Church of the Assumption — Attraction in George Town

The Church of the Assumption was founded in 1786, when Captain Francis Light first came to Penang, Malaysia. It is located in Farquhar Street, George Town, within the heritage core zone of the city. The church is the third oldest Catholic church in Malaysia.

This church was the seat of the bishop of Penang from 1955 to 2003 and it is also a World Heritage Church.

In 1786, Captain Francis Light landed on Penang Island and named it Prince of Wales Island. He set up the Fort Cornwallis. In conjunction with their landing in Penang which coincides with the feast of the Assumption of The Blessed Mary on 15 August that year, he and his companions built a church and named it Church of the Assumption. It was the first Roman Catholic church in the northern region of Malaysia, as well as the first church built after the British landed in Penang. They went on to control Malaya later on.

As the population of Penang Island continues to increase, there was a need for a bigger church. In 1860, the present crucifix shaped church, was constructed. It was completed in 1861 and opened. It consists of two bell towers and a huge altar. The pipe organ, by Morton & Moody of Oakham, England, was installed in 1916 and the choir gallery was extended.

In December 1941, when the Japanese conquered Penang, the church was closed except for a few masses. It was said that during one day, when the bells of the church were tolled, a Japanese soldier went into the church to cut off the ropes, saying that the bells were noisy. Life went back to normal when the Japanese surrendered in August 1945.

In 1954, in conjunction with the Marian Year, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima was carried on a long procession through the streets of George Town. It was replaced with a shrine built in front of the church.[2] The need for a diocese was raised up after the Japanese occupation. After much discussion, finally on 25 February 1955, the Penang Diocese was established together with the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. At the same time, Bishop Francis Chan and Bishop Dominic Vendargon were appointed as bishops of Penang and Kuala Lumpur, respectively. This church, together with St. John's Cathedral in Kuala Lumpur, was given the cathedral status.

At that period of time, Cathedral of the Assumption served as the main church of the northern region of Malaysia. A lot of diocesan activities were held there. It was in the mid-1970s, when the cathedral and three other churches in George Town suffered a major setback. The Catholic population there started to dwindle until only about 1,500 Catholics were left in the city. Since the number of the priests were shrinking, in 1988 Bishop Antony Selvanayagam decided to merge the four parishes into one parish, named City Parish.

In the 1990s, main functions of the diocese were moved to other churches. That was also the time when the Bishop of Penang had a meeting with the priests to discuss about moving the cathedral to some other places. In 2001, Bishop Antony Selvanayagam announced that in January 2003, the status of the cathedral will be moved to the Cathedral of The Holy Spirit in Green Lane, Penang. This parish emerged as the new cathedral because it has a high number of parishioners and was also a very active parish in the diocese.

On 20 January 2003, the cathedral status and bishop's seat were officially moved to the new Cathedral of The Holy Spirit, thus lowering the status of the cathedral to Church of The Assumption. In 2008, when George Town and Malacca Town became UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the church was named as world heritage church. The church building was over 160 years old and has historical significance.

In 2022, the church marked a year-long celebration...

I am the kind of person who always goes to church every Sunday (can't miss Mass unless there's something very important). Even when I'm traveling, I always make time to go to church and pray. I arrived in Penang on Saturday afternoon, and immediately searched for the nearest Roman Catholic church near where I was staying. I'm not very familiar with churches in Malaysia, and I found out that there are many types of churches here (including Anglican churches that resemble Roman Catholic churches). So, I made sure that the Church of the Assumption was indeed a Roman Catholic church before I went there the next day.

Then, I didn't know what time Mass started at this church. I read reviews on Google and found out that Mass here starts at 10:00 AM. I was also a bit culture shocked because Mass starts at 10:00 AM here, whereas in Indonesia Mass usually starts earlier.

I decided to come to this church and arrived there at 9:30 AM. At that time, the church was still quiet with only a few parishioners present. I attended Mass with a mix of local and non-local parishioners. Although not very crowded, Mass here ended almost at noon. The church has a beautifully designed architecture and the Mass here was solemn. The pastor was very friendly, greeting parishioners after Mass.

After Mass, you can also enjoy the beauty of this church. The church complex is quite spacious. So, as a tourist, you can pray and explore this church because it is one of the oldest churches in Southeast Asia. Mass is...

The Cathedral of the Assumption (free entry) is a Roman Catholic church originally founded by Captain Francis Light shortly after taking possession of Penang in the name of The Crown. It is the oldest church in Penang, located at the intersection of Love Lane and Farquhar Street, a short distance from the Penang State Museum.

The building you see today is not the original church. Due to colony growth in Penang, a new church was built in 1860 in colonial architectural style popular at that time. Further, unlike decadent cathedrals in Europe, Cathedral of the Assumption is quite subtle and humble in its design and features.

The exterior is is mostly bare with two twin tower houses. Inside the church, you find single room nave with white walls, featuring a handful of basic stain-glassed windows. In back is a pipe organ installed in 1916. The altar area appropriately simple but nice. In these ways, this cathedral reminds of churches you can visit in former Portuguese colony, Macau.

In the end, perhaps a place more of interest to visiting Catholics in search of a venue to attend Mass. However, if you do pass by the Cathedral of the Assumption and it is open, take a quick look inside and a few minutes to see the exterior of the building. It just takes a few...