BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (UCAN) -- Catholics in Brunei Darussalam are jubilant that their leader has been appointed bishop to accompany the elevated status of their small but "vibrant" Church in the Muslim sultanate on Borneo Island.

Pope John Paul II on Oct. 20 elevated Brunei Darussalam apostolic prefecture to the rank of apostolic vicariate, and appointed Monsignor Cornelius Sim, 53, its first vicar apostolic and a bishop.

An apostolic vicariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction in mission regions where the hierarchy is not yet fully organized.

According to Father Robert Leong, assistant parish priest of Our Lady of the Assumption in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei's capital, the news surprised many Brunei Catholics, who "are all very happy and thankful" to hear about Bishop-elect Sim's appointment as vicar and bishop.

Bishop-elect Sim was born on Sept. 16, 1951, in Seria, a coastal town 80 kilometers southwest of the capital. He was ordained a priest in 1989 and was named first prefect when Brunei Darussalam was made an apostolic prefecture in 1997. The prefecture covering all of Brunei was carved out of what was then known as Miri-Brunei diocese, based in neighboring Sarawak, Malaysia.

Brunei, bounded by the South China Sea and Sarawak, gained political independence from Britain in 1984. It has about 365,000 people, mostly Muslims but with small Buddhist and Christian communities. Since 1984 the government has promoted a national ideology, "Melayu Islam Beraja," that teaches the legitimacy of the hereditary monarchy and traditional Muslim values.

Father Leong, director of the vicariate's Social Communication Commission, says Catholics number about 21,500, mostly Filipino migrant workers. Local Catholics consist mostly of ethnic Chinese, Dusun and Iban people.

At the highest level the authorities are generally sympathetic and open in their approach to minority communities. Since 1990, the Holy See's apostolic delegate to Brunei, based in Bangkok, has made regular visits to the sultanate and been received cordially by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Various issues will continue to pose challenges which, Father Leong added, should be resolved in the "the Brunei way" with goodwill, ongoing dialogue and consultation on the part of both Church leaders and authorities. These include the renovation and construction of church buildings, the uses of Catholic schools, entry of religious personnel and the import of Bibles. In some areas, there has been noticeable improvement while others require ongoing effort.

Father Leong told UCA News the creation of the vicariate with local Brunei priests is a clear recognition of the country's increasing regional stature. He said it should increase the credibility of the Brunei Church as a serious participant and willing contributor in the process of nation building.

He added that despite some restrictions, "we do have a vibrant parish" in the capital with various activities being held "every day" and the church always short of space.

Legion of Mary, Couples for Christ, Kids for Christ, Youth for Christ, Singles for Christ all hold activities, he said, as do Handmaids of the Lord, a support group for women, and Servants of the Lord, a support group for men.

Other ministries include the St. Vincent de Paul society and eight prayer groups serving Catholics based on language: Filipino, English, Chinese, Tamil, Malayalam and Bahasa Melayu (Malay).

The parish also conducts various religious education programs for First Holy Communion, Confirmation, post-Confirmation, and RCIA, or Rite for Christian Initiation of Adults. Some of this is done through Sunday school and Friday school classes. A marriage preparation course is conducted every other month.

"We have infant Baptism every month," added Father Leong.

Last year the parish encouraged parishioners to join the Little Rock Scripture Program for Bible study. This was rated successful and is to be repeated, the assistant parish priest said. "This year we will also promote the Eucharist together with the Word of God because we feel that both are essential." The pope declared October 2004 to October 2005 as Year of the Eucharist.

Father Leong said that the new status of a vicariate could be seen as a signal to Brunei Catholics that they should take even greater responsibility for the Church's mission in society. "We hope this will inspire more vocations to the priesthood and Religious life, and greater involvement of laypeople in the operation of the vicariate," he said.

The vicariate has three priests working in the country's three parishes, two full-time catechists, one full-time youth worker and one seminarian now studying theology in Singapore. A local nun with the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary is currently working abroad.

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