Voices May 23, 2020
Father Peter Chiang was ‘full of joy’ and loved by parishioners
By Teresita Nixon
Father Peter Chiang, who has been battling cancer for several years, died Saturday, May 23, at the age of 91. His funeral Mass is Saturday, May 30, the 66th anniversary of his ordination, at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Rosary Cathedral. It will be livestreamed at holyrosarycathedral.org.
My family have known Father Peter Chiang since 1999 when we moved to St. Paul’s Parish in Richmond and found him to be a truly caring, pastoral parish priest. He was easily accessible by the parishioners without having to go through the parish secretary.
The parishioners loved him and he was full of joy in talking to them. He was very down to earth and spoke simply. His smiles would elevate anyone who was dejected. He easily lifted the spirit of the downtrodden. Moreover, he respected each and every parishioner. He was loved by the parishioners of St. Paul’s.
When parishioner Jimmy Chan and I suggested Lenten and Advent retreats to Father Chiang, he said, “I go for whatever is good for the soul.” Thus, he approved our organizing of retreats that were offered successfully and attended by more than 350 participants annually for two years.
One of the retreat guest speakers was Father John Gibson, Rector of the Seminary in Bo and Sierra Leone in Africa. We were quite surprised when Father Chiang donated the large collection taken up at Mass to Father Gibson without leaving a single cent for St. Paul’s. Father Chiang proved to be a strong supporter of vocations to the priesthood and donated his monthly stipend to the seminary.
Father Chiang was an exemplary model of holiness, generosity, altruism, and love for the poor. He was loyal to his priestly vows; he showed us his deep love for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist; and he manifested his dedication to Our Blessed Mother Mary in all his actions.
We are very sorry to hear of his passing away Saturday morning, May 23, but we also rejoice in the fact we believe he went to God, his creator, and to his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, in eternal bliss.
May the soul of Father Chiang rest in peace and may he pray for us all in this time of the coronavirus pandemic.
A 2014 video tribute to Father Chiang for the 60th anniversary of his ordination can be viewed here. In 2016, at the age of 86, he wrote an article in The B.C. Catholic (below) about his battle with cancer.
Teresita Nixon, a longtime friend of Father Chiang, is a parishioner at Sacred Heart Parish in Delta and founder of the Richmond-based Aquinas Institute.