Brunei is a country in Southeast Asia, bordering the South China Sea and East Malaysia. Its geographical coordinates are 4°30′N114°40′E. The country is small with a total size of 5,765 km2 (2,226 sq mi). It is larger in size than Trinidad and Tobago. It is close to vital sea lanes through the South China Sea linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The country has two parts physically separated by Malaysia, making it almost an enclave within Malaysia.
Bandar Seri Begawan, and colloquially referred to as BSB, is the capital and largest city of Brunei. It is officially a municipal area with an area of 100.36 square kilometres (38.75 sq mi) and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei-Muara District, the smallest yet most populous district which is home to over 70 per cent of the country's population. It is the country's largest urban centre and nominally the country's only city. The capital is home to Brunei's seat of government, as well as a commercial and cultural centre. It was formerly known as Brunei Town until it was renamed in 1970 in honour of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei and the father of the current Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah.
A shrine to the Virgin Mary, or Marian shrine, is a shrine marking an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion. Such locales are often the destinations of Christian pilgrimages.
A co-cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being a bishop's seat, or cathedra, with another cathedral, often in another city. Instances of this occurred in England before the Protestant Reformation in the dioceses of 'Bath and Wells', and of 'Coventry and Lichfield'. These two dioceses were each named for both cities that served as bishop's seats.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction covering the territory of Brunei and headed by an apostolic vicar. The first apostolic vicar was Cornelius Sim, who was created a cardinal in 2020 and died in May 2021.
The administrative divisions of Brunei Darussalam mainly consist of daerah (districts), mukim (sub-districts), and kampung or kampong (villages). They are organised hierarchically in Brunei Darussalam, with daerah being the largest first level, and kampong the smallest third level.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Penang is situated in the northern as well as the east coast region of Peninsular Malaysia covering 4 northern states, namely Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak as well as the east coast state of Kelantan. It was created on 25 February 1955 together with the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. It is under the ecclesiastical province of Kuala Lumpur.
Christianity in Brunei is the second largest religion practiced by about 8.7% of the population as of 2022. Other reports suggest that this number may be as high as 12%.
Cornelius Sim DD was a Bruneian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Vicar Apostolic of Brunei from 2004 until his death. He had previously served as the apostolic prefect of Brunei from 1997 to 2004.
The Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception (COOL) is a Roman Catholic church of the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei in the town of Seria, Belait District. The late Cardinal Cornelius Sim, the most well-known Catholic in the country, gave it enormous popularity. It is the second of three Roman Catholic churches in the nation; the other two being the St. John's Church in Kuala Belait and the Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in the Brunei capital Bandar Seri Begawan.
Our Lady of Victories, in Kensington, London, is a Roman Catholic church. The original church opened in 1869, and for 34 years to 1903 served as pro-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Westminster. That building was destroyed by bombing in 1940: its successor, which survives, opened in 1959. The church stands at 235a Kensington High Street, Kensington, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory is a Catholic church on Warwick Street, Westminster. It is the oldest Catholic church in England. It was formerly known as the Royal Bavarian Chapel, because like several Catholic churches in London it originated as a chapel within a foreign embassy. It was built between 1789 and 1790 to the designs of Joseph Bonomi the Elder. The only surviving eighteenth-century Catholic chapel in London, it is a Grade II* listed building. The parish is now operated by the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, the British personal ordinariate for the Anglican Use within the Catholic Church, and acts as its central church.
Kampong Madang is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, as well as a neighbourhood in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 1,231 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Berakas 'B'. The postcode is BC3715.
Kampong Kumbang Pasang, or simply Kumbang Pasang, is a village within Mukim Kianggeh in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. It is also part of the municipal area of the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 563 in 2016. It has the postcode BA1511. The village formerly hosts a rubber plantation and was named Kumbang Pasang Estate. Notably the village was once its own Mukim, known as Mukim Kumbang Pasang.
Pusar Ulak is a village in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It is officially a village subdivision under Mukim Kianggeh, Brunei-Muara District. The postcode for Pusar Ulak is BA1411.
The Ministry of Defence Brunei Darussalam, officially abbreviated as MinDef, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Government of Brunei. It is responsible for the national security and its military forces within the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam; the latter collectively known as the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF); Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei, (ABDB). MinDef is Brunei's ministry of defence; and was established on 1 January 1984, when Brunei Darussalam achieved independence from the United Kingdom. The Ministry of Defence leadership presently consists of a minister ; its incumbent is the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, who is also the Supreme Commander of the RBAF / ABDB. A deputy minister is second-in-command at the Ministry of Defence.
The St. John's Church is a Roman Catholic church of the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei in the town of Kuala Belait, Belait District. It is one of three Roman Catholic churches in the nation; the other two being the Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception in Seria and the Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Bandar Seri Begawan.
