27 October 2024

Saint Peter’s Church
is an impressive new
‘Gothic’ church in Kuching
expected to open in 2025

Saint Peter’s Church, a new Roman Catholic church being built in Padungan, to the east of Kuching city centre (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Patrick Comerford

Saint Peter’s Church is a magnificent new Roman Catholic church being built at Central Road in Padungan, to the east of Kuching city centre in Sarawak. It is close to completion and when it opens early next year (2025) it is expected to become a transformative addition to the city landscape.

The church is in its final phase of construction, and I managed to see inside Saint Peter’s a few days ago, shortly after the Italian artists who have been installing the 20 stained glass windows over the past five years had completed their final piece of work.

The High Altar will be installed in the coming two weeks, the pews are ready to be put in place, and the lights have been connected and tested, although the parking areas still have to be levelled and tarmacked.

Saint Peter’s Church in Padungan, Kuching, is close to completion and is expected to open early in 2025 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

In a recent interview with the New Sarawak Tribune, the Rector of Saint Peter’s, Father Vincent Chin emphasised that the primary role of Saint Peter’s is that of a place of worship. But he anticipates the church is going to become a prominent landmark and tourist attraction.

‘Even now, the public has been eagerly inquiring about when it will be open for visits,’ Father Vincent said, adding that there is a buzz surrounding the church in the community.

Saint Peter’s stands at one end of Padungan, with a mosque, a Hindu temple and several Buddhist or Taoist temples nearby. He hopes the church will become a symbol of unity and religious harmony, and ‘contribute to that image of religious diversity and harmony here in Kuching’. The building project began in September 2019, and a grand opening is planned early next year (2025), although no dates have been set yet.

The original Saint Peter’s Church dates back to 1937 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

The original Saint Peter’s Church dates back to 1937, when the Prefect Apostolic of Sarawak, Monsignor Aloysius Hopfgartner (1874-1949), bought 11 acres of swamp-land east of Padungan. He was born in the German-speaking Tyrol area that was incorporated into Italy after World War I and he was a priest with the Mill Hill Missionaries.

Saint Theresa Kindergarten and Primary School in Padungan was run by the Franciscan sisters under Mother Sebastian and opened next to Saint Peter’s Church Padungan in 1940 with 80 pupils and three teachers.

The school was closed by the Japanese during World War II from 1942 to 1945. It reopened in 1946 with Mother Cecilia as superior and three sisters. It reopened in 1946 with 160 pupils and three nuns. The headmaster was Father Harry Van Erp. At one time, the school had more than 500 pupils.

Monsignor Aloysius Hopfgartner never saw the realisation of his dream, and he died on 15 May 1949 after a stroke. The church was blessed and opened on 18 December 1949 by Monsignor John Vos, his successor as the Prefect Apostolic of Sarawak.

Inside the new Saint Peter’s Church in Kuching facing the liturgical east … the High Altar is ready to be put in place (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

At first, the church was seen as too big for the few villagers in the area. It was looked after pastorally by the priests of Saint Joseph’s Cathedral, Kuching, with the assistant rector, Father Peter Aichner (1914-1995), also a Mill Hill missionary priest from Tyrol, taking care of Saint Peter’s Padungan until his transfer to Dalat.

As the church grew, it became a parish with Father Francis Hulbosch as the first rector in 1959. He built a small wooden presbytery in front of the church. He built the Padungan Catholic Kindergarten and a new block of classrooms for Saint Theresa’s Primary School in 1962 to provide formal education for girls. It became the largest school complex for girls in Borneo.

To meet the needs of a rapidly-growing parish community, the church was extended by 12 ft in 1963, and a chapel was built in the convent in 1964. Two new wings were added to the church building in 1965.

Inside the new Saint Peter’s Church in Kuching, facing from the liturgical east towards the west doors (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Father Hulbosch continued to live at Saint Peter’s until 1965, when he fell ill and returned to the Netherlands, where he died in 1972.

Father Peter Aichner returned as the second rector of Saint Peter’s in 1965. There, according to his autobiography, the Catholics of Padungan were mostly Chinese of different dialects, with some Dayaks working in Kuching.

With the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, Father Aichner started celebrating Mass in English. He died in 1995, and Father Ha was served as the third rector of Saint Peter’s from 1995 until 2000.

The church celebrated its golden jubilee in 1999, when it was renovated, extended and rededicated. A parish centre and rectory were added and dedicated in 2005.

The Last Supper depicted in the Rose Window in the East End (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

But the belian posts supporting the church building had rotted at the base, parts of the roof were leaking, and the asbestos walls giving way. When a huge monsoon drain was built on the grounds of Saint Peter’s as part of the city’s flood mitigation plan, the water table in the area went down significantly. As a result, the bako or mangrove timber pilings started to rot, affecting the foundations of the church.

The decision was taken to build a new church on a site beside Saint Peter’s. The present Rector of Saint Peter’s, Father Vincent Chin, explains in newspaper interviews that the decision to embrace gothic architecture in the new building stemmed from a commitment to tradition, encouraged by the then Archbishop of Kuching, Archbishop Datuk John Ha, who wanted to stay true to the church’s historical roots.

When Father Vincent asked the archbishop for his definition of ‘tradition’, he showed him a photograph of the old Saint Joseph’s Cathedral, Kuching, built in the gothic style in but demolished in 1968 due to structural problems.

The 12 Apostles are depicted in two windows in the sanctuary (Photographs: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Six architects who were parishioners of Saint Peter’s were invited to design a Gothic church. They produced six different designs that were displayed for parishioners to see.

The style of the new church building in Padungan has been described as ‘semi-gothic’ architecture. The project architect is Architect Design Practice, associated with a former parishioner, the late George Yong. The original plan was designed by the architect Yong Nyan Ted in 2014.

The design includes pointed spires, ogival arches, flying buttresses, ribbed vaults, rose windows, stained glass, floor tiles, and a bell tower. It is expected to have a seating capacity of 1,000 people or double the capacity of the church it is replacing.

Inside, the church has 20 stained glass windows, with more windows at the liturgical East End, above the west end entrance and in the walls of the bell towers. Most of the stained glass windows were designed by two Italian artists, Roberto Fasoli and Ernesto Raducci from Milan.

The windows in the side walls incorporate the 14 stations of the cross, while Father Vincent designed six additional windows that depict ‘before and after’ images of Gospel events. Some windows also incorporate local traditional elements, such as the Iban warrior shield design, enhancing the cultural resonance of the church.

The Presentation in the Temple and the Flight into Egypt (above) and the Christ Child in the Temple and the Holy Family in Nazareth (below) … scenes in transept windows designed by Father Vincent Chin (Photographs: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

The rose window above the High Altar depicts the Last Supper, while the windows on each side of it show the Twelve Apostles.

As Saint Peter is the patron saint of the church, the largest piece of stained glass – measuring 13 ft wide and 38 ft high – is a depiction of Saint Peter above the west doors.

During the day, natural light filtering through the windows will highlight the intricate details and diverse array of colours in the stained glass. But an innovative lighting design strategy will allow the stained glass to be appreciated even during nighttime. By illuminating the windows from within, passers-by will see the vibrant colours and follow the rich storylines in the stained glass.

The church also includes a cross-shaped baptismal font for immersion baptisms. The two bell towers house five electronically operated bells that chime hourly. The church will also have two digital organs capable of producing pipe organ quality sound. One organ will be in the day chapel, while the other will be in the main church.

The style of the new church in Padungan has been described as ‘semi-gothic’ architecture (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

The new church is part of a broader plan to transform the surrounding area. The first phase included the columbarium, which has been completed, with a capacity for more than 5,000 urns in 35 blocks.

The complex includes a multipurpose parish hall with an attached office block, an eight-storey hostel providing accommodation for students at Saint Joseph’s International School, a four-storey formation centre, and car parking spaces. When the new church opens, the plan is to restore the present Saint Peter’s Church as an historical site.

Meanwhile, Saint Theresa’s School closed in 2016, and part of its premises have been renovated and are used by Saint Joseph’s International School.

The new Saint Peter’s Church will ‘stand as a prominent landmark in the Kuching landscape, enhancing the claim of Kuching as a city of unity and religious harmony,’ Father Vincent has told The Borneo Post.

• Mass continues to be celebrated in the original Saint Peter’s Church. Weekend Masses are: Saturday sunset 6 pm (English), Sunday 7:30 am and 5:30 pm (English); Weekday Masses: Tuesday to Friday, 7: 30 pm (English).

The new church is almost complete and waiting for the installation of the High Altar (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

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