The idea to form a group of lay councillors in each parish was mooted by Father Willibrord Smit mhm during a rectors meeting on 22-23 Aug 1966 with the objective of assisting and advising the rector in the running of the parish. This idea was accepted for a trial period of six months with Penampang mission taking up the challenge in January 1967. The event that banished the fears concerning the parish councils in Sabah was the removal of missionary priests and religious by Tun Datu Mustapha Harun. It became necessary for the laity to come forward and shoulder more responsibility for the running of the church. In 1971, through the efforts of Datuk Peter Mojuntin and Father Florian Jud mhm, the parish councils were federated into a statewide organisation and became known as PAX (Persatuan Agama Katolik Sabah=Sabah Catholic Religious Union). Down the years, PAX had developed into a strong lay arm of the church with directorates controlling most sections of the church in Sabah. When the Diocese of Kota Kinabalu was erected in 1976, the position was PAX in the diocese created a unique phenomenon in the church, a diocese governed by a bishop and a parliament. (Chew, MKC, The Journey of the Catholic Church in Malaysia 1511-1996, Catholic Research Centre Kuala Lumpur 2000).
The Diocesan Organisational Pastoral Plan or DOPP was launched on 16 Sept 1997 with a period of implementation from 1998 to 2004. Under the DOPP the PAX Board of Directors was abolished in October 1998 and replaced by the Diocesan Pastoral Council, a consultative body to the Bishop. In October 1999, the ‘parish council’ was changed to’parish pastoral council’ – likewise, a consultative body to the parish priest.
The PAX Assembly (Diocesan Synod or Diocesan Congress) – the gathering of parish delegates – remains. Since 1999, the assembly does not have a PAX theme to adopt nor does it deliberate on parish reports and make resolutions. Rather, it is a venue where the delegates listen, reflect and discern together what is for the good of the archdiocese within the context of the Archdiocesan Vision/Mission – a forum for consultation and communion. Proposals and suggestions would be taken up for further discernment before being implemented by the archdiocese. From 2015 onwards, the PAX Assembly is organised every three years.
Date | Venue | President | Chairman |
11-12.4.1971 | Sacred Heart Parish Hall KK / St Michael Penampang | Bishop Peter Chung | Dtk Peter Mojuntin |
25-26.4.1972 | SHPC KK | Bp James Buis | Dtk Fong Peng Loi |
31.7-1.8.1973 | Catholic Seminary KK | Bp Peter Chung
Fr Thomas Sham |
Dtk Fong Peng Loi |
6-7.12.1974 | Catholic Seminary KK | Bp Peter Chung
Fr Thomas Sham |
Dtk Fong Peng Loi |
1975 – No Assembly – Bp Chung transferred to Kuching in March.
29.9. 1975 – Fr Simon Fung Kui Hiong of Sandakan appointed Vicar Apostolic. Episcopal ordination on 14 Nov 1975.
25-26.9. 1976 | Sacred Heart Parish Hall KK | Bp Simon Fung
Fr Tobias Chi |
Dtk Ben Stephens |
15-16.9.1977 | SHPC KK | Bp Simon Fung
Fr Tobias Chi |
Dtk Ben Stephens |
2-4.9.1978 | SHPH KK | Bp Simon Fung
Fr Tobias Chi |
Dtk Ben Stephens |
1979 – Annual themes introduced.
24-26.8.1979 | SHPH KK | Basic Christian Communities & Local Church | Bp Simon Fung
Fr Tobias Chi |
Dtk Ben Stephens |
11-13.8.1980 | Penampang PC | People of God as Family | Bp Simon Fung
Fr Tobias Chi |
Dtk Ben Stephens |
31.7. – 2.8.1981 | Penampang PC | 100 Years Good News | Bp Simon Fung
Fr Tobias Chi |
Dtk Ben Stephens |
22-24.7.1982 | SHPH KK | Year of the Bible | Bp Simon Fung
Fr Tobias Chi |
Tan Sri Ben Stephens |
10-12.7.1983 | SHPH KK | Open the Doors to the Redeemer – Reconciliation | Bp Simon Fung
Fr Tobias Chi |
Tan Sri Ben Stephens |
29.6. -1.7.1984 | SHPH KK | We are the Church | Bp Simon Fung
Fr John Lee |
Tan Sri Ben Stephens |
20-22.6.1985 | SHPH KK | Our Youth & Signs of the Times | Bp Simon Fung
Fr John Lee |
Tan Sri Ben Stephens |
16 Nov 1985 – Death of Bishop Fung in Melbourne Australia. Msgr John Lee Yit Yaw elected Diocesan Administrator by Council of Priests on 22 Nov 1985.
7-9.1986 | SFX Keningau | Vatican II: Role of the Laity – Past & Future | Msgr John Lee | Tan Sri Ben Stephens |
26 June 1987 – Episcopal ordination of Msgr John Lee.
28-30.8.1987 | BTRC | The Christian Home | Bp John Lee
Msgr Cornelius Piong |
|
21-23.10.1988 | BTRC | Make my Word your Home | Bp John Lee
Msgr Cornelius Piong |
|
31.8-3.9.1989 | BTRC | Eucharist-Source of Our Life | Bp John Lee
Msgr Cornelius Piong |
Francis Chong |
1990 – Eucharistic Congress
13-16.9.1991 | BTRC | We are a Eucharistic People | Bp John Lee
Msgr Cornelius Piong |
Francis Chong |
11-13.9.1992 | BTRC | Behold, I Make All Things New (Review & Renew) | Bp John Lee
Msgr Cornelius Piong |
Donald Malinggang |
2 Feb 1993 Msgr Cornelius Piong was appointed Bishop of newly created Keningau Diocese. Episcopal ordination on 6 May 1993 in Keningau.
27-30.8.1993 | BTRC | Evangelisation Begins in the Family | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
Donald Malinggang |
15-18.9.1994 | BTRC | One Diocese, One Family, One Mission – Planning and Pastoring Together | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
John Paujik |
The PAX Assembly adopted a different format from 1995 onwards. No annual theme was used.
14-17.9.1995 | BTRC | Orientation Workshop on Diocesan Organisational Pastoral Planning | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
Facilitator: Fr Manny Guazon |
05-09.6.1996 | BTRC | Diocesan Pastoral Planning Workshop (DPPW) | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
Facilitator: Fr Guazon |
05-08.6.1997 | BTRC | Second Diocesan Pastoral Planning Workshop (DPPW II) | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
Facilitator: Fr Guazon |
16 Sept 1997 – Launching of Diocesan Organisational Pastoral Plan (DOPP) 1998-2004 SHC by Bp Lee in the presence of Abp Luigi Bressan, apostolic nuncio. Silver Jubilee of PAX.
25-28.6.1998 | BTRC | Colloquium on Diocesan Vision | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
DOPP Core Team |
24-27.6.1999 | BTRC | Communion & Mission | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
Diocesan Pastoral Council (DPC) |
20-24.9.1999 | BTRC | Asian Integral Pastoral Approach (AsIPA) Workshop | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
DPC |
2000 – Great Jubilee Year – Eucharistic Congress by parish-clusters
7.1.2001 | Maktab Nasional Grounds | Diocesan Eucharistic Congress | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
DPC |
14-17.9.2001 | BTRC | Celebrating 25 Years as Church | Bp John Lee
Msgr Prmus Jouil |
DPC |
14-16.9.2002 | SHC | Diocesan Silver Jubilee | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
DPC |
5-7.12.2002 | BTRC | Pastoring Together in the next 25 Years | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
DPC |
23-25.10.2003 | BTRC | Communion & Structure in Pastoral Leadership | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
DPC |
13-15.10.2005 | BTRC | Evaluation of Diocesan Vision/Mission | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
DPC |
16 July 2007 – Erection of Sandakan Diocese with Fr Julius Dusin Gitom of Tamparuli as bishop. Episcopal ordination on 15 Oct 2017 in Sandakan.
7-10.11.2007 | BTRC | Diocesan Congress on Family | Bp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
DPC |
23 May 2008 – Erection of Ecclesiastical Province of Kota Kinabalu with KK Diocese as metropolitan see and Bp John Lee as metropolitan archbishop. Thanksgiving celebration on 1 Sept 2008.
26-28.11.2009 | BTRC | To strengthen caring communion among leaders in the local church towards Christ-centredness | Abp John Lee
Msgr Primus Jouil |
Archdiocesan Pastoral Council (APC) |
21 June 2010 – Fr John Wong Soo Kau of Sandakan appointed coadjutor to Abp Lee. Episcopal ordination on 1 Oct 2010 SHC.
1 Dec 2012 – Resignation of Abp Lee. Abp Wong succeeded him. Installation on 24 Jan 2013 SHC.
8-11.11.2015 | Pace Bene | Archdiocesan Pastoral Thrust:
Go Inward (Interior Life), Go Smaller (BEC), Go Outward (Mission) |
Abp John Wong
Msgr Primus Jouil |
APC |