John Wong Soo Kau

The Most Rev. Datuk John Wong was born as the 7th of 11 children (five brothers and five sisters) on 6 June 1968 at his hometown, Karamunting, Sandakan, Sabah. His father, Paul Wong Shui Tshun, was a hawker selling yong taufu (stuffed bean curd) and fish balls at Sandakan Central Market, while his mother, Rose Chung Thiem Yin was a housewife.

Before his seminary formation from 1992 to 1998 at St. Peter's College, Kuching, Sarawak, Wong worked as a salesman from 1987 to 1990. He was ordained a deacon on 8 January 1998 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral and ordained a priest at St Mary's Church (Now Cathedral) by Bishop John Lee.

The late Fr Tobias Chi, the then parish rector of the church in Sandakan, had much influence in his consideration of the priestly vocation, whilst being present during his ordinations. Wong served as assistant parish priest of Sacred Heart Cathedral from 1999 to 2002.

He then continued to study for a licentiate in Carmelite spirituality for two years at the Pontifical Theological Faculty "Teresianum" in Rome, Italy. On his return in 2004, he was appointed as rector of the Catholic Diocesan Centre in Penampang and director of the aspirants until his appointment as archbishop of Kota Kinabalu.[1]

He was rushing to the Bundu Tuhan Retreat Centre at Kundasang on 7 June 2010, a day after his 42nd Birthday, to attend a week-long seminar there. Among the unopened mail he brought along was a letter with a Bangkok post mark, the city where the office of the Apostolic Nuncio of Pope Benedict XVI was located.

He found time to read the letter, and to his shock it informed him of his appointment. He spent the next two days in reflection before answering the call. A few weeks later, on 21 June 2010, Pope Benedict XVI officially appointed him as the Coadjutor Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu.

His episcopal ordination took place on 1 October 2010.[2] This made him one of the youngest candidates as shepherd in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Due to the mandatory resignation age of 75 of Archbishop John Lee,[3] on 1 December 2012, Wong was appointed as the 2nd Metropolitan Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu and formally installed on 24 January 2013, just a month after his appointment.[4]

The motto for Wong's episcopacy is "Iman, Kasih, Harapan" (Faith, Hope, Love.), a reminder on the growth of the faithful, charitable works, and abounding hope, in fulfilling the mission and vision of the Archdiocese.

In his tenure as shepherd, he launched the Kadazan Audible Bible together with the Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia, Archbishop Joseph Marino, at Holy Family Church, Telipok, in 2016.[5]

The proposal of a RM9.6 Million project to build the new Catholic Centre was made in 2018. It is currently in construction adjacent to the Sacred Heart Cathedral, at the location of the former Chinese primary school. It will be officially blessed in the second half of 2020.[6]

The Archbishop has deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Latin word Fiat in his coat of arms, meaning "Let It Be Done", is an attitude of accepting the word of God so well reflected by the Blessed Mother at the Annunciation.

He has also been faithful in recitation the Rosary since his schooldays when he was involved in Church activities, throughout his seminary time, priestly ministry, until now.

Celebrating the Eucharist has become a central feature of the life he has chosen. This love of the Eucharist and his wish to have close unity with Jesus as the way Mary has, is also reflected in the coat of arms in the form of the image of the heart from the official emblem of Sacred Heart Cathedral.

There are two saints who have made a deep impression on the Archbishop and whose spirituality he could closely associate with. They are St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross. During his study in Rome, he studied in depth the spirituality of these two saints, their way of life and written works. He says that through meditation and contemplation, it leads him to be more God-centered in his nature and character.

— Archbishop John Wong's Ordination Booklet

• Sabah : Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (P.G.D.K.) (2016)