Church of the Assumption (Penang)

Church of The Assumption
The Church of The Assumption as of today 5°25′11.0″N 100°20′20.8″E / 5.419722°N 100.339111°E / 5.419722; 100.339111
Country	Malaysia
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Founder(s)	Captain Francis Light and companions
Administration
Parish	City Parish
Diocese	Penang
Clergy
Priest(s)	Fr. Nelson Chitty
Assistant priest	Fr. Michael Thoo and Fr. Joachim Robert

The Church of the Assumption was founded in 1786, when Captain Francis Light first came to Penang, Malaysia. It is located in Farquhar Street, George Town, within the heritage core zone of the city. This church was the seat of the bishop of Penang from 1955 to 2003 and it is also a World Heritage Church.

History

In 1786, Captain Francis Light landed on Penang Island and named it Prince of Wales Island. He set up the Fort Cornwallis. In conjunction with their landing in Penang which coincides with the feast of the Assumption of The Blessed Mary on 15 August that year, he and his companions built a church and named it Church of the Assumption. It was the first Roman Catholic church in the northern region of Malaysia, as well as the first church built after the British landed in Penang. They went on to control Malaya later on.

As the population of Penang Island continues to increase, there was a need for a bigger church. In 1860, the present crucifix shaped church, was constructed. It was completed in 1861 and opened. It consists of 2 bell towers and a huge altar. The pipe organ, which can still be found in the church, was installed in 1916 and the choir gallery was extended.

In December 1941, when the Japanese conquered Penang, the church was closed except for a few masses. It was said that during one day, when the bells of the church were tolled, a Japanese soldier went into the church to cut off the ropes, saying that the bells were noisy. Life went back to normal when the Japanese surrendered in August 1945.

In 1954, in conjunction with the Marian Year, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima was carried on a long procession through the streets of George Town. It was replaced with a shrine built in front of the church.^[1] The need for a diocese was raised up after the Japanese occupation. After much discussion, finally on 25 February 1955, the Penang Diocese was established together with the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. At the same time, Bishop Francis Chan and Bishop Dominic Vendargon were elected as bishops of Penang and Kuala Lumpur respectively. They were both ordained at this church. This church, together with St. John's Cathedral in Kuala Lumpur were given the cathedral status.

At that period of time, Cathedral of the Assumption served as the main church of the northern region of Malaysia. A lot of diocesan activities were held there. It was in the mid-1970s, when the cathedral and 3 other churches in George Town suffered a major setback. The Catholic population there started to dwindle until only about 1,500 Catholics were left in the city. Since the number of the priests were shrinking, in 1988 Bishop Antony Selvanayagam decided to merge the 4 parishes into 1 parish, named City Parish.

In the 1990s, main functions of the diocese were moved to other churches. That was also the time when the Bishop of Penang had a meeting with the priests to discuss about moving the cathedral to some other places. In 2001, Bishop Antony Selvanayagam announced that in January 2003, the status of the cathedral will be moved to the Cathedral of The Holy Spirit in Green Lane, Penang. This parish emerged as the new cathedral because it has a high number of parishioners and was also a very active parish in the diocese.

On 20 January 2003, the cathedral status and bishop's seat were officially moved to the new Cathedral of The Holy Spirit, thus lowering the status of the cathedral to Church of The Assumption. In 2008, when George Town and Malacca Town became UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the church was named as world heritage church. The church building was over 160 years old and has historical means.

In 2011, the church marked a year-long celebration of its 225th anniversary and also fund-raising for the restoration of the pipe organ and also church building.^[2]^[3] Also at the same time, the Assumption Formation Centre was opened to cater for visitors and also spiritual formations and church activities.^[4] In 2013, the church successfully restored its pipe organ after receiving generous contributions by donors. A concert was held in June 2014, and various choirs were invited to sing and celebrate the restoration of The Old Lady.^[5]

Current status

The Church of the Assumption has been under City Parish since 1988. Today there are 2 priests administrating the church, namely Fr. Nelson Chitty and Fr. Michael Thoo. It is a World Heritage Church and the oldest church in Penang. It also has a 1914 Morton & Moody pipe organ and is one of seven pipe organs still in use in Malaysia today. The pipe organ is usually played for Saturday sunset masses and also during festivities like Easter and Christmas.^[6]^[7] The church also has a choir, accompanying the pipe organ singing in both Latin and English. Every year, on 15 August, the feast day of this church, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated.

Mass times

Saturday Mass
Novena: 6:00pm English
Sunset Mass: 6:30pm English

Sunday Mass
10:00am English

References

↑ "Iconic 'twin towers' of Penang". 5 December 2006. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
↑ "Antique organ going out of kilter". 13 August 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
↑ "Assumption Penang celebrates 225 years". 12 September 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
↑ "Formation centre in Penang opened". 29 August 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
↑ "Music to uplift spirits". 25 October 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
↑ "An organ to crow about". 11 November 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
↑ "Penang's pipe organ sounds through the ages". 8 November 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2012.

External links

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 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

Historical related buildings, memorials, monuments and sites in Malaysia

West Malaysia

Buildings	A Famosa Abidin Mosque All Saints' Church All Souls' Church Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple Buddhist Maha Vihara Cape Rachado Lighthouse Church of the Risen Christ City Hall Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion Cheng Hoon Teng Christ Church Coliseum Theatre Church of St. Francis Xavier Church of the Assumption Church of the Immaculate Conception Dhammikarama Burmese Temple Dutch Fort Eastern & Oriental Hotel Fort Cornwallis Governor's Museum Holy Spirit Cathedral Hotel Majestic Istana Ampang Tinggi Istana Besar Istana Bukit Serene Istana Seri Menanti Jalan Baru Sri Muniswarar Temple Jehan Chan Art Gallery Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple Jubilee Clock Tower Kampung Hulu Mosque Kampung Laut Mosque Kapitan Keling Mosque Kek Lok Si Kellie's Castle Khoo Kongsi Kong Hock Keong Temple Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan Lebuh Aceh Mosque Macau Gallery Malacca Light Malay and Islamic World Museum Malaysia Architecture Museum Malaysia Youth Museum National Mosque of Malaysia National Textile Museum Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple One Fathom Bank Lighthouse DBKL City Theatre Penang Islamic Museum Perak State Museum Poh San Teng Temple Proclamation of Independence Memorial Pisang Island Lighthouse Undan Island Lighthouse Snake Temple Sin Sze Si Ya Temple Sri Aghora Veerapathra Temple Sri Kandaswamy Kovil Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Penang Sri Marathandavar Bala Dhandayuthapani Alayam Temple Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple Sri Sunderaraja Perumal Temple Sri Sithi Vinayagar Temple Stadthuys St. Anne's Church St. George's Church St. John's Cathedral St. Mary's Cathedral St. John's Fort St. Paul's Church St. Peter's Church Straits Chinese Jewellery Museum Suffolk House Sultanah Aminah Hospital Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque Sultan Abdul Samad Building Sultan Ibrahim Building Taiping Hospital Tamil Methodist Church Thni Kong Tnua Wat Chayamangkalaram Wat Phothivihan

Memorials and monuments	Alor Gajah British Graveyard Batu Tenggek War Memorial Cheras War Cemetery Hang Jebat Mausoleum Hang Li Poh's Well Hang Tuah's Well Kedah Royal Mausoleum Kelantan Royal Mausoleum Kuala Klawang Memorial Lord Murugan Statue Al-Ghufran Royal Mausoleum Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum Heroes' Mausoleum Sultan Abdul Samad Mausoleum Tomb of Sultan Ali Tomb of Sultan Mahmud Shah II Malacca Warrior Monument Millennium Monument National Monument Old Protestant Cemetery Pahang Old Royal Mausoleum Penang Jewish Cemetery Seri Menanti Royal Mausoleum Statue of Kuan Yin Taiping War Cemetery Kris Monument Tun Teja Mausoleum

Site	Batu Caves Fort of Smelly Monitor Lizard Chinese Hill Princess Hill Chinatown, Kuala Terengganu Fort of Ruins Fort of Ngah Ibrahim's Lenggong Malacca General Hospital Markets of Taiping Morib Penang Botanic Gardens St. Paul's Hill Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital Biru Seri Kundang Lake

East Malaysia

Buildings	Atkinson Clock Tower Fort Hose Fort Margherita Fort Sylvia Kinarut Mansion Labuan Chimney Labuan Clock Tower Sacred Heart Cathedral, Kota Kinabalu Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sibu Sarawak State Museum St. Michael's Church, Penampang St. Michael's and All Angels Church, Sandakan The Astana Tua Pek Kong Temple

Memorials and monuments	Bronze Globe of Tanjung Simpang Mengayau Brooke Memorial Chartered Company Monument Cho Huan Lai Memorial De Fontaine Memorial Double Six Monument Gunner Cleary Memorial Keningau Oath Stone Kuching Heroes Cemetery Kundasang War Memorial World War II Memorial Last POW Camp Memorial Mat Salleh Memorial North Borneo War Monument Petagas War Memorial Quailey's Hill Memorial Rafflesia Monument Sandakan Heritage Trail Sandakan Massacre Memorial Sandakan Memorial Park Sandakan War Monument Starcevich Monument Tawau Japanese War Memorial Tun Mustapha Memorial Park William Pryer Monument

Site	Agop Batu Tulug Caves Batu Lawi Hill Batu Lintang camp Chinatown, Kuching Nunuk Ragang Queen Elizabeth Hospital Sandakan camp Sarawak General Hospital

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