By Linda Edward
KOTA KINABALU — Archbishop John Wong ordained Sylvester Wong Vun Cheong to the priesthood June 24 at Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish witnessed by a crowded church, many were locals and some from other parts of the world where the newly ordained has worked and served before.
The 43-year-old Sylvester was the first deacon ordained as priest for the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu after the Church has fully re-opened her door for worship.
He was one of the four deacons under the archdiocese who will also be ordained in the next months.
The ordination ceremony was held on the solemn Feast Day of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Deeply grateful to God to be ordained during this Solemnity, Fr Sylvester said the Sacred Heart has a significant meaning to his life.
“I even have three Sacred Heart holy pictures and two Immaculate Heart of Mary holy pictures in my room accompanying me in the seminary (formation). I am privileged to be ordained on this great Solemnity,” he said.
“Be a priest “after the Heart of Jesus”
Archbishop Wong addressed the newly ordained during the ordination day, “It is my fervent prayer for Fr Sylvester that he will be a priest “after the Heart of Jesus”.
The prelate wished that the annual Feast of Sacred Heart be a constant reminder for Fr Sylvester as he begins his priestly life.
The Archbishop also took the opportunity to inform the faithful that the clergy has concluded their Study Day the day before, as a preparation for the Feast Day.
“It is our annual program to help us to be better priests “after the Heart of Jesus”. We need to constantly remind ourselves of this calling,” he said.
The prelate also informed the people that the Universal Church is celebrating ‘World Meetings of Families’ on the same week, June 22-26 in Rome.
He said a good family is a fertile ground for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
“Not all families are perfect but by the grace of God, a family can overcome all odds in whatever circumstances they are in.
“Fr Sylvester is blessed to have a good family to support and encourage him in his desire to be a priest.
From working to serving
Rightly so, among the large congregation that day were Fr Sylvester’s parents, Mr William Wong and Mdm Agatha Lo, his 92-year-old grandmother whom he said has never failed to care for him, his four siblings, and relatives as far as from the UK and Canada.
Prior to entering seminary, he had a significant working experience in Singapore and was serving with a number of Catholic ministries around the world from 2004-2013.
He graduated in Mechanical and Production Engineering in a Singaporean University from 2000-2004.
During those years in Singapore, his experience of encountering God was when he was with the young adult ministries especially the Living Stones ministry whom he had been with the longest.
Fr Colin Tan SJ who was at his ordination ceremony and Fr Philip Heng SJ, of the Jesuits community of Singapore, had been his spiritual directors providing guidance when he was working in the country seeking direction for his life.
He especially mentioned his great-aunt, Sr Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart, who had always been praying for his vocation since he was a teenage boy and now her prayer has been answered, he said.
Fr Sylvester has also served with the clergy and religious communities in Singapore such as the Franciscan Friars.
He attended the School of Mission in New Zealand in 2011 where he was serving with the ICPE community (English speaking Outreach Ministry) and “The Friends of Jesus’ Passover” (Chinese speaking Outreach Ministry) in Hong Kong in 2013.
With such life experiences, it is not a surprise to see many of his friends including priests from the Netherlands, South Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, at his ordination.
It was also interesting to see a gathering of local and international clergy in this ceremony of 40 KK priests and 17 visiting priests from dioceses of Sandakan, Keningau, Sarawak, Singapore and Spain including three deacons from KK and two deacons from Kuching who were his classmates.
His pastoral immersions were in parishes of Tuaran (2019), Ranau (2020), Inanam including Manggatal, Telipok and KKIP (2021), as well as Song in Sibu Diocese (2021).
First Mass
Catholic Sabah reached out to him on his first priestly task.
“I celebrated my first Mass in the Carmelite Monastery KK on June 25 at 6.30am.
“I felt extremely honoured, privileged and loved in this service. God has prepared me for this day.
“I felt loved at first Mass because the Carmelites and Immaculate Heart of Mary were so close to me.
“Now I’m familiarizing on celebrating Mass first. Like any assistant priests, I will be assisting the parish priest in ministering Sacraments,” said Fr Sylvester who remain posted in St Catherine Inanam parish.
