Holy Spirit Cathedral, Penang
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The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is a
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
within George Town in the
Malaysian state Malaysia is a federation of thirteen states and three federal territories, which form the primary administrative divisions of the country. Eleven states and two territories are part of Peninsular Malaysia, while two states and one territory ...
of
Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...
. Sited at the residential estate of Island Park near Green Lane, the cathedral is a World Heritage Church (minor) and the
seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...
of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang, currently Cardinal
Sebastian Francis Sebastian Francis (born 11 November 1951) is a Malaysian prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Penang, Penang since 2011. Pope Francis elevated him to the rank of Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal on 3 ...
.The Star
''Statue stolen from Penang cathedral''
2007-08-24


History

The parish was founded in 1958, with about 1,000 parishioners and they celebrated Masses at the canteen of Convent Green Lane school. After 10 years of hard work in raising funds, they were ready to build a church. Mr. Seng Tuck Hooi, a forward-thinking architect who designed the first high rise building in Penang (the 11-storey Ambassador Hotel) was appointed as the lead architect for the church project. Construction of the church finished in 1969 and the church was blessed by Msgr. Gregory Yong, then Bishop of Penang. In the 1990s, the parish community hall was named Dewan Holy Spirit and three levels of Sunday School 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 Msgr. 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 of Sunday School classes and functions as well as a priests residence or known as a rectory. It is located in
Sungai Ara Sungai Ara is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located south of the city centre, it lies between Relau, Bayan Baru and Bayan Lepas. Etymology Sungai Ara literally means fig river ...
and caters to 2,500 parishioners living in Bayan Lepas (in which it also serves the Catholic staff members working at the
Penang International Airport Penang International Airport (PIA) is an international airport in George Town, Penang, George Town, the capital city of the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. The airport is located at the southeastern tip of ...
as well as nearby industrial factories). Previously, parishioners in that area 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 Penang Island is the main constituent island of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located off the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Malacca Strait, with the Penang Strait separating the island from Seberang Perai on the mainla ...
. 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) in which he is assisted by Rev Fr. Francis Anthony (priest-in-residence) and serves the Catholic parishioners population of
Batu Lanchang Batu Lanchang is a residential neighbourhood within the Central George Town, Penang, downtown core of George Town, Penang, George Town in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. It is sandwiched between Farlim to ...
,
Gelugor Gelugor is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Named after a plant species, Gelugor lies along the eastern seaboard of Penang Island, between Jelutong and Sungai Dua, and nearly south of the city centre. Gelugor had bee ...
,
Batu Uban Batu Uban is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang, about south of the city centre. Founded by ethnic Minangkabaus in the early 18th century, Batu Uban is regarded as the oldest Malay settl ...
,
Sungai Dua Sungai Dua is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located south of the city centre, this neighbourhood borders Universiti Sains Malaysia to the north, Sungai Nibong to the east and Buki ...
as well as
Jelutong Jelutong is a suburb of George Town, Penang, George Town in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. Located south of the Central George Town, Penang, city centre, Jelutong has been inhabited since as early as th ...
, which also include students and faculty members of the
Universiti Sains Malaysia Universiti Sains Malaysia ( 'University of Science Malaysia'; abbreviated as USM) is a public research university in Malaysia. Founded on 1 June 1969 as a statutory body with its own constitution, it is the oldest institute of higher learning ...
higher learning institute as well as their dependents and relatives (but it is also served as its secondary sponsoring and nearest area parish, for its main sponsoring church attached to the said university's main campus is actually City Parish, George Town under the auspices of the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Macalister Road, George Town).


Mass Times

Daily Masses
6:40am Lauds followed by Mass English (Mondays, Tuesdays & Saturdays)
6:10pm Vespers followed by Mass English (Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays)
6:30pm Mass followed by Holy Hour English (last Friday of the month) Saturday (Sunset) Mass
5:30pm Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help
6:00pm English Sunday Masses
8:00am Mandarin
10:30am English
5:30pm Tamil (first Sunday of the month)


References


External links


Official SitePenang Diocese Official Website
{{coord missing, Malaysia Cathedrals in Malaysia Roman Catholic cathedrals in Malaysia Roman Catholic churches in Penang Christian organizations established in 1958 1958 establishments in Malaya