Catholic priest Rev Fr William Bos dies in Holland, aged 87
SIBU: Rev Fr William Bos, a Catholic priest of the Mill Hill Missionaries who served at several towns across the Rajang Basin in late 1950s, passed away on Friday in his home country.
The mission’s headquarters in London announced that Fr William – whose birth name was Wilhelmus Jacobus Bos – breathed his last at 1.30am at Missiehuis Vrijland, Oosterbeek in the Netherlands.
The priest, who bore the same name as his father, was born in Alkmaar on Nov 11, 1930. The senior Bos was a farmer and also the honorary mayor of a nearby village.
He was married to Cornelia Bos (née Bommer).
Fr William was not expected to live long – he was born two months premature and weighed just two pounds.
As soon as he was allowed to leave the incubator, he was baptised.
Fr William had four elder brothers and one elder sister.
He attended secondary education at colleges in Hoorn, from 1945 to 1949, and in Haelen, from 1949 to 1951.
He then went on to study Philosophy for two years at Roosendaal, in the Netherlands before leaving for Mill Hill in London to study Theology – from 1953 to 1957.
He took the Perpetual Oath on May 7, 1956 and was ordained to priesthood on July 7, 1957 by Archbishop William Godfrey of Westminster.
In that same year, he left for Sarawak to serve as a priest at several areas across the Rajang Basin, where he remained until his return to the Netherlands in 2011.
Fr William had stayed in Sibu, Song, Julau and Kanowit where he easily immersed himself in the Iban culture and language.
Kanowit was where he arrived in the year of his ordination.
A year later, he went to Song and four years later ( 1962), he went to Binatang ( present- day Bintangor) where he stayed for two years.
He then returned to Song and stayed there for six years. In 1970, he moved to Julau. Three years later, he went back to Kanowit where he worked until 1988, before being transferred to Sibu where he served for 11 years.
His work included looking after the longhouses in the Igan and Oya regions. In 1999, he was transferred to Julau, where he served for three years, after which he returned to Sibu.
He remained in Sibu till his retirement in August 2011. His f lock affectionately called him ‘Apai Bos’ – a literal Iban translation for ‘Father Bos’.
He was known as a man who led a simple life and had a good sense of humour. Apart from engaging in mission work, Fr William also undertook additional responsibilities.
In 1987, the bishop made him the ‘Episcopal Vicar for the Iban People’.
He was elected Society Representative for Sarawak in 1992 and re- elected in 1995.
In 1994, the Dutch government made him a ‘ Knight in the Orde van Oranje Nassau’.
A few weeks ago, Fr William was admitted to hospital and suffered pneumonia for several days.
A week before his passing, he celebrated his 87th birthday with his family.