This afternoon, the Roman
Catholic Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong passed away peacefully at
Joseph’s Home, Singapore. Here’s a biography of the
shepherd.
Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean (Chinese:
杨瑞元) D.D. D.C.L was the Roman Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of
Singapore. From May 20, 1925 - June 28, 2008.
Born in Taiping, Malaya on May 20,
1925, he was educated at St. George’s Institution and St. Michael’s
Institution in Ipoh, Malaya. In January 1941, he entered the Minor
Seminary and in 1944 graduated to the Major Seminary. He was
ordained in 1951 and posted to the Church of the Nativity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary in Singapore. In 1953, he left for studies in
Rome where he was conferred a Doctorate in Canon Law, the very
first local priest to achieve the distinction. Back in Singapore in
1956, he was sent as assistant Parish Priest to the Church of the
Sacred Heart. In the following year, he joined the teaching stuff
of the Minor Seminary. After a short stint as assistant Parish
Priest at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, he was
appointed to a teaching position in the Major Seminary, again, the
very first local priest to be thus honoured. On July 1, 1968, he
was consecrated Bishop, and took over the Diocese Of Penang from
Bishop Francis Chan who had died on October 27, 1967.
On February 3, 1977, he was
appointed to succeed Archbishop Michel Olcomendy as the first of
the local clergy to lead the Church in Singapore. On April 2, 1977,
he was officially installed as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore. He was the second Archbishop of the Archdiocese of
Singapore, which was formed in 1972 when the Archdiocese of
Malacca-Singapore split and held the office until retiring on
October 14, 2000.
He died on June 28, 2008 at St
Joseph’s Home, Singapore.
As announced earlier during Sunset
Mass this evening, his body is lying in wake at St Joseph’s Home,
Singapore. Map
Location.
Let eternal rest grant unto Archbishop Emeritus
Gregory Yong, O Lord,
And let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace,
Amen.
http://aquietmoment.wordpress.com/2008/06/28/passing-of-archbishop-emeritus-gregory-yong/
