Miri Diocese Advances $19 million Cathedral Project, Sets Five-Year Pastoral Priorities, Marking 50th Anniversary

The Diocese of Miri in Malaysian Borneo is preparing to begin construction of a new St. Joseph’s Cathedral by the end of 2026, with Bishop Richard Ng announcing that the building plans have been approved and the project’s tender documents are being prepared.

Bishop Ng announced the development during a Thanksgiving dinner ahead of the diocese’s 50th anniversary celebration on October 10, outlining the cathedral project and three pastoral priorities for the local Church’s next five years.

“The building plans for the new St. Joseph’s Cathedral have been approved and we are preparing the tender documents,” he said. “We should be able to tender out and start work by the end of this year.”

The project is estimated to cost RM80 million (about US$19 million). The diocese has collected more than RM32.5 million toward the construction, the bishop said, expressing confidence that additional funds would be forthcoming once work begins.

“I have faith that God will send us the money,” he said, inviting those attending the dinner to contribute through online donations using QR codes displayed on their tables and screens, or through cash collections.

The announcement came as the diocese marked five decades since its establishment in 1976. The anniversary celebration brought together Catholics from its 14 parishes, clergy, religious, community leaders and representatives of other Christian denominations to give thanks for the growth of the Church in northern Sarawak, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo.

Looking beyond the anniversary, Bishop Ng said the diocese would concentrate on three priorities: forming committed disciples of Christ, equipping every disciple for mission, and encouraging young people to respond to God’s call to the priesthood and religious life.

The Diocesan Pastoral Council and the 14 parish councils will work together to implement these priorities over the next five years, he said.

The anniversary theme, “Into the Deep,” is drawn from Luke 5:1–11, in which Jesus asks Simon Peter to put out into deeper water and lower his nets. The passage recounts the miraculous catch of fish and Jesus’ call to Peter and his companions to become fishers of people.

Bishop Ng said the theme would guide the diocese’s efforts to strengthen faith formation, prepare Catholics to participate actively in the Church’s mission, and foster vocations among young people.

The priorities build on the wider pastoral direction of the Catholic Church in Malaysia. At the first Malaysian Pastoral Convention, 900 delegates identified strengthening family life through faith formation, accompanying and empowering young people, and building bridges of unity, dialogue and justice in society as key pathways toward a shared missionary goal.

Bishop Ng thanked the main anniversary organizing committee, its subcommittees, volunteers, collaborators and all those who contributed to the celebrations and related programs.

He also appealed for continued generosity and participation as the diocese moves forward with its pastoral plans and cathedral construction.

The anniversary marked 50 years of the Diocese of Miri, while the Catholic Church’s presence in Sarawak dates to 1881. Bishop Ng’s call to “go into the deep” reflects the diocese’s intention to build on the sacrifices of pioneer missionaries, local clergy, religious congregations, catechists and generations of lay faithful.

The new St. Joseph’s Cathedral project and the five-year pastoral priorities are among the initiatives through which the diocese hopes to strengthen its religious life and missionary outreach in the years ahead.