Nicholas Kao Se Tseien

Nicholas Kao Se Tseien, Chinese: 高師謙 (January 15, 1897 – December 11, 2007) 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 110th birthday, and, in doing so, he reached supercentenarian status. He was, from October 13, 2007 until his death, the second-oldest man in Asia and the seventh-oldest man in the world.

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 (Trappist Haven Monastery) on Lantau Island for more than 30 years.