Nicholas Kao Se Tseien

Who was Nicholas Kao Se Tseien?

Nicholas Kao Se Tseien, was a Chinese Catholic priest living in Hong Kong who was both the oldest Catholic priest in modern times and the oldest ever person to have had a cataract operation.

In 2007, he celebrated his claimed 110th birthday, and, in doing so, he reached supercentenarian status. If his age had been verified he would have been, from October 13, 2007 until his death, the second-oldest man in Asia and the seventh-oldest man in the world. However, his age has never been verified by an independent international authority on longevity, such as the Gerontology Research Group.

Born in Fuzhou, Fujian province, Kao, one of four brothers, converted to Roman Catholicism at age 18 while attending a school run by Spanish Dominican friars. Although trained as a teacher and studying law at night, he ultimately decided to become a priest.

His clerical life brought him from China to Taiwan, Malaysia and, finally, Hong Kong. He was a priest in Our Lady of Joy Abbey on Lantau Island for more than 30 years.