Holy week in St Peter’s

Holy week in St Peter’s

For over four and a half centuries, a group of Portuguese male community members known as Irmaos de Igreja (Brothers of the Church in Papia Cristang, an old Portuguese dialect still spoken at the Portuguese Settlement) have been promoting and undertaking religious rituals and solemn processions in Malacca to commemorate Holy Week - the final seven days of the Roman Catholic season of Lent.

This year, Holy Week traditions introduced by the Portuguese during their time here from 1511-1641 will take place between April 17-23 where the 300-year-old Church of St. Peter will be the principal venue.

Like in past years, these religious proceedings attract thousands of pilgrims and devotees both Catholics and non-Christians as well as tourists from all over Malaysia and Singapore and overseas visitors for Palm Sunday,

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services will be conducted at the church and open compound.

With proceedings laced with Hispanic traits, heritage and traditions decked by procedures, vestments, devotional prayers and hymns of a bygone era still intact, they are unique and a one-of-a-kind affair in the country.

To this day, the week-long religious commemorations are undertaken by the present day Irmaos de Igreja comprising young and older male members of the local Portuguese-Eurasian community. With membership strength around 33, the Irmaos de Igreja is described as the oldest surviving church based organisation in the region.

The original grouping was founded in 1549 by a Dominican priest Fr. Gaspar da Cruz in efforts to unite local Catholics particularly from the Portuguese community. Then, the age-old practices and processions were initiated at the now ruined St. Lawrence church in Jalan Bunga Raya adjacent to the lower reaches of the Malacca River. The ruins are located nearby Church of St. Peter along upper Jalan Pengkalan Rama.

St. Peter’s Church noted as Malaysia’s oldest surviving Catholic edifice celebrated its third centenary with much pomp and fanfare last year.

However, the ruins of St. Lawrence church and subsequently the site of the Holy Rosary Chapel located well off the main road does not offer much view and attraction despite being steeped in history.

In late 2006, following the crumbling of several of the old edifice’s columns, the Ministry of Culture, Arts and and Heritage after numerous complaints by local conservationists allocated a budget to undertake restoration works.

However, only a low stone compound edging, the clearing up of undergrowth and rubbish and putting up an official signage noting its history were undertaken. According to Micheal Banerji, the vice president of the Malacca Heritage Trust, the issue of the site’s subsequent neglect and further stone column crumblings was raised in Parliament in 2009.

Besides waiting for the site to be declared a national heritage, Banerji said the site neededfurther restoration and conservation plans to make the ruins a tourist attraction and to make it a fitting tribute memorial for the founder and pioneers of the Irmaos de Igreja.

-News courtesy of The Star-