THIS Father’s Day, many families will honour fathers for the sacrifices they make – the long hours they work, the responsibilities they carry and the quiet acts of love that often go unnoticed.
In many ways, fathers are like gardeners. They plant seeds they may never see fully grown, nurture lives entrusted to their care and work quietly in the hope that future generations will flourish.
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The same can be said of volunteers.
Whether raising children, mentoring young people, serving a community or caring for the environment, both fathers and volunteers invest in benefits that others may enjoy long after they are gone.
Yet such values require patience, sacrifice and a willingness to think beyond oneself – qualities that some observers fear are becoming increasingly rare in a world that prizes convenience, achievement and immediate rewards.
But are societies still willing to cultivate such values?
Will future generations inherit communities where people willingly serve others, volunteer their time and contribute to the common good? Or will they inherit a culture where every action is measured by what can be gained in return?
Those questions are at the heart of this Special Report, which brings together the perspectives of Rev Fr Cosmas Lee, a priest who has spent almost 50 years serving communities throughout Sabah; Rev Fr Michael Modoit, the current parish rector of St Simon Catholic Church Likas; and Singaporean couple Alphonsus Chern and Angela Lim, volunteer choir leaders who continue to dedicate their time and talents to community service despite the demands of work and family life.
Their experiences may differ, but they share a common concern: how to preserve a culture of service in an increasingly self-focused world.
While Father’s Day is often associated with biological fathers, Fr Cosmas and Fr Michael have also spent decades serving as spiritual fathers to generations of Sabahans through their guidance, mentorship and service to the community.
According to Fr Cosmas, the challenge is not simply that people volunteer less than before.
Increasingly, he said, people no longer want to embrace the simplicity and sacrifice that volunteerism often requires.
Modern life encourages people to seek comfort, convenience and personal advancement, making it harder to prioritise service to others.
“People were less self-centred and had more spiritual and social values,” said the former parish rector of St Simon Catholic Church Likas.
“I have seen the massive increase in secularisation affecting volunteerism negatively in the church and in society at large.”
His concern goes beyond religion.
Across Sabah, community organisations, charities, neighbourhood associations and volunteer groups face growing challenges attracting people willing to commit their time and energy over the long term.
Fr Cosmas said previous generations often had fewer comforts but stronger communal values.
“People were less self-centred and had more spiritual and social values.”
Experiences of hardship, scarcity and struggle taught communities the importance of helping one another survive and thrive.
Many older Sabahans still remember a time when neighbours looked after neighbours without expecting payment, publicity or recognition.
Today, however, Fr Cosmas sees a different trend emerging.
“There is no boundary in the global onslaught of secularisation,” he said.
The result, he argues, is a culture increasingly shaped by individual achievement rather than collective responsibility.
Volunteerism is often viewed simply as an activity – helping at an event, joining a charity drive or supporting a community programme.
Fr Cosmas sees it differently. For him, volunteerism is an expression of character.
“Spiritual life is founded on the selfless love of God,” he said.
Whether one is religious or not, healthy communities depend upon people who are willing to do things that may not directly benefit themselves.
Without such contributions, the social fabric begins to weaken.
“What happens to society when fewer people are willing to serve without rewards or recognition?” he asked.
“Society will eventually crumble.”
Tending to gardens and not parking lots
The challenge can perhaps be understood through a simple metaphor.
A garden takes years to cultivate.
Trees must be planted, watered and protected long before they provide shade. Flowers require patience before they bloom. The gardener often invests effort knowing others may enjoy the harvest more than he does.
A parking lot is very different. Trees are removed. Grass is flattened. Everything is designed for immediate convenience.
In many ways, the same choice confronts modern society.
Do we invest in people and communities for the future? Or do we sacrifice long-term benefits for short-term gain?
For Fr Cosmas, volunteerism represents the work of gardeners.
“If people stopped volunteering, many acts of service, done out of love, would either not get done, or be done only if the doer can obtain a benefit by doing it,” he said.
“The world would become calculating and transactional – ‘me first’ instead of ‘my neighbour first’.”
One concern he raises is the growing tendency for service itself to become transactional.
Many people today, he said, are willing to help only when there is some personal benefit involved.
“The bulk of social media is unfriendly to volunteerism,” he said.
Acts of kindness that were once done quietly are now often measured through likes, shares and public recognition.
“When people begin to evaluate kindness based on personal gain, that is dangerous.”
The first teachers
Fr Cosmas believes fathers play a critical role in preventing that outcome.
Children do not learn generosity simply from being told to be generous.
They learn it by watching.
“Parents must have volunteerism to pass on to their children,” he said.
A father who helps neighbours, serves his community or volunteers his time teaches lessons that no textbook can provide.
Yet passing on those values is becoming increasingly difficult.
“The whole world is preaching a different gospel to the children, too,” Fr Cosmas observed.
Young people today are surrounded by messages encouraging personal success, self-promotion and individual advancement.
Volunteerism, by contrast, asks people to place the needs of others alongside their own.
Fr Cosmas does not believe economic pressures alone explain the decline in volunteerism.
“I don’t believe the problem is between volunteerism and economic realities,” he said.
“It’s a question of placing one’s true values first.”
Planting for the next generation
If Fr Cosmas warns about what happens when societies stop planting, Fr Michael Modoit focuses on why planting matters in the first place.
Fr Michael, who succeeded Fr Cosmas as rector of the Likas parish, said caring for the environment is closely linked to caring for future generations.
During his previous posting at Holy Nativity Parish in Terawi, he helped establish a plant nursery and promoted tree-planting initiatives in response to the late Pope Francis’ call for greater environmental responsibility through the encyclical “Laudato Si”, which encourages care for our common home.
For him, stewardship of the environment is ultimately part of a broader responsibility towards people and communities – and Father’s Day is ultimately about responsibility.
“A father can be the pillar of the family and a pillar of faith,” he said.
“Their presence, responsibility and time spent with their families are very important.”
Those responsibilities, however, extend beyond individual households.
Fr Michael sees a direct connection between strong families, healthy communities and a well-cared-for environment.
“When people see greenery, flowers and trees, it gives peace of mind and peace of heart,” he said.
“In today’s world, where people face many pressures and challenges, having places that connect us with nature is very important.”
Upon arriving at St Simon Church, one of the things that impressed him most was the flourishing garden cultivated over many years under Fr Cosmas’ stewardship.
The grounds feature fruit trees, flowering plants, a variety of native and ornamental species, and expansive green spaces that have become a source of pride for parishioners and visitors alike.
Yet Fr Michael sees the garden as more than a landscape.
It is a lesson.
“Looking after the environment is not only a religious duty. It is a responsibility for all of us,” he said.
“When we care for nature, we are caring for future generations.”
Whether it is raising children, mentoring young people or caring for public spaces, he said lasting change rarely happens overnight.
Like a garden, communities require constant attention.
He believes well-maintained green spaces can also become places of reflection, healing and community-building.
Looking ahead, he hopes to strengthen the sense of belonging that already exists within the community while continuing to promote hospitality, mutual respect and care for one another.
“Those values are important everywhere,” he said.
“Whether in families, neighbourhoods, places of worship or public spaces, communities flourish when people feel welcomed, valued and connected.”
His philosophy is reflected in the approach he has taken since succeeding Fr Cosmas.
Rather than focusing on change for its own sake, he speaks of continuity and building upon what previous generations have left behind.
“Fr Cosmas has already laid the foundation,” Fr Michael said of his predecessor.
“We will see how we can continue building on it.”
Giving without calculating
The values that both spiritual fathers speak about are not merely ideals.
They are reflected in the lives of ordinary people who continue serving despite busy schedules, work commitments and family responsibilities.
Lay leaders like Alphonsus Chern and Angela Lim may be increasingly uncommon in today’s secularised societies, where work, personal pursuits and individual achievement often dominate people’s priorities. Yet their example demonstrates that committed service remains alive and relevant.
As leaders of the Cathedral Choir of Saint Gregory the Great and the Cathedral Children’s Choir at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd respectively, the Singapore-based couple have spent years nurturing singers, mentoring young choristers and building community through music, all while balancing professional careers, marriage and family responsibilities.
For the younger generation searching for role models, their lives offer a compelling reminder that faith is not simply professed but lived through service.
In a city-state often associated with efficiency, productivity and economic success, time has become an increasingly precious commodity.
“Today, people no longer need to volunteer to pass the time,” they said.
“They have many attractions and opportunities to occupy their lives.”
“With limited hours in the day, a person will likely volunteer only if volunteering gives them meaning or satisfaction.”
For years, they have devoted countless hours to nurturing singers, training young choristers and building community through music.
Their example demonstrates that volunteerism is not merely something societies practise when they have abundant time or resources.
Rather, it is a conscious choice to place the common good alongside personal ambitions.
For them, the danger arises when service becomes a transaction.
“To expect a reward or payment makes service to the community a transaction and not a gift,” they said.
“When people calculate in giving their time, talent and treasure, the community loses spontaneity and dynamism.”
“When I volunteer, I willingly give my time and talent even though those who receive it have no means, or no intention, to reward me with money or recognition.”
“Those who give from the heart make a community truly joyful and alive.”
For the couple, volunteering was never simply about filling spare time.
“I was called, by various people in various ways, to serve my community,” they said.
“Volunteering was my way of responding to that call.”
“Volunteering feeds your soul.”
They also believe volunteer work teaches people how to live as part of a community rather than simply as individuals.
“When people sing in a choir, they are not singing for themselves but as part of a community,” they said.
“They have to listen to each other more than they sing.”
“They need to actively blend with the singers around them.”
“In giving or accepting correction they practise charity and humility.”
The lessons, they said, extend far beyond music.
“They pray, play and work together for a common good and a higher purpose.”
Those same qualities – humility, discipline, patience and concern for others – are often the very values fathers seek to pass on to their children.
A Father’s Day challenge
The couple believe society often underestimates the impact of small acts of service.
“You may never know the people whose lives you have touched,” they said.
“The work you do may not show fruit in your lifetime, but great things happen because of every small thing that every volunteer does out of love.”
Perhaps that is the challenge of Father’s Day in a rapidly changing world. Like fathers, volunteers and gardeners, we may never fully see the fruits of our labour.
Yet the values we nurture today – service, responsibility, generosity and care for others – are the seeds from which stronger families, communities and societies will grow tomorrow.
