Fr Peter King

March 19th marks the 50th anniversary of priestly ordination of Fr. Peter King, O.M.I. Fr. Peter likes to point out that he was born in Shanghai in 1924, the year of the Rat. According to the traditional Chinese zodiac, those born in the year of the Rat are often described as social, quick witted, always on the go and hard working. In many ways this is an apt description of his life and ministry over the past fi fty years.

As a small child his family fled the fury of the Japanese invasion in the mission of the Columbian Fathers. There he did various tasks for the missionaries and slowly developed a desire to serve as a priest. They helped him go to St. Ignatius College to study. As painful as this time was for him and his family, Fr. Peter remembers it was in those dark days that his desire to serve as a priest was born. “If it had not been for the war,” he says, “I would not have gone to school or wanted to be a priest. From every bad thing something good can come.” The respite at the end of World War II was quickly overshadowed by the ravages of the civil war between the nationalists and communists, and the eventual communist victory in l949.

Fr. Peter, as well as many other seminarians, fled the country to seek refuge in the Philippines. There in a refugee camp for displaced Chinese seminarians he pursued his seminary studies. Finally on March 19, 1958, he was ordained a priest in St. Cruz Church in Manila. His early ministry was in the southern Philippines, serving as a teacher at the Chinese High School Jolo, Sulu, then as director of Chinese High School, Kalibo, Aklan. He came to know the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and felt called to become one of them.

After a year of novitiate he made his fi rst vows at Kennedy Ranch, Sarita Texas, U.S.A., December 1962. Returning to the Philippines, he served in various parishes and taught at Notre Dame University, Cotabato. He eventually became very involved in the Mission Apostolate to Overseas Chinese and was outstanding in his work at Queen of Peace Church, Cotabato. In 1994 he joined the Oblate China Delegation, Hong Kong. Since that time he has been based in Notre Dame Parish, from where he serves as chaplain and spiritual adviser to multiple groups of migrant domestic helpers.

At the end of the annual Oblate Retreat, the China delegation will gather to celebrate with Fr. Peter and his friends on May 2 at Notre Dame his half century of indefatigable service to God and the Church.

Ad Multos Annos!