family.

i met my heroes and they’re still walking with me

walk with me, be my hero… someone out there is calling out to us & i wanna make sure i’ll be there.

http://www.nuscss.org/bemyhero/

Ignatius 'Pinoy' Fu

2 spoke words of Love ♥

Thursday, January 29, 2009

My testimony @ 19:21

Hey guys, this is my first time writing in and I really hope it ain't the last. I just want to share with you guys my experience this past weeks. I finally discerned my major and it was thanks to HIS amazing grace. For the longest period of time, I was caught in a dilemma for my choice of major. There were 2 contenders: econs or social work. I know both majors are like 2 ends of the spectrum but it really felt like its what I really wanted to do. At the beginning of sem, one of the first people I met at the corner was Jessica. She was sharing with me that she forgot to declare her major, which was social work by the way, and that meant that she could not do her core modules this sem. I was half joking with her then that if I did become a social work major, I would do with her the core modules next sem. That Sunday as I went for mass, somehow I was touched by the hymn Here I am, Lord. I was tearing and I didn't know why. I was telling this to Gabriel and he told me that it must have happened for a reason but just that it was probably not made known to me yet. The following Sunday, I attended Mass alone. I kinda did my own mass preparation by praying not to be late and thank God I reached on time just as the procession was entering the back of the church. To my surprise, the celebrant was one of my favourite priest, who is Father Vas by the way, as I always felt he gave deep sermons. Anyways, as Mass started, I felt at peace and it was like I was in a zone or something. Ask me now what the hymns were or what texts were read during Mass and I really can't tell you. And it really seemed to me that He was calling me to do social work. I was really troubled by this actually but as I went for my monthly scripture prep for lectors later that morning, the advice that was given to me by my president was that if I finally made a decision and I felt at peace after that, then it would have been the right decision. It struck me that then that I had heard this some place else. As I pondered it after that, I finally realized that Victor had told me the same advice some time back. It really feels as if the whole event has came to a full circle and I really want to thank Him for this whole experience. It is a first for me and I feel truly humbled by the whole thing. And there you have it, a new social work major is born. I pray now that we will not be a dying breed in the CSS community in the years to come. Amen!

Gregory "giraffe" Li

4 spoke words of Love ♥

Friday, January 16, 2009

My Testimony @ 23:35

Hi everyone!

How has the first week of school been for you? I just want to share a quick testimony(:

Today, I walked into LT28 for mass with a heavy heart. I was feeling extremely frustrated with school, with people, with the weather, well, basically everything. I am aware that my frustration stamps from my indecisiveness. I took a very long time to decide on modules and now I cannot ballot for tutorials properly. Coupled with other factors, I was in a terrible mood as I prepare for mass.

However during the praise and worship before mass, I was suddenly struck with this thought, "why are you fighting yourself my child? Don't you know better to lift all your worries up to me and I'll take care of them?" And at once, I felt a great peace in me. I haven't felt so calm in the whole week.

I am not sure if this is God speaking to me because He has not spoken so directly to me before. Whatever it is, I am thankful for God's continued guidance and for being in my life. He will always be there for me even when I get so lost in my thoughts and fears and neglect Him.

So my brothers and sisters in Christ, even though the semester has just began and we are all still pretty free, I pray that we will continue to turn to God and I am sure that he will be there for us all the time(:

Joyce Yip

PS: I've settled my modules for this sem already! THANK YOU LORD!(:

1 spoke words of Love ♥