SUGUD, Malaysia : Two priests were recently ordained for Kota Kinabalu archdiocese, but Church officials here in Sabah state say such vocations are still hard to come by.Archbishop John Lee Hiong Fun-Yit Yaw ordained Father Isidore Gilbert in Kiulu on Sept. 21. Five days earlier, the prelate had ordained Father Rayner Bisius in Sugud. Both villages are about an hour's drive from Kota Kinabalu, the archdiocese's base and capital of Malaysia's easternmost state."In this Year for Priests, we are thankful that we have two new priests," Archbishop Lee told some 2,000 people at the ordination in Sugud.The archdiocese launched the special year on July 31 at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Pope Benedict XVI designated it to run from June 19.Despite the two ordinations, however, Archbishop Lee said at the Sept. 16 ordination: "We still don't have enough priests."The archdiocese now has 32 priests serving in its 19 parishes.Father John Wong Soo Kau, assistant cathedral parish priest, later explained to UCA News, "The archdiocese has more than 300 outstations, which the priests must travel to."He added that the two recent ordinations are especially significant because they are the only ones in more than two years. Father Wong, who is in charge of priestly aspirants for all three Church jurisdictions in Sabah, admitted that getting vocations to the priesthood is a major challenge here.In a typical year, he said, up to 15 candidates from Kota Kinabalu archdiocese, and Keningau and Sandakan dioceses enter the aspirancy program, a pre-seminary year of community living and preparation.Between eight and 10 aspirants go on to enter the seminary, of whom three or four eventually are ordained priests, on average, Father Wong continued. Two of the 12 aspirants at the beginning of this year have dropped out.He cited two major obstacles that aspiring priests in Sabah face: adjusting to a disciplined community life and improving their proficiency in English. The major seminary in Kuching, in neighboring Sarawak state, serves all the diocese in both eastern Malaysian states, and all courses there are conducted in English.The aspirancy program thus "has three emphases: catechism and spirituality, English proficiency and community life."Concerning the Year for Priests, Father Wong said a weeklong seminar and recollection was held for all Sabah priests just before the launch of the special year. Programs still to come include seminars for priests to provide them with continuing formation and to upgrade their pastoral skills, and a campaign to encourage more youths to answer the call to priesthood.The archdiocese will run a vocations retreat Oct. 23-5 which is open to all Catholic males aged 21 or over who are already active in the Church and have work experience.Keningau diocese now has 16 priests serving eight parishes and almost 200 outstations, while Sandakan diocese has seven priests serving four parishes and more than 90 outstations.The major seminary in Kuching has around 30 seminarians, 15 of whom are from Sabah. One of them, from Sandakan diocese, is in his fourth and final year, and is expected to be ordained next year.