MAJODI Centre

MAJODI Centre derives its acronym from Malacca-Johore Diocesan Centre.   

It is located at 2101 Jalan Masai, Plentong, 81750 Masai, Johor.


Accessible by public bus service 39, 133 and 208 (Bus fare: RM2.70).

Located 2 bus-stops away is the Church of St Joseph.

A purpose-built centre for:

• Silent and Preached Retreats,
• Seminars for Adults and Youth,
• Formation Sessions,
• Conferences,
• Weddings,
• Regional Meetings,
• Chapters,
• Gatherings,
• BBQs, etc.

The main gate opens onto a vast compound, with the Pastoral Institute in the background, the St James' Chapel to the left, and the Graceville ( Home for Aged and Destitutes ) to the right.

The below site-map helps tremendously our orientation on the sprawling habitat.

Ample parking space and open space for games and outdoor activities.

On the right is the Reference Library and MAJODI Diocesan Curia.

St James' Chapel is in the background.

The Bookshop is next to the chapel, and aims to:

• form a reading and thinking society,
• create awareness,
• bring knowledge to the masses,
• feed the hungry mind, and
• fill the thirsting soul.

Morning mass is held at the chapel at 7.30am.


Religious retreats where guidance and aids in contemplation and meditative techniques or spiritual motivational sessions can be arranged on prior request.

To attend a retreat is to seek God, and to rest in his presence in a time set apart for prayer and reflection.

Solitude, silence and stillness, in varying degrees, are normally regarded as necessary conditions.

The below nursery is just next to St James' Chapel.

Take in the beauty of His creation, immerse in the surrounding lush greenery with 30 acres of fruit trees and well maintained gardens.

To the right of St James' Chapel is Our Lady at the fountain.

There are badminton courts, table tennis, football courts and a volleyball court for loved ones and friends to engage in games for your physical well-being and recreation. 

This covered link-hall connects the Curia and St Augustine retreat house.

There are ample quiet spaces where you can share peaceful, serene moments with those you love, and with whom you can go on long walks in the cool of the day.

A shot from the dormitory of the way out to the main gate.

The centre sits on 30-acres of lush greenery.   A great experience to appreciate the serenity of nature and its inhabitants.

Look out for that fishing pond in the background.   The St John Vianney Retreat House is located behind shrubs and trees.

Clear evidence of proper maintenance of grounds, plants, fruit trees, vegetable plots, oil palm plantation, etc.

One corner of Matthew's Place ( nearer to fishing pond ).

The ground floor of Domus Shalom Hall, Rooms and Dormitories.

The link between the dormitories and Matthew's Place.

It offers clean and comfortable fully air-conditioned en-suite Single Rooms, Double Rooms, Chalets, Dormitories, Meeting Rooms, a 1,000 seating capacity Hall and wide open spaces. 

“Come with me, by yourselves, to some lonely place where you can rest quietly”

(Mark 6: 30)

Above:   Poustinia adjoins the Majodi Hall (below).   Poustinia is a small sparsely furnished cabin or room where one goes to pray and fast alone in the presence of God.

The hall caters to Diocesan and Church groups, Religious Congregations, International and Regional Religious Organisations as well as those from other faiths.

Preparation in progress for a private function by a Malay organizer.

Across from the Majodi Hall is Our Lady's Grotto.

The open field in front of Our Lady's Grotto.

Works in progress to add more facilities to the centre.   This new row of facilities stretches all the way from Our Lady's Grotto to Graceville.

A

The rear of Pastoral Institute.

Our Lady's Grotto is to the left.

The double-storey living quarters of Graceville.

The Diocesan Pastoral Institute of the Melaka-Johor Diocese (MJDPI) is the formation hub and pastoral centre of the Diocese.

It houses some twenty pastoral ministries of the Diocese and assists the Bishop in his pastoral work over the Church.


St Theresa Retreat House adjoins the institute.

This walk-about experience at Majodi Centre that I missed for my RCIA Retreat due to the SARS deadly disease sets me thinking about how far more enriching my journey could have been had I spent the weekend there with my fellow catechumens then.


Click here for St Joseph Church

Oldest Church in Johor of West Malaysia

Church of the Immaculate Conception ( CIC ) was built in the year  1927 by the late Rev. Fr. C. Saleilles, M. AP. 

The Original Church was built in the year 1883 and was named as the Our Lady of Lourdes.

We chanced upon it when we were at Kotaraya Bus Terminal. We saw it from a distance, and decided to find out more for ourselves without knowing that it was a Catholic church.

We attended the first mass there on Sunday, 19 November 2011.

We learned of the contact details and activities of other sister churches from the many publicity materials made available at the CIC, and plucked up courage to venture further to other churches in the Catholic Diocese of Melaka-Johor, Malaysia.

We missed the early morning Sunday English mass (at 7.00am), and had to settle for the Mandarin mass at 10.30am.   It was celebrated by Father Huan.   

More pictures available from the gallery.   The church is currently embarking on some extension project at the front car-park.

The church is located at Jalan Gereja, and is within walking distance ( 10 minutes ) from City Square.   Look out for the taller Landmark Complex which is located beside the church.

Incidentally, St Joseph High School is located behind of the church.


Click here for Church of St Joseph (Plentong, Johor)

Church of Saint Joseph at Plentong of Johor

On Saturday, 3 December 2011 (Second Sunday of Advent) we celebrated mass away from home at Church of St Joseph, Plentong in Johor (West Malaysia).

Opposite the church was the Cana Christian Church.   Both churches are located within a middle-class neighbourhood.

Although a plaque acknowledged contributors for fund-raising efforts in 2001 for the present church building, research showed that it was first established in 1970.

The kindergarten is just next to the main church building, that is on the left wing as we enter the main gate.

The sanctuary was not full when we were there for the sunset mass.   A parishioner assured us that there would be ample seats for mass.   


Although not indicated on the church website or bulletin, Novena was held at 5.30pm and we were fortunate to be in time for it.   Father Joseph Heng from Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stood in for Parish Priest Father Anthony Ng  currently on medical leave.

As is obvious from the above picture on the rear of the church, the whole compound was well-maintained and free from clutters.

Identifying the nearest bus-stop for us to alight from public bus service 133 ( you could take 39 and 208 as well) was not easy despite some prior good advice from the parish secretary via email.   Incidentally, the bus fare from City Square, Jalan Wong Ah Fook to the church is MR2.70

Several passengers that we approached for assistance had not heard of  Jalan Bunga Raya that I quoted from the church's official address.   

We now know from hindsight that the above bridge would be a good landmark to look out for on our next trip up there.


The bus-stop is slightly after the bridge, and we took a 50-metre walk-back to enter Jalan Bunga Mawar that leads to the church (make a left turn at the T-junction, and another right turn shortly after to reach the church).

Across Jalan Bunga Mawar is a row of shophouses with 4 eating houses.   There are a sprinkle of Malay eating stalls on the same side of Jalan Bunga Mawar, but we did not find the food to our liking.

It takes about 5 minutes to walk out along Jalan Bunga Mawar to the main road.   It was a pleasant walk-through with terrace houses on both sides, especially with the various types of fruit trees that we hardly find in Singapore nowadays.

A fellow Malay passenger had mistakenly advised us to alight two bus-stops after the overhead bridge, and 'Wow' we suddenly saw the big signboard indicating ' Majodi ',   a retreat centre that I missed during my RCIA journey (SARS epidemic period).   Blessings in disguise !


I had thought that the centre was in some remote area further away from Church of St Joseph, and that I had to make a separate trip on another day for it.


We had a walk-about at Majodi Centre before heading for lunch across the road.

We stumbled across ' Ah Hua Kway Teow ' and decided to go for it (RM6.00 a bowl) as it seemed well-patronised by the locals.

Our orders came, and we realised that we were actually about to savour some abalone soup noodles.

The soup was tasty with two slices of abalone, some slices of liver and minced pork.   My dry noodle was a bit on the sweet side, probably because of the dark sauce used in the mix.

My only regret was Ah Hua does not serve coffee or tea with milk - only chinese tea (a few brews to choose from).

It rained very heavily when we were about to leave the church. Fellow parishioners that we happened to befriend before mass, Johnny Matthew Lim and wife offered to give us a lift to the nearest bus-stop.


We ended up having dinner together (generously paid for by the Lim family) before parting our separate ways at the bus-stop, outside The Store.

During the course of conversations, Johnny even offered to take us in for the night at his residence as the weather was not too good for our travelling back.


We witnessed unbelievable hospitality and 'opening of hearts' in practice by fellow catholics.

Click here for First Sunday of Advent at Sacred Heart of Jesus

First Sunday of Advent at Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Johore Bahru

About this time each year, Catholics observe the season of Advent, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year and commences on First Sunday of Advent.
For the Roman Catholic, Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before December 25, the Sunday from November 27 to December 3 inclusive.    My wife and I decided to have a refreshing start for the new liturgical year by attending the mass for First Sunday of Advent away from Singapore, 26 November 2011 at Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Taman Sri Tebrau, Johore ( West Malaysia ).

The word Advent derives from the Latin word meaning coming, and is commonly used in reference to the second coming of Christ. During Advent Catholics recall the history of God's people, and reflect on how the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament were fulfilled. This gives us a background for the present. Today we can reflect on the past track record of God and so begin to understand what it means to us now for the sake of what is to come, in our own future and that of our world.

The church is located along Jalan Keris, off Jalan Tebrau. I paid MR 1.20 for the bus trip from City Square ( next to the Malaysia checkpoint ), and alighted at the bus stop beside Crystal Crown Hotel near the prominent billboard ( above ). The hotel is beside one Tesco Hypermarket ( behind the 'Rustica' bill board ) along Jalan Dato Sulaiman. The hotel is located before the second major junction ( + junction ) from City Square.

The season of Advent serves as a reminder both of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting of Christians for Christ's return. The above adoration room at the cathedral afforded us that sense of serenity and inspiration to reflect on the first coming of Jesus Christ as savior and to his second coming as judge.

The theme of bible readings and teachings during Advent is often to prepare for the Second Coming while commemorating the First Coming of Christ at Christmas.

The Nativity (depicting the place, conditions, circumstances, etc of the birth of Jesus Christ) was done up at the cathedral in time for the season of Advent.

There could not be a better place to locate the display other than at the spot where we ask Mother Mary to intercede for us to the Lord. Incidentally, this is also the open space leading to the adoration room at the corner (spot the hanging blue sign ?).

How I wish the church volunteers had temporarily switched the light display to purple for the season. The purple colour is often used for hangings around the church, on the vestments of the clergy, and often also the tabernacle for the season of Advent.

In Advent, the Advent Prose, an antiphonal plainsong, may be sung. The "Late Advent Weekdays", December 17–24, mark the singing of the Great Advent 'O antiphons'. These are the antiphons for the Evening Prayer each day, and mark the forthcoming birth of the Messiah. They form the basis for each verse of the popular Advent hymn, "O come, O come, Emmanuel".

Advent is also observed as a season of penitence, and dancing or other similar festivities are forbidden. Father John Baptist Yoew had added during his homily that parishioners should perhaps make an effort for this year's advent to pray for someone (whom we have yet to make peace with) each day.

From the 4th century the season was kept as a period of fasting as strict as that of Lent. This fasting rule has been relaxed, and we had no problem savouring the food at the nearby centre ( 50 metres away ). The next time round, we would head for the rows of popular Klang Bak Kut Teh (spice-flavoured pork-ribs soup) opposite the centre. The lane that leads to the once-popular Sentosa Complex.

We left the church with very pleasant feelings about the kampung-style atmosphere. Above: Sitting in the sanctuary near the wide and inviting doors on the left-side of the sanctuary was such a wonderful and breezy experience, especially when you have and are in the full view of other parishioners strolling in through the main gate for mass.

Above: Parish hall of the church. The backyard was just as interesting and breezy. It borders on Wisma Tiong Hua (Chinese Chamber of Commerce) which can be seen from afar, and is an easy landmark to identify with if you were lost driving along the Tebrau Highway to the church.

English Mass Times

Saturday Novena : 5.30pm
Saturday Sunset  : 6.00pm
Sunday Morning   : 7.45am
Sunday Evening   : 6.00pm


Public Transport

Bus Service             :   39, 133 & 208
Bus Fare                 :   MR1.30