SINGAPORE (UCAN) -- Newly ordained Bruneian priest Father Paul Shie says he hopes that more Bruneian youth will respond to the call to the priesthood and religious life.

Since the Church in Brunei "is still growing, there are a lot of things to be done, particularly in the area of spirituality," said Father Shie, who was ordained Aug. 16 at Our Lady of Assumption Church in Bandar Seri Begawan.

"Not much catechesis has been given to Bruneians. I hope with the grace of God I can concentrate on these aspects," he added.

Father Shie, 40, said that he had worked for more than 10 years as an architect trainee and mechanical technician before entering the St. Francis Xavier Major Seminary in Singapore in 1992.

During those years he served in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Seria, about 80 kilometers west of Bandar Seri Begawan, as a choir member, youth coordinator and a Eucharistic minister, he said.

"During my involvement in the youth group, I became aware of the calling to the priesthood," he recalled.

"In my decision, I deeply considered two things: the authenticity of the call -- was it from others, God, or myself -- and the shortage of priests in Brunei," he explained.

Father Shie, the first seminarian from Brunei in Singapore, added that for the first few years he found it hard to adjust to seminary life and "to crack my brain" at studies again after working for so long.

Presiding at the ordination in Brunei was Bishop Anthony Lee Kok Hin of Miri, whose diocese in the neighboring Malaysian state of Sarawak used to include Brunei. Bruneians, Malaysians and Singaporeans attended the event.

Father Shie's ordination brings the number of Catholic priests in Brunei to three, serving a Catholic population of about 30,000 in the predominantly Muslim sultanate with a population of some 300,000.

Among the Catholics, about 3,000 are local people, mostly ethnic Chinese, Dusuns and Ibans. Another 27,000 or so are mostly Filipinos.

The other two priests are Monsignor Cornelius Sim, apostolic prefect of Brunei, and Mill Hill Father Ivan Fang, parish priest of the Church of Our Lady of Assumption. There are also two Bruneian seminarians and a Religious sister undergoing formation.

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