The Catholic Church in Sabah: From Prefecture to Province

The Roman Catholic Church in Sabah took 153 years to grow to maturity from an apostolic prefecture in 1855 to a province in 2008. Below is a chronology of that journey.

Apostolic Prefecture: A territorial division or jurisdiction of the Church that has been erected by the Holy See as such but which does not have the full canonical identity of a diocese.

It is composed of several mission parishes. A mission territory is erected as an apostolic prefecture when the Holy See determines that it has a decree of stability and potential for growth.

It is placed under the authority of an apostolic prefect, who is always a prelate but not necessarily a bishop, having many of the executive powers of a bishop (cf Canon 371.1).

The beginning of our Church in Sabah started when Pope Pius IX erected the Prefecture Apostolic of Labuan and Borneo on 23 Aug 1855.

Apostolic Prefect (or Vicar Apostolic): A priest or bishop who is given charge over a territorial division of the faithful which has not been directed as a diocese.

Generally speaking, before a mission territory becomes a diocese, it is first erected as a prefecture; and when it attains an added degree of stability, it is made a vicariate.

The basic difference between the two is that a prefecture is headed by one who is generally not a bishop but who possesses many of the juridical powers of a bishop.

Monsignor: From the Italian monsignore which means "my lord," this term of address is one of honour for certain clerics in the Church. All archbishops and bishops have a right to it.

Our first prefect apostolic was Msgr Don Carlos Cuarteron of Cadiz, Spain (1855-1879).

He was followed by a succession of Mill Hill Missionaries: Msgr Thomas Jackson of Preston, England (1881-1895) and Msgr Edmund Dunn of Dublin, Ireland (1897-1927).

On 7 February 1927, Pope Pius XI divided the prefecture into two: the Prefecture of Kuching and the Prefecture of North Borneo.

He appointed Dunn as the Prefect Apostolic of Kuching and Msgr Augustine Wachter of Bludenz, Austria as Prefect Apostolic of North Borneo (1927-1945).

Pope Pius XII erected the Apostolic Vicariate of Jesselton on 14 February 1952 and appointed Rev James Buis of Leyden Holland as Vicar Apostolic (1952-1972). Buis was ordained a bishop in his homeland.

In September 1970, Pope Paul VI appointed Rev Peter Chung Hoan Ting of Brunei (born in China but was sent to Sarawak in 1954) as Coadjutor to Bishop Buis. He was ordained bishop on 15 November 1970 and served for two years as Coadjutor Bishop. After Buis' retirement in 1972, he served as Vicar Apostolic of Kota Kinabalu (formerly Jesselton) until 1975 when he was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Kuching.

Chung was succeeded by Rev Simon Fung Kui Hiong of Sandakan as the next Vicar Apostolic (1975-1977). His episcopal ordination took place on 14 Nov 1975.

Diocese: A diocese is composed of all the Catholics usually within the boundaries of a specific geographic territory.

A diocese is always under the authority of a bishop. Dioceses are established by the Holy See when it is clear that the pastoral needs of the faithful in a given territory will be better served by a new diocese.

Pope Paul VI raised the Vicariate of Kota Kinabalu to a diocese on 25 June 1976 and appointed Fung as the first bishop. His installation took place on 19 May 1977.

Bishop: From the Greek episkopos (overseer), the bishop is a successor of the Apostles, in the highest order of the threefold ministry with the fullness of Christ's priesthood, having the power and authority to administer all the sacraments, including ordination.

As St Peter and the other Apostles faced martyrdom, and with the growth of the Church, it became apparent to them that they must choose successors to carry out Christ's mandate to "make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19).

In approximately the year 96, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, St Clement of Rome wrote that the Apostles "laid down a rule once for all to this effect: When these men die, other approved men shall succeed to their sacred ministry."

These bishops, succeeding the Apostles, were recognised as shepherds who acted in the name of Christ, and loyalty to Christ was manifested by loyalty to the bishop.

St Ignatius of Antioch wrote in about AD 106 to the Church in Philadelphia, stating that it is "a source of everlasting joy, especially when the members are at one with the bishop and his assistants, the presbyters and deacons, that have been appointed in accordance with the wish of Jesus Christ, and whom He has, by His own will, through the operation of His Holy Spirit, confirmed in loyalty."

The Catholic Church is composed of many "particular churches" (dioceses), each of which is under the care of an individual bishop, although he may have auxiliary bishops to assist him.

He is the authentic teacher of the faith in his diocese; he is the centre of unity; and he is among the "stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor 4:1) for the faithful under his care.

The bishop carries out his ministry in cooperation with his priests and deacons, who have been made coworkers with him by ordination.

However, no bishop is a shepherd in isolation. All the bishops, in union with the successor of St Peter, constitute one college, and this collegiality has been evident from the earliest years of the Church, as the bishops have gathered together in councils to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in directing the Church (Acts 15:6ff). (cf Christus Dominus; Ordination).

Bishop Fung died unexpectedly of cancer on 16 November 1985 in Melbourne, Australia.

On 21 April 1987 Pope John Paul II appointed Msgr John Lee Hiong Fun-Yit Yaw of Kota Kinabalu to succeed him.

His episcopal ordination and installation took place on 26 June 1987.

Pope John Paul II erected the Diocese of Keningau (Interior Division) on 2 February 1993 and appointed Msgr Cornelius Piong of Kuala Penyu as its first bishop.

His episcopal ordination and installation took place on 6 May 1993.

On 16 July 2007 Pope Benedict XVI erected the Diocese of Sandakan (East Coast Division) with Rev Julius Dusin Gitom of Tamparuli as its first bishop.

He was ordained bishop and installed on 15 October 2007.

Ecclesiastical Province: An ecclesiastical province may be equivalent to a state.

In our Catholic Church, a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and a number of other particular churches, usually dioceses, known as suffragan sees.

Roman Catholic ecclesiastical provinces typically follow state lines: the Ecclesiastical Province of Kuala Lumpur consists of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur and its suffragan sees of Melaka-Johor and Penang.

Similarly, the Ecclesiastical Province of Kuching consists of the Archdiocese of Kuching and its suffragan sees of Miri and Sibu.

And the Ecclesiastical Province of Kota Kinabalu consists of the KK Archdiocese and its suffragan sees of Keningau and Sandakan.

In the early Church and in some modern churches, its chief city and seat is called a metropolis and its primate is called a metropolitan.

Archbishop: Title of a bishop with jurisdiction over an archdiocese.

Like every diocesan bishop, he is the authentic teacher of the faith in his territory and is truly a successor of the Apostles. His pastoral authority comes from Christ Himself.

An archbishop is equivalent to a bishop in sacred matters but simply has a higher precedence or degree of prestige.

Thus, when someone who is already a bishop becomes an archbishop, that bishop does not receive Holy Orders again or any other sacrament; however, when a person who is not a bishop at all becomes an archbishop, he will need to be ordained a bishop.

Some archbishops serve as metropolitans of an ecclesiastical province.

In addition to his authority in his own see, the metropolitan archbishop has a certain supervisory jurisdiction over the other dioceses in his province.

The metropolitan is obliged to request the pallium from the pope within three months of his canonical appointment.

The pallium, an inch-wide white wool circular band ornamented with five small crosses with a pendant strip attached in front and another behind, worn about the neck, breast and shoulders of the pope and archbishops, signifies the power which, in communion with the Roman Church, the metropolitan possesses by law in his own province.

Archbishop Lee received his pallium from the pope June 29 in Rome.

Archdiocese: A territorial division of the Church that is governed by an archbishop. It differs from a diocese in that an archdiocese is the primary see of an ecclesiastical province consisting of two or more dioceses.

On 23 May 2008, Pope Benedict XVI erected the Ecclesiastical Province of Kota Kinabalu, elevating the Diocese of Kota Kinabalu into an archdiocese.

He appointed Most Rev John Lee as first metropolitan archbishop.

The thanksgiving celebration of the threefold event will take place on September 1 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral at 10:00 am.