| Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu Archidioecesis Kota Kinabaluensis |
|
|---|---|
Sacred Heart Cathedral |
|
| Location | |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Ecclesiastical province | Province of Kota Kinabalu |
| Metropolitan | Kota Kinabalu, Sabah |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Established | 1976 |
| Cathedral | Sacred Heart Cathedral |
| Current leadership | |
| Archbishop | John Lee Hiong Fun-Yit Yaw |
| Coadjutor | John Wong Soo Kau |
| Website | |
| kkdiocese.net | |
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu (Lat: Archdioecesis Kotakinabaluensis) is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia. The Archdiocese, although newly minted, has a long history slowly rising along with the catholic population all the way from a prefecture to an Archdiocese with 2 suffragans. The Archdiocese is also the oldest ecclesiastical territory in Malaysia.
Originally erected in 1855, as the apostolic prefecture of Labuan e Borneo, the prefecture was created from territory from the former Apostolic Vicariate of Batavia. In 1927, the prefecture was renamed the Apostolic Prefecture of Northern Borneo, and split to form the Apostolic prefecture of Sarawak. In 1952, the prefecture was elevated and renamed to the Apostolic Vicariate of Jesselton. In 1962, the name was changed once more to the Apostolic Vicariate of Kota Kinabalu.
In 1976, the vicariate was elevated to a full diocese, suffragan to the metropolitan Archdiocese of Kuching.
In 1992, the diocese was split and the Diocese of Keningau created. This would be repeated in 2007, when the diocese was split once more and the Diocese of Sandakan created.
On May 23, 2008, the diocese was elevated once more to an archdiocese, metropolitan of two dioceses, both formerly part of the original territory of the diocese of Kota Kinabalu: the Diocese of Keningau and the Diocese of Sandakan.
On June 21, 2010, The Holy Father appointed Fr John Wong Soo Kau, director of the aspirants’ formation house in Kota Kinabalu as coadjutor archbishop. His ordination is set to be on October 1, 2010.
The current archbishop is John Lee Hiong Fun-Yit Yaw, appointed in 1987. The coadjuctor archbishop of Kota Kinabalu is John Wong Soo Kau, appointed in June 2010.