Roman Catholic Diocese of Miri

Diocese of Miri Dioecesis Miriensis Keuskupan Miri
Front View of St Joseph's Cathedral Miri in 2003
Location
Country	Malaysia
Ecclesiastical province	Kuching
Metropolitan	Kuching
Statistics
Area	66,135 km2 (25,535 sq mi)[a]
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2021) 877,492[a] 113,382[a] (12.9%)
Parishes	15[a]
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	1959; 66 years ago (1959)[1]
Cathedral	St Joseph's Cathedral, Miri
Patron saint	Saint Joseph
Language	Ecclesiastical Latin English language Iban language Mandarin language Malay language Kenyah language Kayan language Orang Ulu language Kelabit language Melanau language
Current leadership
Pope	Sede vacante
Bishop	Richard Ng
Metropolitan Archbishop	Simon Peter Poh Hoon Seng
Vicar General	Joseph Ding
Episcopal Vicars	Francis Kuleh Usat
Bishops emeritus	Anthony Lee Kok Hin
Website
www.miridiocese.org[dead link]

The Diocese of Miri (Lat: Dioecesis Mirensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Malaysia. Situated northeast of the Archdiocese of Kuching, of which it is a suffragan diocese. St. Joseph's Cathedral in Miri serves as both the diocesan cathedral and the seat of bishop. The diocese covers Miri, Bintulu, Limbang, Lawas, Tatau and Marudi.

In 1959, when the Vicariate was established, Anthony Denis Galvin, a Mill Hill priest, was appointed as the first Apostolic Vicar until his death in 1966. From his tenure as the second Apostolic Vicar for 10 years, Anthony Lee Kok Hin, a local priest from Miri, become the first bishop of Miri in 1977 when Pope Paul VI elevates the Vicariate into full diocese status. In 2013, following his resignation, Pope Francis granted Rev. Fr. Richard Ng, a Kuching-born priest, as his successor and he was installed as the second bishop of this diocese in 2014.

Originally erected in 1959, as the Apostolic Vicariate of Miri, the diocese was formed from the Vicariate of Kuching.

The present Catholic community in the country finds its roots in the ministry of the Missionary Society of St. Joseph (Mill Hill Missionaries) They started schools all throughout Miri, starting with Good Shepherd School, at Claude Town (or present day Marudi).

After the Vicariate of Miri was established and, in the following year, Father Anthony D. Galvin (who was a Mill Hill Father himself) was consecrated the first bishop of the Miri Vicariate. Served until his death in 1966, he was ordained by Pope John XXIII in Rome on 5 May 1960.

Approximately 6 years later, on 2 January 1966, Father Anthony Lee Kok Hin (who was the first priest from Miri at that time) was ordained, replacing Galvin.

Pope Paul VI then established a new Church province in East Malaysia on 31 May 1976, and Miri Vicariate was raised to the level of a Diocese.

On 20 May 1977, a year after the diocese was created, Lee, who was the second Vicar at that time, was elected as the first bishop of Miri, and he was ordained bishop in St. Joseph's Cathedral, and on 20 November, the Diocese of Miri was officially proclaimed. Alongside with the Diocese of Sibu (established in 1986), the diocese is currently a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Kuching. On 11 November 1997, it lost its territory to the North of it (Brunei), to establish Apostolic Prefecture of Brunei. (Currently the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei)

In accordance with the Code of Canon Law, Pope Francis accepted the Lee's resignation on 30 October 2013 and appointed Father Richard Ng from the Archdiocese of Kuching to succeed him. Ng was ordained and installed as the second bishop of the Diocese on 25 January 2014, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.

• Anthony Denis Galvin, M.H.M. † (5 April 1960, appointed − 5 September 1976, died)
• Anthony Lee Kok Hin (30 May 1977, appointed − 30 October 2013, retired)
• Richard Ng (30 October 2013, appointed, 25 January 2014, Ordained − )

• Msgr. Joseph Ding (Vicar general)
• Rev. Francis Kuleh Usat (Vicar general emeritus)
• Rev. Gabriel Chiong
• Rev. Justin Dan
• Rev. Sylvester Ding Ibau
• Rev. Philip Empalah
• Rev. Peter Hwang Yiek Siong
• Rev. Damian Lalo
• Rev. Andy Lee
• Rev. Johnny Francis Ho Fung Fei
• Rev. Peter Mering
• Rev. Michael Sia
• Rev. Vincent Shim
• Rev. Sylvester Ngau Juk
• Rev. Martin Vincent Sta
• Rev. Henry Saleh
• Rev. Ronald Jimmy
• Rev. Kevin Chundi
• Rev. John Ciril, MHM (Mill Hill missionary from India)
• Rev. John McAulay, MHM (Mill Hill missionary from the United Kingdom)

• Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM)

• Miri zone
  • St. Joseph's Cathedral, Miri
  • Church of Mater Dei, Lutong, Miri
  • Church of St. Dominic and the Rosary, Taman Tunku, Miri
  • Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Batu Niah, Miri
  • Church of Lord Jesus, Lapok, Miri (formerly Church of Holy Family, Lapok)

• Limbang zone
  • Church of St. Edmund, Limbang
  • Church of St. Martin, Lawas

• Bintulu zone
  • Church of St. Anthony, Bintulu
  • Church of St. Peter, Tatau
  • Church of St. Francis Xavier, Belaga
  • Church of St. George, Sebauh, Bintulu

• Baram zone
  • Church of Blessed Sacrament, Long Lama
  • Church of Holy Cross, Sungai Asap
  • Church of Good Shepherd, Marudi
  • Church of St. Paul, Long San

• SK St Joseph, Miri
• SK Good Shepherd, Marudi
• SK St Anthony, Bintulu
• SK St Edmund, Limbang

• SMK St Joseph, Miri

• Catholic Church in Malaysia

• Official website^{[dead link]}