Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur (Latin: Archidioecesis Kuala Lumpurensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia. It was erected as the Diocese of Kuala Lumpur by Pope Pius XII on 25 February 1955, and was elevated to the rank of a Metropolitan Archdiocese on 18 December 1972, with the suffragan sees of Malacca-Johor and Penang. It also administers the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur and the states of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Terengganu. The archdiocese's Mother Church and thus, seat of its Archbishop, is St. John's Cathedral.

Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur

Archidioecesis Kuala Lumpurensis

Keuskupan Agung Kuala Lumpur
Location
CountryMalaysia
Ecclesiastical provinceKuala Lumpur
Coordinates3°09′04″N 101°42′03″E
Statistics
Area63,763 km2 (24,619 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics (including non-members)		(as of 2013)
10,811,000
185,617[1] (1.7%)
Parishes35 [1]
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
RiteLatin Rite
EstablishedFebruary 25, 1955 (1955-02-25)
CathedralSt. John's Cathedral
Secular priests52[2]
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
Metropolitan ArchbishopJulian Leow Beng Kim
SuffragansPenang
Malacca-Johor
Vicar GeneralLeonard Lexson
Anthony Joseph Mitchel, Chancellor Michael Chua
Bishops emeritusMurphy Pakiam
Website
www.archkl.org

History

In 1786, the first church was established in Penang.[3]This led to the formation of Vicariate of Siam and Kedah, which expanded towards the entire Malayan Peninsula and Singapore. The Vicariate of Malaya was formed in 1841. The Church of Visitation was founded in 1848 in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. This is the first known church to be erected in central Malaya. A historical moment was made in 1888, when the Diocese of Malacca was formed. The first church in Kuala Lumpur was dedicated to St John the evangelist in 1883, and would be later known as St. John's Cathedral, the Mother Church of Kuala Lumpur.[4]

In 1955, the Diocese of Malacca became a Metropolitan Archdiocese, with the newly formed Diocese of Penang and Diocese of Kuala Lumpur as its suffragan sees. Bishop Dominic Vendargon was appointed as the first Bishop of Kuala Lumpur, and was ordained in the same year. In 1972, the Diocese of Kuala Lumpur was elevated into an Archdiocese, with the suffragan dioceses of Penang and Malacca-Johor.

In 1983, Archbishop Dominic Vendargon retired. Bishop Anthony Soter Fernandez of Penang was appointed as the 2nd Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur. When he retired in 2003, he was succeeded by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam who was then the Auxiliary Bishop. On 3 July 2014, the Vatican appointed Most Rev Julian Leow as the 4th Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, after the resignation of Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam was accepted by Pope Francis in December 2013.[5][6] During the consistory on 19 November 2016, Pope Francis installed Archbishop Emeritus Anthony Soter Fernandez as a cardinal, making him the first Bishop from Malaysia to be appointed.[7]

Statistical summary

Below are statistics of the archdiocese.[2]

  • Area of territory - 63,763 km2
  • Approximate total population - 10,421,600
  • Estimate Catholic population - 134,000
  • Churches - 36
  • Chapels & Mass Centres - 49
  • Clergy - Bishops: 3, Diocesan Priests: 49, Religious Priests: 10, Deacon: 1
  • Religious Sisters - 102
  • Religious Brothers - 17
  • Educational Institutions - Nursing College: 1, Secondary Schools: 15, Primary Schools: 32, Kindergartens: 21
  • Charitable and Social Institutions - Hospital: 1, Home of Aged: 2, Counselling Centres: 3

List of Bishops and Archbishops of Kuala Lumpur
Archbishop Julian Leow
Cardinal Anthony Soter Fernandez
Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam

List of parishes in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur
Inside the Church of Visitation, Seremban
Church of the Divine Mercy, Shah Alam
Church of St Anne, Port Klang, Malaysia

These are the list of parishes in the Archdiocese. Outstations are not listed.

Awards and recognition
  • 2016 The Fisher's Net Awards - Best Diocesan Use of New Media[8]

See also

References
  1. www.catholic-hierarchy.org | Statistics - Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur
  2. "General Info".
  3. http://assumptionchurchpenang.org/about-us
  4. "Original Catholic Encyclopedia:Diocese of Malacca". 21 May 2015. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  5. "Pope Francis accepts resignation of Archbishop Murphy Pakiam of Kuala Lumpur". 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  6. "Pope appoints Chinese Malaysian priest as new Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur". 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  7. "Pope installs 17 cardinals, including Malaysia's Anthony Soter Fernandez". 20 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  8. "AWARD WINNERS". 2016. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
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