On 6 August 2011, I celebrated my Golden Jubilee as a priest. Indeed, for me this was THE event of the half-century. The events of the days leading up to the celebration contributed to the total "jubilee joy".

Mon 1 Aug - I get a call from the Archbishop's office, whether I can come at my earliest convenience. I leave right away, wondering all the while during the 30-minute bus ride - in a sort of examination of conscience mood - why the Bishop might need to see me. It turns out to be a pleasant surprise: he wanted to assure me of his appreciation for my contribution to the Archdiocese (as he had written in his Message in my Jubilee souvenir booklet) and to give me a Marian chasuble and a Braun Büffel attaché case. Quite a relief, and a joy!

Tue 2 Aug - Upon my return from a sick call, I find a message on my answering machine. It's from my brother Etienne: Our sister Maria had a bad fall at home while having breakfast; she was brought to the hospital and will not be able to join us and take the plane for Singapore later today. I am devastated. We had been looking out so eagerly to celebrate together.

Wed 3 Aug - Mid-afternoon my visitors from Belgium arrive at Changi airport: my brother Etienne (79) and Wilfried Steps, a friend of my high school days way back (1950), and his wife Godelieve. They were scheduled to bring along some 20 kgs of Belgian chocolates, table gifts for the dinner party. Being only 3 instead of 4, they had been forced to make some last-minute adjustments, and pay overweight. From the airport we all went straight away to the church of the Risen Christ, to deposit the chocolates in the refrigerator in the office (!) of Kamil Kamus.

Thu 4 Aug - Arrival of Bishop Wens Padilla, who also proceeds to the church of the Risen Christ (not for refrigeration purposes). Later in the day, Provincial Superior Frans De Ridder arrives, also from Mongolia. He spends a night with the local Superior Robertus Sarwiseso.

Fri 5 Aug - Celebrations started with my regular First Friday Mass at a rented place in Science Park where a group of inspiring young adults use their lunch time break for celebrating the Eucharist. My visitors are beginning to warm up for what turned out to be one of the most striking features of their Singapore visit: lively church liturgies.

The actual Jubilee Mass was at St Bernadette's, where I served from 1996 to 2000. It turned out to be a real celebration of our common priesthood, with some 700 persons attending and close to 50 priests concelebrating, including 8 CICM confreres and 3 bishops: the Archbishop of Singapore who, after many years, has become very appreciative of my work, especially as chairman of his Senate of Priests; the Apostolic Nuncio, an Italian who has known CICM in Cameroon and Indonesia, and loves to come and speak some Italian with me as we share something spiritual (and liquid); and our confrere bishop Padilla of Mongolia, who's my ex-student from my MST days in Manila in the mid 70s. Our local man, Anthony Lim, could join us before leaving for his next China assignment two days later. There was a truly festive atmosphere, good congregational singing, enough solemnity without dragging things (70 minutes in all). By exception, I had written out the text of my homily. I had also invited some people of other faiths with whom I have been on a "blessing team" for some years now, and they had come: a buddhist, a taoist, a muslim, a sikh, and perhaps more.

After Mass came the dinner, starting at 8 and over before 11. It was a sit-down Chinese dinner of 9 courses, in a simple restaurant that's known for its good kitchen; all in all 60 tables (= 600 guests). As is usual here for such occasions, only clergy and religious got complimentary tickets, the rest is for sale. They started selling early May and by mid June all tickets were sold out! Someone of the Ladies group I had started in 1997 at St Bernadette's gave us, from their business supply, 120 bottles of French wine and 30 bottles of champagne. Another lady, head of a transport company, offered 3 buses FOC to bring people from church to the restaurant and back. The MC, a friend who is in the event business, was fantastic and set the joyful tone for the evening. He even got our Bishop Wens to sing (after a few drinks, I was told). The Leonidas chocolate from Belgium added a sweet note. All in all, there was great atmosphere, good food & drink, and also an opportunity to greet well-wishers and friends, almost like at a wedding here, people said. Many happy people, I not the least.

Of course, events like this require a lot of planning and plenty of help. Actually, a Jubilee Committee of 8 friends held its first meeting in March 2010. The 10th and last meeting on August 29 this year was one of thanksgiving. There was also a sub-committee in charge of all printed material. They decided on the general theme of the celebration - Called to Serve - and produced a souvenir booklet and a prayer card that were distributed in church and also at dinner. I called it: Anecdotal pictorial, and that's what it is: not an autobiography, but snapshots. We were very blessed to get the free help of a really good lay-out artist. He even found us a printer who produced 1500 copies of the booklet at US$1 a piece, a steal! My sister Adrienne, 86, now in a nursing home in Antwerp, was the gracious sponsor. [If anyone would like to have a personal copy, just send me an email; there are still some 75 left.]

Sun 7 Aug - Big day for Bishop Wens. He had accepted to preach at weekend Masses at the church of the Risen Christ and to celebrate the 11am parish Mass (Frans De Ridder and I concelebrated). On his behalf, I had invited some 500 people - all friends and benefactors of the Mongolia mission - to this Mass and a reception with buffet lunch. The response was overwhelming; aside from the unavoidable regrets, over 200 persons came to join in the Mass and personally greet the Bishop. Once again, the atmosphere was electric. As such things go in Singapore, one person asked me who was paying for the reception. When I told her, the Bishop, she got out her checkbook and paid for it in full. No fuss, no trumpet blast, no mention even to the Bishop!

Tue 9 Aug - Singapore's 46th birthday, onward to its own Golden one.

Thu 11 Aug - Confreres participate in the monthly meeting of priests in their respective Districts. This time I give it a miss, having a good time with my visitors, taking in the Singapore sights and enjoying the hospitality of my friends. Their main worry is that they're putting on weight and that invitations keep coming.

Fri 19 Aug - It's our Archbishop Nicholas Chia's turn to have a fall, nothing really bad but enough to trigger a first alarm. Actually, he tripped while carrying a chair in his garden where his barber was waiting. He injured his ankle and will be out of circulation for several weeks. In a show of inter-religious harmony, so dear to Singapore, heads of other faiths paid him a joint visit in the hospital.

Sun 21 Aug - The original plan was that today my sister Maria would celebrate her birthday here at Pandan Valley, as she had done when she was here 7 years ago when she turned 76. In the meantime we learnt that her fall was a freak accident, leaving bad bruises and a heavy concussion but, thank God, no brain damage nor caused by a stroke. We have a good drink to this good news (a lame excuse when you are thirsty or just wanting to have a Manhattan).

Tue 23 Aug - My visitors return home, happy, loaded with stories they want to share with their own families in Belgium. For me it's time to start catching up on personal matters, emails, thank-you's, and to plunge again in many diocesan affairs I had put on the back burner.