, image = Donggongon Sabah Detail StMichaelChurch-01.jpg , imagesize = 240px , landscape = , caption = St. Michael's Church with the bell tower. , location = Jalan Dakata, P.O. Box 110, 89507, Penampang,

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

, country =

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, coordinates = , denomination =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, churchmanship = , membership = , attendance = , website = , former name = , bull date = , founded date = 1947 , founder = , dedication = , dedicated date = , consecrated date = , cult = , relics = , events = , past bishop = , people = , status = , functional status = Active , heritage designation = , designated date = , architect = , architectural type = , style = , groundbreaking = , completed date = , construction cost = , closed date = , demolished date = , capacity = , length = , width = , width nave = , height = , diameter = , other dimensions = , floor count = , floor area = , dome quantity = , dome height outer = , dome height inner = , dome dia outer = , dome dia inner = , spire quantity = , spire height = , materials = , parish = Penampang , deanery = , archdeaconry = , diocese = Kota Kinabalu , province = , presbytery = , synod = , circuit = , district = , division = , subdivision = , archbishop = , bishop = , dean = , subdean = , provost = , provost-rector = , viceprovost = , canon = , canonpastor = , precentor = , archdeacon = , prebendary = , rector = , vicar = , curate = , priest = Rev. Fr. Wilfred Atin , asstpriest = Rev. Fr. Gilbert Marcus , minister = , assistant = , honpriest = , deacon = , deaconess = , seniorpastor = , pastor = , abbot = , chaplain = , reader = , organistdom = , director = , organist = , organscholar = , chapterclerk = , laychapter = , warden = , flowerguild = , musicgroup = , parishadmin = , serversguild = , logo = , logosize = St. Michael’s Church is a

church in Donggongon,

Penampang District The Penampang District ( ms, Daerah Penampang) is an administrative district in the Malaysian state of Sabah, part of the West Coast Division which includes the districts of Kota Belud, Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Penampang, Putatan, Ranau and Tuara ...

. It is the oldest church in the district of Penampang and the second oldest stone church in Sabah, after St. Michael’s and All Angels Church in

Sandakan Sandakan (, Jawi: , ) formerly known at various times as Elopura, is the capital of the Sandakan District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the second largest city in Sabah after Kota Kinabalu. It is located on the Sandakan Peninsula and east coast of ...

Naming

Donggongon Sabah Detail StMichaelChurch-04

According to oral tradition, the Missionaries were oppressed by the local territorial spirits. They would then say the rosary and call upon the Archangel Michael to defend and protect them. It was then that the priests decided to name the church as St. Michael’s Church because the church was under the protection of St. Michael.

History

The history of the church started with the

Mill Hill Missionaries The Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), officially known as the Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill ( la, Societas Missionariorum S. Ioseph de Mill Hill), is a Catholic society of apostolic life founded in 1866 by Herbert Alfred Vaughan, MH ...

who came to Penampang in 1886. The missionaries, led by Fr. Alexander Prenger, set up a base in Kampung Inobong where a church now known as Sacred Heart Church currently stand. The missionaries then decided to establish a new base at Kg. Dabak, Penampang, which is nearer to the sea, a river known as Moyog river and situated in a plain with rice fields with a low hill that is strategically located and suited for the building of a church. This location is rather strategic since the locals who used the river as a mode of transportation would alight at Kasigui which was then the only and first town in the District of Penampang from the coast en route to the interior. In 1890, Fr. Rientjes arrived in Penampang from Sandakan to help Fr. Prenger and was put in charge of Penampang Mission. Around the same year, the wooden building of the first Penampang church began. In July 1890, Fr. Prenger was called back to teach at Mill Hill College. Fr. Rientjes was left alone. He stayed at Penampang to work among the people in Penampang and visited Inobong on every other Sunday. After the death of both Fr. Prenger and Fr. Rientjes, other missionaries carried out the work in Penampang Mission. In the early 1920s, the number of Catholics increased in Penampang. The small church could no longer hold the growing number of Catholics. In February 1922, the Penampang Church was extended by 33 feet. The number of children attending Sunday school also increased. There were four schools in Penampang and the Mission works in Penampang increased and the number of Catholics also raised as more and more outstations were being opened. By the early 1930s, the building of the Stone Church began, initiated by Fr. August Wachter. As early as April 1929, Fr. Wachter already had the intention of building this church. The foundation stone for the new church was laid during a special ceremony on 29 September 1936, the Feast of St. Michael. Fr. Wachter had specially invited Brother Aegidius Leiter, the master builder, to be responsible for the building of the church. Nonetheless, the construction was postponed during the Second World War only to resume and complete in 1947.

Architecture

The church is located on a steep hill and is built with stones. The church also includes a cemetery, a bell tower, a

grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...

of Mary, the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

parish hall A church hall or parish hall is a room or building associated with a church, generally for community and charitable use.

, and a religious centre. Donggongon Sabah Detail StMichaelChurch-02

Interior

The church consists of a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and two aisles, each with a flat wooden ceiling. The side aisles and the upper sides of the nave are provided with arched windows that provide the interior with plenty of natural light. There is a gallery, which is accessible by a narrow spiral staircase to the entrance area. The church interior is equipped with wooden benches; about 20 double rows in the nave and 15 benches in the left aisle. The right aisle seats are reserved for choir and band. The

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

or altar is adorned with a scene of the Last Supper.

Bell tower

The bell tower was built after the war in the memory of Fr. Wachter. It consists of a concrete structure in the form of a tripod, topped with a tetrahedron-shaped roof. At the peak of the roof is a

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

. The three bells of the tower must be rung by hand. At the foot of the bell tower is a spherical time capsule made of concrete that was poured on 31 December 2000.

Grotto

of Mary is located on the south side of the church square.

Cemetery

Donggongon Sabah Detail StMichaelChurch-07

The cemetery consists of two parts. First is a small park-like ground, directly located to the left wing of the church. Only two tombs are located here, which are the grave of Rev. Fr. Anthony Paul Michael, containing the bones of the priest recovered in Tenom and the grave of Datuk Peter Mojuntin, a minister of Sabah, who died in the ''

Double Six Crash The Double Six Crash, also known as the Double Six Tragedy, was a crash, involving a GAF N-22B Nomad of Sabah Air, which took place on 6 June 1976 at Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, killing several local political leaders. Background Tun Fuad Stephen ...

'' tragedy. The second part of the cemetery is below the hill behind the church. In addition to the traditional graves, there are also burials in clay jars, in accordance of the tradition of the Kadazan-Dusun.

SM St. Michael, Penampang

The Catholic missionaries in Penampang began in 1888 with the education of the local population. The first school building was built at the foot of the hill was named ''St. Michael's School''. In 1924 Rev. Verhoeven built a two-story school building that served as a church, a school, a boarding school and as a residence for priests simultaneously. This building was used until 1966 as a school. Today's ''old block'' was built by Rev. Michael Henselmans in 1958. In the 1970s, the school acquired its current name SM St. Michael.

Literature

* John Rooney: ''Khabar Gembira: History of the Catholic Church in East Malaysia and Brunei, 1880-1976'', 1981, Burns and Oates Ltd Wellwood North Farm rd, Turnbridge Wells Kent, * Fr. William Poilis: ''A Popular History of the Catholic Church in Sabah''

References

{{Buildings and structures in Sabah Churches in Sabah Penampang District Roman Catholic churches in Malaysia