Joaquim Magalhães de Castro
In Malaysia, the Gospel has been attracting more and more young people and adults, who, after reading the sacred texts, seek baptism, thus embracing Christianity. Several official statements from the local Church have informed us that the Catholic community in Malaysia received – during the Easter Vigil of 2025 alone– more than 2,000 new faithful: 1,047 in Peninsular Malaysia and an equivalent number in the Malaysian provinces of Borneo.
During Lent, catechumens celebrated the Rite of Election – a liturgical act that marks the formal reception of catechumens into the Church – while the faithful joined together in prayer. In Kajang, in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, the rite took place in the Church of the Holy Family and brought together 549 catechumens. Archbishop Julian Leow, who presided over the Eucharist, evoked the theme of the Jubilee Year, “Pilgrims of Hope”, inviting the catechumens to grow in holiness: “We have all been ‘elected’, chosen by God to be part of His People”, he recalled. In the Diocese of Malacca-Johore, more than 281 catechumens from 17 parishes gathered at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for a similar ceremony. Addressing them, Bishop Bernard Paul emphasized the importance of the “essential course” of preparation for baptism and urged them to listen carefully to the voice of God and never be distracted. “His voice is gentle, welcoming and encouraging. God’s dream is for us to be united with Him, to be one in Him, as one people,” he said. In turn, in the Diocese of Penang – still in peninsular Malaysia – the Rite of Election included 156 catechumens “from the deaneries of the north and neighboring islands”, and another 61 young catechumens from the deanery of Perak, who were received as “elect” in St. Michael’s Church, in Ipoh. Cardinal Sebastian Francis presided over both celebrations, encouraging everyone to “embrace the joy of hope”, inspired by figures such as Blessed Carlo Acutis.
In Malaysian Borneo, 1,125 catechumens from various parishes in the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu received baptism this Easter. During the Rite of Election, which marked the conclusion of the Catechumenate period, Archbishop John Wong welcomed them in their intention “to join the Catholic Church” and declared them ready to complete “the period of purification and illumination,” a final and intense phase of preparation to receive the first three sacraments (baptism, communion and confirmation) on Easter night.
“Founding Faith in the Word of God”: it was with this spirit that the Christian community of Sarawak, a region of Malaysian Borneo, celebrated the launch of two new editions of the Bible in the Malay language, in this Jubilee year. Alkitab Kudus Malaysia and Alkitab Berita Baik Edisi Studi – works published by the Bible Society of Malaysia in collaboration with the Association of Churches in Sarawak (an ecumenical body) – aim to enrich the spiritual life of Christians throughout the country, especially those in the Borneo region. In a preview of these publications during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on 21 January in Kuching, Rev. Datuk Danald Jute, General Secretary of the Association of Churches in Sarawak, said: “These Bible translations remind us that God speaks and understands all languages. In other words, Bahasa Malaysia is not only our mother tongue but also the sacred language through which God speaks to us. It is up to Christians to use these Bibles as tools to draw closer to God and share His message.”
Thanks to new technological advances and new software that helped researchers, the translation work was completed in 13 years, instead of the estimated 20. Any translation of the Bible requires years of study and a lot of dedication.
The Alkitab Kudus Malaysia edition is the result of a redoubled translation effort initiated by the Bible Society in 2011 to meet the growing demand from Malay-speaking churches for “a formal translation closer to the original texts of the Bible.” Unlike the Alkitab Berita Baik Edisi Studi edition – an adaptation of the Bible that uses a “dynamic equivalence” approach to translation – the Alkitab Kudus Malaysia follows a “formal equivalence” approach, making it ideal for academic research and studies of Aramaic and Greek terminology. This project, in fact, required meticulous linguistic, theological and cultural considerations to create what is today considered a fully Malay Bible.
Alkitab Kudus Malaysia is now “a testimony to the Malaysian church’s commitment” to understanding God’s Word in all its depth. “This Bible is not just a translation, it is a gift to the Church in Malaysia. It allows for deeper and more accurate engagement with the Holy Scriptures for study, prayer and worship,” said the General Secretary of the Bible Society, Rev. Mathew K. Punnoose.
On the other hand, the Alkitab Berita Baik Edisi Studi edition is equipped with commentaries, references and explanations, and aims to enable non-specialists, that is, all baptized people, to have a deeper understanding of the Holy Scriptures.
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