KANOWIT, Nov 23: The Sacred Heart Church in Sungai Bawan, which is one of the oldest churches in the State will undergo major repairs and restoration works soon.
The church was built in 1883 by a Catholic missionary priest.
Ngemah incumbent Alexander Vincent said the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) in the Chief Minister’s Department has approved an allocation of RM500,000 for the repair and restoration works.
“This church is a very old one and is a heritage building. So we need to preserve and take good care of it,” he said.
Chairman of Sungai Bawan Sacred Heart Church, Liew Tubow thanked the State government through Unifor for the financial allocation for the repairs.
“Today is a historic day for us as this church, which is one of the oldest if not the oldest in the State, will undergo repairs soon. As we know, the church is 138-years-old now and we would like to thank the State government which through Unifor, has approved the financial allocation. We would also like to thank Alexander for the same purpose,” he said.
Tubow added that once repair works are completed, the church will be able to meet the needs of residents from several longhouses in the area for prayer services. It can accommodate a congregation of more than 100 at a time.
According to a working paper for the restoration of the church, a school was also built near the cemetery area.
The majority of the locals are Iban and some of the generous residents there have given up their land to build the church and school. — DayakDaily
