CASS Alumni

Stephen Leung married to Anita, have a 3.5 years old daughter and a 2.5 years old son, with another one on the way! Their daughter is called Clementina, which means ""mercy"" after the Mercy of God in redeeming us, and son Alexander which means ""helper of man"". They are a handful at times, but Stephen would not change it for the world. Clementina enjoys craft activities and being creative with her art work. She loves to sing and to do signs/actions with the songs. Alexander enjoys tacking his sister and to do anything she is doing. He eats most times of the day and likes to cut paper shapes.

Would you recommend CASS to your kids when they are in university?
Of course! That’s where Anita and I met - at a CASS retreat. It will help them to develop a greater love of God and greater fellowship amongst Catholic peers.

How did you first meet Anita?
We met at the 1998 CASS Retreat where Fr Greg Homing was the director. One of us was one of the retreat organisers and the other was a first time participant.

What is your advice for current CASS members seeking the vocation of marriage?
My advice for marriage is: Both Asian culture and Catholic tradition are important in providing a strong family identity. So couples need to persevere to promote both in their family life.

Do you keep in contact with Ex-CASS friends? How do you keep in touch?
Yes, the regulars at St Peter Julian’s Church, but also those involved in CGC and THS. We see each other at mass, when attending a CGC faith sharing group, or at praise and worship session with THS. Lots of people come and go, and that is sad, but some are still around. There are always new people with lots of energy and love of God. I sometimes see old CASS members attending other general catholic gatherings e.g. Young Carmelite Group (a group exploring contemplative prayer), Verbum Dei (a group focusing on prayer through the Word of God), ACMICA (a group concerned with social justice issues), Lumen Verum (Catholic Apologetics), Knights of the Southern Cross (a Diocean organisation) and other Arch Diocese events.

What role do you think CASS played in your university life?
CASS helped me mature as an individual and as a child of God. I learnt a lot about my faith and how I could live my life more purposely and fully. Being involved in committees and having to balance studies as well as organising activities was challenging. There were times when I was overwhelmed, but through prayer, I felt God giving me the strength to persevere.

Ellisser Chan, wife to Michael and mother to their two years old daughter Audrey. Ellisser is currently working in the energy industry looking after the company's natural gas supplies. She enjoys trekking and indoor rock climbing.

How did you meet your husband Michael? What is your advice for current CASS members seeking the vocation of marriage?
I met him at St. Peter Julian’s Church in Haymarket as he had already graduated from university by then. My advice would be to pray before you start dating and also to look for Godly qualities in your future spouse, such as honesty and maturity.

Do you still keep in contact with ex-CASS or current CASS members?
We are still in contact with some Ex-CASS and current CASS members as many of them attend the Temple of Holy Spirit (THS) prayer meetings. We also meet through bible studies and other CCPC events. Otherwise, we keep in touch via email.

When you were in CASS, were there any challenges you had to overcome? What role do you think CASS played in your university life?
I remember that there was a lot of organisation involved especially for the major events. I think CASS was a good starting point; it was CASS that opened the door to me to the life and the Spirit, which has totally transformed my life.

What do you think the alumni group should provide to its members?
It would be good if they can support those who are returning to their own countries especially those who are newly baptised and need a spiritual support network. Other ways this group can help would be to remember CASS in their prayers since CASS is always in need of prayers.

It's been 15 years. CASS has probably been significant in your life. Would you like to take this opportunity to say a few words to present and future CASS members?
Use your time at university to deepen your relationship with God. Keep searching, keep striving for more and keep drawing closer to God. Don’t let your faith journey which you have started at CASS end there. Instead, use it as a starting point to keep reaching out to others, and to keep deepening your faith, love and devotion to God and His church.

Stanley Seah, a doctor, is engaged to fellow ex-CASS member Mary Lai. He enjoys watching a good soccer match and playing it as well.

When did you meet your fiancée Mary? What advice do you have for current CASS members seeking the vocation of marriage?
I saw Mary when she was vacuuming the hall at the 1999 CASS Retreat at Francisville and I thought, good! She’s someone who can do housework well! But we only started dating two years later. It is of utmost importance that we ask God for a spouse who is spiritually compatible with us while always being patient and prayerful at the same time.

Do either of you have any contact with Ex-CASS or current CASS friends? How did you keep in touch with each others?
Definitely. Too many to name here. We meet with the Ex-CASS and current CASS members through weekly prayer meetings (some of them belong to the Temple of the Holy Spirit (THS) Prayer group that meets at Asiana Centre at Ashfield every Friday night), also through coffees and sports events, and via email.

When you look back at the time you were in CASS, were there any special memories? What role do you think CASS played in your university life especially?
Annual Dinner performances from Sydney Uni were always entertaining and somewhat embarrassing but we all had many laughs and fun with all the preparation and dancing. More importantly, CASS retreats and the weekly Bible study sessions gave the students a lot of Spirit-filled inspiration that was invaluable in their lives. One of the main challenges I faced was having to lead by example and motivating my committee/members to place God first before all things.

What is your expectation of this alumni group and any ideas about how to make this alumni group better?
It would be good if this group should inspire and provide support especially for those returning to their home country through prayer and providing information of other groups in their home countries that could continue to encourage them on their journey of faith that they have started here in Sydney.

Would you like to take this opportunity to say a few words to present and future CASS members?
Seize this opportunity when you are at university to develop an intimate relationship with the Lord so that you will stand tall as warriors when you start work. Invest your blessings and gifts in serving CASS. Although challenges abound, they are deeply rewarding and are immense in character building. It has helped me to realise that ‘When you’re left with nothing, then for the first time you realise that God is enough’.
Hold firm, take heart and hope in the Lord - Psalm 27:14

Candy Lui, one of the "Little Stones", is currently working in system and database support.

What role did you think CASS played in your university life especially?
We especially treasured the unconditional love and friendship of the members. Despite the heavy study load at university, the weekly bible studies helped us stay focused on God. The social gatherings, e.g. late-night chit-chats at Pancakes at The Rocks - were simply unforgettable!

What do you think about the formation of CASS alumni?
Forming a CASS alumni is a great idea. It would serve to keep some ex-CASS members in touch with each other.

It's been 15 years. Time really flies. Would you like to take this opportunity to say a few words to past, present and future CASS members?
We would like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to Sr. Teresa for all her hard work, and anyone who had helped us unconditionally. May God’s guiding light keep on shining on all who seeks Him through CASS. God bless. Last but not least, we would like to express our feelings by quoting a verse from the poem Stay The Same by Kristi Widner: ‘The years have flown by but the memories remain; those faces & names will always stay the same.’

What do you do in your spend time and for work?
We love reading, cooking, sightseeing and watching movies. Our lives are pretty much family-oriented - we put each other, our son, and our immediate family members first. As for our careers, we are happy to say that we both work in an office environment and we both have bosses that are enormously kind and understanding. Although we feel that perhaps we could pursue a more glamorous career but we are willing to trade it off with a more fulfilling family life instead.

Kenny Lau married to Alice, is a bridge engineer working in Greater Taree City Council. They have two daughters, Christine and Katharine.

Would you recommend CASS to your girls when they are in university?
Of course! Yes, I will.

How and when did you meet Alice? Was being in CASS beneficial to your marriage and as parents?
I met Alice at CASS meeting. It was beneficial that both of us are Catholics - no discrepancy, trouble and doubt between our religion.

Do you have any contact with ex-CASS or current CASS friends?
We are still in contact with ex-CASS friends such as John Wong, Candy Lui and Julie Leung. We maintain our contact exclusively through email or phone.

During your time in CASS, were there any special memories of good times or challenges that you had overcome? What role did CASS play in your university life especially?
There were a lot of good memories such as weekly CASS meetings, and through CASS I came to understand what is God, Jesus and the Spirit.

Anthony Law was a CASS member during 1994 to 1995. He is now a teacher in Hong Kong, and apart from his family and religious life, he enjoys singing and sightseeing.

Do you have any contact with ex-CASS or current CASS friends?
Yes, I do. I am a member of the United Hearts Community (‘UH’) which is a Catholic prayer group named after the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It was formed in Hong Kong on 1 March 1997 by a group of ex-CASS members, including myself, who had returned to Hong Kong from Sydney. Today, participants in UH functions comprise not only of us, but also of younger ex-CASS members as well as other non-CASS friends.

What are the memories you most cherish from CASS?
I was in the central committee when I studied in Sydney. I treasured my time in CASS (especially at retreats) as I know many good friends there - I still see them regularly today at UH functions, and it has, as a start, helped me build up my faith. I still keep old CASS photos in my photo album, which I view from time to time.

What do you think about the formation of CASS alumni? What is your expectation of this alumni group?
It is a good idea to have a CASS alumni group so that CASS graduates can keep in touch with each other and help each other especially at the start of their career life. The CASS alumni group can also recommend some good religious programs to its members.

Would you like to say a few words to past, present and future CASS members?
Be strong in your faith as the environment in Hong Kong is challenging. Enjoy your time in CASS and try to bear religious fruits. Sister Teresa is a good chaplain and I am happy to know her.

John & Amanda Wong’s son Christopher is now in year 3 and has recently had his first Holy Communion. He loves food, sports, playing board-games, singing and dancing. As a family, the Wongs often pray together and Christopher is encouraged by his parents to seek Jesus, follow Him and try to live out his faith as much as he could.
Left: The Wongs at Christopher’s recent performance at the Australian Youth Choir concert.

Would you encourage Christopher to join CASS when he is in university?
We would surely encourage Christopher to join CASS, no doubt about that.
[...and judging from Christopher’s enthusiastic response during the live interview at the CASS 15th Anniversary Annual Dinner, they certainly did a great job. :P - ed]

How and when did you meet? Was being in CASS beneficial to your marriage and as parents?
We met each other at the 1992 CASS annual retreat. In terms of benefits to our marriage or to us as parents in general, we think having a number of good old trusting friends from CASS means that we have peer support and can happily share parenthood and marital experience amongst each other.

What would be your advice to CASS members considering the vocation of marriage?
We would suggest to any CASS members who are seeking the vocation of marriage to pray fervently for God’s guidance. A marriage that is ‘made in heaven’ must be ‘made from heaven’. We must remember marriage is in fact a three-way affair: you, your spouse and God. Only God could lead you to a holy and fruitful marriage.

Do you still keep in touch with any ex-CASS or current CASS friends?
Most of the CASS members we know go to St. Peter Julian’s Church in Chinatown and/or THS. So we see each other regularly. We also keep in touch with some CASS members in HK, where they had formed the prayer group United Hearts (UH). We are grateful that our friendship lasts and grows through the years.

What did you treasure most during your time at CASS?
We especially treasured the unconditional love and friendship of the members. Despite the heavy study load at university, the weekly bible studies helped us stay focused on God. The social gatherings, e.g. late-night chit-chats at Pancakes at The Rocks - were simply unforgettable!

What do you think about the formation of CASS alumni?
Forming a CASS alumni is a great idea. It would serve to keep some ex-CASS members in touch with each other.

Kevin & Bernice Wong have a son named Matthew Maximilian born on the special date of 5th May 2005. He is now walking around and taking in the world around him.

How do you spend your time these days?
Our current aspiration is to catch up on sleep that has been lost for the past 17 months, but we know that will never happen!!! :P Our daily energy is spent at work in accounting and teaching, otherwise it’s on our son, and he’s our career and hobby for now!

How and when did you meet? Was being in CASS beneficial to your marriage and as parents? What would be your advice to CASS members considering the vocation of marriage?
We first met at the workshops for the introduction of cell (bible sharing) groups to CASS. Later we served together in the CASS central committee, so CASS gave us the opportunity to meet and to grow together in spirit and in love. God will bless us with the perfect partner, but he desires our heart first and foremost, so love and serve Him first, and trust in Him.

Do you have any contact with ex-CASS or current CASS friends? How do you keep in touch?
We mostly keep in touch by seeing each other at St Peter Julian’s Church or via email if they have moved overseas.

When you look back at the time you were in CASS, were there any special memories of good times or challenges you had to overcome?
The main challenges were the organising of the annual retreat, thanksgiving mass and annual dinner. We have taken with us some friendships formed while working closely together to organise these events.

What role did you think CASS played in your university life especially?
The regular CASS bible sharings helped to balance our time away from studies while at university, and provided us with spiritual support, especially at exam times.

What do you think about the formation of CASS alumni?
A CASS alumni will succeed if a small group is committed to carrying out its aims and visions, just like the group that started up CASS 15 years ago. It would be nice to catch up with those who we may have forgotten about!

What is your expectation of this alumni group?
It would be great if the alumni group could achieve the following:

Re-establish communication with ex-CASS members
Organise an annual casual event for all to meet up
Encourage any ex-members to practice their faith if they have become 'lukewarm'

Would you like to say a few words to past, present and future CASS members?
CASS will change your life, if you let God work through it. To be able to serve God through CASS has been a most wonderful and rewarding starting point to life after CASS.