Sacred Heart Cathedral, Kota Kinabalu

Sacred Heart Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu, which is Archbishop John Wong Soo Kau. It is located at the city of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah.

History

In early January 1903, Fr Henry van der Heyden first arrived in Jesselton. His aggressive policy of importing Chinese workers by the Chartered Company Government sudden flooded the town with the arrival of hundreds of Chinese emigrants. By June 1903 the mission was called Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The bulk of the early Catholic community was made up of poor Hakka farmers in a completely new land struggling to adjust to all the harsh conditions of a new life. Surrounded by experience of so much human misery and suffering, Fr Heyden thought of God’s compassionate love for His children in Borneo, and remembered that Jesus also suffered and died for them, which is possibly the reason the church is named Sacred Heart.

Sub-Parish

Church of Mary Immaculate

History as extracted from the book 100 years of Good News

With the congregation at the Cathedral growing so quickly after the 1970s, the parish was becoming too big to handle. Plans were made to set up the sub-parishes in the major suburbs of Kota Kinabalu. Construction of the first sub-parish St Simon Chapel (now known as St. Simon’s Church, currently a full parish of the Archdiocese itself since 2008) was completed in August 1984.

The initiative for the second sub-parish came from the late Fr. Thomas Sham during his term as Rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral from 1987 to 1981. He took steps to draw up plans and raise funds for the construction of the Church of Mary Immaculate at Bukit Padang, in the suburb of Luyang. The Church was blessed by Bishop John Lee on 31 October 1993. The Church caters for two Masses, namely Sunset Mass in Chinese on Saturday and 9.00 a.m. Mass in English on Sunday.

As of 2013, Korean Mass is celebrated at this church every Sunday at 11.00 a.m.

See also

• List of cathedrals in Malaysia

Colonial architecture of Malaysia
British	All Saints' Church All Souls' Church Atkinson Clock Tower Church of the Assumption Church of the Immaculate Conception Church of the Risen Christ City Hall Coliseum Theatre Eastern & Oriental Hotel Fort Cornwallis Fort Hose Fort Margherita Fort Sylvia Holy Spirit Cathedral Hotel Majestic Istana Besar Istana Bukit Serene Jubilee Clock Tower Kellie's Castle Kinarut Mansion Labuan Chimney Labuan Clock Tower Malacca Light Malay and Islamic World Museum National Textile Museum One Fathom Bank Lighthouse Penang High Court Pisang Island Lighthouse Undan Island Lighthouse Sacred Heart Cathedral, Kota Kinabalu Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sibu Sarawak State Museum St. Anne's Church St. George's Church St. John's Cathedral St. Mary's Cathedral St. Michael's Church, Penampang St. Michael's and All Angels Church, Sandakan Suffolk House Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque Sultan Ibrahim Building The Astana
Dutch	Christ Church Dutch Fort Governor's Museum Malaysia Architecture Museum Proclamation of Independence Memorial Stadthuys St. John's Fort St. Peter's Church
French	Church of St. Francis Xavier
Portuguese	A Famosa Cape Rachado Lighthouse St. Paul's Church