History of Sacred Heart
The Pre-War Sacred Heart Church completed in 1938
	By Rev. Fr. Tobias Chi
	Former Rector of Sacred Heart Parish and Vicar General of Kota Kinabalu Diocese 1977 - 1985

The history of Sacred Heart began with an amazing story of amazing grace in the life of a man by the name of Carlos Quarteron who became the first Prefect Apostolic of the then called Prefecture of North Borneo and Labuan. Like John Newton (1725 - 1807), the author of one of the world's most famous hymns "Amazing Grace", he was a sailor, a captain of a ship and a slave trader. He was also caught in a storm in which he almost lost his life, he got on his knees, he prayed and vowed and he kept his promises. After having studied in Rome for the priesthood and after having received Holy Orders at the age of 46 in 1855, he was immediately made Prefect Apostolic. His prefecture included the whole of Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei territories. With two Missionaries of the Milan Foreign Missions he reached the Sabah shores early in 1857. Labuan seemed to have been selected as the headquarters and it was there that a church and a house were built. Later he also built an atap church and a house on the main land of Gaya Bay. In 1860 when his Italian helpers were recalled by their superiors and appointed to Hong Kong, Monsignor Quarteron stayed on alone in Sabah until he was 70 and by then he was old and sick. He left for Rome to ask that his Prefecture to be taken care of by a Mission Society.

A new missionary society founded in 1866, named St. Joseph's Society, Mill Hill, was just then looking for fields to offer their labourers. More than a hundred years ago, in 1881, Bishop Vaughan (later Cardinal), Founder and Superior General of the new Society, was in Rome. He gladly accepted the new mission and sent four of his missionaries with Father Jackson as Prefect Apostolic to the new Prefecture. They arrived in Kuching in July, 1881. After having posted two of the missionaries in Sarawak, Mgr. Jackson and Fr. Kitty came to Sabah in the same year. They were the first two Mill Hill Missionaries ever in Sabah. The first years were spent in exploration and experimentation. Many mission stations were opened and then closed again. Among the early missions were Papar, Sandakan, Simpodo and Bundu (Kuala Penyu). Labuan, Inobong, Limbahau came later. Soon the Mill Hill Sisters also joined the pioneering work. Sandakan and Limbahau were the first places to have convents. For both the Sisters and the Fathers, the work and the life were not easy. One may wonder why these men and women left their comfortable homes and preferred the hardships of a jungle-covered, primitive land like Sabah. This is yet another amazing story to be told of the amazing grace.

Mgr. Edmund Dunn succeeded Mgr. Jackson in 1900. Sandakan was by then an established mission with a presbytery, boy's school and convent. Limbahau also had a church, presbyter, school and convent. Inobong, Penampang, Labuan, were all established missions. Jesselton (Kota Kinabalu) was opened in 1903. Beaufort, Kinuta, Tawau, Tuaran, Tambunan, and Tobo were started one after another.

Since the arrival of the Mill Hill Fathers the Residence of the Prefect Apostolic was in Kuching. In February, 1927 Sarawak became a separate Prefecture under Mgr. Dunn. The Prefecture of north Borneo and Labuan, including Brunei, was place under the care of Fr. A. Watcher who became Mgr. Watcher in July, 1927. Mgr. Watcher made Penampang his headquarters. From the year 1927 until the Japanese occupation in 1942 there was much progress. A junior seminary was established. a local sisterhood was started. The Carmelite arrived. Many schools were built and many outstation became headstations including Kudat, Tawau, Kuala Belait and Brunei town.

World War II halted all progress. During the Japanese Occupation all missionaries were interned except those holding German or Italian passports. Mgr. Watcher was still allowed to move around. The bombing of North Borneo started in March, 1945, the retreating Japanese rounded up the Prefect, seven Tyrolese Fathers and one Tyrolese Brother and took them to Tenom. They were never heard of again. The Fathers, Brothers and Sisters who returned to Sabah after their interment had to work under appalling conditions. Soon they build ataps shacks as shelters. During the interim period the Prefecture was under Father Verhoven and later Father McCarthy as Prefect.

In 1946, Father James Buis was appointed Prefect Apostolic. In 1952, the Prefecture was raised to the dignity of a Vicariate to be known as the Vicariate Apostolic of Jesselton. Mgr. Buis was ordained Bishop and was made the first Vicar Apostolic of the new Vicariate. At the same time Brunei was detached from the Vicariate of Jesselton and placed under the jurisdiction of the Vicariate of Kuching. The Mission slowly recovered from the ravages of the war. The rebuilding of schools, churches, convents took place everywhere. The Procathedral of the Sacred Heart was rebuilt in 1949. During the term of office of Bishop Buis the number of clergy, established parishes, religious congregrations and schools reached an all time high. The clergy included the Mill Hill Fathers as well as a few Chinese Fathers from China whom Bishop Buis accepted into his Vicariate. Also some pre-war seminarians were by now redained priests. And the post war seminarians were also ordained. The first among them, Father Simon Fung, our present Bishop was ordained in 1963. The total number of clergy was 60. At the same time places like Tanjong Aru, Beaufort, Telipok and Tandek all had resident priests. The number of Parishes with resident priests was 27. The Brothers of Christian Schools (La Salle Brothers) came in 1958 and the daughters of St. Paul in 1960. The number of religious congregations thus reached 5. The schools were expanding and their number multiplying. There were altogether 53 primary schools and 25 secondary schools.

After the phenomenal growth and developement of the Church in the 50s and 60s there came what seemed a tragic set back in the early 70s but which now seems a blessing in disguise. The young Church in Sabah started experiencing the pain of losing many of her foreign missionaries under the immigration policy of the Government. With tearful eyes the faithful watched helplessly their pastors, the Mill Hill Fathers, ordered one after another to leave Sabah. Many parishes all of a sudden became vacant and the number of clergy dropped drastically from 60 to 16! The Mill Hill Sisters too had to leave their many schools in the hands of the local Sisters. The Daughters of St. Paul also had to leave their newly established convent and to move to Kuala Lumpur. But with this frightful experience the local Church was taught to stand on her own feet. It was not easy but it was proved necessary and beneficial. Then all the parishes set up their parish councils. Our Blue Sisters, besides taking over some of the schools the Mill Hill Sisters left them, moved into many parishes where there swere no resident priests. The umbrella organisation called the Pastoral Council of the Catholic Church in Sadbah or PAX was inaugurated in April, 1971. Women and youth also organised themselves into Women's Leagues and Youth Councils to play their role in the Church. Many young men and women sensed the call of God to serve and joined the Seminary and religious communities. It was during this difficult time of suffering that Rev. Father Peter Chung from Sarawak was appointed "Co-adjutor" to the weried and aging Bishop James Buis. He was ordained Bishop in the Pro-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Kota Kinabalu on 14 November, 1971. He succeeded Bishop Buis as the Vicar Apostolic on 1st August, 1972. He administered the Vicarate most efficiently in most difficult times fo the Church until he was transfered to Kuching as Archbishop on 17th February, 1975.

His successor, the late Rt. Rev. Simon Fung, was our first local bishop and the first Bishop of the newly constituted Diocese of Kota Kinabalu. He was ordained "Titular" Bishop of "Catabum Castra" on 15th November, 1975 and appointed Vicar Apostolic of Kota Kinabalu. Then on 25th July - feast of the Sacred Heart - 1976 the Viccarate of Kota Kinabalu was raised to the dignity of a Diocese and on 19th May, 1977 - feast of Ascension - the Diocese officially celebrated Diocesan status and Bishop Fung was installed as the first Bishop.

Our present Bishop the Rt. Rev. John Lee is only the second local Bishop. He was born in Kota Kinabalu on 5th October, 1933 and grew up in a house which is just a stone's throw away from the Sacred Heart Cathedral. John Lee was ordained to the priesthood on 27th December, 1964 and succeed the Late Simon Fung as Bishop of the Kota Kinabalu Diocese on 26th June, 1987.

The Mill Hill Missionaries

The Construction of the Cathedral

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