In January 1997, upon
completing my second year at the seminary, Fr William (who completed his first
year) and I were assigned pastoral work at St Joseph’s Church, Sentul for a
month, with the late Rev Fr Edward Soosay. Our main task at the time was to
take stock and inventory of all the backdated church collections, and clear the
storerooms.
However, one Monday morning,
Fr Soosay invited me to Mentakab, as he wanted to run some personal errands. I
was a bit anxious about the trip - because Fr William didn’t accompany us as he
was on leave - but I went anyway. Fr Soosay and I left for Mentakab after the
morning Mass in his Toyota Corona. Along the way, we chatted about a few
things, but most of time we were silent.
On our way back to
Sentul from Mentakab, I enquired and clarified a few matters pertaining his
priestly life. I spent the next two hours listening to his sincere and
heartfelt sharing. As I was a young seminarian at the time, I found his
thoughts and opinions enlightening. It deepened my understanding of the
priesthood and its various roles. Upon approaching Sentul, I remember saying to
him, “Father, if I were you, I wouldn't have joined the priesthood. I would
have enjoyed my life!” He simply laughed at me.
The one-month spent
with Fr Soosay was certainly an experience I will not likely forget. My priestly
calling was enhanced and I got to know him well enough to call him a friend. He
always appreciated my work and was always positive about me. He served as a priest and servant of God without qualm. I
admire him for his deep love of God and his faithfulness to the priesthood.
Archbishop Julian
Leow announced Fr Soosay’s demise in our Clergy WhatsApp group on 10 January
2018 around 6:30pm. It saddened me, because I had met him two days before
Christmas at our parish house. I was curious to know the details of the wake
and funeral Mass. In fact, some parishioners enquired about the arrangements
and strongly encouraged me to bring the wake to our parish, as Fr Soosay was
the first son of St Joseph’s Church – ordained by Archbishop Dominic Vendargon
on 8 January 1966. He served our parish from 1991 – 2000.
After giving it
much thought, and despite knowing that it would be tedious work over the next
few days, I made a request to Archbishop Julian to have Fr Soosay’s body moved
to St Joseph’s Church. The day after he returned to the Lord, mass was held for
his repose at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home (LSP), attended by 11
priests. After mass, his body was transferred to Sentul, where he lay in wake
for parishioners and families to pay their last respects. His funeral was held
on Saturday, 13 January 2018 with the reverence deserving of faithful priest.
My dear
parishioners, I appreciate all your hard work in ensuring everything went well
throughout the wake and funeral. We will always cherish the warm memories of Fr
Edward Soosay and count ourselves blessed to have had him as our shepherd. He
remains in our prayers always. It was a meaningful tribute we gave - for his
years of service to Jesus Christ, to his Church and to all the parishioners he
served.
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