Roman Catholic Diocese of Miri

Diocese of Miri

*Dioecesis Miriensis*

*Keuskupan Miri*
Diocese of Miri; Dioecesis Miriensis; Keuskupan Miri
	Front View of St Joseph's Cathedral Miri in 2003
Location
Country	Malaysia
Ecclesiastical province	Kuching
Metropolitan	Kuching
Statistics
Area	66,135 km2 (25,535 sq mi)
Population; - Total; - Catholics	(as of 2021); 877,492; 113,382 (
Parishes	15
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	1959;65 years ago
Cathedral	St Joseph's Cathedral, Miri
Patron saint	Saint Joseph
Language	Ecclesiastical Latin ; English language ; Iban language ; Mandarin language ; Malay language ;
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Richard Ng
Metropolitan Archbishop	Simon Peter Poh Hoon Seng
Vicar General	Francis Kuleh Usat
Bishops emeritus	Anthony Lee Kok Hin
Website
	www.miridiocese.org [ dead link ]

Last updated May 08, 2024

The Diocese of Miri (Lat: Dioecesis Mirensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Malaysia. Situated northeast of the Archdiocese of Kuching, of which it is a suffragan diocese. St. Joseph's Cathedral in Miri serves as both the diocesan cathedral and the seat of bishop.

In 1959, when the Vicariate was established, Anthony Denis Galvin, a Mill Hill priest, was appointed as the first Apostolic Vicar until his death in 1976. Anthony Lee Kok Hin, a local priest from Miri, was appointed as the second Apostolic Vicar and subsequently become the first bishop of Miri in 1977 when Pope Paul VI elevates the Vicariate into full diocese status. In 2013, following his resignation, Pope Francis granted Rev. Fr. Richard Ng, a Kuching-born priest, as his successor and he was installed as the second bishop of this diocese in 2014.

History

Originally erected in 1959, as the Apostolic Vicariate of Miri, the diocese was formed from the Vicariate of Kuching.

The present Catholic community in the country finds its roots in the ministry of the Missionary Society of St. Joseph (Mill Hill Missionaries) They started schools all throughout Miri, starting with Good Shepherd School, at Claude Town (or present day Marudi).

After the Vicariate of Miri was established and, in the following year, Father Anthony D. Galvin (who was a Mill Hill Father himself) was consecrated the first bishop of the Miri Vicariate. He was ordained by Pope John XXIII in Rome on 5 May 1960.

Approximately 6 years later, on 2 January 1966, Father Anthony Lee (who was the first priest from Miri at that time) was ordained.

Pope Paul VI then established a new Church province in East Malaysia on 31 May 1976, and Miri Vicariate was raised to the level of a Diocese.

On 20 May 1977, Pope Paul VI appointed Father Anthony Lee as the first bishop of the Diocese of Miri, and he was ordained bishop in St. Joseph's Cathedral, Miri, on 20 Nov and the Diocese of Miri was officially proclaimed on the same day. The diocese is currently a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Kuching. On 11 November 1997, it lost its territory to the North of it (Brunei), to establish Apostolic Prefecture of Brunei. (Currently the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei)

In accordance with the Code of Canon Law, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Anthony Lee Kok Hin on 30 October 2013 and appointed Father Richard Ng from the Archdiocese of Kuching to succeed him. Bishop Richard Ng was ordained and installed the third Bishop of the Diocese on 25 January 2014, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.

Ordinaries

Anthony Denis Galvin, M.H.M. † (5 April 1960, appointed − 5 September 1976, died)
Anthony Lee Kok Hin (30 May 1977, appointed − 30 October 2013, retired)
Richard Ng (30 October 2013, appointed, 25 January 2014, Ordained − )

Priests

Msgr. Francis Kuleh Usat
Rev. Gabriel Chiong
Rev. Justin Dan
Rev. Sylvester Ding Ibau
Rev. Joseph Ding
Rev. Philip Empalah
Rev. Peter Hwang Yiek Siong
Rev. Damian Lalo
Rev. Andy Lee
Rev. Johnny Francis Ho Fung Fei
Rev. Peter Mering
Rev. Michael Sia
Rev. Vincent Shim
Rev. Sylvester Ngau Juk
Rev. Martin Vincent Sta
Rev. Henry Saleh
Rev. Ronald Jimmy
Rev. Kevin Chundi
Rev. Liam Durrant, MHM
Rev. John Ciril MHM
Rev. John McAulay, MHM

Parishes

St. Joseph's Cathedral, Miri
Church of Mater Dei, Lutong
Church of St. Dominic and the Rosary, Taman Tunku
Church of St. Edmund, Limbang
Church of St. Martin, Lawas
Church of St. Anthony, Bintulu
Church of St. Peter, Tatau
Church of St. Michael, Batu Niah
Church of Blessed Sacrament, Long Lama
Church of St. Francis Xavier, Belaga
Holy Cross, Sungai Asap
Church of Good Shepherd, Marudi

Notes

1 2 3 4 Annuario Pontificio (2022) via Catholic-Hierarchy.org ^[1]

Related Research Articles

The Diocese of Fairbanks is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the northern part of the state of Alaska in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei</span> Catholic missionary jurisdiction

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 Catholic Church in Brunei Darussalam is a part of the worldwide Catholic Church, in communion with the pope in Rome, and constitutionally recognised within the state of Brunei Darussalam. The entire territory of the Church in Brunei is organised as an apostolic vicariate, under the leadership of a bishop, since 2005. While no formal diplomatic relations exist between the Holy See and Brunei, there are existing quasi-diplomatic contacts between the church and government agencies at multiple levels. Since 1990, a papal nuncio has visited the country annually to make contact with the local church as well as the foreign affairs ministry. The Apostolic Delegation to Brunei Darussalam was established in 1998 following the establishment of the distinct Bruneian ecclesiastical territory as an apostolic prefecture. The Bruneian ecclesiastical jurisdiction falls under the purview of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is a Latin Church ecclesiastical province, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Kansas in the United States.

The Archdiocese of Lipa is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines comprising the civil province of Batangas. Its cathedral is the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian located in Lipa, Batangas. First created on April 10, 1910 from the Archdiocese of Manila, the diocese was elevated into its present status on June 20, 1972. Today, the Archdiocese of Lipa's ecclesiastical province covers Batangas and the suffragan territories in the civil provinces of Quezon, Marinduque, and Aurora. The archdiocese itself is divided into 14 vicariates forane further comprising a total of 65 parishes.

The Archdiocese of Sydney is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church. Its episcopal see is Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Colombo is a Latin metropolitan archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church, whose ecclesiastical province covers all Sri Lanka plus the Maldives. It depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tororo is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Tororo in Uganda.

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia. It was erected as the Diocese of Kuala Lumpur by Pope Pius XII on 25 February 1955, and was elevated to the rank of a Metropolitan Archdiocese on 18 December 1972, with the suffragan sees of Malacca-Johor and Penang. It also administers the capital city of Malaysia, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur as well as the federal administrative centre of Putrajaya and the urbanised states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan in the central region as well as Pahang and Terengganu on the East Coast. The archdiocese's Mother Church and thus, seat of its Archbishop, is St. John's Cathedral. It was one of the three Roman Catholic archdioceses in Malaysia, with the ecclesiastical archdioceses of Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, both at the Borneo Islands.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuching is a Metropolitan Latin archbishopric of the Roman Catholic Church in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is however remains dependent on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornelius Sim</span> Bruneian cardinal (1951–2021)

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 Roman Catholic Diocese of Pasig is the diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the Philippines that comprises the cities of Pasig and Taguig, and the municipality of Pateros, in Metro Manila, Philippines. It was established by Pope John Paul II on June 28, 2003, by virtue of the papal bull Dei Caritas. It was formally and canonically erected on August 21, 2003, with the installation of Francisco C. San Diego as its first bishop. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral-Parish, located in the central vicinity of Pasig, was made the cathedral or the seat of the diocese.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore/Madras and Myliapor is an archdiocese based in the city of Madras, in India. It took also the name of the ancient diocese of Mylapore, now a part of Chennai.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in Sabah, a state of Malaysia on the island of Borneo. The archdiocese is the oldest ecclesiastical territory in Malaysia, with a long history slowly rising along with the Catholic population from a prefecture to an archdiocese. Its cathedral archepiscopal see is Sacred Heart Cathedral, Kota Kinabalu. The patron saint of the archdiocese is St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Poona is a diocese located in the city of Pune in the ecclesiastical province of Archdiocese of Mumbai in India.

The Diocese of Malacca Johore is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the ecclesiastical province of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It is located in southern region of Peninsular Malaysia, administering Melaka and Johor states.

John Wong Soo Kau is a Malaysian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was named the second metropolitan Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu on 24 January 2013, the Feast of St Francis de Sales, by Pope Francis. He is fully styled as His Grace Most Reverend Datuk John Wong, Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu. Sacred Heart Cathedral in the metropolitan of Kota Kinabalu is the seat of Archbishop Wong, and the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei(CBCMSB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the nations of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Richard Ng is a Malaysian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Miri since 2014. He was a priest in the Archdiocese of Kuching prior to his appointment as bishop.

Datuk Simon Michael Fung Kui Heong was a Malaysian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was named as the third Vicar Apostolic of the Vicariate of Kota Kinabalu and Titular Bishop of Catabum Castra in 1975, and then was elevated as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Kota Kinabalu in 1977, with both positions given by Pope Paul VI. He was the first Sabahan to ever become a Bishop in Malaysia. He died on 16 November 1985, two days after his 10th episcopal ordination anniversary.

References

1 2 "Diocese of Miri". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.

External links

Official website ^{[ dead link ]}

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[ap2022-1] 1 2 3 4 Annuario Pontificio (2022) via Catholic-Hierarchy.org ^[1]

[catholic-hierarchy.dmiri-2] 1 2 "Diocese of Miri". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.

[lower-alpha 1]

[1]