The Catholic Missions in British

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 27, 6 July 1905, Page 29

The Catholic Missions in British

New Guinea

On the order of the Commonwealth Government (says the ' Catholic Press") the annual report concerning the affairs of British New Guinea for the year ending June 30, 1904, has been pointed, and in it is contained' valuable information regarding the work of the four missionary hodies engagofl there The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have charge of the Catholic Mission in British New Guinea, the present Vicar-Apos-tolic being Archbishop Navarre, M.S.H. His Grace has a Coadjutor, the Right Rev. Dr. de Boismenu, M.S.H., who visited Sydney last year. Although the world hears but little of the labors of our missionaries, their work nevertheless is bearing great fruit. In the report it is stated that ' the staff .of the Catholic Mission increases steadily as they extend their si here of laibfor. In the year under notice they had 95 European priests, Brothers, and Sisters. In almost all of the villages to which their influence has extended there is a resident priest, with a Brother and some Sisters. Unlike the other missions here, this mission does not make use of Polynesians as teachers. Tliey, however, have a lew colored men — mostly Filipinos — who perform the duties of catechists. By ta.lv g great pains to learn the native dialects, and by a systematic house to-house \isiting organisation, the menrbers of this mission exdrcise a deep influence upon the natives, and in return the natives treat them with respect, \vhile giving them their fullest confidence.' The Oajfholio Mission has steadily progressed since its establishment in 1885 "through the zeal of i/he Sacred Heart Fathers, Sisters, and Brothers, who ha I . c n.ner hesitated to bra\e any danger to secure the salvation of soils. Let us compare, from the official report, the number of Europeans on the staff of the London Missionary Society, -which is the oldest of the three Piotestant Missions, having been started in 1871, sacral years before the annexation, with that of Ihe Sacred Heart Mission. Despite the fact that the London Mi '- sionary Society was commenced 1 1 years before the Catholic mission, it has a European staff of only 13, eight of whom are married, and, as the wives engace m mission work with their .msbanids, the 1 total is brought up to 21. Tine Catholic Mission, on the other hand, has a staff of 55 European priests, Brothers, and Sisters We ha.ye taken the number of Europeans on the staff of oach, as it affords the surest proof of the missionaiv spirit in bra\ing the mar.y dangers attendant upon .such a life in the Islands 'The following comments in the report render this fact all the more remarkal.le : ' The Oatholi" Mission was established 14 years later. The field allotted to them is very much smaller. It _ embraces the thickly-populated Mekeo district, with headquarters on Yule Tsland. Latterly they have extended further inland, tl eir station at Dinawa, in the mountains. beinpj three days' journey from Hall Sound This zealous and enterprising, mission are about to push yet further into the interior.'