FR LESLIE TANG KAI bade farewell to his parishioners on October 6 after eight years at the helm of the Roman Catholic church in Tobago.

In a brief interview shortly before his departure, he told Newsday, “I came as a stranger and I am leaving as a son because I now have a mother, father and siblings.”

Tang Kai, who also posted the comment on his Facebook page, explained, “When I came to Tobago, I literally did not know anybody. I had no family, I had nothing. I just came into a parish.

“Before, in all of my years, if I had been to Tobago three times, that was plenty. So coming to Tobago was like, ‘What am I doing here?’ Now is like, ‘Why am I leaving here?’”

The priest, who was based at the St Joseph RC Church, Scarborough, described his departure as bitter-sweet.

“I am leaving at a time when people who were instrumental in my formation here have passed.”

He said he recently visited one of the church’s stalwarts at hospital and shortly afterwards the man died.

Tang Kai said he was sorry he would not be in Tobago to officiate at the parishioner’s funeral.

“So it is really an emotional transition.”

Tang Kai’s schedule over the next few weeks will be quite hectic.

He had planned a trip to Medjugorje, a go to site for Catholic pilgrims.

[caption id="attachment_1114137" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Fr Leslie Tang Kai - Photo by David Reid[/caption]

Medjugorje is a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina where it was reported that the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, had appeared to six local children many years ago.

From there, he’ll be vacationing in Calvary, a site on the outskirts of Jerusalem, where, it is said, Jesus was crucified.

Tang Kai is also due to speak at a prayer breakfast at St Francis of Assisi/St Blaise RC church in Brooklyn, New York on November 9.

He is expected to return to Trinidad on November 14 to take up his next assignment, which, more than likely, will be at the Assumption parish in Maraval.

Tang Kai said he was told in June he would be reassigned and a replacement announced in due course.

“I don’t have a definite name of the person that is coming to Tobago but I suspect they are still working out the fine prints for my replacement. It is a challenging thing to find a replacement when you don’t have a lot of priests available.”

He said although Ugandan priest Fr Mathias Mulumba Ssajjabbi, who was ordained in August 2023, has been his assistant for several months, the church may want a more seasoned priest to lead the parish.

Tang Kai, who is of mixed ancestry, started his ministry in Tobago on September 1, 2016, after having spent several years at the Blanchisseuse RC Church in Trinidad.

At St Joseph RC, he replaced Fr Steve Duncan, who is now assigned to the supercluster of St Francis of Assisi, Sangre Grande.

He recalled some parishioners were sceptical about his appointment.

“They wanted to know who I was and where I came from.”

He said some members of the congregation even accused others, who are of mixed heritage, of withholding information ab