John Wong Soo Kau
John Wong Soo Kau (born 6 June 1968) 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 or Most Reverend Datuk John Wong, DD, PGDK, 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.
John Wong | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu | |
 | |
| Diocese | Kota Kinabalu |
| See | Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu |
| Appointed | 1 December 2012 |
| Installed | 24 January 2013 |
| Predecessor | John Lee Hiong Fun-Yit Yaw |
| Other posts | President of the Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei Episcopal Commission of Family Life. |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 21 January 1999 by John Lee Hiong Fun-Yit Yaw |
| Consecration | 1 October 2010 by John Lee Hiong Fun-Yit Yaw |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | John Wong Soo Kau |
| Born | 6 June 1968 Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia |
| Nationality | Malaysian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Residence | Archbishop's Residence, Mile 4.5, Jalan Penampang Lama |
| Previous post | Rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral (2016-2018), Director of Aspirants at Catholic Archdiocesan Centre, Penampang (2004-2010), Spiritual Adviser to the Bible Commission (2006-2007), Assistant Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Cathedral (1999-2002) |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Theological Faculty Teresianum, St. Peter's College, Kuching, Sarawak. |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of John Wong Soo Kau | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Grace |
| Religious style | Archbishop |
Early life and ministry
Family
The Most Rev. Datuk John Wong was born as the 7th of 11 children (five brothers and five sisters) on 6 June 1968 at his hometown, Karamunting, Sandakan, Sabah. His father, Paul Wong Shui Tshun, was a hawker selling yong taufu (stuffed bean curd) and fish balls at Sandakan Central Market, while his mother, Rose Chung Thiem Yin was a housewife.
Vocation
Before his seminary formation from 1992 to 1998 at St. Peter's College, Kuching, Sarawak, Wong worked as a salesman from 1987 to 1990. He was ordained a deacon on 8 January 1998 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral and ordained a priest at St Mary's Church (Now Cathedral) by Bishop John Lee.
The late Fr Tobias Chi, the then parish rector of the church in Sandakan, had much influence in his consideration of the priestly vocation, whilst being present during his ordinations. Wong served as assistant parish priest of Sacred Heart Cathedral from 1999 to 2002.
He then continued to study for a licentiate in Carmelite spirituality for two years at the Pontifical Theological Faculty "Teresianum" in Rome, Italy. On his return in 2004, he was appointed as rector of the Catholic Diocesan Centre in Penampang and director of the aspirants until his appointment as archbishop of Kota Kinabalu.[1]
Episcopal ministry
Appointment
He was rushing to the Bundu Tuhan Retreat Centre at Kundasang on 7 June 2010, a day after his 42nd Birthday, to attend a week-long seminar there. Among the unopened mail he brought along was a letter with a Bangkok post mark, the city where the office of the Apostolic Nuncio of Pope Benedict XVI was located.
He found time to read the letter, and to his shock it informed him of his appointment. He spent the next two days in reflection before answering the call. A few weeks later, on 21 June 2010, Pope Benedict XVI officially appointed him as the Coadjutor Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu.
Ordinations
His episcopal ordination took place on 1 October 2010.[2] This made him one of the youngest candidates as shepherd in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
Due to the mandatory resignation age of 75 of Archbishop John Lee,[3] on 1 December 2012, Wong was appointed as the 2nd Metropolitan Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu and formally installed on 24 January 2013, just a month after his appointment.[4]
The motto for Wong's episcopacy is "Iman, Kasih, Harapan" (Faith, Hope, Love.), a reminder on the growth of the faithful, charitable works, and abounding hope, in fulfilling the mission and vision of the Archdiocese.
Actions
In his tenure as shepherd, he launched the Kadazan Audible Bible together with the Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia, Archbishop Joseph Marino, at Holy Family Church, Telipok, in 2016.[5]
The proposal of a RM9.6 Million project to build the new Catholic Centre was made in 2018. It is currently in construction adjacent to the Sacred Heart Cathedral, at the location of the former Chinese primary schoo. It will be officially blessed in the second half of 2020.[6]
Spirituality
Devotion to Mary
The Archbishop has deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Latin word Fiat in his coat of arms, meaning "Let It Be Done", is an attitude of accepting the word of God so well reflected by the Blessed Mother at the Annunciation.
He has also been faithful in recitation the Rosary since his schooldays when he was involved in Church activities, throughout his seminary time, priestly ministry, until now.
Love of the Eucharist
Celebrating the Eucharist has become a central feature of the life he has chosen. This love of the Eucharist and his wish to have close unity with Jesus as the way Mary has, is also reflected in the coat of arms in the form of the image of the heart from the official emblem of Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Models of spirituality
There are two saints who have made a deep impression on the Archbishop and whose spirituality he could closely associate with. They are St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross. During his study in Rome, he studied in depth the spirituality of these two saints, their way of life and written works. He says that through meditation and contemplation, it leads him to be more God-centered in his nature and character.
— Archbishop John Wong's Ordination Booklet
Honours
He has received the award of the Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (PGDK) which carries the title "Datuk" from current Sabah Head of State Tuan Yang di-Pertua Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Juhar Mahiruddin on October 1st, 2016, coinciding with his 6th Episcopal Ordination Anniversary.[7]
Honours of Sabah
References
- "Archbishop John Wong | Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu". Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- "Historic ordination of coadjutor bishop". The Borneo Post. 2 October 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- "Herald Malaysia". directory.heraldmalaysia.com. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- Leong, Joe (25 January 2013). "New Catholic Archbishop of KK installed". BorneoPost Online. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- "KK Archdiocese launches Kadazan Audio Bible | Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu". Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- "New KK Catholic Centre to be built on former primary school site and is set to be officially blessed in the 2nd half of 2020. | Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu". Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- "Abp Wong receives "datukship" on 6th episcopal anniversary | Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu". Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- "Orders, decorations, and medals of the Malaysian states and federal territories", Wikipedia, 5 September 2019, retrieved 30 October 2019