Church of St. Padre Pio, Labak
Churches & Chapels of St Augustine Parish Kinarut
CHURCH INFORMATION
Church of St. Padre Pio, Labak
Date of Completion
April 2016
Location
Kg. Susukon, Labak
Area
6.40 KM²
Population
±850 People
Number of Catholics
795 people (2019 census)
Main Economic Activities
Self-employed, Government Servants, Private Workers, Business
History of the Spread and Summary of the Development of the Catholic Religion in Kg. Labak
In 1990, the name of LPYC was changed to Labak Catholic Community (LCC) where the role of the Kampung Catholic Community is still the same but it involves a wider group where the youths and seniors work together.
With the growth of Catholic in Kg. Labak, a house of worship was built around 1993 to carry out religious and movement activities for Catholics in Kg. Labak. Community Hall of Kg. Labak is used every week for Sunday School sessions. Around 1996, Sunday School session in Kg. Labak was moved to the Church of St. Augustine, Kinarut.
The increase in the number of Catholics in Kg. Labak has inspired the leaders of Labak C.C. Committee to build a new house of worship to replace the old building. But then, God’s plan was much bigger when the proposal to build a house of worship was changed to the construction of a Chapel. Many challenges were faced in the construction of the Chapel, especially the issue of the land site which caused the construction plan to be delayed several times.
Once again God showed how beautiful His work is for Catholics in Kg. Labak when a person is willing to donate his land so that the people here can receive blessings and feel the generosity of God. Mr. Leanardus Lokuntau donated his land which at that me was a fish pond. In 2014, the fish ponds that had been emptied began to be buried. After the burial work was over, (the late) Rev. Fr. Alex
Sipanul blessed the land site.
Various efforts are being made to collect construction funds. But with the intervention of the power of God, finally the chapel building measuring 40′ x 80′ was donated by Datuk Victor Paul. Construction began in November 2015 and the site was blessed once again by the late Rev. Fr. Fundes Motiung so that construction runs smoothly.
With the prayers of the people and also with the intercession of St. Padre Pio, the construction of the Chapel building went very smoothly. In mid-April 2016, the Chapel building was completed. The keys to the Chapel were handed over to the Chapel Construction Ad Hoc Commitiee on May 28, 2016. The first Holy Mass was held at the Chapel of St. Padre Pio, Labak on June 28, 2016, which celebrated with Rev. Fr. Wiandigool Runsab.
After the Chapel was blessed by the Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu, His Holiness Rev. Datuk John Wong on 14 February 2017, the Catholic religion in Kg. Labak is growing. Sunday School started operating in this Chapel, and youth group activities also became more active. People who were passive in their spiritual life before returned to the church and began to serve in small committees of Pastoral.
With the prayers of the people and also with the intercession of St. Padre Pio, the construction of the Chapel building went very smoothly. In mid-April 2016, the Chapel building was completed. The keys to the Chapel were handed over to the Chapel Construction Ad Hoc Commitiee on May 28, 2016. The first Holy Mass was held at the Chapel of St. Padre Pio, Labak on June 28, 2016, which celebrated with Rev. Fr. Wiandigool Runsab.
The seeds that have been sown are now ready to be harvested. Such is the descrip on when the Rector of Penampang Parish, Rev. Fr. Wilfred An, announced that Labak C.C. and Maang C.C. were made as a new Zone within the Penampang Parish area, during the celebration of Penampang Parish Family Day on 26 July 2018. This simultaneously raised the status of the Chapel in Kg. Labak as a Church. With this new status, the responsibility and role as a Church has also become more extensive. Parishioners at St. Padre Pio, Labak nowadays are active in any activity organized by the Parish and helps people who have an open heart to become the followers of Christ.
When the Kinarut Zone was announced as a Parish without a Resident Priest on February 2, 2023, Zone Labak indirectly became a zone under the patronage of St. Augustine, Kinarut based on the demarcation of the Parish that has been set by the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu.