| St. Peter's Church, Kuching | |
|---|---|
Malay:Gereja St. Peter's, Kuching | |
.jpg) St. Peter's Church front facade | |
 St. Peter's Church, Kuching | |
| 1°33′7.243″N110°21′31.237″E / 1.55201194°N 110.35867694°E /1.55201194; 110.35867694 | |
| Location | Padungan,Kuching,Sarawak |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | stpeterschurchkuching |
| History | |
| Status | Parish Church |
| Founded | 1937 |
| Dedication | St. Peter the Apostle |
| Dedicated | 18 December 1949 (original church) 29 June 2025 (neo-Gothic church) |
| Consecrated | 29 June 2025[1] |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Gothic |
| Years built | 1949 1960 (reconstruction) 2024 (neo-Gothic church) |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuching |
| Clergy | |
| Priest | RevFr. Vincent Chin[2][3] |
St. Peter's Church (Malay:Gereja St. Peter's) is aNeo-gothicRoman Catholic church located inPadungan,Kuching ofSarawak,Malaysia. It is the latest and largest church in the city.
It takes inspiration from the originalSt. Joseph's Cathedralgothic structure, built in 1891 and due to structural issues, demolished in 1969.[4]
Following the purchase of seven acres ofswampland in Padungan byMsgr. Aloysius Hopfgartner in 1937 to foster the growth of the local church in theRaj of Sarawak with a second parish, he initiated the construction but died on 15 May 1949 before its completion.[5][6] The church was completed by 18 December within the same year and has undergone several further developments by the 1960s to accommodate the growing congregation. In 1987, a multipurpose hall was constructed, and additional renovation was done in 1999 to address structural problems.[5]
Despite this, concerns about its structural integrity continue to haunt, which is exacerbated by the construction of a nearbymonsoon drain.[5] This led to the initiation of a newGothic-inspired church building which began in 2019 with a total estimated cost ofRM38 million.[5][7] Contributions also come from theSarawak government with an additional RM2 million grant through the Unit for Other Religion (UNIFOR).[8] The new church building first opened its doors for theMidnight Mass onChristmas Eve in December 2024.[3]
On 28 June 2025, the church was officially opened to public and the final financial fund needed was completed.[9] It was finally consecrated on the feast ofSts Peter and Paul on the following day at 29 June with the presence of over 30 priests, 6,000 faithful congregation;[10] as well as Archbishop Simon Poh - Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kuching, Archbishop Julian Leow Beng Kim - Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Cardinal Sebastian Francis - Cardinal of theDiocese of Penang, Bishop Bernard Paul - Bishop ofMalacca-Johore Diocese, Archbishop Emeritus John Ha and Archbishop Emeritus Peter Chung,[11] with another mass the next day for the 40th ordination anniversary of Kuching's first local priest from Kuching Seminary - Fr Vincent Chin.[12]
The new church also features an impressive collection ofstained glasses that have been handmade and expertly designed byItalians,[7] as well as incorporating theBrooke family crest and theSarawak emblem in two stained glasses, along with localDayak motifs showcasing the uniqueness of Sarawak'sculture andhistory.[7]
.jpg)
.png)
.png)
Media related toSt. Peter's Church, Kuching at Wikimedia Commons