The Roman Catholic Diocese of Melaka-Johor (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Dioecesis Melakana-Giohorana'') is a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of the

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the

Ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

in Malaysia. It is located in southern region of Peninsular Malaysia, administering Melaka and

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan ...

states. The mother church is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...

, Johor(e); there is also a former Cathedral, now Church of St. Peter, in Melaka.

History

* Established on 4 February 1558 as the Diocese of Malaccawww.gcatholic.org , Diocese of Malacca–Johor(e)
/ref> on territory split off from the then

Diocese of Goa The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Goa and Daman ( la, Archidioecesis Goanae et Damanensis, gom, Gõy ani Damanv Mha-Dhormprant, pt, Arquidiocese de Goa e Damão) encompasses the Goa state and the Damaon territory in the Konkan r ...

, within the Portuguese colonial empire. * It became

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

(other being

Roman Catholic Diocese of Cochin The Diocese of Cochin ( la, Dioecesis Coccinensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the city of Cochin, India. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdioce ...

) to the promoted

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Goa and Daman ( la, Archidioecesis Goanae et Damanensis, gom, Gõy ani Damanv Mha-Dhormprant, pt, Arquidiocese de Goa e Damão) encompasses the Goa state and the Damaon territory in the Konkan re ...

Archdiocese of Goa – suffragan sees of Cochin and Malacca
/ref> * Lost territory on 23 January 1576 to establish the Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau (China) * Lost territory in 1712 to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Islands of the Indian Ocean * 1838: Suppressed, its territory being joined with Siam * Restored on 10 September 1841, albeit again with pre-diocesan status and exempt, as the Apostolic Vicariate of Western Siam, on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Siam * Promoted on 19 August 1888 as th

Diocese of Malacca * Promoted on 19 September 1953 as (non-metropolitan) Archdiocese of Malacca * 25 February 1955: Promoted as Metropolitan

Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore The Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore was a Latin archdiocese in Malaysia and Singapore. History It was established as thDiocese of Malacca and elevated to Archdiocese level in 1953. In 1955, the Archdiocese of Malacca was split and an ecclesias ...

, having lost territories to establish the Dioceses of

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

(now its Metropolitan) and of

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

* On 18 December 1972, the diocese was demoted and renamed as the Diocese of Malacca-Johor, when the Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore was split into the

Archdiocese of Singapore The Archdiocese of Singapore (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Singaporensis'') is an exempt archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church. Its territory includes all that is under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Singapore. Its current ...

and this diocese. Rt. Rev James Chan was appointed as the first Bishop. * On 27 May 1985, its name was changed to the Diocese of Melaka-Johor. The diocese is

of the Metropolitan

Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur ( la, 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 X ...

. * On 13 February 2003, Rt. Rev Paul Tan Chee Ing, SJ was appointed as the second Bishop of the Melaka-Johor Diocese. * On 19 November 2015, the Vatican appointed Rt. Rev Anthony Bernard Paul as the third Bishop of this Diocese.

Ordinaries

;''Suffragan bishops of the (First) Diocese of Malacca'' * Jorge de Santa Luzia (1558–1576) * João Ribeiro Gaio (1589 – death 1601) * Gonçalvo (Gonzalo) da Silva (1613–1632), later Bishop of

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

(Spain) (1632.09.06 – 1645) and

Apostolic Prefect An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

of Marocco (Morocco) (1632.09.06 – death 1649.02.16) *''Gregório dos Anjos (? – 1677.08.30 not possessed), later Bishop of

São Luís do Maranhão SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S. ...

(Brazil) (1677.08.30 – death 1689.05.11)'' * Antonio a S. Theresia (1691-?) * Emmanuel a S. Antonio (1701–1738) * Antonius de Castro (3 Sep 1738 – death 9 Aug 1743) * Miguel de Bulhões e Souza (28 Mar 1746 – 8 Dec 1747), later

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

Belém do Pará Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...

(Brazil) (8 Dec 1747 – 18 May 1748), succeeding as Bishop of Belém do Pará (18 May 1748 – 24 Mar 1760), finally Bishop of

Leiria Leiria (; cel-x-proto, ɸlāryo) is a city and municipality in the Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat of its own distr ...

(Portugal) (24 Mar 1760 – death 14 Sep 1779) * Gerardus a S. Joseph (19 Feb 1748 – death 1760.01) * Alexandre da Sagrada Familia Ferreira da Silva (16 Dec 1782 – 14 Feb 1785), later Bishop of São Paulo de Loanda (Angola) (14 Feb 1785 – 23 Nov 1787), Bishop of Angra (Portugal) (18 Dec 1815 – death 23 Apr 1818) * Francisco de São Damazo Abreu Vieira (29 Oct 1804 – 15 Mar 1815), later Metropolitan Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia (Brazil) (15 Mar 1815 – 18 Nov 1816) ;''Apostolic Vicars of Malacca-Singapore'' * Jean-Paul-Hilaire-Michel Courvezy, Paris Foreign Missions Society (M.E.P.) (10 Sep 1841 – 7 Sep 1844),

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Bitha Bitkha ( he, בִּטְחָה) is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev near Ofakim, it falls under the jurisdiction of Merhavim Regional Council. In it had a population of . History Moshav Bitkha was established in 19 ...

(5 Apr 1832 – death 1 May 1857); previously Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

(Thailand) (5 Apr 1832 – 30 Mar 1834) succeeded as Apostolic Vicar of Siam (30 Mar 1834 – 10 Sep 1841) * Jean-Baptiste Boucho (3 Jun 1845 – 6 Mar 1871), Titular Bishop of Attalia (10 Jun 1845 – 6 Mar 1871) * Michel-Esther Le Turdu (6 Mar 1871 – death 10 May 1877), Titular Bishop of

Corycus Corycus ( el, Κώρυκος; also transliterated Corycos or Korykos; hy, Կոռիկոս, translit=Koṙikos; tr, Kız Kalesi, lit. "maiden castle") was an ancient city in Cilicia Trachaea, Anatolia, located at the mouth of the valley called ...

(23 Jan 1871 – 10 May 1877), succeeding as former Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of Western Siam (23 Jan 1871 – 6 Mar 1871) * Edouard Gasnier (28 Mar 1878 – 19 Aug 1888 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of Eucarpia (28 Mar 1878 – 19 Aug 1888) ;''Suffragan Bishops of the (Second) Diocese of Malacca'' * Edouard Gasnier (19 Aug 1888 – death 8 Apr 1896) * René-Michel-Marie Fée (21 Jul 1896 – death 20 Jan 1904) * Marie-Luc-Alphonse-Emile Barillon (10 May 1904 – 10 Jan 1933), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Thaumacus (10 Jan 1933 – 27 Jul 1935) * Adrien Pierre Devals (27 Nov 1933 – death 17 Jan 1945) *

Michel Olçomendy Michel Olçomendy, M.E.P. (29 August 1901 – 4 July 1977) was the first Archbishop of Singapore, installed on 18 December 1972 until his retirement in 1976. Previously, he served as the Bishop of Malacca and Singapore. Biography Early years ...

(21 Jan 1947 – 19 Sep 1953 ''see below'') ;'' Archbishop of Malacca'' * Michel Olçomendy (''see above'' 19 Sep 1953 – 25 Feb 1955 ''see below'') ;''Metropolitan Archbishop of Malacca-Singapore'' * Michel Olçomendy (''see above'' 25 Feb 1955 – 18 Dec 1972), also President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (1964–1969); later Archbishop of

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

(Singapore) (18 Dec 1972 – 1976) ;''Suffragan Bishop of Malacca-Johor'' *

James Chan Soon Cheong James Chan Soon Cheong (; born 26 July 1926) is a Malaysian prelate in the Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics ...

(18 Dec 1972 – 1985 ''see below'') ;''Suffragan Bishops of Melaka-Johor'' *

(''see above'' 1985 – retired 10 Dec 2001) * Paul Tan Chee Ing (13 Feb 2003 – retired 19 Nov 2015), also President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (1 Jan 2011 – 2012.08) * Anthony Bernard Paul (12 January 2016 – present)

Clergy

* Msgr. Peter Ng Lai Huat * Msgr. Michael Mannayagam * Rev. James Rajendran * Rev. Anthony Nge Lee Kiang * Rev. Sebastian Koh Siong Yong, SJ * Rev. Adrian Francis * Rev. Alexuchelvam Mariasoosai * Rev. Claurence Motoyou, OFM * Rev. Cyril Mannayagam * Rev. Damian Charles Pereira * Rev. Devadasan Madala Muthu * Rev. Edward Rayappan * Rev. Jason Wong Kok Cheak * Rev. Joseph (Joe) Matthews, OFM Cap * Rev. John Baptist Yoew Kah Chok * Rev. John Chia Khee Long, CDD * Rev. John Kelvin Pereira * Rev. Joseph Heng Chon Sin * Rev. Joseph Lee Hock Jin, OFM * Rev. Lawrence Ng Yew Kim * Rev. Lionel Thomas * Rev. Louis Chin Soon Teck * Rev. Martinian Lee Hock Chuan * Rev. Matthew Bun Chang Yong * Rev. Dr. Michael Teng Woon Pheng * Rev. Moses Rayappan Paul Raj * Rev. Moses Yap Poh Sing, OFM * Rev. Neville Arul Sinnappah * Rev. Patrick Tyoh Kai Hong * Rev. Paul Sia Chau Kiang * Rev. Paul Wong Poh Loke * Rev. Ryan Innas Muthu * Rev. Simon Yong Kong Beng, SJ * Rev. Thomas Chong Tet Fook, SJ * Rev. Thomas Koo Kwai Fong, CDD

Retired

* Rev. Bartholomew K.C. Wong * Rev. Benedict Yee Yat Chong * Rev. Lucas Ho

References

External links