Fr Michael Thoo – a faithful, diligent and honest servant of God

Apr 05, 2019

By Aaron Lim
Thousands of Catholics, from both near and far, came to pay their last respects to a priest who has touched and inspired many lives.

Fr Michael Thoo, a diocesan priest who had faithfully served the Church for the last 54 years, returned to the Lord on March 23 at the age of 85.

For three days, the late Fr Thoo’s body lay in state at the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows (City Parish), his last posting, for more than ten years.

Wake services were held for two nights in the church, which saw crowds coming to pay their last respects.

A memorial Mass was celebrated on March 24 by Msgr Stephen Liew, with Bishop Emeritus Antony Selvanayagam and several priests concelebrating.

Msgr Liew, in his homily, reminded the congregation that “life and death are never in our hands; rather, they are in the hands of the Lord.”

“For Fr Thoo, life is changed, not ended, because he can finally see the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom he had served faithfully for many years, face to face” he said.

Bishop Emeritus Selva delivered a short eulogy after Mass, in which he paid tribute to the late Fr Thoo as a dedicated priest who never showed any pride, and recognised his efforts in the establishment of the Stella Maris Retreat Centre.

“In the church, we choose and recommend those who are capable and genuine, therefore I had no regrets appointing Fr Thoo as the procurator of the diocese, for he had excellent negotiation skills and ensured the diocese never ran at a loss,” he said.

The funeral Mass on March 25, which coincided with the Solemnity of the Annunciation saw the church packed with religious, family members and parishioners.

Bishop Sebastian Francis was the main celebrant, with His Eminence Anthony Soter Cardinal Fernandez, Archbishop Julian Leow and Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam as concelebrants.

Archbishop Emeritus Pakiam began his homily by noting that Fr Thoo passed on five days short of his sacerdotal anniversary on March 28.

“The past few years had probably been a time of purification for Fr Thoo; and as he returns home, we bid him farewell, but not forever, for our faith assures us of the certainty of meeting again in the Father’s house,” Archbishop Emeritus Pakiam said.

Bishop Sebastian, credited Fr Thoo’s efforts as a financial administrator of the Diocese of Penang and thanked the Little Sisters of the Poor for their care and support towards him in his final years.

He also remarked that Fr Thoo came from a family of religious persons, with his siblings Sr Stanislaus and Sr Lucie Thoo both present at the funeral Mass.

The final commendation and farewell was led by Cardinal Soter, before the hearse left for Kelawei Road Cemetery for burial service presided by Archbishop Leow.