Malaysia Day Celebrations to become large-scale World Youth Day fundraiser.
By Robert Hiini
FATHER Roy Periera, a priest who has spent the last ten years ministering in country WA – has never forgotten about his first-love of youth ministry.
He is spearheading an upcoming event at the Perth Convention Centre where he hopes to raise tens-of-thousands of dollars to send 300 young people to World Youth Day (WYD) Madrid in 2011.
The August 28 event has Malaysia Day as its theme and will feature Malaysian cuisine and performance as well as contemporary music for revellers wanting to dance late into the night.
Along with event coordinator Francis Williams and their team of volunteers, Fr Pereira is confident of selling 500 tickets and will be handing over all funds raised to former-Perth World Youth Day Coordinator and current Catholic Youth Ministry Perth director Anita Parker. CYM – which has merged with the now-defunct Perth World Youth Office in administering WYD arrangements for the Archdiocese – will administer the money, helping Perth youth to meet the expected $5000 cost-per-person of attending WYD Madrid.
Hailing from Malaysia’s largest city and capital, Kuala Lumpur, Fr Pereira says he was encouraged in his fundraising idea when a staffer at the Malaysian consulate informed him that there were between 18,000 – 20,000 Malaysians living in Perth.
While organisers are hoping to attract people from any national background, the efforts have been bolstered by being able to attract Malaysian business owners and company directors to the event with a representative from the Malaysian consulate scheduled to address event-goers.
Fr Pereira, who is on loan to the Archdioce of Perth from the Diocese of Bunbury, says he has always been in youth ministry, no matter what role or position he has occupied over the past 28 years.
He was ordained by Bishop Peter Quinn in Albany in 1999, and worked in Albany; then in the parishes of Katanning and Kojonup before becoming parish priest of Mandurah.
In February he was recruited to the newly-begun Lumen Christi Archdiocesan Centre for Evangelisation, joining centre director, Fr Michael Slatterly, in planning and undertaking new initiatives for people making enquiries about Catholicism, including a series of youth retreats earlier this year.
He remembers his uncles and cousins – several of whom are also priests – taking him to youth seminars and camps in his home country and in more recent years, has attended four WYD and says he will definitely be making the trip to Madrid.
Next year, Fr Pereira hopes for a Malaysia Day event that is even bigger with 1500 guests, hoping to raise $200,000 overall before 2011.
For tickets or more information about the 52nd Malaysia Day Celebrations, contact Lilia on 9417 4621 or Fr Roy on 0417 936 449.