Nicholas Kao Se Tseien

right|thumb|200px|Nicholas Kao Se Tseien in 2007
Nicholas Kao Se Tseien O.C.S.O. (traditional Chinese: 高師謙; simplified Chinese: 高师谦; Jyutping: Gou1 Si1him1; pinyin: Gāo Shīqiān; 15 January 1897 – 11 December 2007), was a Chinese Trappist priest living in Hong Kong who had been the oldest living Catholic priest and also the oldest person ever to have had a cataract operation according to the Guinness Book of World Records.Reportage at Vatican Radio, January 18, 2007
==Biography==
Born in Fuzhou, Fujian province, one of four brothers, Kao studied law at Xiamen University and later converted to Catholicism aged 18 while attending a school run by Spanish Dominican friars. He was trained as a teacher and studied law at night, but he ultimately decided to become a priest.
His life spanned parts of three centuries, two Emperors of China, and ten papacies. He stated that in 1912 he voted for Sun Yat Sen as China's president. His clerical life would bring him from China to Taiwan, Malaysia, and finally Hong Kong.
In 1972, he was at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. He lived a cloistered life, but regularly shared advice for a healthy and long life. He gave visitors a list of "Healthy Seven Nos": no smoking; no anger; no alcohol; no overeating; constant exercise; constant prayer; no rudeness. He was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary throughout his life — he would say the Rosary many times each day, and built six shrines to her in Taiwan, Mainland China, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
He stayed at Our Lady of Joy Abbey at Lantau Island for more than 30 years, where he died peacefully in his sleep on the morning of 11 December 2007, aged 110 years and 330 days. His body was buried in the Monastery's private graveyard.
==References==
==External links==
* Reportage at Vatican Radio, 18 January 2007 (in Italian)
* Fr Kao's photo on The Standard
* Fr Kao's Memorial Webpage
* Fr Kao's Memorial Blog
Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism
Category:Hong Kong Roman Catholics
Category:Roman Catholic priests