2020

2020 has been an extraordinary year of “unprecedented disruptions” to our regular lives.  A year when human survival instincts kicked in, forcing almost everyone to make changes and adapt to new ways of doing things, learning new skills, migrating into digital platforms, among others, which has now come to be commonly known as the “New Normal”.

It has also forced us to re-examine our priorities in life and encouraged us to “go back to the basics” – focusing on the important simple aspects of our lives, the value of freedom (during MCO lockdown period), relationships with family (who were stranded and not able to return home for long periods of time) and focussing on God (minus the grandiose and fanfare, which often outshines the spiritual aspects of each event).

For me personally, it opened up an opportunity for the discovery of many wonderfully talented young and young-at-heart parishioners at NBVM/SCIC who had come forward to serve as volunteers when the church reopened its doors for worship, the team who came forward to organize our virtual Advent/Christmas event on social media, and the many parishioners who shared and showcased their creative talents, thoughtful postings and Christmas Carols virtually on Facebook, bringing joy to everyone via digital means.

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A special shout-out to our parish media team had also been working overtime to keep our website and social media pages active besides creating the Virtual Christmas Marketplace platform for our parishioners and friends to sell their products online.

The highlight of the year, undoubtedly belongs to the Outdoor Nativity Crib which was built by our youths, with the theme “Light of the World”.  This Crib which was featured in Star newspaper attracted a steady stream of visitors who came to pray and to take photos with family and friends.

Last but not least, we thank our parish priest Fr Dom for always having our parishioners’ interest at heart and the encouragement / support to allow us to carry out many of our activities in the new normal environment.

With all the positive experiences of 2020 which far outweighs the negatives, we all look forward confidently to a better 2021.  Cheers everyone! – SC