Church of the Assumption (Penang)

Church of The Assumption
The Church of The Assumption as of today
Country	Malaysia
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Founder(s)	Captain Francis Light and companions
Administration
Parish	City Parish
Diocese	Penang
Clergy
Priest(s)	Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu, Fr. Michael Thoo

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 1955-2003 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 1860s, the present church, shaped like the cross, was constructed. It consists of 2 bell towers and a huge altar. 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.

The need for a diocese was raised up after the Japanese occupation. After much discussion, finally in 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 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.

In 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.

Current status

The Church of the Assumption has been under City Parish since 1983. Today there are 2 priests administrating the church, namely Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu and Fr. Michael Thoo. Other than holding the status for being a World Heritage Church and the oldest church in Penang, it also has one of the few remaining and arguably, Malaysia's oldest pipe organ in regular use and which is almost 100 years old. However, this pipe organ is in dire need of restoration. This old church will be restored to its former glory beginning from 2012.^{[1] [2]} The church also has a choir, 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

1. ^ "An organ to crow about". November 11, 2010. http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/11/11/north/7258102&sec=north. Retrieved 2010-11-13. 
2. ^ "Antique organ going out of kilter". August 13, 2011. http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=%2F2011%2F8%2F13%2Fnorth%2F9293623&sec=North. Retrieved 2011-08-13. 

Penang's pipe organ sounds through the ages

External links

• Assumption Church and Pipe Organ Website
• City Parish Official Website
• Penang Diocese Official Website

See also

• City Parish
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Penang
• Holy Spirit Cathedral, Penang