Ready to fill new role at CBCMSB

Sep 15, 2023

KUALA LUMPUR: Richard Chia Kee Kong has been appointed Executive Secretary for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (CBCMSB) effective September 1, 2023. He takes over from Charles Bertille who served for five years in that position.

Richard, a parishioner of the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist in Kuala Lumpur, worked in the corporate sector with an international company and several large corporate organisations.

His involvement in Church work started when he was a youth in the Church of the Holy Rosary (HRC). After completing his studies in Australia, he returned to HRC and was involved in RCIA, catechetical, and eventually appointed into the Parish Pastoral Council. Over the past 40 years, he has been active in several roles at parish and archdiocesan levels.

Reflecting on Archbishop Julian Leow’s message as the new president of the CBCMSB, Richard has this to say. “Archbishop Julian’s vision of developing and improving lines of communication and collaboration among members of the conference, and also within its many commissions and ministries, is the right way to go. As the archbishop pointed out, we have been working in silo far too long”.

“If we look at how corporations and big businesses functions today, it is all about collaboration, sharing of knowledge and resources, and each unit specialising in its own area of expertise. As a regional bishops’ conference, we should have the ability to draw on the best of the three countries, and even tap on our relationship with the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences and beyond,” says Richard.

Sounding excited about his new position, Richard says he is now ready to take his Church involvement to the next level, beyond parish and diocesan boundaries. He hopes to utilise his Church network to realise the vision set forth by Archbishop Julian, but at the same time recognises the challenges ahead as the universal Church moves towards synodality.

A simple handover ceremony was held on September 2 during which Archbishop Julian formally received the files of the CBCMSB from the outgoing president, Cardinal-elect Sebastian Francis. A similar handover took place between Charles and Richard.