NBVM Butterworth, Novena and Feast Day Celebration 2019

Church of the the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia.

1935 - 2019

30-August-2019 ~ 8-September-2019

Happy Birthday Mother Mary, Our dearest Divine Mother ~ 8 September 2017

The Catholic Church celebrates today the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

May Our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, 

mother of Our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ 

intercede for us today and always!

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on 8 September nine months after the feast of her Immaculate Conception on 8 December. She was born to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the spiritual mother of all men, and the holiest of God's creatures. Mary was conceived and born immaculate and full of grace. She is the Mother of God and our Mother, too. Let us often call upon the Blessed Virgin as "Cause of our joy", one of the most beautiful titles in her litany. Only three birthdays is celebrated by Church, that is the birth of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist. All three born without original sin, Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Mary, because she was kept free from the stain of Original Sin by the action of God, and Saint John, because he was blessed in the womb by the presence of his Savior when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came to aid her cousin Elizabeth in the final months of Elizabeth's pregnancy (the visitation).

Impart to your servants, we pray, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin may bring deeper peace to those for whom the birth of her Son was the dawning of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary ~ 8 September 2014

Hail Mary, full of grace…

The Lord is with thee…

Blessed art thou amongst women…

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us now,

And at the time of our death.

Amen.

The Feast commemorates the birth of the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord. There is nothing in Scripture about the birth of Mary or her parentage, although as we have just heard Joseph’s lineage is given in the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. The names of Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anna, appear in the apocryphal “Gospel of James”, a book dating from the 2nd Century AD, which not part of the canon of Scripture.

According to the story found in this book, Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna, were childless for many years. They remained faithful to God, but their prayers for a child were unanswered. One day, when Joachim came to the temple to make an offering, he was turned away by the High Priest who chastised him for his lack of children. To hide his shame, Joachim retreated to the hill country to live among the shepherds and their flocks.

As Joachim was praying, his wife Anna was praying at the same time at their house in Jerusalem. An angel appeared to both of them and announced that Anna would have a child whose name would be known throughout the world. Anna promised to offer her child as a gift to the Lord. Joachim returned home, and in due time Anna bore a daughter, Mary.

Impart to your servants, we pray, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin may bring deeper peace to those for whom the birth of her Son was the dawning of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Monday, 8 September 2014
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading 1

Micah 5:1-4a
The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace.
Or 

Romans 8:28-30
Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

Responsorial Psalm 

Psalm 13:6ab, 6c
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Let me sing of the LORD, “He has been good to me.”
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.


Gospel 

Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23
The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”
Or 

Matthew 1:18-23
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Butterworth, Novena & Feast day ~ 2014

PDYD2 pit stop at Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, B'worth

On November 18, 2012 about 800 participants of the Penang Diocese Youth Day 2 made a pilgrimage pit stop at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They made their journey from the Church of the Assumption, Penang island by walking, taking the ferry across to Butterworth and the walking again from the jetty to the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jalan Chain Ferry, Butterworth. They arrived at NBVM at about 3.45pm. We should give them a BIG hand for their perseverance in this Walk of Faith. The youths consist of English speaking, Malay speaking, Mandarin speaking and Tamil speaking from  the Diocese of Penang.
 

They were greeted and welcome by the Parish Priest Father Victor Louis, Parish Pastoral Council Chairperson Ms. Mavis Baptist, church youths and several church members present in support. They were then shown a presentation on the autobiography of St. Jacques Honore Chastan, PDYD2 patron saint. After that they were treated to some refreshment.
 

They then boarded 11 buses that were waiting and ready to transport them to the destination, Church of St. Anne in trips. They will be at St. Anne until November 19, 2012 afternoon, when the PDYD2 comes to end. The whole event at NBVM was a success and went well.  Also a pat on the back and another BIG hand to all involved in making the event above a success.

PDYD2 aims to transform youths to be agents of change in this society.

In PDYD2 icon image  below, where the Infant Jesus is gently touching the face of His Mother, which potrays Mary as the bridge between heaven and earth (Jesus from Heaven, and Mary from earth.). Jesus holding the scroll symbolizes word becoming flesh.

The PDYD2 logo symbolizes the following meaning:
The Cross ~ Christ as the centre of the celebration.
Red colour of the Cross ~ Martyrdom, Call for Witness and Evangelization.
The letter "M" ~ Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
Blue colour ~ Penang state colour.
Yellow colour ~ depicts Wisdom, Joy, Happiness and Creativity.