Fr Francis Kou, builder of churches, passes away

A nonagenarian priest with a reputation for building churches died March 7, at Graceville, a retirement home for the clergy at Majodi Centre. Fr Francis Kou Ieou Yen, 90, had lived at the retirement home since 2003.

Mar 21, 2020

By Vincent D’Silva
A nonagenarian priest with a reputation for building churches died March 7, at Graceville, a retirement home for the clergy at Majodi Centre. Fr Francis Kou Ieou Yen, 90, had lived at the retirement home since 2003.

He had been diagnosed with cancer in his right kidney in mid 2017 at age 88 and had sought alternative treatments a couple of times in Guangdong, China in 2018.

In September 2019, Fr Kou’s health grew weaker but he continued to minister to all who came to visit him until his demise.

Born in Szechuan province, China on March 29, 1929, he entered the Minor Seminary in the diocese of Si Chang in 1946 at age 17 and three years later, in 1949, he joined the Major Seminary in Kuan Ming, Yunnan in China.

At age 21, Fr Kou arrived in the then Malaya in 1950 and entered College General in Penang to read Philosophy and Theology. In 1955, he was posted to Sts Peter & Paul’s Church in Singapore for his pastoral training and subsequently was ordained priest by Archbishop Michael Olcomendy at age 26 on December 4, 1955.

After his ordination, he was sent to assist at the Church of Sts Peter & Paul in Singapore where he remained for five years before moving to Johor.

As a priest, he knew the needs  of the Church. And all through his priestly life he was involved in building five churches in Johor. He built the Church of St Henry, Batu Pahat in 1964, Church of St Peter, Mersing, 1980. Then in 1982, he started the ball rolling for the Sacred Heart Cathedral. His toil did not end there as in 1991, he went on to build the Church of St Elizabeth, Kota Tinggi.

Then he was approached by Catholics in Sichuan Province, China for a church to be built. Going the extra mile, he secured enough funds and finally the Church of St Paul, in Sichuan was built in 2002.

He also managed to raise some RM500,000 for another church to be built in China — the Church of the Divine Mercy. He also embarked on another project in building a kindergarten at Lahong village in China.

He served in a number of parishes and helmed various positions. From 1983-1991, he served as procurator and chancellor.

From 1979-1982 he was the Diocesan Consultor. He was reappointed as procurator from 1986-1989. He again helmed the post of Diocesan Consultor and member of the Diocesan Finance Council from 19901995.

From 2015-2019 he was made chaplain of St Francis of Assisi Chapel in Graceville.

All through his priestly life, he had been a builder of churches. He  once said that he would not rest from his task of building churches until such time when he was incapacitated.

On his sacerdotal diamond jubilee he told the congregation that building churches was his way of building up the Church of Christ. He said, “ It is my greatest joy to see all these churches I have built completed.”

When asked where he draws strength from, the oldest priest in Johor replied in his quiet manner, “I feel God with me all the time.”

As one Catholic who knew him well put it, “Fr Kou is a wonderful specimen of a wonderful human being, an ideal Christian and ideal Catholic priest after the mind and heart of Jesus. Because of the many  churches and chapels he has built in Johor and China, he can rightly and fittingly be called the silent architect!”

Fr Kou was a man of God, a man of prayer, a man of action and above all, a man of spirituality which was the fruit of 65 years of priestly ministry and endeavour in the vineyard of the Lord.

His funeral Mass was held on March 9 at the Church of St Joseph, Plentong, celebrated by Bishop Bernard Paul with Cardinal Soter Fernandez, Arch/bishops emeriti Murphy Pakiam, Paul Tan, SJ and James Chan and some 20 priests concelebrating.

In his homily, Bishop Bernard said Fr Kou was ready for death. He refused treatments and told the doc tors that he was already 90 and did not need any extraordinary care.

“He suffered quietly, welcomed people while he was unwell and allowed friends and parishioners to visit him as he knew he was not able to continue.”

During this time, Fr Kou, who was in pain and in bed, was always alert and knew whoever came to visit him, opening his eyes a little.

The Bishop said, “The end is very important for many of us. The end will show who we are and the end will also show what we have become,” adding that the finishing is very important and the way we finish and how we finish is vital.

After Mass, the cortege left for burial at Ulu Tiram Catholic Cemetery.

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