St. Anne's Feast
The actual feast day of St Anne is on 26 July, but it is celebrated for ten
days at Bukit Mertajam, Penang either on the actual day or immediately after the
actual day. Celebrations include a candlelight procession, a nine-day novena and
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
As the Feast of St. Anne received increasing numbers of followers, it soon
became necessary to construct a new and bigger church complex. The new church
complex was begun in May 2000, and was dedicated on the St. Anne's Feast Day of
26 July, 2002.
This church blends Minangkabau roof design with Gothic architecture to create
one of the most imposing structures in Penang. The spacious interior has a
seating capacity of more than 1800, easily making it the biggest church ever
built in the northern region of Malaysia. The tiny fragment measuring about 3mm
is house within a golden monstrance placed near the altar.
Pilgrims old and new will always make an effort to catch a glimpse of this
relic, surely one of the holiest to be found in the Catholic faith. Today, this
church is not only well known in Malaysia but also all over the world. St Anne
Church annual feast that draw hundreds of thousand of pilgrims is nothing short
of amazement. The large crowd that came to the feast is the testament that St.
Anne church is no doubt one of the amazing discoveries in Penang.
At the annual feast, the 188 year old church play host to pilgrims comprises
Catholics and also non Christians praying for health and blessings. Many who
came here fulfilled their vows by lighting candles, offering flowers and
attending mass and novenas.
Pilgrims bathed in a sparkling sea of light took part in a candlelight
procession. They came from not only from Malaysia but from Thailand, Singapore,
Philippines, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, New Zealand and even from as
far away as Europe. This marks the important day for pilgrims to the thank her
for countless prayers answers and petitions granted.
Most of the road near the church will be closed and police personnel will be
mobilize to divert the traffic during this period. It is advisable to come with
transport that has been prearranged for you (ex. buses) as traffic will be chaos
and the parking fees is very expensive.
One thing to note is that if you're to come together with your children, make
sure that they are within your reach to prevent any untoward incident. You do
not need to bring any candles or flowers with you when visiting St. Anne as
plenty will be on sale here. Temporary stall at the church compound are set up
to sell flowers, candles, T-shirt and many others memorable. Some of the stall
performs magic show as well as art exhibition.
Normally the St Anne Church celebration is organized on the last weeks of July
every year (20th ~ 31st). Remember to return back to this website to find out
what is the actual date for the St. Anne celebration. And if you like to book
your hotels or transportation, you can always do it here!
For more information about the event, visit www.stannebm.org
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