Holy Spirit Cathedral, Penang

Holy Spirit Cathedral
Location Green Lane, Penang
Country Malaysia
Denomination Roman Catholic
History
Founded 1958
Dedicated 2003 (as cathedral)
Architecture
Years built 1969
Administration
Diocese Penang
Province Kuala Lumpur
Division Penang Island
Clergy
Bishop(s) Sebastian Francis
Priest(s) Fr. Joachim Robert
Assistant priest(s) Fr. Francis Anthony

Holy Spirit Cathedral is seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang, currently Sebastian Francis. It is situated at Green Lane, Penang. It is a World Heritage Church (minor).[1]

History

The parish was founded in 1958, with about 1,000 parishioners. They celebrated masses at the canteen of Convent Green Lane. After 10 years of hard work raising funds, they were ready to build the church. Mr Seng Tuck HOOI, a forward thinking architect who designed the first high rise in Penang (the 11 storey Ambassador Hotel) was appointed Architect for the church project. Construction of the church finished in 1969 and the church was blessed by Gregory Yong, then Bishop of Penang. In the 1990s, the parish community hall named Dewan Holy Spirit and three levels of classrooms were open.

In 2001, the church was closed for renovations to prepare for the dedication ceremony 2 years later. In 2003, the cathedral status was transferred from the former Cathedral of the Assumption to the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. The Rite Of Dedication was held on 20 January 2003 and the new cathedral was blessed by Antony Selvanayagam, Bishop of Penang.

In October 2007, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Church of Divine Mercy was held. The cathedral played a major role in the fundraising programs. The church, also called the Christian Community Centre, will have a main church accommodating 900 people, 15 classrooms for functions and a priests residence. It is located in Sungai Ara and caters to 2,500 parishioners living in Bayan Lepas. Previously these people had to travel to the cathedral 12 km away from the new church. The church was completed in July 2010 and the opening ceremony was held on 29 September 2010. It will be the first time in 41 years that a new Catholic church is built on Penang Island. On 29 September 2013, the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit was split to form a new parish, Church of Divine Mercy.

Currently, the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is administered by Rev Fr. Joachim Robert (parish priest) and Rev Fr. Francis Anthony (assistant parish priest).

Mass Times

Daily Masses
7:00am English (Monday, Tuesday & Saturday)
6:00pm English (Thursday, Friday)

Saturday Masses
Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help : 5:30pm English
Sunset Mass : 6:00pm English

Sunday Masses
6:45am English
8:15am Mandarin
10:30am English
5:30pm Tamil (bi-weekly)

References

  1. GCatholic.org


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.