In death do we unite
Shah Alam Roman Catholic and Protestant churches unite to secure Christian cemetery
Burial land for Christians in urban areas is scarce these days, but when churches work together and present themselves as one voice to the authorities, the nigh impossible can happen.
Of course, a dogged determination is also essential to ensure the vision materialises, as in the case of Shah Alam churches who waded through nine years of paperwork and countless meetings with the authorities before the Shah Alam Christian cemetery came to life.
What was interesting too is that the Protestants and Roman Catholics (RC) worked in unison to secure the cemetery. Death certainly is a powerful unifying force.
The two-acre cemetery which houses 1,000 burial plots is scheduled to begin operations on October 1.
Berita NECF digs out the skeletons from Pr David Tham and Teresa Chan, two people at the forefront of the project. Pr David is a Protestant while Teresa is a RC. Both have witnessed a strengthening of ties between the Protestant and RC churches in Shah Alam to the extent that they now hold inter-church activities, such as futsal and badminton, and organise the yearly Unity Celebration where Shah Alam churches gather for worship and for the all-time Malaysian favourite past-time - food.
Says Teresa, "I work with the other churches with an open mind, to be able to see the goodness of each church and not having pre-conceived prejudices against them. Though we cannot compromise on the uniformity of our faith, we can , however, unite as a body to stand up for the rights of our Christian brothers and sisters in Shah Alam."
Pr David adds, "Once a while, the leaders would have dinner or tea. This has really helped to foster our relationship. We believe if we can have fun together, we can also work together. Through it all, we hope that Jesus' prayer for unity amongst all believers in John 17 will be answered."
How did the Shah Alam Christians manage to secure the land and the authorities' approval?
The idea of applying for a piece of cemetery land was mooted way back in 2000 when the Catholics residing in Shah Alam were told that they couldn't be buried in the Klang Christian cemetery.
Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK) had given order that the cemetery was meant for Klang residents only. Father Raymond Pereira, the then parish priest of the Church of the Holy Redeemer, Klang, made an effort to get all the churches in Shah Alam to come together to apply for a piece of cemetery land for the Christians in Shah Alam.
The churches came together and formed the Association of Shah Alam Churches (ASAC).
Meanwhile, we applied to be registered with ROS. However, our application was rejected because none of the churches' premises (in shoplots) had permits from Majlis Bandar Shah Alam (MBSA) to operate as a church.
After five years of communication with MBSA, nothing concrete came out of it. The cemetery was no where in sight because MBSA didn't recognise ASAC formally and it was not taken seriously as a body. ASAC then enlisted the help of Christian Federation of Malaysia and MBSA finally replied our letters. The rest is history.
Who will operate the cemetery?
ASAC and CFM rejected the privatisation of the Christian cemetery. After many rounds of meetings and three mayors later, MBSA finally agreed to take over the management of the cemetery. ASAC is assisting MBSA to verify the validity of Christian residents in Shah Alam.
Who are eligible to "use" the cemetery? The cemetery is said to be used by only Shah Alam residents. How can you confirm the validity of the buyers' status?
The burial lot is not for sale per se. Only when a death occurs can the burial lot be purchased for burial purpose.
The churches in Shah Alam will help to verify their own deceased members. The onus is on the priest/pastor/elder of the respective churches to confirm if the deceased is their member. At the moment, ASAC is formalising the policies and guidelines on the use of the cemetery.
How much does a burial plot cost? Are there any other charges?
MBSA is revising the rates but prior to September 1, the rates were:
- An adult lot is RM80 while a child lot is RM40
- A hearse costs RM20
Besides these, there are other charges such as services of the grave diggers and payment to MBSA. ASAC intends to charge a minimal fee of RM50 per burial for administration.
The next of kin of the deceased will have to fork out around RM1,400 for the tombstone. |
