IN December 1958, a young Dutch priest bid farwell to the land of windmills and set course for a faraway land called Sarawak.

Like Christopher Columbus, he was fired up with wild stories he heard and read from books.

The journey to Sarawak on a cargo ship which took about a month, seemed unending. And like all foreigners before him, the young man came prepared.

He was armed with an assortment of weapons — two big Dutch cheeses, boxes of medicines and, of course, his favourite easy chair.

In January 1959, he arrived in Kuching for the very first time and was welcomed by Bishop John Vos and company. Besides the boxes of medicine and chair, the Dutch cheeses received a grand welcome as well.

Surprisingly, the strange people dressed in loin clothes with spears in their hands which he read about from a book in a library back home, were nowhere to be seen.

These were the thoughts of Reverend Father Ferdinand Vergeer or Apai Vergeer as the Iban community called him when he first set foot in the land of hornbills.

Born in Holland on June 15 1933, Father Vergeer came from a family of 11 children and was ordained priest on July 13, 1958. He was originally assigned to Sudan but subsequently re-assigned to Sarawak due to visa problems.

While in Sarawak, Father Vergeer preaches the catholic faith to various communities, especially the Ibans, and takes care of their religious development. This year marks his 50th anniversary in the priesthood.

Here, he talks to thesundaypost about his journey to Sarawak back in the 1950s, his goals for the parish and his experiences living and working in the state.

Q: Father, you have been in our country for a long time now, seen more places than most of the Sarawakians have. What are your fondest memories of Sarawak?

A: Well, in a way that’s not easy to say because there are so many of them. There is, for instance, the hospitality of the people. Not like in my country Holland — if you come to their house, they will look at you and ask “what do you want?” Here they say “come in” and they don’t even know you. “Sit down, here is a mat.” They make some tea, and before you even open your mouth, you are already feeling welcome. There is no need to make appointments in this country with the Ibans. When I was headmaster of a school in Serian and Bau, I loved to be with the boarders. There were over 100 of them. In those days, the government did not have school fathers and mothers. So I had to be the father and mother. Sometimes, you had to get up late in the night when someone had tummy aches and so on. Yes, it’s nice looking back on that.

There again, I remember training catechists in Marudi — I did that for quite some years. I have good memories of bringing them out to practise in longhouses, spending nights there.

And during the day, we would sometimes go to one of those lugans (small lakes) in Baram. We would go fishing with drag nets, pulling them along the water, and getting lots of fish. In those days there were still plenty of fish.

I had trained prayer leaders in Kanowit for some years — six-week courses — and seeing them later in the longhouse leading the Sunday prayers, blessing the rice fields and doing a fine job certainly brought back very fond memories.

As for Sibu, I like joining in many of the activities. I like church activities, and am happy to see life in the parish. The parishioners keep inviting you for makan, sometimes overdoing it. I will remember these for a long long time.

Q: Father, you had lived an interesting life before you came here. What else do you miss, apart from cheese? I understand your parents were cheese-makers. Do you miss your hometown?

A: Happily, we have Edam Cheese from Holland. I can’t live without it. I miss the smoked ham, smoked sausages. I also miss the vegetables that are well cooked. Here, the vegetables are only half or quarter cooked. My teeth don’t manage them too well, and the same problem with beef.

I don’t miss the climate. It’s rather rough and tough and rainy in Holland. You see the sun a few days a year.

I also don’t like the spiritual climate where people are getting less and less religious. Everyone knows things much better than the Pope and you don’t feel guilty about that. No need for confession anymore. That’s becoming the attitude there. No, I don’t miss that.

But I do miss the good cycling paths. I like cycling. In Holland, you have cycling paths on most roads. And you feel safe cycling fast — it’s nice.

On the whole I would stay here rather than go back to Holland.

Q: Father, you recently had to go through your Jacob biscuit tin to search for old photographs for the Jubilee souvenir magazine. We saw the picture of a car. It looks almost like a sportscar. Can you race with that?

A: No, it was a two seater, a very tiny thing — five feet long and two feet wide. It was more like a motorbike with three wheels. Just enough for two persons to squeeze in.

Q: So you don’t miss your hometown much?

A: I don’t miss it much, no. I miss my family sometimes and I would love to go back to see them from time to time. Most times, I’m quite happy here.

Q: What went through your mind when you provided the details of the old pictures?

A: One thing was how fast 50 years had passed by. I can hardly believe half a century is over. I was so young when I first came here after Christmas in 1958. I took a cargo boat limited to 13 passengers. That journey took a month.

Q: Would you like to describe that trip?

A: We spent about 30 days on board … monotonous most of the time but exciting sometimes. Once we were stuck in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The old ship had seen better days. So no wonder the engine refused to work from time to time. We floated aimlessly for a day or two whilst mechanics repaired the engine. Some of the crew went fishing. They got a big ham from the cooks. A line was attached and the bait thrown overboard.

Soon we were watching with excitement when they pulled a big shark on board. It slithered to the right and left, and we quickly scrambled to a safe place, watching what the sailors would do next. They cut off the fins. I expected they would thrown them back into the sea and then cut up the shark and prepare it for our dinner. It was the opposite — they kept the fins for dinner — what an odd thing, I thought — and threw the shark back into the sea.

The first night was horrible — going through the Bay of Biskey near France. But it was during winter … at the end of the year. On December 31, instead of making nice festivities, everybody was seasick, waggling about on the deck or lying flat.

Q: That was a very interesting first day. Did you have second thoughts about your vocation when you were so horribly sick?

A: Not for a moment.

Q: Your thoughts on your 50th anniversary in the priesthood.

A: I’m sorry for the many opportunities that I have left unused. When I look back, I cannot help but feel thankful … all the time. Thankful for the many more blessings than opportunities missed. Many more blessings that the Lord has given me and those He has allowed to go through my hands to other people, especially the good news I could deliver to the people waiting for it in the long-houses far away and near. And all the sacraments — baptisms (I can’t count them anymore), communions, confessions, counselling and so on. Oh yes, we have a lot to thank the Lord for — good health all these years and hopefully a few more years.

Q: What are the perks that a priest gets, if any? For you? The benefits?

A: The main thing is you feel happy because you make other people happy. You give something to other people. The Bible says giving is more rewarding than receiving. It is true, you know. You call these ‘perks’.

Yes, benefits. I have no wife and family. And I can give my time now more to a bigger family. Here in this parish, I have a big family of 25,000.

Q: Did you enjoy the stint in Sarikei? It’s my hometown.

A: Yes, Sarikei is certainly one of my favourite places. People feel happy to have you and you feel happy to be with them. Doing things and working things out together. Oh yes, I certainly felt happy there.

Q: Do you remember the first mass you said in Sarikei? It was during Chinese New Year, and raining very heavily and much of your homily could not be clearly heard because of the downpour. I remember thinking it was a competition between you and the weather.

A: Well, that’s what priests don’t like to know — that most of their sermons are not heard. But I won’t mind comments on my sermons, telling me to speak louder or softer, and so on. I learn from it, but very few people do. I welcome comments.

Q: What are your dreams, Father?

A: Well, in general that’s why I came out here in the first place — to bring the good news to people still waiting for it. In my younger days, I would call them sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death — people falling into hell. Now I’m a bit more mellow but still, the main thing is to bring good news to those who don’t know about it yet. So many people here know all about charms, birds and the omens. But they don’t know Who made the birds. It’s time we do something about people who have fallen by the wayside.

Besides, I wish we have more social actions. There is a lack of these here. In Mill Hill circles, we speak about JPIC — Justice Peace Integrity of Creation and environmental issues. Now these are big things needing our attention. And they get very little attention from the church in most places. It is our mission to promote these values.

There is also a need to care for the marginalised, problem kids, problem mothers, unwed mothers. The whole Pro-Life thing should get off the ground I think in Sibu. People have been talking about it now and are trying to form a committee. I hope they get on with it. In other places, they have also started counselling from a Christian viewpoint. People coming with problems and telephoning, even in the middle of the night. They can then get an attentive ear. Maybe we can help somehow, too. Yes these are the dreams …

Q: Would you like to take on any of these challenges? I know you have your hands full.

A: Well, you could take this on — bringing the good news or evangelising. The BECs (Basic Ecclesial Communities) are doing fine in Sibu on the whole. They have prayers, reading of the Bible usually, then coffee and tea. But they forget an important point — outreach or evangelising to neighbours who don’t know Christ, or have lapsed or whatever. But there could be all sorts of outreach. Go to the sick, the old and the lonely. Yes, I would say that’s one of my dreams. And it will be a priority I think.

But we have the idea that we only meet for rosary and a Bible passage. If we have missed the gist that we should actually outreach to our neighbours, more could be done. These people are already meeting once a week.

The BEC is a beautiful vehicle for this outreach. This is what the Lord wants. We will be judged one day. The Lord will ask one day not how many rosaries did you recite, but “when I was hungry, thirsty, sick, in jail, when I was a stranger what did you do about me?” What will our answers be?

Q: This must be constantly in your mind, Father. You regularly visit the hospital and prison. Please share with us these experiences.

A: Oh yes, jail — I go there from time to time. There are usually about 15 to 20 people who attend. They come with great zeal. And they look forward to these visits, I notice. There are also a few in the Blok Ahhir — those on death row. Maybe I can baptise two of them one of these days. Yes, they have this spiritual hunger and we don’t feed it enough, really. It would be nice if more people would volunteer to go there.

As for the hospital, I go once a week. And I go through almost all the wards. I usually use my cassock or baju semayang so that people can recognise me as a priest and call me. When they call, I go and pray over them. And then I find out whether they like to have Communion or whether they need the Sacrament of the Sick, Holy Anointing …

Some of them are very keen to receive all these and when I get ready to give them Holy Communion, I find out they are Methodists or Anglicans. But the blessings always cheer them up.

Q: What are your hobbies, Father? What sort of musical instruments do you play?

A: I like music. I’m a little bit choosy here. Classical music, I would prefer. Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Handel and so many others. They have composed really beautiful music which elevates the mind and gives us peace and joy.

I myself have tried my hand at playing the block flute or the recorder. Oh yes, I do play it now and then. Just a few simple songs I know. I’m not very good but it’s nice.

Collecting stamps is another hobby. I have a full set of stamps coming out in Malaysia for the last 26 years. First Day Covers and so on. Before that, I had quite a collection also. Stamps of more than a 100 years ago even, of Sarawak and West Malaysia. I wonder if anybody else is interested. I have never found anyone who wants to exchange stamps.

Gathering — talking about gathering. I have another hobby. Gathering all the names and titles of Jesus from the Bible. I have gathered 100 names of Jesus. A hundred Holy names. I made them into the form of a prayer in a booklet called ‘A Hundred Holy Names’.

Q: Father, do you know the intercessory prayer group from Singapore — they love the book very much that they actually took these books back to Singapore. The intercessors use this book for retreats.

A: Talking about gathering, I have, at present, another hobby. Gathering knowledge about heaven. You know I am getting nearer to it while getting old. And I’m sort of getting interested about all things heavenly. Trying to find out what I can expect on the other side.

Q: Did you find out anything we don’t know about yet?

A: Actually, there are lots of things not pronounced in the church. The church has very little actually,to say. That’s why in the seminaries, all about the last judgement — heaven and hell — is usually pushed into a corner and they treat it very quickly because we know so little about it. But there are so many ways of trying to open up a little bit. I must say it’s difficult though.

Q: But we can only imagine what it would be like.

A: That’s the danger — if we start imagining, we can imagine everything and there are thousands of books full of imaginations … by spiritual or mystical writers. Oh, they find out all sorts of things they see in visions. But they are not all trustworthy.

Q: Do you think there will be angels with wings singing all day long?

A: That is the popular belief — sitting on clouds and so on. And then in hell, of course — all the devils torturing everybody. But what are the facts?

Q: I wish they would come back and tell us so that we can be more alert.

A: That’s the problem. They don’t.

Q: From your research, have you arrived at any conclusion?

A: Oh no, not really. We go by what the catechism of the Catholic Church says. That has quite a good description but rather short and snappy, of course.

Q: So that is your hobby — a lot of gatherings — gatherings of people under the Lord’s name … the names of Jesus, stamps and so on. What message would you like to convey to the community, Father?

A: Worldly way, I would like to say we should try to live a healthier life. People in Sarawak and Sibu are getting more and more overweight. One third of the people between the ages of 30 and 60 roughly are overweight. Being overweight will lead to all sorts of illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. People should pay attention to the medical side, cut down on something — mee, for instance, and all the extra meals. I have a weighing scale upstairs and if I go too high, I go astern … I cut back. That is the worldly message.

Spiritually, my main motive is bringing the good news to the people. So far we have been here more than 100 years now, and only about 20 percent of the people are catholics. I guess about half are pagans, still pagans after all these years.

In this new modern times, of course, there are young pagans — they easily become atheists. They don’t believe any more in the things that their parents believed in — the birds, the omens, the dreams and so on. They had some faith — the new generation might end up without faith altogether. So I would like to encourage more people to evangelise, especially the youths. Even for some of them to find the courage to become missionaries and bring the good news further away from Sarawak.

Q: Will this be the same advice that you would like to share with the readers of this magazine?

A: No, I have no further messages except they read it well and put it in a cupboard. Your grandchildren later on might look it up and say “this old priest from long ago, what a funny character he was.” They want to know more about him and then they might follow my footsteps and also become missionaries.

Q: Father, the Iban community here have a very special place in your heart. Please share with us your feelings.

A: Yes, they have. I’m happy to work with the Ibans in the longhouses. It’s good to know the language, of course. I still go to the remote Ulu Baoh and Ulu Pakoh longhouses far away … but also the nearer ones. There are many Ibans living in the town. They are a little bit neglected. We hope to get more catholic Ibans to visit them and try and bring them to the church. Many of them have come from the longhouses where they were quite devout Christians. But when they come to town, they do not know where the church is and feel lost. And so they don’t come to church anymore.

Something should be done about that. To catch these people, to tell them about what’s happening in the church and to bring them along. And also for the children to learn the faith. Oh yes, so many of them; there are thousands of them in the streets everywhere and we don’t know them.

Q: And we only have 24 hours a day.

A: Yes, half my time is spent on catechetical work as I’m director of Diocesan Director; and only half is spent on pastoral work among the parishioners — and I cannot go out as much as I would like to — with only one body, one body 75years of age!

Q: Father, in about a fortnight, you will be chronologically 75. But you have a body of someone half your age, think and drive like an 18-year-old Schumacher and have the motivation of a fresh young graduate. How do you do it? I’m envious.

A: Ah well, I would say don’t feel too old. If you do, then you also act old, I suppose. Try to take some challenges. Don’t say too soon I’m too old for this and that. I can’t go to these longhouses, I can’t sit in the longboat, the road is horrible, it is flooded a little.

Well, the catechist is younger and if he says we can manage, then I’ll say I’ll go along, we’ll take the car and get through the mud and the high water, and sit in the boat and struggle up the rapids and so on, and if necessary, I’ll jump out of the boat and pull it along a little. There it is. As long as the Lord gives me health, I still try to use it.

Q: But you also help the Lord, don’t you, by keeping your body at optimum level.

A: Yes. Help the Lord, help the community and help myself. It’s always good to keep your body in good health. We can do a lot for it. Well, I can’t say I do a lot for it but I try keep an eye on it anyway.

I don’t have a big cupboard of medicines. I do some exercises every morning, usually in my bed (chuckles). Yes I learnt them from physiotherapists when I had an operation on my back 20 years ago … when they cut out a bit of my backbone. They taught me a lot of exercises to do in my bed. And it usually takes five minutes.

In the evening, I try to find time for a very brisk walk but again only for five minutes up and down here in the church compound with the rosary in my hand — doing two things at the same time. Exercise and rosary praying.

Q: Multi- tasking?

A: Yes, multi tasking.

Father, you have devoted so much of your vocation, in fact all your priestly vocation here in our state. Thank you for making our world a better one. Thank you for your contributions. We should also thank the Lord for sending you to us. Happy Birthday on June 15 (albeit belatedly) and Happy Golden Jubilee. Father Vergeer, thank you for granting us this interview. It has been an honour.