Amazing gift of Father JamesBy Tony

Amazing gift of Father James

By Tony Mariadass
[e-mail]

IN the case of Reverend Father Irudayam Singarayar Sebastian James, Malaysia’s loss is Indonesia’s gain.

Father James served the Indian community of St Joseph (Sentul), Fatima Church (Brickfields) and Assumption Church (Petaling Jaya) when he was attached to the St Francis Xavier Church in the early 60s.

The Jesuit missionary applied for a visa to continue working in Malaysia, but he was denied and he returned to India.

While continuing with his theology studies in Java, Indonesia, he met a man from Medan who suggested he go there for a holiday where there were many Indian Catholics.

He did that in 1968 and that was the beginning for his love for the city, where he is known and loved not only by the Catholic community but also the people of Medan for putting the city on the world map with the building of the Our Lady of Good Health Church (Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni) also known as Our Lady of Vailankanni (and in Tamil, Arokkiya mata).

The temple is an imposing building, of two storeys and a small tower of seven storeys. It has become an important pilgrimage site in Asia and an iconic tourist attraction for Medan.

The shrine is the first in Indonesia and the second in the world as pilgrimage centre, after the original in Vailankanni, India.

Having lived in Indonesia for the past 45 years and becoming a citizen in 1989, he was asked to take an Indonesian name and thus became James Bharataputra Sebastian James.

“It was a dream come true and a miracle. With only strong faith and conviction in the providence of God as my initial capital, I ventured into such a monumental work that was eventually to cost more than four billion Rupiah (RM1.2 million) at a time when the Indonesian economy was unstable,” said Father James when met in Medan recently.

“Certainly it seems illogical and uncommon for many, but not for a man of faith.

“I am a dreamer by nature. I dreamt of the shrine to be an evangelising edifice to tell the story of salvation, based on the bible and the teachings of the church, through its format, symbolisms, ornaments, sculptures and paintings.

“I chose an Indo-Mogul architectural combination to symbolise this shrine as the place where heaven and earth meet, a place where the divine and the human embrace each other. It is here where God wants to meet His people irrespective of race, creed, and language.”

Father James said unlike many Marian shrines around the world, the main aim in putting up this shrine in Tanjung Selamat Medan was not to commemorate miracles or apparitions of Mary.

“On the contrary, I wanted miracles to happen here in Medan. Every shrine of pilgrimage is a place of welcome, where people come together as children of God, respecting and loving one another as brothers and sisters of the same faith, irrespective of one’s race, tribe or tongue.”

And miracles did happen. The construction of the shrine saw some incredible coincidences.

The first was the arrival of the life-sized statue of Our Lady, which Father James ordered from India, but was delayed. She arrived just two hours before the official laying of the shrine’s foundation on Sept 8, 2001 — the birthday of Our Lady.

The second miracle came a year later when Father James’ rented room in town was gutted by fire. But when he was rampaging through the room, he found intact and untouched by the fire a packet of donations for the building filled with 10 million rupiah (RM3,000), two bibles and a hymn book.

The third happened on the same day a year after the official opening of the church on Oct 1, 2005, when mysterious water was seen coming out of the feet of the statue of Our Lady.

A vision told Father James to dig under the feet and a fountain of water gushed out. It is pure clean water, and today the fountain is the shrine’s source of holy water.

Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni is certainly a phenomenon, admired by everyone who has visited the shrine.

Apart from the unique blend of Indo-Mogul architecture and the significance of its religious symbols, Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni is also a beauty that will be a joy forever with the harmony of its rainbow colours, which proclaim the message of the gospel.

The interior of the church is fully studded with paintings and ornaments is a feast for the eyes. The altar with its background is another unique feature.

The feast of Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni is celebrated from Thursday and ends today.

While the feast is an event not to be missed, a visit to this stunning church is a must when in Medan.

Results (Indonesian) 1:

Amazing gift of Father JamesBy Tony [e-mail] the case of Reverend Father Irudayam Singarayar Sebastian James, Malaysia’s loss is Indonesia’s gain.Father James served the Indian community of St Joseph (Sentul), Fatima Church (Brickfields) and Assumption Church (Petaling Jaya) when he was attached to the St Francis Xavier Church in the early 60s.The Jesuit missionary applied for a visa to continue working in Malaysia, but he was denied and he returned to India.While continuing with his theology studies in Java, Indonesia, he met a man from Medan who suggested he go there for a holiday where there were many Indian Catholics.He did that in 1968 and that was the beginning for his love for the city, where he is known and loved not only by the Catholic community but also the people of Medan for putting the city on the world map with the building of the Our Lady of Good Health Church (Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni) also known as Our Lady of Vailankanni (and in Tamil, Arokkiya mata).The temple is an imposing building, of two storeys and a small tower of seven storeys. It has become an important pilgrimage site in Asia and an iconic tourist attraction for Medan.The shrine is the first in Indonesia and the second in the world as pilgrimage centre, after the original in Vailankanni, India.Having lived in Indonesia for the past 45 years and becoming a citizen in 1989, he was asked to take an Indonesian name and thus became James Bharataputra Sebastian James."Itu adalah mimpi yang menjadi kenyataan dan keajaiban. Dengan hanya kuat iman dan keyakinan dalam pemeliharaan Allah sebagai modal awal saya, saya memberanikan diri menjadi seperti karya monumental yang akhirnya biaya lebih dari empat miliar Rupiah (RM1.2 juta) pada saat ekonomi Indonesia adalah tidak stabil,"kata James Bapa ketika bertemu di Medan baru saja."Tentu saja tampaknya tidak logis dan jarang bagi banyak orang, tetapi tidak untuk orang iman."Aku seorang pemimpi oleh alam. Saya bermimpi untuk menjadi suatu bangunan evangelising untuk menceritakan kisah tentang keselamatan, berdasarkan Alkitab dan ajaran-ajaran Jemaat, melalui format, simbol-simbolnya, hiasan, patung dan lukisan."Saya memilih kombinasi arsitektur Indo-Mogul melambangkan Kuil ini sebagai tempat mana langit dan bumi bertemu, tempat dimana ilahi dan manusia saling berpelukan. Hal ini di sini mana Tuhan ingin bertemu orang tanpa memandang ras, keyakinan, dan bahasa."Bapa James mengatakan tidak seperti banyak Marian kuil di seluruh dunia, tujuan utama dalam memasang Kuil ini di Tanjung Selamat Medan adalah tidak untuk memperingati mukjizat atau penampakan Maria."Sebaliknya, aku ingin mujizat-mujizat yang terjadi di sini di Medan. Setiap Kuil ziarah adalah tempat Selamat datang, di mana orang-orang datang bersama-sama sebagai anak-anak Allah, menghormati dan mencintai satu sama lain sebagai saudara dan saudari dari iman yang sama, terlepas dari satu ras, suku atau lidah."Dan mujizat yang terjadi. Pembangunan kuil melihat beberapa kebetulan yang luar biasa.Yang pertama adalah kedatangan berukuran patung Bunda Maria, yang Bapa James memerintahkan dari India, namun tertunda. Dia tiba hanya dua jam sebelum meletakkan resmi Kuil 's Foundation pada 8 September 2001 — ulang Bunda.Keajaiban kedua datang setahun kemudian ketika Bapa James' kamar sewaan di kota itu patah hati oleh api. Tetapi ketika ia karakter melalui Ruangan, ia menemukan utuh dan tak tersentuh oleh api paket sumbangan untuk bangunan diisi dengan 10 juta rupiah (RM3, 000), dua Alkitab dan buku lagu pujian.Ketiga terjadi pada hari yang sama setahun setelah pembukaan resmi Gereja pada 1 Oktober 2005, ketika air misterius terlihat keluar dari kaki patung Bunda Maria.Visi mengatakan kepada Bapa James untuk menggali di bawah kaki dan air mancur air bercucuran. Ini adalah murni air bersih, dan air mancur adalah kuil 's sumber air suci.Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni pasti adalah fenomena, dikagumi oleh semua orang yang telah mengunjungi kuil.Selain memadukan arsitektur Indo-Mogul dan makna simbol-simbol keagamaan yang, Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni adalah keindahan yang akan menyenangkan selamanya dengan perpaduan warna pelangi, yang menyatakan pekabaran injil.Interior gereja sepenuhnya bertaburan dengan lukisan dan ornamen yang merupakan pesta untuk mata. Altar dengan latar belakang adalah fitur lain yang unik.Perayaan Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni dirayakan dari Kamis dan berakhir hari ini.Sementara perayaan peristiwa yang tak boleh dilewatkan, kunjungan ke gereja menakjubkan ini adalah suatu keharusan ketika Anda berada di Medan.