Diocese of Miri: Pastoral Visit to Long Lama Parish 23rd

Pastoral Visit to Blessed Sacrament Parish, Long Lama 23rd to 24th June 2018.

The journey by road registered 142.7 km one way from Miri to Blessed Sacrament Church, Long Lama enroute to Long Puak a 28 doors Kenyah longhouse crossing the Baram river by ferry and 12.2 km gravel and muddy road to reach destination.

On arrival Long Puak Saturday 23rd June 2018, Tua Kampung Pius Jau and the community performed the traditional ceremony with dances, music and songs to welcome the first visit to the longhouse by Right Reverend Bishop Richard Ng where he celebrated sunset mass at St John Chapel followed by welcome dinner party, entertainment, presentation, dances, songs and music.

The solar powered bamboo lighting poles in Long Puak is a project installed and commissioned by a KL university project team.

On Sunday 24th June 2018, Right Reverend Bishop Richard Ng accompanied by Fr. Lazarus Swinie celebrated 9am Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church, Long Lama with some 125 parishioners and three candidates receiving Sacrament of Confirmation.

After the Mass service, Fr. Lazarus and the community entertained Right Reverend Bishop Richard Ng and YB Dennis Ngau to the "Ngiling Tikai" closing of Gawai Harvest Festival celebration and also the cutting of Birthday Cake for Bishop.

The 'Ngiling Tikai" ritual is a very old tradition practised by the Dayak community to mark the end of Gawai Harvest Festival celebration. In the Iban language, Ngiling means rolling and tikai means mat hence it means rolling up the mat.

Fr. Lazarus Swinie was installed rector of the new parish Blessed Sacrament, Long Lama on 21st January 2018. Long Lama is nothing new to Fr. Lazarus Swinie as he served as a primary school teacher in SK Long Banga from 1986 to 1988. At that time it was a 4 days journey from Long Banga to Long Lama via Lio Mato travel by boat upriver and jungle walk.

Story by Dennis Ng
upload and compiled by BenChang

First visit to Long Puak