From an altar boy to a bishop

TOMORROW Catholics from the Archdiocese of Kuching and many from other parts of the state will converge at the Perpaduan Indoor Stadium in Petra Jaya to celebrate the Episcopal ordination of Simon Poh.

The crowd of about 5,000 parishioners will join100 bishops and priests from all over the region, to welcome the new bishop for the Archdiocese.

The Ordination Mass will also be broadcast live on YouTube by the Archdiocesan Social Communications Committee. Information on the live broadcast is made available on the Archdiocesan website www.kuchingcatholic.org and Facebook page (www.fb.com/arch.kuching).

A thanksgiving dinner will be held on the same evening at Dewan Masyarakat, Jalan Padungan.

In a recent interview the bishop-elect reflected on his service to the Church starting with being an altar boy after his baptism when he was in Form 4 in 1979 and the challenges that lie ahead.
Were you surprised by your appointment?

Yes, indeed I was. We were recently blessed with two new appointments of Bishop Richard Ng for Miri Diocese and Archbishop Julian Leow for Kuala Lumpur in 2014. So like everyone else, I was not expecting any new appointment of bishops.

On July 9, when I was appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of Kuching and the Titular Bishop of Sfasferia, I actually Googled and found that Sfasferia was an ancient Diocese of Rome that is no longer in existence. It is located in today’s Algeria. A friend jokingly told me that it sounded like the movie ‘Fast & Furious’.
How did your journey of faith begin?

I came from a family of five siblings, with my Dad and Mum. I am the eldest son. Our whole family became Catholic between 1979 and 1980. Looking back, God had already prepared me through the catechism classes in St Joseph’s Primary (1970 to 1975) and Secondary Schools (1976 to 1982). As I recalled, I came to know about Jesus when I was in Primary 1. On my bookshelf, I still have the series of primary school catechism books, through which the seed of faith was planted in my little heart. It was only in 1979, while I was in Form 4 that I was baptised, after a year-long catechism with Br Columba Gleeson. As a new Catholic, I joined the School Young Christian Students, Legion of Mary (Our Lady of Star Praesidium) and St Joseph’s Cathedral’s Altar Servers.

Reflecting on my faith journey, I realise that St Joseph’s School was where my faith was planted, nurtured, grew and matured. In gratitude to my alma mater, as “a son of St Joseph who is responding to God’s call”, I am using the profile of the school badge in my Episcopal coat of arms.
What made you want to be a priest and were you inspired by anyone?

Our Lord has a wonderful way of involving me after my baptism. When I started serving for Sundays and weekday Masses, I began to experience the presence of Jesus in the Word and the Eucharist. I would often feel a deep sense of peace.

Fr Josef Wassermann was my parish priest at that time. Most evenings, he could be seen walking to the neighbourhood family rosary prayers. His commitment and dedication, his adoration before the Blessed Sacrament during Holy Hour in May and October Rosary months have greatly inspired me.

During Lower 6, I heard God’s gentle whisper calling me to serve at his altar. The initial question on my mind then was not whether “Do I want to be a priest?” It was something simpler: “Would I be willing to enter the seminary to answer God’s call?” Thus, I made a leap of faith and entered St Peter’s College seminary. In 1988, I was ordained a priest by Archbishop Peter Chung. I am honoured that he will be one of the co-consecrating Bishops during my Episcopal ordination.

I can recall clearly that just a few days before this announcement in July, our Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Joseph Marino, on behalf of our Holy Father Pope Francis, asked me whether I am willing to accept the appointment to be an Auxiliary Bishop. Deep within me, I knew that I have to make this journey of faith again. And so I accepted it willingly, with a humble heart, to serve God’s people in the Archdiocese.
What is an Auxiliary Bishop and what are his duties?

The word ‘auxiliary’ means “a person that provides supplementary or additional help and support.” My appointment as Auxiliary Bishop is to support the ministry and office of Archbishop John Ha. This will allow us to do more pastoral visits to our parishes and especially the many village communities in the rural parishes in our Archdiocese. There will be other responsibilities that our Archbishop will eventually assign to me.
What challenges do you anticipate as Bishop?

It might be too early for me to give you a full response. In our Archdiocese, I see that we have been blessed with great shepherds in Archbishop Emeritus Peter Chung and now Archbishop John Ha. Their Pastoral Letters over the years have already provided the foundations and vision for the Archdiocese. As an Auxiliary Bishop, I will be working with Archbishop John Ha to implement this vision. As a Church, we will definitely need to work together, and with all people of goodwill, to respond to the growing religious fundamentalism, political and racial polarisation, erosion of religious liberty and other issues that affect all of us as Malaysians.

In our particular context in Sarawak, where the majority of our Catholics are in the rural parishes and villages, we will need to raise up new leaders from youth through education and formation and at the same time, to empower the existing leaders of these faith communities in the villages. We will also need to look into demographic change as a result of rural-urban migration as well as our ageing population, with rising average age of the elderly population.

Allow me to also highlight the concern for the ecology and the poor in Pope Francis’ Laudatosi (n.13), stating the “urgent challenge to protect our common home … to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development”.

You have guided members of the Church through the youth ministry for many years did you learn anything from them in return?

Yes, the youth ministry has been very close to my heart, having spent about 20 years ministering to the youth. One of my greatest joys is to bless the weddings of the youths that I have journeyed with while they were in school, Young Christian Students, Legion of Mary, Parish Youth Ministry, Kaya discipleship formation, Campus and Choice single adult ministry. It is immensely satisfying to baptise their children and see these families coming to Church together. It is so encouraging to see these youths pass on their faith to the next generation. This offers great hope for the Church.

The ministry with the youth has also formed me to be a better pastor. From them, I learnt to be patient and understanding, to trust by empowering them with responsibilities, to allow them space to learn and if they do make mistakes, with a compassionate heart, to be available to help them pick up the pieces, to stand up and journey on.
Is there anything you would like to add?

I would like to thank my parents, Joseph and Geraldine Poh for their faith and my siblings, Irene, Doreen, Raymond, Norman and their respective families for their support. In 1982, when I responded to God’s call to enter the seminary, right to the day of my ordination in 1988, it was a very difficult time for our family. Even though I am the eldest son, my family had willingly offered me to God as his priest, while they struggled to make ends meet. We had to walk in faith then.

This month, as my family comes together for the Episcopal ordination on 24 September, we stand humbly before you as a testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness and mercy. The Lord has guided and provided for us through those challenging years. Once again my family will gather before the Lord’s Altar to give thanks to God.