Nicholas Chia
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The Most Reverend Nicholas Gerald Chia DD, STL | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop Emeritus of Singapore | |
| File:Archbishop-Nicholas-Chia.jpg Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia Yeck Joo | |
| See | Archdiocese of Singapore |
| Installed | 7 October 2001 |
| Term ended | 18 May 2013 |
| Predecessor | Archbishop Gregory Yong |
| Successor | Archbishop William Goh |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 26 January 1964 |
| Consecration | 7 October 2001 by Adriano Bernardini, Yong Sooi Ngean, and Anthony Soter Fernandez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 April 1938 |
| Died | 17 December 2024 (aged 86) St Theresa's Home, Thomson Road, Singapore |
| Nationality | Singaporean |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Gregorian University |
| Motto | Omnia Omnibus (All things to all men) — 1 Cor 9:22 |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Nicholas Gerald Chia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | His Grace |
| Religious style | Archbishop-Emeritus |
Nicholas Gerald Chia Yeck Joo, DD, STL (simplified Chinese: 谢益裕; traditional Chinese: 謝益裕; pinyin: Xiè Yìyù) (8 April 1938 – 17 December 2024) was a Singaporean Roman Catholic prelate who was the third Archbishop of Singapore and the first Singapore-born clergyman to hold the office. He officially retired as Archbishop of Singapore on 18 May 2013, and was succeeded by Archbishop William Goh. He was educated at both Montfort Junior and Secondary schools.
Archbishop Chia received his Episcopal Consecration on 7 October 2001 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. His consecration was attended by the President of the Republic of Singapore, Mr. S. R. Nathan, state dignitaries, sixteen bishops, one hundred and ninety priests and an estimated 11,000 Roman Catholics, together with representatives of the major religions in Singapore. His Principal Consecrator was Archbishop Adriano Bernardini, and the Principal Co-Consecrators were Archbishops Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean and Anthony Soter Fernandez.
The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd was formerly the seat of Archbishop Chia before retiring and the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore.
Early life and education
[edit]Nicholas Chia was born in Singapore in 1938 to Catholic parents, a secretary and a housewife. He was the fourth child in a family of four boys and two girls.[1]
He completed his secondary education at Holy Innocents English School, and thereafter started his training to be a priest since.[1] He attended the St Francis Xavier's minor seminary here for three years, and then at Penang's major seminary between 1955 through 1963.[2] He continued with his theological studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from 1969 to 1971.[1][2]
After graduating in moral theology from university, he stayed on in Rome for another year to do comparative studies of religions.[2]
Career
[edit]Priesthood
[edit]After Nicholas Chia returned from Rome, he became a lecturer at the Penang seminary from 1973 to 1977 and, until 1996, he was also an external lecturer on moral theology at the seminary in Singapore.[2]
Nicholas Chia was the first Parish Priest at the Church of Holy Cross in Clementi from 1980 till his appointment as Archbishop in 2001.[1] Before being appointed as the Archbishop, he was the chaplain to Catholic students in the National University of Singapore since 1990.[2]
Since 1995, Chia was also the Chancellor, and Procurator of the archdiocese, taking on the responsibility of the diocesan documentation and finances respectively.[2]
Archbishop of Singapore
[edit]When Archbishop Gregory Yong retired, Pope John Paul II appointed Archbishop Chia to the office in 2001. Other candidates for the office were then Vicar General Monsignor Eugene Vaz and then Rector of St Francis Xavier Major Seminary, Fr. Anthony Ho.
Resignation as the Archbishop
[edit]Archbishop Chia reached the retirement age of 75 in 2013 and submitted his resignation to the Holy See. His resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI at Noon (Rome Time), 18 May 2013, 18:00 SGT. He was succeeded by Archbishop William Goh.
Later life and death
[edit]In February 2014, the Archbishop Emeritus sustained head injuries in a bad fall and was in a coma for more than a month.[3] As he did not recover fully from his injuries, he continued to be cared for in one of Singapore's Catholic nursing homes.
On 7 April 2018, Archbishop William Goh presided over a celebratory Mass in the Church of the Holy Cross to mark Archbishop Emeritus's 80th Birthday.
On 17 December 2024, the Archbishop's Communications Office announced that Archbishop Emeritus Chia was critically ill.[4] He died later that day, at the St Theresa's Home in the Thomson Road area of Singapore. He was 86.[5]
Coat of arms
[edit]
The coat of arms of Archbishop Chia consists of a shield upon an archiepiscopal cross surmounted by a green galero with 10 gold fiocchi (tassels) suspended on each side. These are standard ecclesiastical heraldic devices indicating the coat of arms is that of an archbishop.
The flame and dove on the left half of the shield represents the Holy Spirit. The open book on the right half depicts the Word of God. The fish and wavy blue lines represent Singapore and the Archdiocese. The coat of arms also include Archbishop's motto Omnia Omnibus, which is Latin for all things to all men (1 Corinthians 9:22).
The coat of arms was designed by a team from the Catholic Audio-Visual Centre, Singapore.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
Notes
[edit]Sources
[edit]- ^ a b c d Eunice, Lau (8 October 2001). "New S'pore-born archbishop ordained". The Straits Times. pp. H4.
- ^ a b c d e f Ho, Andy (17 August 2001). "People's priest nurtures human ties". The Straits Times. pp. H12.
- ^ ARCHBISHOP CHIA IN INTENSIVE CARE AFTER FALL: Veritas Singapore
- ^ "Pray for Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ "Obituary – Chancery Notice (2)". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
Further readings
[edit]References
[edit]- Eugene Wijeysingha (2006), Going Forth... – The Catholic Church in Singapore 1819–2004, Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore, ISBN 981-05-5703-5
- Episcopal Ordination of Reverend Father Nicholas Chia Souvenir Magazine
- Archbishop Nicholas Chia Souvenir Publication, Church of the Holy Cross
External links
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