Penang opens Roman Catholic Diocese Museum

GEORGE TOWN: Penang kicked off 2018 with the unveiling of its latest tourism product – the northern region's first Roman Catholic Diocese Museum which is located next to the newly reopened Church of the Assumption.
It was at Farquhar Street, and just metres away from the famed Harmony Street (Jalan Kapitan Keling) where the main Indian Muslim mosque called Masjid Kapitan Keling, the Goddess of Mercy Taoism Temple and an Anglican St George's Church were built close to each other.
The diverse places of worship represent the highly diversified society of Penang, and they are main assets to the state's aspiration to become an international city, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today.
The museum would be another feature to the growing attractions within the Unesco-listed heritage site in Penang, said Penang Tourism and Culture committee chairperson Danny Law Heng Kiang.
The 109.38ha core site has been the main driving force for a renaissance of tourism in Penang with the state poised to register record arrivals last year.
Law said the museum's opening hours would be determined by the Penang Catholic Diocese and the state stands ready to help with the promotion.
He was speaking at the joint launching of the museum by the Reverend Datuk Sebastian Francis, Penang's Bishop, and Lim where also present was the region's Cardinal Anthony Soter Fernandez.
Incidentally, the Assumption Church is also the second oldest of its kind in Malaysia. The oldest is the St Peter's Church in Malacca, which was founded by the Portuguese.
The Assumption Cathedral was commissioned by the island's founder Sir Francis Light some 160 years ago.
On display in the museum are historical accounts of how the church was built together with the arrival of the Eurasian settlers, who were escaping religious persecution in Phuket, Thailand as well as historical personalities.