103.172.183.54: the bishop preached in "English and Teochew"...can't find any reference to support claims of Hokkien ancestry https://history.catholic.sg/a-beacon-in-the-teochew-backwaters-of-singapore/

2025-03-03T10:29:01Z

the bishop preached in "English and Teochew"...can't find any reference to support claims of Hokkien ancestry https://history.catholic.sg/a-beacon-in-the-teochew-backwaters-of-singapore/

New page

{{Short description|Singaporean Roman Catholic prelate (1938–2024)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox Archbishop
| honorific-prefix = The [[Most Reverend]]
| name = Nicholas Chia
| honorific-suffix =
| title = [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore|Archbishop Emeritus of Singapore]]
| image = Nicholas Chia.png
| caption = Chia in 2018
| province =
| diocese =
| see = [[Archdiocese of Singapore]]
| enthroned = 7 October 2001
| ended = 18 May 2013
| predecessor = [[Archbishop]] [[Gregory Yong]]
| successor = [[Archbishop]] [[William Goh]]
| ordination = 26 January 1964
| consecration = 7 October 2001
| consecrated_by = [[Adriano Bernardini]],<br> [[Gregory Yong|Yong Sooi Ngean]], and<br> [[Anthony Soter Fernandez]]
| other_post =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1938|4|8}}
| birth_place = [[Singapore in the Straits Settlements|Singapore]], [[Straits Settlements]], [[British Malaya]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2024|12|17|1938|4|8}}
| death_place = [[St Theresa's Home]], [[Thomson Road, Singapore|Thomson Road]], Singapore
| buried =
| nationality = Singaporean
| religion = [[Roman Catholic]]
| residence =
| parents =
| spouse =
| children =
| occupation =
| profession =
| alma_mater = [[Pontifical Gregorian University]]
| signature =
| motto = ''Omnia Omnibus''<br>(All things to all men)<br>— [[First Epistle to the Corinthians|1 Cor]] 9:22
| module = {{Infobox bishopstyles
|embed=yes
|name=Nicholas Gerald Chia|
|dipstyle=[[The Most Reverend]]
|offstyle=[[His Grace]]
|relstyle=[[Archbishop|Archbishop-Emeritus]]
|image=File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Archbishop_Nicholas_Chia.png}}
}}

'''Nicholas Gerald Chia Yeck Joo''' ({{Lang-zh|s=谢益裕|t=謝益裕|p=Xiè Yìyù}}; 8 April 1938 – 17 December 2024) was a Singaporean Roman Catholic [[prelate]] who was the third [[Archbishop of Singapore]] and the first Singapore-born clergyman to hold the office.

On 7 October 2001, Chia was ordained as Archbishop of Singapore. He officially retired as Archbishop of Singapore on 18 May 2013, and was succeeded by [[Archbishop]] [[William Goh]].

== Early life and education ==
Chia was born in Singapore on 8 April 1938<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Cheng |first=Ian |date=18 December 2024 |title='A people's priest': Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia dies at 86 |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/a-peoples-priest-archbishop-emeritus-nicholas-chia-dies-at-86 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241217164957/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/a-peoples-priest-archbishop-emeritus-nicholas-chia-dies-at-86 |archive-date=17 December 2024 |access-date=20 December 2024 |website=The Straits Times |language=en-SG}}</ref> to Catholic parents, a secretary and a housewife. He was the fourth child in a family of four boys and two girls.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Eunice |first=Lau |date=8 October 2001 |title=New S'pore-born archbishop ordained |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=H4}}</ref> He completed his secondary education at [[Holy Innocents English School]], and thereafter started his training to be a priest.<ref name=":0" /> He attended the St Francis Xavier's minor seminary for three years, and then Penang's major seminary between 1955 through 1963.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Ho |first=Andy |date=17 August 2001 |title=People's priest nurtures human ties |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=H12}}</ref> He continued with his theological studies at the [[Pontifical Gregorian University]] in Rome from 1969 to 1971.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> After graduating in moral theology from university, he stayed on in Rome for another year to do comparative studies of religions.<ref name=":1" />

== Career ==

=== Priesthood ===
After Chia returned from Rome, he became a lecturer at the Penang seminary from 1973 to 1977 and, until 1996, he was also an external lecturer on moral theology at the seminary in Singapore.<ref name=":1" /> In 1978, Chia founded Singapore Archdiocese's Pastoral Institute and remained its director until 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Singapore's 'people's priest' dies at 86- UCA News |url=https://www.ucanews.com/news/singapores-peoples-priest-dies-at-86/107333 |access-date=19 December 2024 |website=ucanews.com |language=en}}</ref>

Upon returning to Singapore, Chia was an assistant priest at Saints Peter and Paul Church, and at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Leong |first=Pauline |date=24 June 2001 |title=Father Chia chosen as new Archbishop |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=3}}</ref> He was the first parish priest at the Church of Holy Cross in Clementi from 1980 till his appointment as Archbishop in 2001.<ref name=":0" /> He was also the chaplain to Catholic students in the [[National University of Singapore]] since 1990.<ref name=":1" />

Since 1995, Chia was also the Chancellor, and Procurator of the archdiocese, taking on the responsibility of the diocesan documentation and finances respectively.<ref name=":1" />

=== Archbishop of Singapore ===
When Archbishop [[Gregory Yong]] retired, [[Pope John Paul II]] appointed Chia to the office in May 2001 after a seven-month long selection process.<ref name=":2" /> Chia received his [[Consecration in Christianity#Ordination of bishops|episcopal consecration]] on 7 October 2001 at the [[Singapore Indoor Stadium]], with Archbishop [[Adriano Bernardini]], the Vatican's ambassador to Singapore officiating the ceremony and in presence of 12,000 attendees. It was the first ordination of an archbishop in 50 years as Yong was appointed in Penang in 1977 before taking over the Singapore diocese from [[Archbishop]] [[Michel Olçomendy]]. Olcomendy had his ordination in Singapore in 1947.<ref name=":0" />

On 18 October 2001, Chia would pledge {{SGDConvert|100000|year=2001}} from the diocese to aid [[Afghan refugees]] displaced through the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]] started in 2001 by United States in response to the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 October 2001 |title=Archbishop pledges $100,000 to refugees |work=[[The Straits Times]]}}</ref> On 23 December, Chia ordered a reshuffle of priests in the parishes, with 33 priests being either promoted or transferred into other parishes or offices in an effort to renew the Church with most of the appointments taking effect by February 2003. Before this order, transfers or appointments would be conducted on an ad-hoc basis.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Leong |first=Pauline |date=23 December 2001 |title=Reshuffle in Catholic Church |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=1}}</ref> On 27 December, Chia together with Mufti of Singapore, Syed Isa Semait and [[Islamic Religious Council of Singapore]]'s president, Maarof Salleh would attend a dinner celebrating Hari Raya Puasa and Christmas with the community to promote inter-faith understanding,<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 December 2001 |title=Festive spirit brings two faiths together |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=3}}</ref> against the backdrop of the ongoing [[war on terror]] as well as the recent arrests of agents of [[Jemaah Islamiyah]], a Southeast Asian [[Islamism|Islamist]] militant group in Singapore.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Six Things You Should Know About ISD's Operation Against JI in Singapore |url=http://www.mha.gov.sg/home-team-news/story/detail/six-things-you-should-know-about-isd-s-operation-against-ji-in-singapore/ |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=Ministry of Home Affairs |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-10 |title=Why 9/11 matters to Singapore |url=https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/opinion-features/columns/why-9/11-matters-to-singapore |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=The Business Times |language=en}}</ref>

During the [[2002–2004 SARS outbreak]] in Singapore, to limit the spread of the virus, Chia ordered a temporary suspension of having individual [[Confession (religion)|confession]] in the confessional in April 2003 and that the priests would grant "[[Absolution#General absolution|general absolution]]" instead and Catholics may approach priests to confess in other locations as such the priests' offices.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 April 2003 |title=Church puts confessions on hold |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=H2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=12 April 2003 |title=Need to confess? Catholics can still see priests |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=H2}}</ref>

In the same month, Joachim Kang, a priest at Church of St Teresa before being transferred to Church of the Holy Trinity in the reshuffle this year, was arrested by [[Commercial Affairs Department]] after being investigated for criminal breach of trust, of which he was charged with 19 counts of embezzling from the Church of St. Teresa totalling {{SGDConvert|5.1|m|year=2003}} between July 1994 and February 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |title=priest charged with stealing funds bailed maintains innocence |url=https://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_id=22476&post_name=/2003/05/13/priest-charged-with-stealing-funds-bailed-maintains-innocence&utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=20 December 2024 |website=ucanews.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Yeo |first=Andre |date=16 May 2003 |title=Not easy being a priest No stranger to controversy |work=The Newpaper |pages=6–7}}</ref> Chia testified against Kang during the trial, but wrote a letter to the judge to appeal for a lighter sentence.<ref name="chia-appeal">{{Cite news |last=Chong |first=Chee Kin |date=20 April 2004 |title=Archbishop appeals to court for leniency in Kang's sentencing |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=H4}}</ref> Kang would eventually be jailed in 2004 for 7.5 years,<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 April 2004 |title=Priest jailed for embezzling $3m |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3653785.stm |access-date=20 December 2024 |language=en-GB}}</ref> but was not defrocked pending further counselling and assessment.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Chiang |first=Alvin |date=24 April 2004 |title=Kang still a priest but can't say Mass Judge says priest showed no remorse |work=The Newpaper |pages=4}}</ref> Kang would eventually repay the misappropriated money after selling off the properties he had acquired with the funds.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 October 2005 |title=Archbishop settles |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=H2}}</ref> After Kang was released in 2009 on a home detention scheme, Kang was restored as a priest after it was determined that he was repentant.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Spykerman |first=Kimberly |date=18 May 2009 |title=Joachim Kang gets okay to resume duties as priest |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=A4}}</ref>

As a continuation of the reshuffle announced in 2001 and in light of the embezzlement case, Chia introduced new guidelines in 2004 for all Catholic churches which include the requirement of having a financial council at each church to advise the parish priests on administering church funds and assets, and an accountant to keep its books. Banks and financial institutions would also now accept instructions only from the Archbishop on parish accounts. Any cheques over $5,000 now require two signatures, and churches would only have {{SGDConvert|10000|lk=off|year=2003}} kept each month for operational expenses. A revised directory of canon laws, Priests' Directory{{Efn|The Priests' Directory was first introduced in 1986 and then revised in 1995.<ref name="chia-appeal" />}} that govern lives and work of priests was being worked on as well.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Quek |first=Tracy |date=27 June 2004 |title=Finance councils a must at churches |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=3}}</ref>

On 2 May 2009, after a group of conservative Christian women took over the leadership of [[Association of Women for Action and Research]], Chia instructed that the Catholic priests should not comment on the event as secular organisations should remain secular,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zakir Hussain |date=17 August 2009 |title=Church leaders handled Aware saga responsibly |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=B2}}</ref> echoing the position stated by Anglican Archbishop [[John Chew]] and other religious leaders of Buddhist, Taoist, and Protestant bodies.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Low |first=Aaron |date=3 May 2009 |title=Religious leaders back Archbishop |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=14}}</ref>

In 2012, the Catholic Church would put a 30-year limit on all niche allocations in its columbaria due to the scarcity of land and space available.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yan |first=Feng |date=27 November 2011 |title=30-year limit for Catholic niches |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=15}}</ref> In the same year, it was reported that Chia had written two private letters to Function 8, a civic group supporting an event held in June by the latter against the [[Internal Security Act (Singapore)|Internal Security Act]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=16 October 2012 |title=What happened |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=A2}}</ref> Chia however had withdrawn the letters after political activist [[Alex Au]] wrote about the letters as he was concerned that the letters would not be used in a manner he had intended,<ref name=":5" /> and was not willing to let the Church and the office of Archbishop be dragged into a political game and affect the country's social harmony.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Tessa |date=20 September 2012 |title=Archbishop clarifies retraction of letter to group |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=A3}}</ref>

On 31 December 2012, it was announced that Chia would be succeeded by [[William Goh]], rector of the St Francis Xavier Major Seminary. Goh was appointed by [[Pope Benedict XVI]] after a secret ballot among the Singapore priests.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ng |first=Kai Ling |date=31 December 2012 |title=Rector named next head of S'pore Catholic Church |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=A6}}</ref> Chia reached the retirement age of 75 in 2013 and submitted his resignation to the Holy See. His resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on 18 May 2013.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 May 2013 |title=New Catholic Archbishop takes charge |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=15}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In February 2014, he sustained head injuries in a bad fall and was in a coma for more than a month.<ref>[http://www.catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9806:archbishop-chia-in-intensive-care-after-fall&catid=9&Itemid=491 ARCHBISHOP CHIA IN INTENSIVE CARE AFTER FALL: Veritas Singapore]</ref> As he did not recover fully from his injuries, he continued to be cared for in one of Singapore's Catholic nursing homes.

On 7 April 2018, Archbishop William Goh presided over a celebratory Mass in the Church of the Holy Cross to mark Chia's 80th Birthday.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ng |first1=Jared |title=Archbishop Chia honoured at 80th birthday celebration |url=https://catholicnews.sg/2018/04/29/archbishop-chia-honoured-at-80th-birthday-celebration/?__cf_chl_tk=k3S5sdCeLY0SBErQQgKM3t_Do4NFiiARtXF8bENZV7A-1734857362-1.0.1.1-iuUycl08OFw7V.4j1VMi8Q1jeUzsSl.1nsv.x_6SllI |access-date=22 December 2024 |work=Catholic News Singapore |date=29 April 2018}}</ref>

On 17 December 2024, the Archbishop's Communications Office announced that Chia was critically ill.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pray for Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia |url=https://www.catholic.sg/prayfor_eabp_nicholaschia/ |website=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore |access-date=18 December 2024}}</ref> He died later that day, at St Theresa's Home, where he had been residing. He was 86.<ref>{{cite web |title=Obituary – Chancery Notice (2) |url=https://www.catholic.sg/obituary-chancery-notice-2/ |website=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore |access-date=18 December 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Archdiocese of Singapore]]
* [[Cathedral of the Good Shepherd]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Eugene Wijeysingha (2006), ''Going Forth... – The Catholic Church in Singapore 1819–2004'', Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore, {{ISBN|981-05-5703-5}}
* Episcopal Ordination of Reverend Father Nicholas Chia Souvenir Magazine
* Archbishop Nicholas Chia Souvenir Publication, Church of the Holy Cross

==External links==
{{Sister project links|auto=yes}}
* [http://catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bchianich.html Catholic-Hierarchy.org]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061220082607/http://www.veritas.org.sg/ Official Website of the Archdiocese of Singapore]

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Gregory Yong|Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Archdiocese of Singapore|Archbishop of Singapore]]|years=2001–2013}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William Goh|William Goh Seng Chye]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chia, Nicholas}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Singapore]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Singapore]]
[[Category:Singaporean people of Teochew descent]]
[[Category:Singaporean Roman Catholic archbishops]]
[[Category:Montfort Secondary School alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century Singaporean people]]
[[Category:20th-century Singaporean people]]
[[Category:20th-century Roman Catholic priests]]

Nicholas Chia - Revision history

103.172.183.54: the bishop preached in "English and Teochew"...can't find any reference to support claims of Hokkien ancestry https://history.catholic.sg/a-beacon-in-the-teochew-backwaters-of-singapore/