I have always served in some way or form in every church I've attended. Starting as a commentator in Sacred Heart Cathedral Kota Kinabalu during my confirmation at age 11, to being part of the choir in St Francis Xavier Petaling Jaya, to being a lecter at St Chastan and Imbert Butterworth, I have always sought to render my contributions in some way I could amidst my hectic schedule as a military pilot.
I was unaware that in a voluntary church group like the choir, the priest would find it in himself to dictate who joins, who gets sacked and who serves him as he wants to be served. Yes, you heard me.
And so it happened to Brenda and I in 2020, when Covid19 gripped the nation and a backdoor government was installed, the parish priest of my church here in Somban sacked the choir without providing a reason. One of the senior choir members tried reasoning with him but he was adamant. I didn't think too much of it save for indignation at having no choice but to concede. I was a struggling copilot in the offshore helicopter flying world then, and I didn't have the time premium to let this scar fester.
I was kept busy. The office politics which is difficult for a senior first officer to sidestep and being the Base Flight Safety Officer consumed my energies. Also in 2021 I discovered I was diabetic and had that to deal with. My transfer to Kota Kinabalu base came in 2022 whcih started another round of adapting to a new life and environment and work life took on a form of its merry own.
So when the curtains drew to a close after CAAM's medical board decided to ground me permanently based on my haemorrhagic stroke in 2025, I decided that I could throw my effort into church. Coincidentally, the church notices projected before the final blessing indicated that the evening mass choir was in need of people. Hence, I signed up.
It was all going cheerfully for about a year.
The priest sacked the 0930H morning mass choir. In toto. It's what he does. When one of the sacked guitarists approached him to be reinstated, the priest was again, as ever, adamant over his sacking. Which is when the young punk asked him why it is that a former sacked choir member could be allowed to return to the choir while he could not. Yes, he meant me.
The priest was scandalised. He had no idea who I was even though he had seen me mass after mass for a year. He had heard me singing psalms for a year and was oblivious still. Indeed for the chrism mass rehearsal which he checked with a fine tooth comb, he heard me sing the psalm too, gave his seal of approval and yet didn't realise it was me. And so, he dismissed me once again. Not by telling me personally, but via the choir mistress.
I put in an appointment to see him about this, as was intimated to me was his request via the choir mistress. His clerk called me to inform me that he didn't want to see me and any questions I have should be referred to the choir mistress.
It's bad enough that he is too yellow bellied to meet me one on one. He slandered me during a meeting he had with the rest of the choir members about how badly I sang the psalm during the chrism mass.
I am not going to insist on meeting him. It is already clear to me that his reasons for the first sacking in 2020 and the second one in 2026 were indefensible, which is why he sacked me again when questioned by the hapless chap from the morning mass choir.
He draws far too much attention to himself for him to be actually serving God.
But worry not. He hasn't seen the last of me.
"They shall look upon the one whom they pierced."
I shall revel in that Scriptural reference.
