The Diocese of Miri (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Dioecesis Mirensis''; Malay: ''Keuskupan Miri'';

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

: ''美里教区'') is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

of the

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Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. Situated northeast of the Archdiocese of Kuching, of which it is a suffragan diocese. St. Joseph's Cathedral in Miri serves as both the diocesan cathedral and the seat of bishop. The diocese covers

Miri Miri () is a coastal city in north-eastern Sarawak, Malaysia, located near the border of Brunei, on the island of Borneo. The city covers an area of , located northeast of Kuching and southwest of Kota Kinabalu. Miri is the second largest ...

Bintulu Bintulu is a coastal town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. Bintulu is located northeast of Kuching, northeast of Sibu, and southwest of Miri, Malaysia, Miri. With a population of 114,058 as of 2010, Bintulu ...

Limbang Limbang is a border town and the capital of Limbang District in the Limbang Division of northern Sarawak, East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. This district area is 3,978.10 square kilometres, and population (year 2020 census) was 56,900. ...

Lawas Lawas () is a small town and the capital of Lawas District, Limbang Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. This district area is 3,811.90 square kilometres, and population (year 2020 census) was 46,200. It is 1,200 km from the state capital, Kuchi ...

Tatau Tatau is a town, and the capital of the Tatau District in Bintulu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The district's reported total population for Tatau was 31,920 in 2020. Tatau became a district in 1987. Before that it was a sub district under Bi ...

and

Marudi Marudi is a town in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, and is a part of the division of Miri. It is the seat of Marudi District, and is located on the banks of Baram River, about upstream from the river mouth. Marudi was the administrative cent ...

. In 1959, when the Vicariate was established, Anthony Denis Galvin, a Mill Hill priest, was appointed as the first Apostolic Vicar until his death in 1966. From his tenure as the second Apostolic Vicar for 10 years, Anthony Lee Kok Hin, a local priest from Miri, become the first bishop of Miri in 1977 when Pope

Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

elevates the Vicariate into full diocese status. In 2013, following his resignation,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

granted Rev. Fr.

Richard Ng Richard Ng Yiu-hon (27 December 1939 – 9 April 2023), also known as Richard Woo, was a Hongkongers, Hong Kong actor known for playing comedic roles, particularly in Hong Kong films of the 1980s and 1990s. Film and television career Ng a ...

, a Kuching-born priest, as his successor and he was installed as the second bishop of this diocese in 2014.

History

Originally erected in 1959, as the Apostolic Vicariate of Miri, the diocese was formed from the Vicariate of Kuching. The present Catholic community in the country finds its roots in the ministry of the Missionary Society of St. Joseph (Mill Hill Missionaries) They started schools all throughout Miri, starting with Good Shepherd School, at Claude Town (or present day

). After the Vicariate of Miri was established and, in the following year, Father Anthony D. Galvin (who was a Mill Hill Father himself) was consecrated the first bishop of the Miri Vicariate. Served until his death in 1966, he was ordained by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

in Rome on 5 May 1960. Approximately 6 years later, on 2 January 1967, Father Anthony Lee Kok Hin (who was the first priest from Miri at that time) was ordained, replacing Galvin.

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

then established a new Church province in East Malaysia on 31 May 1976, and Miri Vicariate was raised to the level of a Diocese. On 20 May 1977, a year after the diocese was created, Lee, who was the second Vicar at that time, was elected as the first bishop of Miri, and he was ordained bishop in St. Joseph's Cathedral, and on 20 November, the Diocese of Miri was officially proclaimed. Alongside with the Diocese of Sibu (established in 1986), the diocese is currently a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Kuching. On 11 November 1997, it lost its territory to the North of it (Brunei), to establish Apostolic Prefecture of Brunei. (Currently the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei) In accordance with the Code of Canon Law, Pope Francis accepted the Lee's resignation on 30 October 2013 and appointed Father Richard Ng from the Archdiocese of Kuching to succeed him. Ng was ordained and installed as the second bishop of the Diocese on 25 January 2014, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.

Ordinaries

Priests

* Msgr. Joseph Ding (Vicar general) * Rev. Francis Kuleh Usat (Vicar general emeritus) * Rev. Gabriel Chiong * Rev. Justin Dan * Rev. Sylvester Ding Ibau * Rev. Philip Empalah * Rev. Peter Hwang Yiek Siong * Rev. Damian Lalo * Rev. Andy Lee * Rev. Johnny Francis Ho Fung Fei * Rev. Peter Mering * Rev. Michael Sia * Rev. Vincent Shim * Rev. Sylvester Ngau Juk * Rev. Martin Vincent Sta * Rev. Henry Saleh * Rev. Ronald Jimmy * Rev. Kevin Chundi * Rev. Robert Radin * Rev. John Ciril, MHM (Mill Hill missionary from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

) * Rev. John McAulay, MHM (Mill Hill missionary from the

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)

Religious communities

Mill Hill Missionaries The Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), officially known as the Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill (), is a Catholic society of apostolic life founded in 1866 by Herbert A. Vaughan. History The society was founded in 1866 by Herbert A. ...

(MHM)

Parishes

* Miri zone ** St. Joseph's Cathedral, Miri ** Church of Mater Dei, Lutong, Miri ** Church of St. Dominic and the Rosary, Taman Tunku, Miri ** Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Batu Niah, Miri ** Church of Lord Jesus, Lapok, Miri (formerly Church of Holy Family, Lapok) * Limbang zone ** Church of St. Edmund, Limbang ** Church of St. Martin, Lawas * Bintulu zone ** Church of St. Anthony, Bintulu ** Church of St. Peter, Tatau ** Church of St. Francis Xavier, Belaga *Baram zone ** Church of Blessed Sacrament, Long Lama ** Church of Holy Cross, Sungai Asap ** Church of Good Shepherd, Marudi ** Church of St. Paul, Long San

Missionary schools

Primary

* SK St Joseph, Miri * SK Good Shepherd, Marudi * SK St Anthony, Bintulu * SK St Edmund, Limbang

Secondary

* SMK St Joseph, Miri

Notes

References

External links

* {{authority control Christian organizations established in 1959

Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century