By Agnes Chai
KARAMUNSING — The newly elected CAC Social & Recreation Committee (SRC), led by Linda Edward, made the celebration of Archbishop John Wong’s 12th Episcopal Anniversary their maiden project Oct 5.
The Archbishop, in spite of his busy schedule, graciously agreed to the staff’s invitation to be present at the weekly staff’s communal coffee time, albeit with a little more elaborate menu.
The simple “do” took place at the open foyer of the Catholic Archdiocesan Centre, situated between the hall and the office block.
To free staff from the need to prepare food, the simple menu of noodles, fried chicken wings, sandwiches, traditional ‘kueh’ with coffee and tea was catered.
When asked for a few words, Archbishop John countered unexpectedly “I will give a few words if you ask me questions.”
Right on cue, three questions were presented to him: 1) Twelve years ago when you were appointed as Archbishop, you said your greatest challenge was to prepare homily. Has that changed?
To which, the Archbishop said “Yes and no, homily is still one of my challenges. I dare say, now after 12 years, the greater challenge for me is meeting with people. There are many that I am required to see in the office on a regular basis.”
To the second question “What is your greatest joy of being Archbishop for the diocese”, he said “My greatest joy is when people are happy, then I am happy too; likewise, I am sad when people are sad.”
He volunteered a further insight as to what gives him great joy “I love to visit the people in the rural villages. I am very happy to be with them whenever there is an opportunity for me to travel to the outback.”
As a matter of fact, he just got back from Kg Buayan where he blessed the renamed St Pope John Paul II Catholic Church, formerly known as St Patrick Buayan. Even as he spoke, recalling his latest trip to the outback, his face lighted up.
For the final question “What is your biggest cross as Archbishop, and how do you deal with it”, he could not name it. However, he offered a substitute response “I don’t bring my cross to sleep, and therefore I sleep well, thank God!”
Archbishop John was officially appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as Coadjutor Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu on 21 June 2010, but his episcopal ordination only took place on 1 October 2010. Subsequently, he was named the second metropolitan Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu on 24 January 2013.
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