By Fr Joshua Liew
BUNDU TUHAN – The clergy of the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu and the Dioceses of Keningau and Sandakan gathered in a spirit of brotherhood and silence for the annual Sabah Clergy Retreat, held Sep 8–12, 2025 at Bundu Tuhan Retreat Centre.
Archbishop John Wong, Bishops Cornelius Piong and Julius Gitom, together with priests and a deacon from across Sabah, took the opportunity to step away from the hectic pastoral duties and enter into a sacred time of prayer, reflection, and renewal. This year’s retreat was guided by Fr Jose Junar Dela Victoria from the Archdiocese of Davao, Philippines, and centred around the theme: “Priests of Hope.”
One of the central reflections offered was on “Authenticity and Wonder in Prayer.” Fr Junar invited the clergy to reflect on the many masks we wear, those roles and façades that form over time in ministry and life. Even in seminary, he noted, one might see a prayerful and gentle brother become someone entirely different in other settings. Beneath such contrasts lie wounds and struggles that are often left unspoken.
In the silence of prayer, we are called to return to our true selves, the self that God sees and loves. Drawing from Henri Nouwen, Fr Junar reminded the clergy that prayer is the place where we meet God with honesty, not as polished ministers, but as both sinners and saints. Here, the masks fall away, and what Pope Francis calls the “golden thread” of grace is revealed, God’s unbroken presence running through every season of life, drawing us ever closer to Him.
Read full story in Catholic Sabah Vol 68 No 20 dated Oct 19 2025.
