KUCHING, April 5 — A massive number of Christian congregants gathered at their cathedrals on Easter Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in what clergy described as the foundation of the Christian faith.
At St Joseph’s Cathedral here, Catholic faithful began arriving as early as 5.45am to secure their places inside the cathedral, with numbers swelling steadily from 6am onwards ahead of the 7am mass.
The service was presided over by Rev Fr Paul Ling, who addressed the congregation with a message of joy and redemption.
“The Lord has truly risen! Alleluia!
“Today is a joyful day because our Lord has risen. This is the foundation of our faith.
“So let us rejoice and let us prepare ourselves now with joyful hearts, that despite our sins and our weaknesses, the Lord has saved us,” he said.
Following the 7am English-language service, a Mandarin service was held at 9am, followed by Bahasa Malaysia service at 11am.
Meanwhile, at St Thomas’ Cathedral here, Anglicans also gathered to mark Easter Sunday.
English-language services were held at 6.30am and 8.30am, with another scheduled at 5.30pm. The Bahasa Malaysia service took place at 10.30am, the Mandarin service at 11am, and the Iban service was held at 2pm.
Worshippers filled the cathedral to hear the Easter message in a joyous occasion.
Beyond the cathedrals, smaller churches and chapels across Kuching also held Easter services, drawing congregants in prayer and celebration.
Easter Sunday marks the culmination of Holy Week for Christians worldwide, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion.
For believers, the occasion signifies victory over sin and death, and is often observed as the most sacred day in the liturgical calendar.
The atmosphere at both cathedrals throughout the morning was one of reverence mingled with quiet joy, as families and individuals marked the occasion with prayer, hymn-singing and communal worship. — The Borneo Post
