By Ivy Chai
KUCHING — St Joseph’s Cathedral Kuching, celebrated the Solemnity of St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 19 March 2025 with an evening Mass.
The Mass was presided by Archbishop Simon Poh and concelebrated by Archbishops Emeriti Peter Chung and John Ha, and priests from the Kuching Presbyterium, after their Priests’ Recollection day.
St Joseph’s Cathedral was consecrated to St Joseph by Msgr Charles Reiterer, the then Vicar Apostolic of Kuching, on 19 March 1969.
Church built by St Joseph’s Missionary Society of Mill Hill
On this 56th Anniversary of the feast day of the Cathedral, Archbishop Simon presented an interesting insight into the history of the construction and dedication of the Cathedral (then known as St Joseph’s Church) by the Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), officially known as the Saint Joseph’s Missionary Society of Mill Hill.
It became obvious how St Joseph’s Church, built in 1881 and St Joseph’s School, built in 1882, got named.
Over the years, the Church and School have offered many priests and religious, including some amongst the priests present. Archbishop Simon and Archbishop Emeritus John Ha also had their education at St Joseph’s School.
The prelate recounted how he himself embraced the Catholic faith when he was a secondary school student which resulted in his whole family converting to Catholicism. His ordination, successor to Archbishops Emeriti Peter and John, and his life and ministry have been “closely bound to St Joseph.”
St Joseph’s Cathedral – the heart of the Kuching Archdiocese
With the Cathedral being the “heart of the Kuching Archdiocese”, Archbishop Simon surmised St Joseph would have embraced “all of us, covered us with his protection, intercession, and trusted everyone with faith and love to proclaim Jesus in this land. We remember St Joseph as a family man. May he bless our family.”
Archbishop Simon asked the congregation to seek the intercession of St Joseph, to pray for Pope Francis who was still hospitalised, and all the 12 Mill Hill missionaries from St Joseph’s Society of Mill Hill still serving in Sarawak today including Fr Albert Jacobse, all parishes and all families in the Archdiocese of Kuching.
He thanked the Lord for the gift of St Joseph and the presence of everyone “in this very Church established by the Mill Hill Society of St Joseph” and “all who have been blessed under the patronage of St Joseph.”
The feast day Mass ended with Archbishop Simon inviting the Archbishops Emeriti and all the priests to “implore God’s blessing” on the congregation.
