Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kuching, Malaysia

Continent: South and East Asia

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Metropolitan Archdiocese Metr. Archdiocese

Name: Kuching / 古晉 (正體中文) / Kuchingen(sis) (Latin)

Suffragan Sees: Miri, Sibu

Depends on: Dicastery for Evangelisation

Website:

Celebrations

Cathedral Dedication Anniversary: March 19

Liturgical Calendar (National) 📅

History

1927.02.05: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Sarawak / de Sarawak (Latin) (from Apostolic Prefecture of Labuan and Borneo)
1952.02.14: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Kuching / 古晉 (正體中文) / Kuchingen(sis) (Latin)
1959.12.19: Lost territory to establish Apostolic Vicariate of Miri
1976.05.31: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kuching / 古晉 (正體中文) / Kuchingen(sis) (Latin) (with suffragan sees Kota Kinabalu and Miri)
1986.12.22: Lost territory to establish Diocese of Sibu and gained suffragan see Sibu
1992.12.17: Gained suffragan see Keningau
2007.07.16: Gained suffragan see Sandakan
2008.05.23: Lost suffragan sees Keningau, Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan

Present Prelates

Metropolitan Archbishop (2017.03.04 – ...):

Archbishop Simon Poh Hoon Seng (傅雲生) (61)

Ordinaries

Metropolitan Archbishops of Kuching (Roman Rite)

Archbishop Simon Poh Hoon Seng (傅雲生) (61)
(2017.03.04 – ...)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Kuching (Malaysia)

Pastor cordis Christi

Born:	1963.04.15 (Sri Aman, Malaysia)
Ordained Priest:	1988.07.31
Consecrated Bishop:	2015.09.24

Priest of Kuching (Malaysia) (1988.07.31 – 2015.07.09)

Titular Bishop of Sfasferia (2015.07.09 – 2017.03.04)

Auxiliary Bishop of Kuching (Malaysia) (2015.07.09 – 2017.03.04)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Kuching (Malaysia) (2017.03.04 – ...)

Archbishop John Ha Tiong Hock (夏長福) (78)
(2003.06.21 – 2017.03.04)

Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Kuching (Malaysia)

Verbum caro factum

Born:	1947.03.05 (Kuching, Malaysia)
Ordained Priest:	1972.12.14
Consecrated Bishop:	1998.06.06

Priest of Kuching (Malaysia) (1972.12.14 – 1998.01.17)

Titular Bishop of Canapium (1998.01.17 – 2003.06.21)

Auxiliary Bishop of Kuching (Malaysia) (1998.01.17 – 2003.06.21)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Kuching (Malaysia) (2003.06.21 – 2017.03.04)

President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (2013.01.01 – 2017.01.01)

Archbishop Peter Chung Hoan Ting (鍾萬庭) (96)
(1976.05.31 – 2003.06.21)

Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Kuching (Malaysia)

Born:	1928.09.10 (Luinchi, Malaysia)
Ordained Priest:	1954.09.26
Consecrated Bishop:	1970.11.15

Priest of Kuching (Malaysia) (1954.09.26 – 1970.09.01)

Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) (1970.09.01 – 1972)

Titular Bishop of Asolo (1970.09.01 – 1976.05.31)

Vicar Apostolic of Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) (1972 – 1975)

Vicar Apostolic of Kuching (Malaysia) (1975 – 1976.05.31)

President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (1976 – 1979)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Kuching (Malaysia) (1976.05.31 – 2003.06.21)

President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (1994 – 2000)

Vicars Apostolic of Kuching (Roman Rite)

Bishop Peter Chung Hoan Ting (鍾萬庭) (96) (later Archbishop)
(1975 – 1976.05.31)

(see above)

Bishop Karl Reiterer, M.H.M.
(1968.02.09 – 1974.12.30)

Born:	1923.03.01
Ordained Priest:	1948.07.11
Consecrated Bishop:	1967.05.18
Died:	1974.12.30 († 51)

Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Kuching (Malaysia) (1967.02.09 – 1968.02.09)

Titular Bishop of Sidyma (1967.02.09 – 1974.12.30)

Vicar Apostolic of Kuching (Malaysia) (1968.02.09 – 1974.12.30)

Bishop Jan Vos, M.H.M.
(1952.02.14 – 1968.02.09)

Born:	1902.03.21 (Netherlands)
Ordained Priest:	1927.07.17
Consecrated Bishop:	1952.06.12
Died:	1973.06.29 († 71)

Prefect Apostolic of Sarawak (Malaysia) (1949.11.18 – 1952.02.14)

Vicar Apostolic of Kuching (Malaysia) (1952.02.14 – 1968.02.09)

Titular Bishop of Cnidus (1952.02.14 – 1973.06.29)

Prefects Apostolic of Sarawak (Roman Rite)

Fr. Jan Vos, M.H.M. (later Bishop)
(1949.11.18 – 1952.02.14)

(see above)

Fr. Luigi Hopfgartner, M.H.M.
(1935.11.08 – 1949)

Died:

1949

Prefect Apostolic of Sarawak (Malaysia) (1935.11.08 – 1949)

Fr. Edmondo Dunn, M.H.M.
(1927.02.05 – 1935)

Died:

1935

Prefect Apostolic of Labuan and Borneo (Malaysia) (1897.05.04 – 1927.02.05)

Prefect Apostolic of Sarawak (Malaysia) (1927.02.05 – 1935)

Former Prelates

Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic: Bishop Karl Reiterer, M.H.M. (1967.02.09 – 1968.02.09)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Simon Poh Hoon Seng (傅雲生) (61) (later Archbishop) (2015.07.09 – 2017.03.04)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop John Ha Tiong Hock (夏長福) (78) (later Archbishop) (1998.01.17 – 2003.06.21)

Special Churches

Cathedral: St Joseph’s Cathedral, Kuching, Sarawak
Jubilee Churches in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2016)
Jubilee Churches in the Holy Year 2025

Churches by City (21)

Pontianak (↙), Singapore (←), Melaka–Johor (←), Sibu (→), Sintang (↘), Sanggau (↓)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 19,173 km²

Population: 217,590 Catholics (16.1% of 1,349,930 total)

Pastoral Centres: 12 parishes

Personnel: 41 priests (26 diocesan, 15 religious), 77 religious (17 brothers, 60 sisters), 5 seminarians