NOTE: I was interviewed by “The Melkite”, a quarterly magazine chronicling the happenings in the Melkite Eparchy of St. Michael, Australia. This interview took place last year and I was interviewed by Dr. Roda Kanawati of Macquarie University. To note, as of Holy Week 2009, I was granted permission to transfer over to the Melkite Catholic Church. - Collin
Q: You are neither a Melkite nor from the Middle East; could you give us a brief synopsis of your background?
A: I arrived here in Perth in July 2008 from Malaysia. I am currently completing my undergraduate degree in Software Engineering at Edith Cowan University in Perth. I am a Eurasian of Portuguese-descent on my father’s side while my mother is Chinese. I was raised Latin Catholic as my family and I are cradle Catholics. My interests include Eastern Christian theology, liturgy, ecumenism, comedies, music, guitars, pianos, swimming, cooking, socialising, exploring new cultures and reading.
Q: What attracted you to the Melkite church in the first place? How did this experience fulfil your expectations and aspirations?
A: 4 things I must make mention of before I go in depth:
i) I first got to know of the Melkite Church through the remarkable story of St. Edith Stein and the miracle attributed to her canonization. While she is definitely a saint of the Latin-Rite Catholic Church, the child who was cured through St. Edith Stein’s intercession is a Melkite Catholic and is the daughter of a Melkite priest (Fr. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy).
ii) My second encounter with the Melkite Church was a recording of the Easter Sunday Divine Liturgy posted on the Internet. It was a collaborative recording between the Antiochian Orthodox and Catholics, celebrated by the late Bishop (then Fr.) Sleiman Hajjar. Listening to the whole Liturgy was just breathtaking, as it really brought me to a new level in my quest to deepen my understanding and relationship with God. The use of Arabic and Greek was helpful, but meditation on the texts revealed new things to me as well.
iii) Reading more about the Melkite Church, I realised that the Melkite Church and myself have something in common – we are “bridges” or “connecting points”. Just as the The Melkite Church is a “bridge” between Eastern and Western Christianity, a bridge between Catholicism & Orthodoxy, I am too a “bridge” – between the Melkite Church, Eastern Christianity & the Catholic Church, and lastly, between Christians and non-Christians. This may sound both prophetic and delusional, depending on how one might view it, but I would like to believe that my Christian faith leads me to build bridges. The common vocation that I share with the Melkite Church would then justify my intentions to be a part of the Melkite Church.
Q: What do you particularly like about the Melkite Holy Liturgy?
A: There is nothing that I don’t like about the Divine Liturgy. In fact, it is I look forward to every time I attend one. In fact, the love that I confess for the Divine Liturgy is probably bordering near obsession as I love talking about it. The the tunes from Liturgy just keep resonating in my ears, and while it may be irreverent, I end up doing Byzantine chant in the showers (laughs).
However, if I must say, the element which really takes the cake in my book is the vibrant yet dramatic and soul-stirring music (Byzantine chant), sung only with the human voice that prays. The sung Liturgy really moves the soul to “approach with fear of God, with faith and with love”. On a more serious not however, there are a few things that I can talk about, namely:- The timelessness of the Divine Liturgy i.e. it is ancient-future in praxis (grounded in the Apostolic Faith, but equips saints for both the present and the future), and that it is catechesis in a unique way.
Furthermore, the Liturgy reaffirms my firm belief of St. Evagrius’ teaching that “a theologian is one who prays” and vice-versa. Through a prayerful participation in the liturgy, we are catechised and nourished by God, through God, and with God. The journey of the Christian way is incomplete without the Liturgy as the Christian’s soul is without fulfillment unless reminded of God’s glory, grace, might, mercy, radiance, and love.
Q: How can our church serve the Malaysian people in Australia, if not in your homeland?
A: Malaysia shares something in common with the Middle East – a large population of Christians and Muslims and a constant interaction with one another. By virtue of the Melkite Church being “the Church of Islam” (H.B. Patriarch Gregory III Laham), the Melkite Church can share on the finer aspects of Christian-Muslim relations with Malaysians and others. Through a cooperation or partnership with Malaysian associations/student associations, we can perform this prophetic vocation of experience-sharing via forums, discussions, iftar sessions, and Eid-ul-Fitr / Nativity celebrations. I am aware that the Melkite Church has done it before and her good work must continue.
Secondly, the Melkite Church should also take advantage of its role as a bridge between the East and the West of the Christian Church. Whether through networking with churches and parishes in Australia, or dioceses in Malaysia, the Melkite Church can spearhead sessions on the Church Fathers, Church History, the Byzantine Liturgy, Eastern Spirituality, Prayer of the Heart, and Iconography, among many others. Through this, Christians and in this case, Malaysian Christians will become more aware of Christendom’s best kept secret – Eastern Christianity. There are many Malaysian Christians who are not aware of the Eastern churches and this will prove to be helpful.
Finally, while this response is totally off tangent, I would like to raise the issue of pastoral provision for the Greek Catholic community in Singapore. Small but well-networked and established, they only have Divine Liturgy anytime whenever a priest stops by in Singapore, which does not happen often. God has been gracious to them thus far, however, with one Divine Liturgy last year and one Divine Liturgy this year. It is therefore my fervent hope and prayer that Sayedna will take them under his care and shepherd them; the way he shepherds you and me in the Melkite Church.
Q: Do you have any message you would like to convey to our readers?
A: The Melkite Church has a proud and well-rooted past in the Middle East, and rightfully, must cherish and affirm its past. However, as it is now present in all parts of the world, it must now remember that it is more than just an Eastern Church it is a Church that “preaches Christ, crucified” (Galatians 1:16), for the life of the world. It now has to see itself as a Church of, for, to and within their present community. It must now speaks in the language of its present society, and attune itself to the cultural norms of the present society, without compromising on its Eastern values. It is a tough challenge, but I have faith that the Melkite Church will achieve its goals as a “visionary” Church, and that it will overcome the hurdles.
Perhaps I can repeat the words of the late Archbishop Joseph Tawil of blessed memory (with a minor change):
“In a ghetto, life is closed in upon itself, operating only within itself, with its own ethnic and social clichés. And the parish lives upon the ethnic character of the community; when that character disappears, the community dies and the parish dies with it. One day all our ethnic traits – language, folklore, customs – will have disappeared. Time itself is seeing to this. And so we cannot think of our communities as ethnic parishes, primarily for the service of the immigrant or the ethnically oriented, unless we wish to assure the death of our community. Our Churches are not only for our own people but are also for any of our fellow Australians who are attracted to our traditions which show forth the beauty of the universal Church and the variety of its riches.”
(The Courage to be Ourselves, Archbishop Joseph Tawil, 1970)


Anwar has often been accused of being a political chameleon – capable of adjusting his messages depending on the audience he’s addressing. He’s great at massaging his messages in such a way that you feel he’s telling you exactly what you want to hear. A smooth operator.
There is little doubt in our minds that he would free up the media, abolish the Internal Security Act and reform the Universities and University Colleges Act if he becomes the next PM. He would also dismantle the NEP and replace it with something better. You can also throw in a Freedom of Information Act to boot. In other words, he would implement all the things that civil society expects him to.
Anwar is no angel nor is he a saint. During his time in the upper echelons of the Umno leadership, and especially as deputy prime minister, he was guilty of doing many of the things he now criticises.
