In January 1941, he entered the Minor Seminary and in 1944 graduated to the Major Seminary. He was officially 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 staff 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 1 July 1968, he was consecrated Bishop, and took over the Diocese Of Penang from Bishop Francis Chan who had died on 27 October 1967.
Archbishop of Singapore
On 3 February 1977, he was appointed to succeed Archbishop Michel Olçomendy as the first of the local clergy to lead the Church in Singapore. On 2 April 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 14 October 2000 and was succeeded by Archbishop Nicholas Chia.
It was also poor health that prompted his retirement, as he had a heart attack and had to be admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for a heart bypass surgery in June that year. Archbishop Yong's last public media appearance was in May 2004, when Yong was summoned as a prosecution witness in the trial of Catholic priest Joachim Kang, who was convicted and jailed for misappropriation of S$5.1 million in church funds. In spite of his poor health, he made light of his ailment when the prosecutor asked if he needed a break. 'I'm okay and can carry on,' he replied, and then asked the judge if she was all right too, sparking laughter in the solemn courtroom.[1]
He died on 28 June 2008 at St Joseph's Home, Singapore of a heart failure.[2]
Eugene Wijeysingha (2006), Going Forth... - The Catholic Church in Singapore 1819-2004, Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore, ISBN981-05-5703-5
gregory, yong, sooi, ngean, simplified, chinese, 杨瑞元, traditional, chinese, 楊瑞元, jyutping, joeng4, seoi6, jyun4, iûⁿ, sūi, goân, iôⁿ, sūi, goân, sṳ, yòng, ngèn, 1925, june, 2008, second, first, local, roman, catholic, archbishop, singapore, excellency, sooi, n. Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean D D J C D simplified Chinese 杨瑞元 traditional Chinese 楊瑞元 Jyutping Joeng4 Seoi6 Jyun4 Pe h ōe ji Iuⁿ Sui goan Ioⁿ Sui goan Pha k fa sṳ Yong Sui ngen 20 May 1925 28 June 2008 was the second and the first local Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore His ExcellencyGregory Yong Sooi NgeanD D J C D Archbishop of SingaporeSeeArchdiocese of SingaporeInstalled3 February 1977Term ended14 October 2000PredecessorArchbishop Michel OlcomendySuccessorArchbishop Nicholas Chia D D Personal detailsBorn20 May 1925Taiping Malaysia then the Federated Malay States Died28 June 2008 2008 06 28 aged 83 SingaporeNationalitySingaporeanDenominationRoman CatholicGregory YongChinese nameTraditional Chinese楊瑞元Simplified Chinese杨瑞元Pha k fa sṳYong Sui ngenJyutpingJoeng4 Seoi6 Jyun4Hokkien POJIuⁿ Sui goan Ioⁿ Sui goanTai loIunn Sui guan Ionn Sui guan Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early years 1 2 Priesthood 1 3 Archbishop of Singapore 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksBiography EditEarly years Edit Archbishop Yong was born into a Malaysian Chinese family of Hakka descent in Taiping and received his education in St George s Institution and St Michael s Institution in Ipoh Malaya He was an exceptional boy and liked to role play as a priest and pretend to say mass in his games 1 Priesthood Edit In January 1941 he entered the Minor Seminary and in 1944 graduated to the Major Seminary He was officially 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 staff 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 1 July 1968 he was consecrated Bishop and took over the Diocese Of Penang from Bishop Francis Chan who had died on 27 October 1967 Archbishop of Singapore Edit On 3 February 1977 he was appointed to succeed Archbishop Michel Olcomendy as the first of the local clergy to lead the Church in Singapore On 2 April 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 14 October 2000 and was succeeded by Archbishop Nicholas Chia It was also poor health that prompted his retirement as he had a heart attack and had to be admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for a heart bypass surgery in June that year Archbishop Yong s last public media appearance was in May 2004 when Yong was summoned as a prosecution witness in the trial of Catholic priest Joachim Kang who was convicted and jailed for misappropriation of S 5 1 million in church funds In spite of his poor health he made light of his ailment when the prosecutor asked if he needed a break I m okay and can carry on he replied and then asked the judge if she was all right too sparking laughter in the solemn courtroom 1 He died on 28 June 2008 at St Joseph s Home Singapore of a heart failure 2 See also EditArchdiocese of Singapore Cathedral of the Good Shepherd Archbishop Nicholas ChiaReferences EditEugene Wijeysingha 2006 Going Forth The Catholic Church in Singapore 1819 2004 Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore ISBN 981 05 5703 5 a b Wen Wei Jamie Ee June 29 2008 Ex Archbishop Yong dies Singapore Straits Times Former Catholic Archbishop Gregory Yong dies of heart failure at age 83 Channel NewsAsia 2008 06 29 External links EditCatholic Hierarchy org Official Website of the Archdiocese of SingaporeCatholic Church titlesPreceded byFrancis Chan Bishop of Penang1968 1977 Succeeded byAnthony Soter FernandezPreceded byMichel Olcomendy Archbishop of Singapore1977 2000 Succeeded byNicholas Chia Portals Biography Catholicism Malaysia Singapore Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gregory Yong amp oldid 1133588771, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
