Malaysian Bishop Dominic Su Haw Chiu Dies at 87

Dominic Su Haw Chiu, the first bishop of the Diocese of Sibu and a key figure in the growth of the Catholic Church in central Sarawak, eastern Malaysia, died on April 15 at the age of 87.

Though not widely known outside eastern Malaysia, Bishop Dominic played a significant role in strengthening the Church across central Sarawak, where Catholic communities were spread across remote river settlements, longhouses, and expanding towns. His ministry was marked by sustained pastoral presence rather than public prominence.

Born on May 29, 1939, he was ordained a priest on Dec. 4, 1969, during the post–Second Vatican Council period, when the Church in the region was undergoing renewal and expansion. At the time, Catholic communities in Sarawak were growing rapidly, particularly among Indigenous groups and Chinese Catholics living across difficult and often isolated terrain.

On Dec. 22, 1986, Pope John Paul II appointed him the first bishop of the newly established Diocese of Sibu. The diocese was still in its formative stage, lacking many of the institutional structures needed to serve its widely dispersed faithful.

Over nearly 25 years as bishop, he expanded the diocese’s pastoral reach into interior communities accessible only by river travel and rough roads. He strengthened parish administration, promoted catechetical formation, encouraged local priestly and religious vocations, and helped establish stability within the young diocese.

His episcopate coincided with the growing influence of the Churches in Sabah and Sarawak within Malaysia’s Catholic landscape. Bishop Dominic belonged to a generation of church leaders who helped shape that transition through institution-building and long-term pastoral work.

He retired on Dec. 24, 2011, and was succeeded by Joseph Hii Teck Kwong. Even in retirement, he remained a respected figure within the Church in Sarawak.

Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuching described Bishop Dominic as “a gentle father and a humble man of deep faith.”

“Across the years, especially within the Malaysian, Singapore and Brunei Catholic Bishops’ Conference, we served together as brother bishops,” Archbishop Poh said. “I am grateful for his guidance during seminary formation and for his presence at my episcopal consecration 11 years ago.”

The archbishop also recalled Bishop Dominic’s earlier ministry in Kuching, where he served as a lecturer at St. Peter’s College in the 1980s and later as parish priest of St. Joseph’s Cathedral before being appointed bishop of Sibu in 1986.

Archbishop Poh noted that Bishop Dominic often ended moments of reflection with the words “Praise the Lord,” a phrase also inscribed on his episcopal coat of arms.

“The archbishops, priests, and faithful of the Kuching Archdiocese offer our prayers for the repose of his soul,” he said.

For many Catholics in Sarawak, Bishop Dominic will be remembered for helping build and sustain the Church in some of the region’s most remote communities.