The Catholic Church in Malaysia has launched the Perjalanan Salib or the Journey of the Cross, as part of their preparation for the Malaysian Pastoral Convention in 2026, the first-ever gathering of all nine dioceses in the country.
The project’s launch took place during the fourth day of the week-long Malaysian Catholic Youth Day (MCYD) on April 3 in the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu, as reported by Herald Malaysia.
Nine crosses called the salib were blessed during the Mass and distributed to each representative of the nine Malaysian dioceses.
Each cross is designed with a hibiscus, the country’s national flower and the symbol of Christ’s victory over the world.
Starting this April, the crosses will visit parishes and institutions within every diocese for 18 months.
According to the event’s primer, this aims to emphasize the importance of accompaniment at the grassroots level and give more attention to smaller and often neglected communities.
“The salib does not retain itself at a fixed point, but it journeys to the faithful, especially in the peripheries,” the document said.
The Journey of the Cross in every diocese will culminate in next year’s Malaysian Pastoral Convention, where the nine crosses will be merged to create one united cross.
In his homily during the Perjalanan Salib’s launch, Penang Bishop Sebastian Cardinal Francis called on the youth to become steadfast witnesses and disciples of the Lord by living out their faith.
“Do the most fundamental thing first—introduce Jesus to others. When you know Him, you will love. When you love, you will care. When you care, you will long for Him, and when you long for Him, you will be open to His grace and blessings,” he said.
The Malaysian Church has been preparing for its Pastoral Convention for several years.
Before the launch of Perjalanan Salib, the three regions of Sabah, Sarawak, and Semenanjung held their pastoral assemblies at the parish and diocesan levels in 2024.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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