75 Glorious Years, 1882 - 1957

Author	Published	Type	File
Michael	1957	Book	View

75 Glorious Years is a collection of tales seen through the eyes of the Catholic Missionaries who arrived in New Guinea alongside Germany's colonial expansion in the region. Chapter 5 focuses on the Chinese Catholics in Rabaul.

This is the Story of 75 Years since the First Catholic Missionaries landed in New Britain

By “MICHAEL”

Printed at the Catholic Mission Vunapope, P.O. Kokopo. T.N.G.

FOREWORD.

A mere glance at the size of this booklet will warn any prospective reader that he will find in these pages only the merest outline of the story of the Catholic Mission in New Britain.

The population of this Vicariate is 152,797; the Catholic population 81,000; there are 70 priests, 54 brothers, 154 sisters, 7 religious orders. There are 95 different tribes, each with its own language. The Missionaries are from Germany, Austria, Ireland, Poland, America, Holland, Gunantunan, and Australia. The mission began when there was no Administration, and has lived under three of them.

If one were to tell the story in full, it would be necessary to write a larger booklet on the history of each station in peace and war.

But these islands have had a romantic history. They were discovered by a pirate; peopled by cannibles as fierce as any of the Pacific; visited by blackbirders; attempted to be colonized by that fascinating scoundrel De Rays; continually convulsed by volcanic disturbances; its soil watered by the blood of the Fathers, Brothers and Nuns who were murdered by the natives; It is the only Australian Territory that experienced active fighting in both world wars; In no other place in the South Seas has the Chinese Community been converted in such numbers and in such a remarkable way.....and so when one attempts to tell, the story, there is the human tendency to concentrate on the fascinating, the remarkable and the extraordinary.

But from the very beginning let us stress that the real mission is and always has been with the priest working in the villages and the jungle, the brothers and nuns toiling on the boats and workshops, hospitals and schools.... THESE are the missionaries and maybe you'll find hardly one of their names mentioned, never a passing reference to their stations nor the tribe they serve……

But THEY are the missionaries…… THESE are the ones who have made these 75 years SO GLORIOUS.

St. Peter Chanel Native Seminary Ulapia, T.P. & N.G., Feast of Our Lady of Snows 1957.

75 Glorious Years.

It is 75 years since the first Catholic Missionaries landed on Matupit island. These were years of sacrifice, of success and failure - always of courage!.........

The story began in a hut made of paw-paw at Nodup and grew to the present Vicariate of 81,000 Catholics. It started when the natives were entirely untamed cannibals; it grew under the German Administration; it witnessed the Australian conquest in 1914; it was crushed under the iron heel of Japan; and today it is fast rebuilding.

It would be simple to commence with the landing of the first priests at Matupit - but we've considered it necessary to re-tell the fascinating story of the French "South Sea Bubble", for from it we can better understand how wild the country then was; how untamed the natives; and by first reading about this dismal colonization failure, we may the better appreciate the success of those who came, and stayed - and eventually succeeded.

Chapter I.

BEFORE THE MISSIONARIES CAME

Our story begins, I suppose when Captain Duperry anchored his ship “Coquille” at Port Praslin (southern tip of New Ireland) on 12th August 1823.

The Land of 300 Cannibal Kings

It was a day of brilliant sunlight – and it remained so for a week. Captain Duperry basked in the sun and feasted his eyes on the rich tropical growth along the shore. He wrote in his log-book that Port Praslin was Paradise itself. Poor man, he did not know how deceived he was, nor did he realise the misery and death his words would cause to hundreds of people – least of all did he know that his visit would set in motion a series of strange events that would end in a large and flourishing Catholic Mission in these islands.

How was he to know that it rained in Port Praslin for eight months of the year? There was no-one to explain to him that all that green tropical growth produced no fruit – except a very virulent form of malaria – how could he know that this land belonged to 300 Native kings, cunning and fierce who loved for one thing – to feast on human flesh - “long-pig” cooked in a grave of red hot stones?

Charles I of New Ireland

Fifty years later, a nobleman of France, Charles du Briel, Marquis de Rays read Duperry’s veritable Eden. Having read it, the Marquis smiled and said “Here will I be King. To this place I will lead my people!” Years before, a fortune teller said that one day he would be a king……

Indeed, he had attempted several times to set up a Kingdom in Madagascar, Indo-China, and was considering even Western Australia. But now. he was sure, God was calling him. New Ireland would be his Kingdom. No country had as yet claimed that part of Oceania. He would call It NEW FRANCE, including Ireland, New Britain, the Solomons and part of New Guinea.

"What a stupid idea!" you say. No doubt! But it could easily have succeeded. What did he need to be successful? Money? It was given to him, somewhere between £20,000 and £500.000. Did he need people to settle his kingdom? They flocked to him thousands. Did he want good land to settle? Just look at the rich plantations and natural Wealth of the district today. Then, why did he fail? Well, it's a long story, but if you are still interested I'll tell you.......

I’ll give you £100 for 4/-

Marquis de Rays made himself Charles I, future king of New France. He began by advertising his plan in the French newspapers. There had been war with Germany and in Paris Frenchman had fought Frenchman and even burned the city itself. There were many people in France who longed for place of peace and security. And that is exactly what Charles offered to them.

His Kingdom of New France, he promised, was a land continual of sunshine. Indeed. the mountains were so placed that one could pick the climate one desired. The friendly natives were to be Christianized. Settlers need only bask in the sun while the fertile soil (worked by the Chinese and Malays who were to be invited into the Kingdom) would produce of itself harvest bountiful one acre would support a man. And what price for this precious soil? Four shillings would buy a hectare with a guaranteed return of £!00 a year but that was not all, my friend. A landowner could become a nobleman in the court of Charles I. Anyone who bought 6 sq. miles or more became a Duke or a Viscount.

Houses Were already being built, wide roads, schools, churches and strongly fortified block houses (as protection against the friendly natives!). Illustrations and maps were produced showing these buildings even locating the copper and silver mines.

Charles thought it wiser not to mention that he had never been (nor was he ever to go) to Port Praslin; that the only things he or anyone else knew about the place was what they had read about Duperry's visit there half a century before; that not so much as a square inch of land had been bought, not a person sent ahead to prepare. As for the homes waiting for the settlers to occupy, well, well, they could always camp under the trees. As for the little matter of the natives of New France being rabid cannibals better to leave the settlers to find that out for themselves. Nor did he bother to explain then nor afterwards why he gave these kind instructions to the Captains secretly:

"Should anyone show you the slightest disobedience you may sentence them to death your absolute duty to do it is 80 or leave them to the tender mercy of the neighbouring cannibals.'

First Voyage to Death

The Marquis' plan were well received by the public. Money poured in and settlers for New France offered themselves. The first ship, "Chandernagore", left Europe 14th Sept. 1879. No Government in Europe would give their permission or the protection for the Venture so the "Chandernagore" sailed away flying four flags, the flags of Belgium and France (both of whom refused permission) the American (because the Captain, MacLaughlan, was American, though he had no Captain's papers nor knowledge of navigation) and the English flag. The only one who could navigate the ship was Captain Seykeus who drank heavily and had to be tied to the mast, when on duty. Thumb screws were used to keep everyone in order on the trip.

16th Jan. 1880, the settlers were dumped on to the malaria infested jungle of Port Praslin. Some wise heads refused to land others seeing the sheer impossibility of living on the mud shore were held away from the ship at the point of the Captain's revolver. Baron de la Croix gave MacLaughlan and the settlers on the shore at Port Praslin (now re-named Port Breton) and Liki Liki, three weeks' supply, then abandoned them to their fate and took the ship to Sydney. Methodist Missionaries, who called on them at the time in a kind attempt to help them, tell how they found the men living skeletons, some had already died, some had gone mad. The poor fellows were in desperation when the Baron sent them from Sydney a ship "The Emily" with a cargo of bricks and a little food. Later the hold of another ship (from the Marquis) was found to contain 3,000 dog collars, supplies of pink slippers and 27 expensive cases of letter paper!

Missionaries and Cannibals

Some short time before the Methodists had set up Mission Stations at Duke of York Islands and Port Hunter. Soon the settlers realised that to remain at Liki Liki meant certain death. So they preferred to risk death at the hands of cannibals by making their way overland to the Mission than to await the slow, sure death from Malaria and hunger. They feared less the horror of the natives than the torture of being attacked by the fierce ants of Liki Liki as they lay dying. Some of the settlers who tried to escape were captured in the bush and were eaten. Others tried to escape by sea. Six of them stole a canoe and tried to battle against the N.W. Monsoon to the Duke of York Group. They had no strength and the wind drove them back for three days till they were off Buka. Joyfully they were received by the natives. Five of the settlers Were eaten immediately. One remained. He, Boero, wept in utter despair and shook with sobs. Never had the natives seen such weeping. His fame spread and natives came from far and wide to see him weep or laugh according to their whims. After several months he was found and bought back by the Captain of a ship for 2 axes.

The Cruel Captain Rabardy

A second ship "Genil" left Europe March 1880 under the infamous Capt. Rabardy. He freely used torture on the way to enforce his will so that his entire crew deserted the ship at Singapore. He so feared assassination by the people of the ship in revenge, that he ate his meals with a loaded revolver always at his side.

A third ship left in July with 340 Italians of whom 100 died on the trip. This ship, the "India", carried the first priest of the expedition (Père Lanuzel). The shock of arriving at Port Breton and finding it nothing but a grave yard, turned into alarm when one of the men of the third ship wandered along the shore and was seen no more. A few days later a friendly native told them he had already been eaten (the natural thing to do.)

Now, you say, the story is nothing but hunger, death, madness and "Long-pig". Why did they not move to a better position either in New Ireland or across the water on New Britain coast? That is what the settlers wanted, but Rabardy remained on the ship, refused to let anyone move from the shore, signalled every ship that came near to keep away. He seemed insanely determined that all would stay there and die there. Was it all a tremendous confidence trick in which all evidence must be destroyed after the money had been obtained?

Meantime, in Europe, the Marquis and Dr. de Groote told the world of the triumph of their scheme at New France!

The Massacre of Mioko

Mioko is the native name-place of Vunapope. The Mioko we are speaking of here is the island in the Duke of York Group in front of Vunapope. The natives refer to this as Mioko-na-ta to distinguish it from Vunapope. The natives had murdered a German Scientist on an island near the present day Mission plantation of Rakada. Word reached a Mr. Farrell who had a plantation and trading stores in the area that the natives of nearby SCHWEIN ISLAND, intended to kill him and rob his trade stores. He called in Rabardy to help him. A Native Chief, To Litoro, and his men joined them. The natives had prepared to attack from Schwein Island, which is between the Duke of York Group and Vunapope. Rabardy anchored his ship, the "Genil" so that his cannon covered the passage of water towards Vunapope. Farrell and To Litoro poured heavy fire into the natives at Schwein Island. As they tried to flee in the general direction of Kokopo, the cannon of the "Genil" opened fire and the sea became the grave of the mangled mass of native bodies.

As a result the name of the white man was feared far and wide. To Litoro in admiration of Rabardy, sent him, as token of admiration, the choicest part of a human body, cooked to a turn! The fame and fear of Rabardy did not reach to Bougainville. For it was soon after this that trader who had his store at Matupit, made a yearly trip to Bougainville to buy copra. The natives disagreed with the prices they had been given the previous year. When the "Pacific" came again the natives prepared the copra in a well-hidden inlet. While the crew collected it, the natives went on to the ship to seek out those still on board.

Only the cabin boy had time to hide and to his horror he saw the natives bind the cook and roast him on his galley stove then they beheaded the Captain at the mast. The crew found this out only when they returned to the ship from the inlet.

The Last Voyage to Death

Soon after the last ship arrived from Barcelona under the good Captain Henry. There were 200 Europeans, the second Catholic Priest, Abbé Deny also Chinese and Malays. At Manila, Capt. Henry had heard about the state of Port Breton. He tried to persuade the passengers to abandon the voyage to no avail! On arrival they received the same shock at the hunger, death, murders and madness. They were eagerly welcomed by a native dressed in an old waist coat who offered the Captain a letter of introduction-

“I am MARAGANO. I willingly accept everything and give nothing in return. I am a Papuan” signed Rabardy.

They were greeted by the old settlers with the words: "Poor people, whatever brings you here?" They looked at the Promised Land and saw only the same sad desolation that had broken the hearts and spirits of so many before them.

Captain Henry turns Pirate

Capt. Henry was thunderstruck by this settlement of dying men. So he did the only possible thing - he returned to Manila for supplies. The Marquis had promised £6,000. But when Capt. Henry had bought the supplies, no money was sent to pay for them. The merchants appealed to the Spanish Government to hold the ship. At first they took out the boiler of his ship but later returned it and placed six Spanish guards to see that he did not slip out to sea, stealing the £6,000 worth of stores in his hold. A cyclone blew up. In the teeth of the gale, Capt. Henry put to sea, taking the cargo and the six soldiers. These he treated well and put ashore. Capt. Henry knew that the Spanish would consider him a pirate as if he had stolen the and cargo on the high seas captured the six Spanish soldiers but he knew it was a matter of life and death to get supplies to Port Breton.

New Ireland sold for 1lb. of Tobacco!

Meantime, Rabardy decided to buy New Ireland, but MARAGANO (he of the waist coat and letter of introduction) said that he was really king of all South New Ireland. Now Maragano was an outlaw, having been banished from his tribe for adultery. With 15 other natives and 17 meris he had taken over the unoccupied island of Lamboun (where Mr. August Chan has one of his plantations today.) Maragano assumed the name of KING KANAKA. He did not own a square inch of New Ireland proper. He was too shrewd to sell any of his own island, but when he heard that Rabardy wanted to buy New Ireland, Maragano claimed that he and his fathers before him had ruled all the South end of it. He was willing to sell - the price? 1 lb. of tobacco, 25 clay pipes and some handkerchiefs! Rabardy clinched the deal. He also made a trip to Buka, bought a few islands and returned with 11 Buka natives whom he offered for sale at £20 each!

Spanish Warship Arrive

It was not long till a Spanish man-o'-war, "Legaspi", came New to Ireland to arrest Capt. Henry and to seize his ship as a prize of war. Capt. Henry gave himself up. The Spanish soldiers, seeing the pitiable state of the settlers, agreed to take the 60 worse cases back to Manila. Soon afterwards the other settlers went to Farrell's plantation where Rabardy died suddenly and mysteriously. The money he was known to have, disappeared and one of Rabardy's cronies burnt the ship's papers that could have revealed the kind of game the Marquis had been playing and the secret instructions he had sent.

The End

...The remainder of the settlers were returned to Sydney, but not till after two of the Frenchmen fought a duel on Pigeon Island, Later the ship's cook shot the Captain, and the ship itself ran on the Barrier Reef! And so all left the settlement.

Did I say all? No, for (as in a more famous story) one remained. A young man of 16 yrs. by name MOUTON, took up land in New Britain. He began the plantation of TAKUBAR which he sold to Vunapope in 1928. He lived on the spot where Brother Landinger has his house today. Further along he left an area unplanted as a position on which his son could build a home. However that was not to be. Today on that spot, at Ulapia, the Regional Seminary is built.

And the Marquis de Rays? What of him? He was sent to prison for 6 years and fined £120. After his release he sponsored a world tour (which did not quite get there, as money ran out.) Before his death he was inviting the public to invest their money in a very profitable scheme he had in mind of manufacturing gunpowder from stone. But the police became interested and stopped it before it all blew up. King Charles the First and Last, of New Ireland, died in 1893.

Chapter II.

THE COMING OF THE MISSIONARIES

The immense Vicariate of Melanesia and Micronesia was entrusted to the Marist Fathers under the leadership of Bishop Epalle, who was killed at Isabelle (19-12-1845). Later the work was transferred to the Missionaries of Milan, whose last remaining Missionary killed on Woodlark Island (near Trobriand Group) in 1855.

First Priests.

In his great speech at Marseilles, 1879. the Marquis de Rays, speaking of his future kingdom, had said, "We shall call to our aid the great Religious Orders, the Trappists and the Christian Brothers to help evangelize these Islands."" Many Orders offered to send priests and Nuns, But the Marquis successfully rejected them all and it was not till the third ship sailed that Père Lanuzel was sent, and a Père Deny on the fourth.

Père Lanuzel

Père Lanuzel arrived at New Ireland on the third ship of Marquis de Rays' Expedition (the 'India'), towards the end of 1880. Finding the settlers dead and dying he went to Sydney almost immediately in the 'Genil' to get supplies and to see that the Captain did not desert the colonist as the Captain of the 'Chandernagore' had done earlier. He stayed with the Marist Fathers in Sydney at St. Patrick's.

On February 2, 1881 he returned and found the settlement abandoned. It so happened that the 'India' was sailing to Noumea with the colonists, as the 'Genil' steamed to Port Breton...... The small island of Lamboum hid the ships from each other. Fr. Lanuzel decided to carry on his priestly work amongst the natives of New Britain. He obtained a good piece of land from the natives at MATANAKUNAI, near Nodup. He took all his goods there, even his goats.

In July he baptised 76 children. Some months afterwards some Europeans stirred the natives up against him. He was shrewd enough to realise that he could gain nothing by remaining, so he buried the sacred vessels and put on all the clothes he possessed. As he tried to make his escape, the natives attacked him with spears and axes. He was struck several times but the thick layers of clothing cushioned the force of the blows and blunted the points of the spears and so he made his escape ......

Fr. Lanuzel went to Volavolo by boat, and on to Sydney by first available ship. (This would have been some time around August 1881......The last ship of Marquis de Rays' Expedition would have been arriving at Port Breton and the first M.S.C. Missionaries were leaving Europe for New France).

Fr. Lanuzel went to Rome and Issoudon where he made a Retreat in the Novitiate. Soon afterwards he went to New Zealand.

The District then.

The Geography of these parts was little known then except in broad outline. Ships were few and irregular: A few warships, occasional whalers, pearl and traders, and 'Black-birders' who enticed or seized natives whom they transported to work as slaves on the Queensland sugar farms. First trader on Matupit was HERNZHEIM and later John Nash. W.T. Wawn was at Noga.

Natives.

In his Book, Fr. Bley says of the natives in general in Oceania:-

"When the Missionaries came to the islands of Oceania the people were wild men of the jungle. In some places they were cannibals, in other places they were head-hunters, putting the bones of the victims in their houses. Everywhere they made statues of stone or wood and they worshipped them. They believed that the devils were in these statues and they offered gifts to them to appease their wrath. They practised all kinds of sorcery and magic to chase away the spirits from the sick people. They did not know about the life of the soul and all thought that the life of a man finished with the death of the body. Others thought that the soul of a man went into the sea or into the dense jungle or to the place of all the evil spirits. While they remained here on earth they worked hard to get plenty of tambu to pay for all the wrongs they had done when they would come to the place of the departed spirits. They gave themselves up to fighting immorality, stealing, killing of infants and everywhere there was fear and sadness. The men of one place could not go to another place for fear of being killed. They were afraid to walk outside in the darkness because of the evil spirits and for fear even of their friends. Even inside the house they were afraid of the evil spirits and of an enemy putting poison into their food or on something. The Devil degraded and held in chains the men of former times and was not happy about them following the light afterwards."

The Local Natives.

Fr. Paivu says:- "The Gunantunan people had religion. Some belonged to a secret society and made gods from stone and wood (INIAT). These latter believed in various higher beings (INGAL). Under the German Administration these secret societies were banned. The members of the secret societies were forbidden to eat pig and that is a reason for the lack of pigs in this district even today...The eating of pig in "sing-sing" is a modern innovation.

The chiefs sought to obtain as much Tambu shell money as possible in order to become higher beings in the spirit world. The ordinary people were believed to become devils after death. To obtain shell money they traded in in taro, coconut and women for marriage.

They had some idea of sacrifice for they would place well cooked food in the bush to be eaten by the departed spirits.

The use of clothes was unknown, but the moral code was very strict. Adultery was punished by death...and the same penalty sometimes if a boy and a girl were to touch hands. To kill was forbidden...there had to be reason. They did not kill merely to eat the flesh. But once a killing was done it was routine to eat the body, especially in war and execution (for immorality etc.) There was no slavery on south coast...there was at Volavolo and north coast.

There was fighting, discord and stealing (if the robber could get away with it). People went from place to place but under heavy guard, or freely if a chief gave them protection......but for a stranger to wander unprotected would be courting disaster.

Villages were kept spotlessly clean. All cooking pots were kept in the houses and scraps of food collected lest the sorcerer found them and used them to cause death or sickness to the owners. The villages were rather hamlets...in times danger the drum called assistance.

The Gunantunans remained united while the strong tribe of the BUTAM (Baining) threatened their rear. Once the Gunantunans gathered at Tapo and marched so that they were able to attack the enemy in the middle of the night. They attacked and wiped them out except for a few. After that the local tribes fought amongst themselves.

The manner of cooking human flesh in New Ireland was to dig a pit into which were placed red hot stones, then leaves on which was placed the body, then more leaves and a covering of hot stones (Locals did not bother about the pit). They would dance and when they fell from utter exhaustion they knew their horrible meal was ready.

The natives rejoiced that they was clever to outwit and snare the men they killed and probably in eating the flesh they thought they thereby obtained the str ones good qualities of the ones they ate.

The First M.S.C. Missionaries Set Out.

On the 25th March, 1881, Pope Leo XIll invited Father Chevalier to send his priests to New Guinea and "New France". On 16th April, Father Founder answered, accepting the Mission. On the 1st Sept. 1881 the first Missionaries left Barcelona (Spain) via Marseilles, in a Spanish ship to Manila. They were Fathers Durin, (Superior) Navarre and Gramille, Brother Fromm Scholastic who volunteered (a to work as Laybrother) and Brother Durin. They intended to continue to Port Praslin and to work in the Marquis' colony of new France. They arrived at Manila, Sept., 1881. In Singapore and Manilla the Fathers heard about the failure of the Marquis de Rays' colony. What a sorry story they must hare heard It was in Singapore entire "Genil" had deserted. It will be remembered that while in Manila, Capt. Rabardy always ate his meals with a loaded revolver be- side him. While the Fathers were in Manila, Captain Henry came there from New Ireland to get supplies and to land there a lot of discontented colonists. When the Fathers met Capt. Henry and these disillusioned settlers we can well imagine the tales they heard about the impossibility of New France kingdom. However, Capt. Henry must have still intended trying to continue settlement because he bought a portable saw-mill in Manila. Our Fathers went on board the ship "Nouvelle Bretagne" sail to New Ireland, hoping to but when Capt. Henry was unable to pay for the £6,000 of cargo on the ship the Spanish Government took out the boilers of his ship and also ordered the Missionaries off. When a cyclone blew up, Capt. Henry slipped out to sea and the Priests had to find another ship to get them to New Ireland. Father Durin (the leader) became so sick, he had to return to Europe.

"Go to New Britain."

The Priests reported to Rome that the New France settlement had failed and asked what to do. The Holy See replied: "Start a new mission in New Britain." They arrived at Batavia from where no ship would take them because of cholera there. At last, a ship. full of Mecca pilgrims took them to Singapore (third time they've been there). They obtained a passage to Cooktown in Queensland where they received a telegram saying that soon a ship was going to New Ireland. They stayed with the Marist Fathers in Sydney (near where Brother Ervan is today and where previously Father Lanuzel had stayed a year before, while trying to obtain supplies in Sydney). While they were in Sydney they probably met all the colonists who had left New Ireland. (The colony was completely deserted by now). You could never guess the name of the ship they found was going to take them to New Britain! It was none other than the "Chananagore" - (the first ship that ever landed settlers in New Ireland)

It had abandoned them there. This ship had been delivering mules from South America to Mauritius instead of bringing supplies to the colonists. I have no idea why this ship was going to New Ireland now that the settlement was deserted).

First Mass.

They arrived at Port Breton and stayed five days. Father Navarre offered his first Mass there for the repose of the souls of all the colonists who died. (This was not the first Mass ever said there because we know that a year before, on the feast of St. Louis, 25th August, 1881, solemn High Mass was sung on the Pontoon, "Marquis de Rays" with full military band. It was on this occasion, at the Consecration, that they fired a salute of cannons, and when one local native chief heard the cannon, he thought that they were to honour him and he came out to the ship in the middle of the Mass and upset everything).

Journey's End.

Our Fathers wanted to land on Matupit Island but a N.W. was blowing hard and kept driving the ship back. Finally Capt. Mercier said that if the wind kept up next day he was going to sail on to Manila. You can well imagine how the Priests prayed because they had spent 393 days getting this far and they did not want to be stranded again in Manila. Next day a gentle South-easter blew them to the coast of Matupit Island, on the feast of St. Michael, 1882. They immediately walked over the Mother Mountain to Nodup and returned the same day to the ship. They were joyfully received people of Nodup. It will be remembered that a year before, Father Lanuzel had worked in Nodup. He had baptised 76 children.

First Mission Station.

Our Priests found the Monstrance and Chalice because they noticed that ant-holes in the ground were in the form of a monstrance. Evidently, the ants could not build their holes through the Monstrance and so by digging all around it, left the shape of a Monstrance in the ground.

The chief that welcomed the Priests was called To Litoro. Possibly, he is the same man who helped Captain Rabardy in the massacre of the natives of Mioko. If that is so, the Nodup natives were in that Massacre. We do know that they spoke the same language as that of the Duke of York natives and used to make frequent trips to those islands. If this is so, then he was the one who invited Capt. Rabardy to become his blood brother by offering him a well-cooked human thigh. When Capt. Rabardy threw this gift into the sea, To Litoro became his deadly enemy, and considered him both very bad-mannered and badly brought up. The same day the Priests walked from Nodup back to their ship which was anchored at Matupit Island. A day or two later, they hired a canoe and sailed around to Nodup in it with all their cargo. That is the reason why many of the natives of Nodup believed that the first Missionaries landed in their village.

First Building.

Naturally, the first thing to do was to build a home and they offered to buy good building materials. The Fathers found this timber very easy to work. The building fell down in two weeks. The natives had sold them for timber - paw-paw stumps!

They remained at Nodup for six months. It was not central enough so Father Navarre bought land at what was then called Kininigunan, and today is called Kokopo. This area was inhabited by fiercer natives than those of New Ireland and also by Queen Emma and her family. They built a house on the exact spot where the Kokopo Club stands today. The Missionaries built a permanent house in April, 1883. It was on the 27th June of the same year that, at the instigation of an European planter, everything was destroyed by fire. So much so, that they were not able to say Mass for the next twelve months.

Even the Sacred Heart banner, blessed by Leo XIII, was destroyed and the Missionaries, caught in the building that evening, had difficulty in getting out alive.

Father Navarre decided to go to Sydney to buy a pre-fabricated house. They heard that there was a ship at the Duke of York Islands. Mr. Mouton tried to contact it in a canoe. Seas were very rough. Three days later he saw land and made for it - he landed at Volavolo.

Government.

New Britain was discovered and named by the famous English New Year's Day 1700. In 1766 Carteret landed in New Ireland at English Bay (straight opposite Rabaul) and claimed this territory for England. 1872 Captain Simpson, in the "Blanche" discovered and anchored in Blanche Bay, Rabaul. The Peninsula was called Gazelle, after the ship of Von Schleinitz who was in these waters in 1880. In 1883 Queensland annexed all New Guinea and adjacent islands, but England repudiated it.

New Britain and New Ireland up to this time, was a "no-man's land" because no government had claimed it. We have seen how the so-called King Charles I of New Ireland had tried to set up his colony, but all that remained of it were the lonely graves on the South Coast of New Ireland and the mill-stone that was to crush the wheat into flour. (This is the mill-stone that still stands outside the Commonwealth Bank in Rabaul). Two of the first Europeans to come to these islands, had been Tom Farrell and the former Mrs. Forsayth, both of whom sailed in a trading schooner from Samoa to the Duke of York Islands, where they set up trading station. Later, Mrs. Forsayth (Queen Emma) left Farrell and with her large family, settled at the Kokopo area.

The German Government had decided to claim the Islands. They set up a trading company in 1877. The traders, Godeffroy and Son, set up on Matupit Island. In 1884, a trading ship called the "Samoa", quietly called in at Matupit (3rd Nov.,) at Duke of York Islands, at Astrolabe Bay and at Finschhafen and claimed these Islands for Germany. The New Guinea Trading Company was given, as reward, a charter to rule and to trade in these islands. There was a resident judge from 1884 to 1896. The German Government took direct control in 1896.

Bismarck poured money into these colonies, had roads made, and passed liberal Land Laws. The present day prosperity of the Gazelle Peninsula is in no small measure due to the result of this colonizing scheme.

They established their Capital on the mainland Guinea, but lost of New many of their staff by fever. (It is interesting to note that they set up on the wharf a Seismograph to record any earthquakes. It surprisingly recorded many every day. At last it was found out that it was really recording the footsteps of everyone who went down the wharf to get a bottle of beer from the cooler!)

Then they made their Capital at Kokopo. By 1910, they realized that it would be better to have the Government at Simpson Haven (Rabaul) where there was one of the finest harbours in the world. They mad a garden city at Rabail which remained till the Eruption in 1937. (But that is getting too far ahead with this story.)

Chapter III.

NEW ARRIVALS

While Father Navarre had been away, Father Gramaille remained. He lived at Volavolo with a trader called Dupré. He spent all his time doing medical work and he began a systematic collection of native words.

In 1884, Father Hartzer (he was the son of Marie Louise the foundress Other Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) together with Fathers Gaillard and Vatan and Brother de Santos came back with Father Navarre. Fathers Gramaille and Vatan stayed at Volavolo while Father Gaillard began the Mission at Malagunan.

In September 1884, the Holy Father asked our Fathers to begin a Mission in Papua. The Priests to send Father (later Archbishop) Navarre, Father Hartzer and Brother Santos to Thursday Island. Meanwhile, from France, came to Sydney Father Couppe and Father Verius (he is the one whose cause of Canonization being examined in Rome.) With them came three Brothers and the first Sisters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. (1885)

New Church at Volavolo.

The natives at Volavolo burned down the church. They said, as explanation, that they had often heard the fathers say they wanted a new church so the first thing they did was to get rid of the older one.

Father Cramaille and Father Vatan built a very nice chapel 36ft. × 30ft. There were great celebrations at the opening because it was the first big house the natives had ever seen.

The first Bishop.

On the 22nd October, 1887 Monsignor Navarre was consecrated Bishop in France. He was given the title of Vicar Apostolic of Melanesia and Micronesia. Although he was to remain at Yule Island in Papua, he was to have authority over the New Britain Mission. Two years later, in 1889, the territory was divided and Bishop Verius was appointed Bishop of New Britain. The news of this was received with sorrow in Papua. Bishop Verius was the one who had steered the ship from Cape York through Torres Strait without a compass and without having been in those waters before; he was the first to have set foot on Papuan soil; he was the first to penetrate inland.

It can be readily understood why Bishop Navarre leaped with Rome to leave him in Papua and why all the missionaries stormed Heaven, asking that Bishop Verius should remain there. Their prayer was answered fully, because Rome sanctioned Bishop Verius' remaining in Papua, where he was consecrated by Monsignor Navarre. However, when the day comes (as we hope it will) when Rome canonizes Bishop Verius a saint, we in New Britain will share a little of the glory, because he was nominated as first Bishop of this Vicariate.

Rome then nominated Father Couppe to become the first actual Bishop of New Britain.

Bishops of new Britain.

There have been three Bishops who have ruled the ecclesiastical affairs of New Britain. Bishop Couppe (1891-1923) was the builder of the Mission; Bishop Vesters extended the Mission: Bishop Leo Scharmach defended the Mission and rebuilt it after World War Il.

Bishop Couppe.

Bishop Couppe was born in Konorantem in France. He was secular Priest in France when he joined the M.S.C. Society in 1888. He was chosen by the Pope to be Bishop and was consecrated in Belgium in 1890.

A dispute arose about the ownership of land around the present site of the Kokopo Club. There was a court case between the Mission and Kolbe (Queen Emma married a German of that name). The Government decided the question in a Solomon-like manner. They divided the land into two. The land north of Kokopo was to go to Kolbe and 40 hectares south was to be the Mission's freehold. And what about the land in Kokopo under dispute? Well, the Government kept that for itself.

The Bishop began to make the centre at Vunapope. He had the old house at Herberts Höhe (Kokopo) pulled down and rebuilt at Vunapope. He enlarged the old building and made a school of it. Vunapope is the second place in which the O.L.S.H. Sisters had a house.

Spheres of influence.

The Non-catholic Missions in Papua and New Guinea had divided the country up into spheres of influence. The German Administration introduced this system into New Britain Taking Toma (Paparatava) as a centre, a line was drawn from Toma to Weberharbour in the North and Raluana in the South. The Catholic Mission was to work south of this line which was the less populated area. There were two Catholic stations already in the northern area - Volavolo and Malagunan and here the priests were allowed to work ONLY on their stations. This division of the territory made extension of mission influence almost impossible.

In order to continue the work as well as possible, the priests on these two stations trained Catechists who went into the Villages to teach and lead the prayers. On Sundays the people used to gather for Mass on the two stations.

In 1896 great crowds came for instructions. A real problem now presented itself. In the case of sick calls and death, what were the priests to do? The Bishop instructed the priests that in such cases the priest had to go to the villages and attend to the sick and dying who needed them. Thus, little by little, the "Spheres of Influence" became a dead letter. (They were in force from 20th Jan., 1890 to 27th March, 1899.)

A man with great Foresight.

In the years that followed, the Bishop with Priests and Brothers, made frequent trips around New Britain and New Ireland in the ship "Gabriel" to find suitable sites for future mission stations. The Bishop was not satisfied with general observations or second-hand reports. He would examine anchorages by swimming underwater to be sure of their safety.

In every place he thought would be a suitable location for a mission in the future, he bought 25 hectares of freehold land for the priest and 10 hectares for Catechists. The Governor, Dr. Hohl, permitted him to buy land on the coasts of both islands.

Thus he set up an excellent foundation for the mission today.

Extension.

When the "Spheres of Influence" was enforced, the Bishop was forced to extend to the other side of WEBER HARBOUR and so he opened up the BAININGS in VUNAMARITA and RAMANDU. Later, in 1900, Father RASCHER went to work with the BAINING people. The Bishop went to the DUKE of YORK ISLANDS in 1900. While in Germany he bought a large property in RAKANDA, put a priest there and opened the present very large plantation. Later he began Mission stations on the coasts of NAMATANAI. Before the turn of the century, he had bought 500 hectares at MANDRES for plantation purposes and land at VUVU also.

In 1900, in Germany, he also bought a large sawmill and equipment. The steamer dumped them all on the coast near Mandres because they could not go up the TORIU RIVER. The small "Gabriel" towed them up the bay to the site of the sawmill at TORIU. The Brothers built it up as best they could, but it was not until 1905 that the first timber was cut.

James Shekleton, Great-grandfather of Bro. Gervase was the first manager of the sawmill at Torio 1901 - 1903. In the years, 1901 to 1903, many missionaries arrived, Bishop Couppe wished to have a strong foot-hold in the GUNANTUNA area and so started many stations in that area.

A small Catechists' School was begun at VUNAPOPE in 1899 with Father Meier in charge. There were in the school, 40 to 50 boys. Stations at KAVIENG, LEMAKOT and LAMASONG were set up in 1910.

Native Sisters

In 1913 the community of Native Sisters was founded. "The Children of Mary Immaculate," as they are called, is a community founded to give a chance of Religious Life to the young women of the Vicariate. Mother M. Gerada O.L.S.H. was the first Directress.

In this work Mother M. Gerarda was helped by Sr. M. Helena O.L.S.H. who now lives in retirement at Vunapope. Sr. M. Helena took charge of the Sisters after Mother's death and held this office until her retirement in 1951.

The Sisters help on the stations, are teachers in the schools after doing a formal year's training in Vunapope. Some already hold Government Certificates, others are training as nurses at Vunapope Hospital.

During the time of the Japanese occupation, the Sisters were released by the Bishop from their promises and told that they may return to their families, They did not take advantage of this concession but remained together as a community as far as possible. They risked their lives many times and suffered torture at the hands of the Japanese in bringing food to the Missionaries in the internment camp.

After the war the Novitiate was re-opened but at Takabur.

Chapter IV.

THE FOUNDATION OF THE DAUGHTERS OF OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART.

It was in 1882 that the Congregation of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart was founded at Issoudun in France, be Rev. Fr. Jules Chevalier.

Having obtained many remarkable favours from the Blessed Virgin, Fr. Chevalier had resolved, out of gratitude, to honour is heavenly Patroness in some special way. Inspired by the Holy Ghost, he conceived the idea of invoking Her under the new but profound and appealing invocations: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Foundation.

A previous attempt at founding a community devoted to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart had failed, but he continued to pray until a sign from Providence should indicate the moment for starting again. Our Lady deigned once more to answer his prayer by sending him the very person who was destined to "mother" the new community and become the foundress of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. This chosen soul was Madame Marie Louise Hartzer, a young widow of outstanding ability. Her two sons had already entered the seminary of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. She came to Issoudun with the intention of consecrating her life to Lady of the Sacred Heart. Father Chevalier was not long in realizing that Madame Hartzer was a real gift from Providence and he decided that she was the very one to take charge of the pious girls he had assembled in community. Thus chosen by God she guided the new institute and saw it spread to many lands. She died on February 21st. 1908 after the Daughters of O.L.S.H. had been firmly established.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart, Perpetual Adoration and Reparation to this Divine Heart, united with works of mercy were the special aims of the new congregation.

Invitation To Mission.

Father Navarre wrote to Mother Hartzer in 1884 asking he to send out Sisters to the Mission. At that time their Society was only two years old and consisted of hardly more than a dozen Sisters of whom none had taken their Religious Vows. Mother Marie Louise and four of the Senior Sisters pronounced their Vows on the 9th September of that year. Father Navarre asked that these Sisters go half-way round the world to help evangelise these cannibal islands. They 'greed to go. Two more Sisters pronounced their Vows on the 17th October and with three other Sisters set sail for Sydney. They were armed with a statue of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and 16/8 to cover their expenses and with the change that was left they were to set up a convent in Sydney.

Mother Hartzer had considered it wiser for the Sisters to remain in Sydney and set up a half-way house to the Missions. Father Navarre agreed to this and the Sisters established a day-school at Botany. This was the beginning of the Australian Province which is today, at least in the number of Convents, their largest in the world. In 1886 they established themselves in Thursday Island and in August, 1887 they arrived at Yule Island in Papau; in 1891 they set out for Rabaul.

The trip out.

"At Singapore they had their first mishap. They had expected a stay of about five days - instead they had to wait for three weeks, for the "Nierstein" was in dock. At last she weighed anchor. But this ship, fairly convenient, was in reality not equipped to carry passengers at all. It was necessary to stay constantly on deck. Then, instead of sailing directly for German New Guinea, as had been announced, the "Nierstein" headed for Deli, in Sumatra, in order to take on more than four hundred and fifty Chinese and Malay labourers. The ship being already too small for the passengers on board, where was the increase to be stowed? The authorities simply packed these passengers one on top of the other as so much common merchandise.

Dangers by sea

"Leaving Sumatra, the ship, loaded to sinking point, ran on a reef. This, needless to say, left her in a worse condition than before, but the Captain, knowing himself to be guilty of a breach of regulations owing to the excessive number of Asiatic passengers, was unwilling to sail back to Singapore, and determined to risk all to get to New Guinea. At their first port of call, they were told that the Europeans had evacuated and that the natives had burnt everything. Further on, the Chinese and Malay labourers were landed. Unfortunately the ship, instead of setting off again immediately for New Britain, remained twenty six days in this port of Constantine's Haven. In this colony there was neither hotel nor residence to house the Sisters, who had to find shelter in a thatched hut formerly occupied by Malay labourers. The Bishop and his Missionaries lodged for the night in a kind of shed which did duty as a Post Office, and spent the day under the surrounding trees. This long delay in German New Guinea, under such deplorable and unhealthy conditions, was disastrous to Bishop Couppe's little party. All were attacked with fever, several being at death's door. To give some idea of the unhealthy condition of this colony, it is sufficient to say that out of the Chinese and Malay labourers landed from the "Nierstein" one hundred and fifty had died, and three hundred still sick when the Missionaries resumed their journey to New Britain. This last stage of the voyage was deplorable. A frightful storm overtook the vessel, which, by now, was nothing but a hospital, for, without counting the Missionaries, it carried twenty-four European patients, among whom were more than half the crew. The captain, the mate, and two mechanics were so exhausted by fever that they could no longer go on duty. At last, however, Monsignor Couppe and the Sisters reached their destination. The Divine Master had protected His own right to the end. The Europeans afflicted with fever were taken to the Government Station, where several died a few days later. The Missionaries set out for Volavolo, where they had been awaited for weeks." ("Fire Upon the Earth" pp. 132, 133).

Mission work.

Hardship and sacrifice met them at every step of the way. For the pioneer Missionaries life meant hard work - danger - sickness - poverty - the giving up of all that men and women hold most dear. Not one of these first Sisters ever saw their friends, home or country again. One of their chief tasks is the religious and secular education of girls and young children. To this end the Sisters of New Britain were continually receiving neglected little ones from surrounding tribes into their orphanages.

First work.

The first station which Monsignor Couppe entrusted to them was Volavolo. It was dedicated to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and already counted a number of Christians. The Natives had been expecting the Sisters for a long time for they had been promised that the Sisters' first station would be in their village. So, when the great day arrived, and they espied the white habit of the Sisters appearing around the bend in the path skirting the woods there were cries, or rather, shrieks of joy. The women particular gave vent to their joy. Doubtless, these poor creatures had a vague intuition that the presence of these white women would serve to uplift their sex and raise them from their condition of servitude. By 1893 there were three orphanages in New Britain - Volavolo, Vunapope and Malagunan. In 1898 a school for children of Mixed-races was opened and blessed in Vunapope. It was conducted by the Sisters O.I.S.H. until 1902 when the M.S.C. Sisters took it over.

Slave children

Many of these children had been bought out of slavery by the Missionaries. The local natives then were still given over whole-heartedly to man-hunting, slavery and cannibalism. These children were wild, having shared enthusiastically in the feasts of the human flesh, known the excitement of the man-hunt and having experienced what it was like to be a slave.

All of them, when they were taken to the mission orphanage naturally expected that they would either be eaten by the sisters or made into slaves. The only thing that kept many of them from running away was the sure knowledge of worse horrors that awaited them in their natural jungle.

Extension of work.

Later, Sisters took up duties at Tapo, Paparatava and Takabur and in 1928 the first outpost of the Mission, for the Sisters O.L.S.H. was commenced at Bundralis in Manus. Following World War II, further stations received the Sisters. - Pililo, Kilenge, Vunavavar and Vunadidir. In 1925, the Chinese School in Rabaul was opened but the Rabaul story will be told elsewhere.

Sisters' work.

The Missionary Sister's work is not confined alone to schools; her apostolate calls her to alleviate all forms of human misery and sick and suffering have a special appeal for her. Thus all stations have hospitals, dispensaries and clinics attached.

Although the works of the apostolate are considered very important and necessary, they are only secondary to the Sisters' work of rendering a particular worship of Love, Honour and Reparation to the Sacred Heart. This is the pivot around which revolves all the works of charity and zeal undertaken by the Sisters. In the daily Mass, Holy Communion, Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary and other works of piety they strive for a life of union with the Sacred Heart. Thus their zeal is not confined to one place, time or country, but spreads to the uttermost ends of the earth, seeking to bring all souls to Jesus through Mary, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Chapter V.

THE STORY OF THE CHINESE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY IN RABAUL.

While the German New Guinea Company was in control in New Britain, it introduced some Chinese to work in plantations - most of whom soon became independent traders - others came from China as free settlers. The population of the Kokopo district (there was no big settlement in Rabaul) in 1903 was 277 Europeans, (182 Germans, 50 English, Dutch, French, Americans, etc.) and 91 Chinese, none of whom were Catholics, for indeed they had no contact with the Catholic Religion.

The Story Begins with Ah Lok

In 1899 there was a Chinese by the name of AH LOK who was cooking for the German Acting-Administrator, Dr. Roce. By 1901 he had become an independent trader on a small island named Utuan in the Duke of York group. He then brought out his two younger brothers from China.

Akun, the younger of the two went to a Methodist School in Kabakanda (near Vuvu). He stayed only 1 month because he was lonely there without companions. He went aboard a copra schooner which happened to be going to Vunapope. On the boat he met two boys of mixed blood who were scholars at the Vunapope school. Hearing that there were many boys there he resolved that he would return to the Island Utuan and ask his big brother's permission to attend Vunapope School. Ah Lok agreed and so he went.

Akun at Vunapope

When he arrived, the Sister in charge asked Ah Lok if he would permit Akun to attend all the classes, including religious instruction. Then if Akun wished it, and if he were considered worthy, would Ah Lok give permission to this young brother of his to become a Catholic. Ah Lok said he agreed to this. Aloysius Akun was baptised on Christmas Day 1902. So he was the first Chinese Catholic. He is now in Hong Kong.

Gabriel Chow Ying (whom you all know) at that time had been working on Gunantambu Plantation and used to visit Akun at school at Vunapope on a Sunday to learn English. Akun gave him Religious Instructions. In June, 1907, he was baptised (the second Catholic). The next to be baptised were Aloysius, who was Ah Lok's son, and Ng Hing, father of Paul Ah Ming.

A Vision at Mass

Meanwhile, Ah Lok was still a pagan though he was very friendly with the Catholic Mission. He had a plantation in New Ireland and used to come to visit his little brother while he was still at school in Vunapope.

One Sunday morning, while he was staying in Kokopo, he saw Gabriel Chow Ying and Seeto Pang and asked them where they were going. They said they were going to Mass in Vunapope. Ah Lok said he wanted to go too. They said to him that he could come provided that he did not talk or distract other people while at the ceremony. They feared (correctly, as Ah Lok admitted later) that he was going to Mass just for a joke. He was a lively fellow. He promised and he went. You must remember that Ah Lok had no knowledge of the Catholic Religion and he watched every movement of the priest with great attention. Communion time approached and the priest opened the tabernacle. Ah Lok saw on the altar a little boy with shining clothes, bright eyes, warmly smiling at him. Naturally, he was anxious to ask his friend beside him to explain why the Catholic Priest kept the little boy in the little wooden house on the altar. He wanted also to know who he was. But remembering his promise not to talk, he resolved to ask them when Mass was over. When he told them about it after Mass they would not take him seriously. On the way back to Кокоро he kept telling them what he had seen and asked them to explain but they insisted that he was not and could not be serious. So Ah Lok went back to Vunapope and asked his young brother, Akun to explain everything to him. Akun told his big brother that you could see nobody on the altar and explained to him as best he could the Doctrine of the Blessed Eucharist. Ah Lok was still dissatisfied. All night he could not sleep because of the problem. He resolved to find out himself. So next morning they found him waiting for the Vunapope Church to be opened. He attended every Mass (several were offered each day in Vuпароре) and watched eagerly every time the tabernacle was opened. He was disappointed because he did not see the little boy again.

Lord, what would you have me to do?

He was tortured with doubts. Had he been dreaming? He was sure he had not. He went to the Superior and asked for a book. The only book they could give him was a prayer book without any instructions in it. This he took back with him to New Ireland and studied very seriously.

Eventually he felt he must become a Catholic. He came across from New Ireland in an open boat to Vunapope and sought out Father Dicks, who was a serious man. He examined his knowledge and refused to baptise him because of his lack of instruction. He went back and forth between New Ireland and Vunapope and three times he was examined and three times he failed.

One day in Kokopo, the German Administrator, Doctor Hahl, noticed that he was remaining in Kokopo and asked when he was returning to his plantation. Ah Lok said: "I will not go back until I have been baptised." Father Dicks heard of this, was impressed and gave him another examination which he passed. He was baptised late in 1907. Once a Catholic, he became a very fervent apostle. He used to gather the Chinese of New Ireland to instruct them and urged them to send their children to Vunapope where many of them were baptised.

The Story of Achai

One of the most outstanding converts of Ah Lok was his own brother Achai. Though a very upright, honest man, Achai simply could not see Ah Lok's view on religion. Many and heated were the arguments they had about the matter.

During this time the ever zealous and saintly Bishop Couppe used to travel around the islands of his vicariate saying Mass and dispensing the sacraments to his scattered flock. Quite unexpectedly he arrived at the plantation of the two brothers. He remained there overnight to say Mass for the one Catholic there. This made a great impression on Achai, and after Mass, which he did not attend, he felt that he simply must be baptised. He himself could not explain why. The Bishop, acting undoubtedly under the inspiration of God baptised him there and then without even a question.

Two babies, Gabriel and John

It was the very next day that Gabriel Chow Ying, seeing the boat at Ah Lok's plantation, asked if Father Dicks were there and would he baptise his two children. This he did, naming one baby (then 2 years old) Gabriel and the other John. Achai acted as God-father to both.

Achai's children

Throughout the years he has been an example of holy living to one and all. God certainly had designs on John Achai, who raised a large family of fourteen children. His eldest daughter was the first Chinese of Rabaul to enter religion. She was followed by five other members of the family. Two have been priests in China for many years - one a Jesuit and the other a secular priest. Another son is studying to be a Missionary of the Sacred Heart in Australia. The second daughter is a Daughter Our Lady of the Sacred Heart now teaching in Rabaul, whilst still another one is at present a novice in the same congregation. What of Achai? He is still alive in 1957 and is still a daily communicant as he has been for all of the last almost forty years.

Akun worked for a wealthy merchant, Ah Sam, until 1914 when he set up his own store in Rabaul.

Gabriel wants a church......

Up to this time there was no priest or Church in Rabaul and the early Chinese Catholic used to go to Malagunan for Mass. The Catholics began to think of some way to have a station set up in Rabaul itself.

Gabriel Chow Ying had a store on the same site as his son's (Gabriel) is today. Gabriel was putting up another two-storey building up on the site of Gabriel Sing Yip's garage today. An European trader had a court case with Gabriel because he traded after hours. Gabriel thought that since he would not be using his old store at night for trade he could live there and put his new two-storey house to another use. The young people could gather there and be kept out of mischief since they would not be working in the stores at night any more.

So he suggested to the Bishop that the Catholic Mission give 25% of the timber and the building could become a library, meeting place and if the priest could come from Matupit (Fr. Baumann) they could have Mass there and save them the long Sunday morning walk to Malagunan.

.........and a school

The Pagan Chinese Community had their own school in an old pagan temple which was in between the stores of Seeto Teck and Kim How today. The first teacher was Seeto Mun Shiu. Later a Sydney teacher arrived, Seeto Kow. Some of the Catholic Chinese were disturbed by some of the things the children were being taught and they decided to set up their own school in the two-storey building, They had as teacher Chan Pak Fun.

By 1920 the building became too small and the entire house was moved free of charge by a friendly non-catholic Japanese, by name Komuni. In front of it was built another building. It was on the site of Wan-Jun-Wan's store today.

They brought out a teacher from China (Joseph Lau, father of Mary). His dialect, however, was different and he did not teach and another teacher, Woo Sim Ching was brought out at the recommendation of Choi Wong.

Father Mertens used to give £12 per month which, added to the school fees, helped to pay the two teachers.

Enter Father Madigan............

In 1924 an Australian priest arrived. It was Father Madigan. Since the English language was now becoming very necessary for trading and the number of children had so increased, it was decided to ask the Bishop for Sisters to teach the children. The children of the school had made such a good impression by attending Mass frequently and their good conduct that many pagan children had asked permission to go to the Catholic School.

......and the O.L.S.H. Sisters.

The O.L.S.H. Sisters took over the school in 1925, assisted by two Chinese, Anton T'so and Andreas Wong. The school was called YANG - CHING School.

When a re-entry permit could not be obtained for Chinese teachers, a Chinese Priest, Father Philip Lau come. In 1927 a large Church was built on the present site. In 1931 a Chinese school was built in Kavieng.

In 1941 a magnificent school and hall were erected in Rabaul for the education of the large Catholic community of four hundred school children. Unfortunately, these buildings were demolished during the 2nd World War.

The Faith to-day

The faith has continued to spread, however. There are probably 900 to 1,000 Catholics now, a flourishing Catholic life with Men's Holy Name Society, Women's Sacred Heart Sodality, Legion of Mary Group and Catholic Youth Organisation.

There is a large Senior School, a Kindergarten and Pre-school Centre. The greatest blessing has come to these Chinese people - God's call to the Religious life.

Vocations:

1 Jesuit priest (in China) Father Gabriel Chan Tin Cheong.
1 Secular Priest (in China) Father Luke Chan Tin Bo.
1 Sister - Helper of the Holy Souls (in China) Mother Elizabeth Chan Yit Kui.
5 Sisters
O.L.S.H. Sister M. Rosita Chan Foong Chin
Sister M. Patrick Chue Beck Wan
Sister M. Lucienne Seeto Kit Ching
Sister M. Callista Seeto Ho Ching
Sister M. Paulita Choi Ching Kit.
1 Sister of Charity - Sister M. Jacinta Fong Kwai Kui.
2 Novices Sisters O.L.S.H.
Sister Mary Chan Foong Hin
Sister M. Agnella Chue Sin Wan.
1 Scholastic M.S.C. - Brother Albert Chan Tin Choo.
1 Novice M.S.C. - Brother Joseph Chow Sun Yau.
1 Apostolic School Boy - Bernard Seeto Wing Cheong.

We do not think for a moment that the list is closed. More will follow these. The next ones to go will be............well, God has their names written in His Heart; It is His (and their) secret.

DEO GRATIAS

So we have much for which to thank those early apostles who founded the Church in Rabaul. It is the Glory of that church that it was founded by the energy and Faith of those early Chinese Catholics. Gabriel Chow Ying, as you have read above, was a moving spirit in setting up the early schools and churches.

To-day he is still a builder... he was Mr. Bell's first helper in planning the foundations of the new and beautiful church that is now being built. However, his eyes are failing and when Mr. Bell found that he was sighting the foundations in circles, Gabriel was given an hourable discharge...discharged, but NOT discouraged, because he states that he is not going to die till the church is complete. He was one of the first to enter the Church by his conversion long ago, and he has a hope that he will be the first to enter the new church when it is complete... and all hope so, too.

Stories that we must remember

Laurie Chan and Gabriel's son still tell the story of Ah Lok that when he was cook for the German Governor he had never seen nor heard of cheese. Once he opened a tin of gorganzola cheese which was, as it should be, in colour. Smelling it, he thought it was bad and threw it away. Each tin he opened he found in the same condition and out they all went!! The Governor wondered why he never had cheese.

After the war, the cemetery in Rabaul was complete desolation and ruin, bombed by the Allies and ploughed by the Japanese. Only ONE thing stood erect amid the ruin.....and that was the head stone of Ah Lok's grave.

The first Chinese Catholic school was in New Ireland. It was opened privately and run by Ah Lok. He taught the Chinese children their religion there. However he ran out of books and knowledge in six months and the school closed. This was immediately after his conversion.

Two of the earliest Catholics were Lam Young and Ng Chung. They were converted by Ah Lok and are still attending daily Mass and Communion in Rabaul.

Gabriel Chow Ying remembers one thing very clearly about his Baptism and that is that he had to wait 14 months before Fr. Dicks would receive him into the Church... He insisted that Gabriel go to Mass every Sunday, which sounds fair enough till you remember that he had to come all the way in an open boat from New Ireland to Vuпароре.

Fr. Philip Lau, who once served the Catholic in Rabaul is, at present in South America.

What of the Future?

The story of the Rabaul Church is a proud one; the future is in the hands of a new generation. The torch of faith, kindled and lit by their grandfathers, has been handed on to the young Catholics of Rabaul May they LIGHT BEARERS OF CHRIST!

Some of the Rabaul Catholic Students attending Australian Colleges

NOTE: Ah Lok at his baptism took the name of Paul. He died on the feast of the conversion of St. Paul 1939.

Chapter VI.

THE MISSIONARY SISTERS OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS - By M.S.C. Sister

The glorious motto: "May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere!", aptly sums up the aim and purpose of the congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

This congregation was founded for the missions, and today it can boast of missionaries and missions in every land and clime and country.

Foundation.

The Very Rev. Hubert Linckens, M.S.C., a zealous missioner was convinced that the Fathers who were active in missionary works could devote more time to souls if they had someone to care for their bodily needs and those of the natives to whom they were administering. A woman's heart and hand were indispensable in this work. Therefore in 1899 he conceived the idea of founding a congregation of women for this purpose. Difficulties and trials presented themselves in abundant measure, but nothing daunted the active Founder went on and in 1900 his little seed took root. The Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus was canonically erected.

The Sisters were to exercise their activity preferably in pagan lands by assisting in every way possible in the work for the salvation of souls, through educating and instructing the young: caring for the sick and destitute and performing domestic duties.

As a compensation, if, for any reason the Sisters were prevented from going to the missions branch houses were to be established in the various home countries and the same activities were to be engaged in.

First Missions.

The infant congregation early set root in mission soil for scarcely two years after its foundation, in August 1902 four pioneer Sisters set sail for the Marshall Islands. The evacuation of the Sisters by the Japanese in 1919 put an end to activities in this promising field.

Work in the missions of the South Pacific began in November of 1902 when seven Sisters set foot on truly pagan soil in New Britain. Little did they dream that red would run the tide in this new undertaking. On August 13, 1904 five of these zealous Apostles were slain by the Baining rebels. These tragic but glorious deaths evoked a wave of enthusiasm in many hearts. New volunteers offered themselves to take the place of the martyred heroines. The blood of the martyrs was a fruitful seed, membership in the community increased so rapidly that soon many more sisters were sent to the South Pacific Missions and stations were established on New Britain, New Ireland, Tanga, Lihir and Anelaua Islands. The M.S.C. Sisters are still active today in these stations of the flourishing Rabaul Vicariate. The Sisters are in charge of schools, hospitals, dispensaries and Baby Welfare Clinics. They operate a modernly equipped surgical and dental department. With untiring devotion they care for the church supplies of sixty mission stations. A fully accredited Primary School for Mixed-Race children is under their direction. With something not less than "Holy Pride" , they have devoted themselves to the care of Christ's Suffering Members, the Lepers of Anelaua since 1935. At present they are planning to take over a sanitorium for tubercular patients.

America.

The Foreign Missions are not only fields of labour for the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Their missionary endeavours encircle the globe. Since 1908 the congregation has been engaged in fruitful activity within the borders of the United States of America. The spread of the congregation in this continent was nothing short of miraculous. There is no phase of activity in which the Sisters do not take part. They are employed in the sublime duty of training the hearts and minds of thousands of youngsters in the Diocesan Parochial Primary and Secondary Schools and Orphanages. When these youngsters have finished their course of study and are prepared to take a place in the work-a-day world, they have the assurance that at any time and in any condition or circumstance they can always return to the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus - as patients in one of their hospitals or as inmates of their health resorts and homes for the aged.

Africa.

The Dark Continent is also the home of many an M.S.C. Sister. Since 1927 members of the congregation work among the Bushmen and Hotentots of Africa as assistants to the Oblate Fathers of St. Francis and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

Australia.

At the request of His Excellency, Archbishop Mannix, the Congregation sent its first missionaries to Australia in 1928. Three modernly equipped hospitals Two Homes of the Aged and a Nurses' Training School afford the Sisters splendid opportunity to put into practice the high ideals of their calling. Within the past three years the Sisters have spread wings in Australia. They entered a new sphere of activity, namely that of teaching in the Primary Schools. At present they conduct two schools one at West Heidlberg and one at Mont Albert. The Mother-house in Australia is also a haven for ailing and aging missionaries. With open arms they are received by the Sisters in Australia when through God's own choice they must give up active mission work.

China.

The missionary zeal if the Sisters would not allow them to turn a deaf ear to the pitiful pleas of the more than four hundred million souls of the Far East. In 1932 two groups of Sisters were sent to China. Warfare, political unrest and numerous other obstacles have prevented many from realising their wish of going to China. Just when the congregation was preparing to re-enforce Christ's little army of Sisters in China, the Red Hand of Communism grasped in its terrorizing grip the whole of the mission district. After many trials, sufferings and untold hardships, and finally after having been falsely denounced as enemies the Sisters were expelled. However, the pioneer band of Sisters from the China Mission prayerfully await the day when they can return with more helping hands to their faithful flock. Will all who read these lines, join them in their prayers?

Peru.

One more field ripe for the harvest stretched its pleading hands towards the congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and in 1938 some Sisters arrived in Peru, the land of the Incas. Here, as in the other missions there is much to be done. The sad dearth of priests in South America and the low state of the morals makes this sphere of activity truly a missionary one. The Sisters conduct a home for boys and several hospitals and clinics. Within these few years this youngest branch of the congregation has shown prosperous growth and precious fruit. It has its, own canonically established Novitiate and can boast of Four Professed Peruvian Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The M.S.C. Sisters.

Thus Christ's pleas for souls are answered by an M.S.C. Sister in various ways. Many labour in active service in home and foreign missions, others are buried in the seclusion of some convent where they do the Mary's part of praying and sacrificing - and all in the spirit of the Sacred Heart which is the centre of the life of prayer and activity of every Missionary Sister of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In the side of the Great Heart of Christ was this congregation conceived - in the blood of the Heart of Christ was it fructified through its martyrs - in the zeal of the Heart of Christ it has spread throughout the world - in the compassion of the Heart of Christ it administers to the needs of His Suffering members - and in the charity of the Heart of Christ it continues to spread until the fulfilment of its glorious motto be accomplished: "May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere!"

THE BAINING MARTYRS.

Two Orders of Sisters have had a very active share in the work of the Mission, the O.L.S.H. and the M.S.C. Sisters. Each has come to the assistance of the other in times of stress. After the annexation of New Britain by Germany in 1894, the O.L.S.H. Sisters were forbidden to enter the Territory, and then, after the 1914 - 1918 war, the Sisters from the German province, were prohibited by a similar bann, by the Australian Administration.

The Order of the M.S.C. Nuns was founded by Father Linckens, M.S.C., and was officially recognized in 1900. As early as the 16th November, 1902, seven M.S.C. Sisters set sail for New Britain. Indeed, this Order of Nuns was founded to assist this Mission. The Mission in return gave the first Superior General to the Order, Mother Francisca, who worked three years in New Britain.

In 1904 five of the Sisters gave their life's blood for their work.

To Maria's Plan.

In August, 1904, in the Bainings, at St. Paul's Mission Station, they had completed the building of a fine new church. Its blessing was to be marked by grand religious ceremonies and high-spirited native Sing-sings.

There was living at St.Paul's a freed slave "To Mario," He was a bright young man whom the pastor, Father Rascher, would have liked to be a teacher - but, To Mario had to be frequently admonished because he was trying to lead into adultery another man's wife: SAVUNUT.

To Mario tired of these admonitions, grew big headed. He made no secret of his determination to kill Father Rascher and the Missionaries, even the Bishop and the Governor. He intended using the new church as his palace.

Murder Preparations.

Indeed, the murder was already planned with devilish cleverness and would have been carried out on the last day of July, but, To Mario had seen a Mr. Misterfeld at the Mission. He feared to put his plans into action because he knew that although the Missionary used to go about unarmed, it was the custom of the traders to carry revolvers.

To Mario had organized a dance at TAMAWOKIN and thoroughly instructed his allies. Each Missionary was allotted a personal murderer. Even To Vusse, house boy to Father Rütten, at his station over the mountain, was told to climb to the mountain top, and if he heard a horn blow he was to murder Father Rütten.

That 13th of August.

Saturday morning, the 13th. August dawned bright. While Mass was on To Mario secretly took Father's shot gun - To Mario was a licensed shoot-boy.

Sister Dorothea, who escaped the murder and is still alive, 1957, tells us that Fr. Rascher had planned to go to the beach that morning to meet an official at Vunamarita; however, he was ill with fever and so he sent the two Sisters, Brigitta and Dorothea with native girls on a message to the Mission station at the beach. There were now five Sisters left at St. Paul's as four extra had come to assist in preparations for the dedication of the Church.

Meanwhile, after the departure of the two Sisters, Father Rascher was engaged in conversation on the steps of his house by a native woman, IVURAN. She cried and pleaded with him to go down to the sea that day because To Maria was going to kill him. The priest said he would remain. He was not afraid. Soon after, however, Fr. Rascher wrote letter and gave it to two small boys to take to the shore. At this To Mario became suspicious. His men were now all at their posts......this was the time, now or never. It was 7.30 a.m.

The Murder.

Father Rascher's house boy opened the window and while the sick priest was resting on his bed, To Mario shot him through the chest. He managed to stagger into the next room where he died.

Sister Anna had brought clean linen and was cleaning the house. Hearing the noise she rushed to where she saw Father dying and heard his last words. Sister then hurried into another room, locked the door and hid under a table. Soon another murderer smashed down the door and struck her a fatal blow in the neck with an axe.

Brother Bley, working under the house, heard the shot, and ran upstairs to see what was going on. To Mario pointed the rifle at him. Brother stepped down and tried to run but the house boy sprang in front of him and asked To Mario to shoot him instead. All in vain; Brother Bley was shot in the head.

Sister Sophia had finished her work attending the natives in the hospital and on her way back was taken completely by surprise and had her head battered in.

Brother Schellikens was working on the finishing touches to the cement steps of the church, his murderer standing beside him awaiting the sign. Hearing To Mario's gun he delivered a smashing blow on the unsuspecting Brother from behind and Brother died immediately.

Not far away some natives were offering to sell Brother Plaschaert fruit as he was measuring timber. They killed him with their axes.

Sister Agatha was savagely attacked as she was dressing wounds in front of the Convent. She was so badly beaten about the head that only with difficulty was she identified later.

Sister Angela was slaughtered as she decorated the altar and Sister Agnes was killed on the porch of the Convent.

Meanwhile To Vusse was listening from the mountain top. Hearing the horn blow he rushed to Fr. Rütten's house and borrowed the rifle. At 1 p.m. while Father was saying his breviary, he fired the shot that ended his life. Some of the natives saw what had happened and fearlessly stood around the body to guard it while others prepared a grave. They were threatened by the allies of the murderers but in the evening conducted a funeral according to native customs. When they had covered in the grave they stamped it down and hid it as best they could.

The News Reaches Vunamarita.

The boys meanwhile, had come streaming into Vunamarita incoherently telling the story of the murder. Father van der Aa immediately went up to St. Paul's. The murderers were at the Sisters house and store, plundering. Father van der Aa found the bodies of the priest and Sister Anna, but, realising that all were now dead, and that the murderers were likely to continue their slaughter and seeing the natives coming towards him he jumped on his horse and escaped.

Tom Gough, an Irish trader, went up to St. Paul's where he met To Mario. Tom brought the body of fr. Rascher down, but, since To Mario had met him on the way and threatened to wipe out every one at Vunamarita if he came again, he remained at Vunamarita. Mr. Misterfeld armed fifty Buka boys in case of an attack. To Mario, very confident, felt that he was the victor. At 4.30 next morning, an alarm was given but no attack was made.

A Chief, named TILANG, guarded the two remaining Sisters on the island of Massikonapuka.

The News Reaches Vunapope.

On the Saturday of the murder, and shortly after it when the first natives came to Vunamarita with tidings, a sailing boat, with Volavolo Natives on it, came into Vunamarita. They continued on to Volavolo with the news. An unseasonable northwest gave them a quick trip. From Volavolo a friend, Mr. Hildebrand, sent a boy to KOKOPO. The boy arrived in the middle of the night, and, instead of waking the Official, he slept till morning.

The first official he met on Sunday morning was Mr. Sigwanz to whom he gave the letter. Mr. Sigwanz who usually went to Mass in Vunapope surprised the priest by arriving very early. He told them that Father Rascher had been murdered. The shock was very great, but, the uncertainty of whether or not all the other Brothers and Priests at St. Paul's had met a similar fate, was much worse. Mr. Sigwanz, with a few Native Police and one of the Priests, set out immediately on Sunday morning. At 5 p.m. they arrived at Vunamarita and left for St. Paul's after Mass the following morning. For all they knew, they might have been going to their own death, because To Mario had said he would be waiting for them, and many of the Baining Natives were willing to fight the white men under To Mario's leadership. However, they arrived at St. Paul's unmolested and found the Mission Station completely deserted. It was obvious that after the murder the rebels had wrecked and robbed the houses and the church.

The Burials.

The same morning, eight times they made a sorrowful trip from the houses to the graveyard with the body of a murdered Brother or Nun. As they did so they had their rifles ready and the Buka Boys on guard in case of a sudden attack.

On Tuesday they pushed on to Father Rütten's Station. They were attacked on the way. On arrival they found the Mission Station badly damaged and pillaged so that even the tabernacle was gone. All the time they could see To Mario's man in the jungle watching. For a while they could not find the body of the priest. The amount of blood on the verandah and the open book he had left showed that he had been attacked.

Finally they found a rise in the ground which proved to be a well hidden grave. Here the faithful natives had buried their priest despite the threats of the murderers.

Execution of the Murderers

A few days later an expedition was send from Herberthoehe (The German name for Kokopo).

Under the leadership of the Chief of Police, Schaper, the native police captured all the murderers. Some of them told how they had killed their victims and seemed to expect praise for being so efficient. To Mario was not taken alive. He tried to offer resistance but the cartridges did not go off. He hid behind a tree and a bullet passed completely through the tree into his neck. The murderers were shot at Kokopo, but, before the execution, nine of them were baptized.

Our martyrs were one with Christ in the hard life of those difficult early days under the tropical sun, they remained one with Him in their bloody death, and now they are united with Him in the glory of Heaven to shower down the choicest graces of redemption on our Mission.

Chapter VII.

WORLD WAR I.

Previous to 1914 the German Government had been building a chain of wireless stations in Samoa, Nauru, New Guinea and Rabaul. So the Furthest German Colonial outpost could contact Berlin in a matter of hours. In time of war this would be extremely helpful to them and a real peril to their opponents. In fact, two days after war was declared in 1914 the British Secretary for Colonies requested the Australian Military Forces to attempt to seize these wireless installations in the Pacific.

The Australian Government did not know the exact position of the wireless station reported to be near Rabaul. It was in fact at Bitapaka, and at the outbreak of war it was not completed. It was being built on the Telefunken system. There was a rubble jetty at Kabakaul from which the machinery was taken from boats and delivered along the track (present day road) to Bitapaka. There was virgin untouched jungle on each side of the road and it was almost impenetrable.

As war grew near, work was pushed ahead and the steel tower was assembled but not erected. A temporary mast was set up and began to receive and transmit messages just a few hours before the Australian Navy entered Blanche Bay.

Hostilities in this War.

A brief survey of the hostilities would not be out of place. On 12th August a planter at Put-Put advised German Administration that strange ships were entering St. George's Channel. That same day Australian raiding parties landed at Rabaul, Kokopo, and Vunapope from the Australian warship and put the telephone system out of order and attempted to obtain information of the where-about of the wireless stations. They withdrew the same day. There was a scare on 23rd when a ship was sighted near Mother Mt., but it was the mission boat 'Gabriel'. On 3rd September the Government reserve of 300,000 marks was removed to Paparatava and later the administration moved to make it their centre.

On September 11th H.M.S. 'SYDNEY' (later to become Australia's most famous ship) landed two parties at Kokopo. The Union Jack was raised. One party of Australian troops went up the Toma road as far as Gire Gire in search of wireless installations. They were under observation of German troops. No contact was made and they returned to Kokopo.

Another party tried to get to Bitapaka overland from TAKUBAR through the bush behind Ulapia. But they found the jungle too thick. Early in the morning a third group had landed at Kabakaul. At the cross road there was a trading store and they received directions to the wireless station. The German Authorities had prepared defences with trenches, several land mines and a tree-top observation post. By 7p.m. the Australians had occupied the wireless station after the loss of 2 officers and 4 men and also 1 officer and 3 men wounded.

On September 14th the Australians shelled the Toma ridge and the German Governor, seeing the impossibility of the situation, surrendered.

An Eye Witness Recalls the War

The following are the Memoirs of Sr. M. Helena, French Sister of O.L.S.H., who was in Vunapope at the beginning of World War I.

One week after the declaration of the war in Europe, four Australian warships arrived here. Three of them came nearby and one came to the Mission jetty. The captain and some soldiers came up the hill to our convent, thinking it must be a Government building. Sr. M. Canice, an Australian sister, with one other, went to meet them. The captain asked them where the Governor was. The sister advised him to go to the Bishop and they showed them the way to the Fathers' place. Although he, Bishop Couppe, was not German, he would not betray the country and they did not ask this of him. He indicated to them the road to Kokopo where they could find out what they wanted to know.

We heard afterwards that they threatened to shell the place if the Governor would not surrender. But the first day they went back again because they did not know anything about military fortifications here.

About two weeks later they came with several ships. They had now the necessary information because some ships went straight to Rabaul and the others remained near Kabakaul and soldiers went on shore. A half-caste boy who was working on a plantation told them to go on another road because the Native soldiers had laid dynamite along this road and that they would all be killed. They did so but met Native soldiers with officers and a fight started. One doctor was killed there and buried near that place. The Australian soldiers followed the road to Kokopo, others the bush road. It was a Sunday afternoon. The big boys from the half-caste school here were walking on the road passing by Takubar. When they saw the soldiers with their guns ready for shooting they ran back as quickly as they could. Our girls were having a swim in the sea; the boys cried out: "Go home quickly, the Australians are behind us."

All ran up to the Mission and were just near their house when some soldiers followed them and lay down all around, ready to shoot.

The Bishop came and ordered Sisters and children into their houses and to keep quiet. Afterwards we heard shooting in the bush and we were told to be ready to nurse wounded soldiers if any were brought to the hospital and to put red cross bands on our arms. We waited till evening but no one arrived. We heard that someone had made a fire in a big bamboo bush which was burning and crackling the whole time till the night and we had a good laugh. The cracking of the bamboo we had mistaken for rifle fire.

All was quiet again, but the next morning we were surrounded by military guards. We were interned and could not leave the place. Arrangements were made by the Bishop so that we could go to the church for Holy Mass. Some time after, the Bishop asked that the girls to the beach for a swim and about two weeks later to go to the plantation to get their food. This was granted.

In the first weeks of the occupation all the Fathers and Brothers were taken to Kokopo to swear that they would not do anything against the Australian Government. The Fathers and Sisters had to stay in their own place. All the Missionaries from the stations were interned too; those from the Kokopo District here in Vunapope; those from the Rabaul District in Malagunan.

On the 15th August we were allowed to make the usual procession in honour of the Assumption. We were interned for about 6 weeks, then the Missionaries could go back to their stations. All had to be very careful. It was forbidden to send any paper without permission from Kokopo.

After the internment the military guards left the Sisters' place but one remained near the store and around Vunapope for some time till all was arranged.

During August the German Governor was summoned to surrender, but the military did not get any answer. The Government officers were hiding at Toma. They were threatened with shelling if they did not surrender, The next day we were gathered in the church for Requiem Mass for the Pope who had died, when suddenly, shells flew over the church and everything shook as if there was an earthquake. The children were very frightened but at a sign all was quiet and they kept on singing.

A white man, who was not a good friend of the Mission, gave the direction of the German Government but he did not give the right distance so the shells fell on Takabur. One shell fell on the steps of the Fathers' house and another behind the house. Nobody was hurt. After that they surrendered and affairs were arranged in Rabaul.

Soon the Government officials were sent away. The civilians could stay but could not have any property or transact business. All properties were taken over and so, in time, most of them left the territory. Those who were married to a half-caste or native woman, with children born in the territory, could stay and keep their plantations.

The Mission was in great danger of being dissolved because most of the Missionaries were German. As the Bishop was French, they could not act without higher authority and so the affairs were suspended. But no German Missionary could come in, and if one were to go for a holiday he could not return till 1926. Those from neutral countries could come.

Australian Occupation.

The Australian occupation of Rabaul was not high-handed. The Missionaries from the south coast were sent to Vunapope and those on north coast to Malagunan, but only for a short time. After this the Missionaries were obliged to take an oath of loyalty to the Australian Government and were then allowed to return to their stations and were requested to keep the natives quiet. The great difficulty was that Missionaries were required to remain on their stations during the night hours, which excluded the possibility of visiting out-stations. The Bishop and some Priests with allied passports were able to visit their out-stations and they did so as often as they could. Everybody had to report to head-quarters every month.

When the war was over in 1918 many of the Priests, Brothers and Nuns had to leave because of ill-health. Some Australian Priests arrived to take their places. They were Fathers Hyland, Troy, and Henschke.

Bishop Couppe's last wish was to open up a station at Nakanai at Talasea. The timber for the building did not arrive until 1920. The Bishop was suffering from very ill-health and was recalled but did not leave until the arrival of the new Bishop. When Father Mertens (of saintly memory) was telling me the story of the Mission he said that he remembered Bishop Couppe as a man who was an excellent leader with a mind that was clear and practical and blessed with great foresight, in short, a real pioneer. When Father Mertens first arrived an old Priest advised him, "Never ask the Bishop anything to which he could give a definite 'no', as an answer, because after he has 'no' to it, it will still be 'no' in 20 years time, if you ask again".

In August 1923, he went to Australia and lived at Douglas Park where he died in 1926. His body was disinterred and at present rests in the cemetery at Vunapope.

Chapter VIII.

MANUS (Admiralty Isls.) ......By Fr. Dahmen M.S.C.

Manus 360 miles from Vunapope. Population 14000 ~ 35 different dialects. 2 main-tribes: Manus (before Paliau's time living on reefs - houses on piles; since Paliau living on the beach of the main land or on islands) and Usiai, the bush people; some of them have moved to the beach.

First Contact

1905 the government oflicials made an expedition to Manus and took a few prisoners and hostages to Kokopo. The hostages were given to the Catholic mission to be educated there. Then Bishop Couppe became interested in the Manus people and made several trips to Manus. He bought 18 properties for future mission stations and plantations.

One of the young Manus boys came from the village Papitalai. In 1912 he returned to Manus as a Catechist, Joseph Pominis. Bishop Couppe gave him 300 marks in cash and goods of the same value. He was to prepare the people of his village for the missionaries who would follow him soon.

Letters and articles were published in the German Annals to to raise funds for the new mission station in Manus. A benefactor from Luxemburg, Peter Welsch, donated 10.000 francs, and a Russian bishop, Gasparus Cyrtocot from Kowno, donated 100 roubles for the first mission station on Manus.

First Missionaries

In 1913 Bishop Couppe sent the first missionaries to Manus: Fr. August Kleintitschen, Fr. K. Borchardt and Bro. F. Knepper. They left Vunapope in November by the boat "Ida", but after 2 days the sea was too rough, so they had to turn back. After a few days of rest they left again, and arrived at Papitalai where they were to found the first station on November 24th.

The missionaries were told that they would find a bush house ready to receive them. But there was nothing ready for them but bush. The catechist had proved a failure. The people were against the missionaries, The catechist had wasted the money given to him by the bishop. So the missionaries had to do the work themselves, clear a place to build their first house. When the people saw them working, some came to help them.

The Beginning

The beginning was very hard. Papitalai was far away from any native village. People showed no interest in religion. The people did not go to the missionaries and the missionaries had no means to travel and to visit the people to introduce themselves.

Bro. Knepper started a coconut plantation at Papitalai. At the same time Mr. Reiss, employed by the Mission, started a plantation at Bundralis.

But as far as mission work was concerned the position was hopeless. On the South coast of Manus was an epidemic. It would have been a good opportunity for the missionaries to introduce themselves to the people but they had no means to visit the people. The missionaries were sitting on a hill, far away from the people, and the people living near by showed no interest in the missionaries' work.

In September 1916 Bishop Couppe unexpectedly visited Mahe realised the impossible position of Papitalai as mission station, so he transferred the missionaries to Bundralis, some 35 miles to the West from Papitalai - Papitalai was abandoned.

At Bundralis

The Bundralis station was founded on the day of St. Michael in 1916. Now the missionaries were with the Usiai, bush people. Right on one of the first days after their arrival the chief of the next village told the missionaries: "We have no time for your religion, but we like your tobacco and money."

The prospect for the future was not very bright. After a month Fr. Kleintitshen wrote to Vunapope: "The population is very small. In the next village, Gahek, are only 15 men, in Non 8 and in Leheva 25. There are only a very few children, not even 1 to a family. Without pinnace and catechists we cannot do anything."

At the end of 1916 the first boy volunteered for the school. The people kept away from the missionaries. In May 1917 we read: "Only the Gahek people come to church on Sundays, the Non and Leheva people have no interest. Nobody comes for baptism instructions. We cannot do anything, but wait."

P. Kleintitschen was always sick, therefore he asked his superiors to be transferred. (August 1918)

The first group of schoolboys 32) was baptized and confirmed April 27th, 1919. A day after the celebration Fr. Kleintitschen left Manus.

A great change took place in 1922, as shown in the following table:

Years	Comm. devotionis	Comm. of obligat
1917 - 18	0	0
1918 - 19	370	42
1919 - 20	1,880	40
1920 - 21	2,200	45
1921 - 22	4,331	111
1922 - 23	13,802	200
1923 - 24	23,174	232
1924 - 25	18,522	236
1925 - 26	28,861	428
1926 - 27	35,529	526
1927 - 28	50,276	808

The Great Change

The real change happened in 1922. On the 1st of January 7 mothers brought their babies to the priest to be baptized without being asked to do so, a thing never heard of before. Before that time the priest in charge used to say Mass on Sundays, give Holy Communion to schoolboys, give a sermon to an indifferent congregation - and his Sunday-work was done. Now on this day 7 baptisms - a work he was not used to.

The church at Bundralis had never seen a celebration like this. The church had been built in 1916, 36ft. by 15ft. Now it had to be enlarged, but already after a month it proved to be too small. So a new and bigger one had to be built.

People took religion seriously now. Once when the new Catholics were on their way to the church a baby died. The mother turned back to bring the child back to the village, but the chief - still a pagan, forbade her to return: "The priest has baptized the child. It belongs to God, who called the child to Him, let the priest of God bury the child."

At Papitalai again.

The West of the mainland Manus had decided to become Catholic, but the East still was not concerned about religion. In April 1919 P. J. Künzler arrived in Manus to replace Fr. Kleintitschen. In October 1920 he re-opened Papitalai, but with little success. When in May 1922 he had to return to Europe for health's sake, his baptismal record showed only 32 entries.

After the departure of Fr. Künzler there was only one priest in Manus, till Fr. Bernhard van Klaarwater arrived in May 1923. When on Christmas Eve 1923 the little boat "Arnold" arrived, there was great joy amongst the Manus people. From now on the missionaries were able to visit the Catholics on the many islands on the North coast of Manus. From time to time they visited Papitalai, still hoping to convert the people to the Catholic faith.

1924 Bro. Knepper was called back to Vunapope, Bro. Tidde took his place.

In 1925 Br. Averbeck was sent to Manus to build a copra drier in Papitalai. During his stay at Papitalai Fr. Borchardt stayed with him. At that time the Father noticed a change amongst the people. They came to church and asked for instructions. Not long after that Papitalai became Catholic. From there the faith spread to the other villages in the vicinity and even to the adjacent islands, some of them 20 - 40 miles from Papitalai. Even the people of the small island Nauna, 80 miles from Papitalai came to stay in Papitalai to be instructed by the people.

At the beginning of 1928 the Catholics of Papitalai built a big church of bush-material (it was destroyed during World War Il) and invited the Catholics of whole Manus for the blessing of the church on April 25th, 1928. People of 20 different tribes were present at the celebration. On this day the station of Papitalai was re-opened, Fr. Borchardt was again in charge.

Arrival of the first Sisters.

Up to this date there was only a boarding school for boys. The education of girls had been neglected, because there were no Sisters on Manus. At the end of 1927 Bros. Knepper and Middeke built a big convent and boarding school for girls at Bundralis Bishop Vesters brought the first Sisters (Sr. Cunera, Sr. Ancilla and Sr. Adela, F.N.D. du S.C.) to Manus. Parents from all parts of Manus entrusted their girls to the care of the Sisters. In 1931 there were 60 girls in charge of the Sisters.

Further progress of mission work at Manus.

Bundralis had a boarding school for boys for many years, dedicated to the Martyrs of Uganda). Fr. Borchardt found the St. Peter Canisius school at Papitalai, as soon as Papitalai was re-opened.

One Baptism celebration followed the other. From Papitalai the faith spread to Povat, in the middle between Bundralis and Papitalai. In June 1929 there were already 355 Catholics.

The pinnace had been a great help to the missionaries, but in August 1929 it broke down. From now on the missionaries had to visit their people by canoe.

The South Coast.

In the same year the South coast of Manus, where the real Manus tribe was living, woke up. The Protestant missionaries had tried very often to convert them to their faith, but the Manus-people always refused to accept them. Bishop Couppe had bought several properties from them, so they said: "The bishop, has bought our land, and with the land ourselves."

In May 1930 Fr. J. Dahmen arrived in Manus. He stayed with Fr. van Klaarwater at Bundralis as assistant priest.

The Protestant missionaries could not convert the beach people, so they started in the bush at the back of Lorengau and Povat. 10 villages accepted their religion. But when they tried to spread their faith to the 30 other villages they did not succeed. "We don't want a religion which has been made by men, we want the religion of God." They had been in steady contact with the beach and islands' people who had been become Catholics already or were under instructions. Fr. Borchardt sent his first catechists into the hinterland of Povat in January 1931.

On the day of Christ the King we celebrated a feast of thanksgiving. At Bundralis a big new church had just been completed. The Catholics of the whole of Manus were invited. Many could not come for the celebration because they had to do some important work for the government. More than 2,000 people from over 40 difierent villages were present.

After this celebration Fr. Borehardt left Manus for a well deserved holiday in Europe, and Fr. Dahmen took over Papitalai till he would be replaced by Fr. F. Utsch in January 1932.

At the end of 1932 Fr. Dahmen started a new Station at Povat. When he moved to Povat he took over 500 Catholics from stations, Papitalai and Bundralis. From there he visited the people in the bush at the back of Povat. People there were very friendly and showed much interest in the faith. Many who had been adherents of the Protestants joined those who took instructions in the Catholic faith. After 10 years the Station Povat counted 1,600 Catholics.

In 1934 a fourth priest came to Manus, Fr. Jürgens, who founded a new station in the West of Manus, on the island Bipi.

War Comes.

The work was very flourishing when the war broke out, and mission work was handicapped. The four missionaries being Germans were not allowed to visit their people any more. They had to stay in their houses from 6p.m. to 6a.m. At daytime they could leave their station, but it was impossible to make long trips.

Therefore, to make mission work possible, Bishop Vesters transferred Fr. Jürgens to another part of the mission and replaced him by the Dutch had been priest, Fr. van Klaarwater who had been in Manus before, but was sent to a station in Britain after he had taken his holidays in Holland.

Then the Japanese occupied Manus in 1942. Fr. Dahmen had gone to Vunapope for medical treatment and was taken prisoner by the Japanese when they took Rabaul. The other priests still at Manus, - Frs. Borchardt, Fr. Utsch and Fr. Klaarwater - at the beginning were allowed to stay on their stations. But in 1943 they were with other civilians and the Protestant missionaries put aboard a Japanese ship and killed on their way to Rabaul. The three Sisters of Bundralis, Srs. Cunera, Ancilla and Elizabeth were also killed on the same boat.

Now people were left without a priest till the Americans occupied Manus. American chaplains did what they could for the people. They said Mass for them in their villages and baptized children.

Post-War Period

In the beginning of 1946 Fr. O'Connell received permission from the American Navy to return to Manus and to stay in the base. There was great joy among the people when they again received a priest who was to take care of them. But with the exception of the buildings on Bipi island all the stations were completely destroyed. The S.D.A. who arrived at the same time in Manus again tried to invade all our Catholic villages, but without success. They succeeded only in one village with 40 people who had been baptized just before the war.

Fr. Dahmen who had been in Manus before the war returned to Manus in August 1946. After a short stay at Papitalai he moved to Bundralis where he rebuilt the station, church and presbytery. In 1949 he went to Europe for holidays and never returned to Manus. He was replaced by Fr. Kelly who started again a boarding school for boys with two Christian Brothers in charge.

Fr. O'Connell started a station on the Southcoast of Manus, first at Drasusum.

Cargo Cult

"Cargo Madness" is known in most parts of Papua, New Guinea and New Britain. It follows a regular pattern in all places in its essentials, although it receives minor changes and additions in various localities.

Cargo madness began in New Britain amongst the MENGEN tribe. A certain native, by name KERO claimed to have been told in a dream by his ancestors that ships full of all the good things a native's heart can long for, would arrive. The CARGO was for those natives who possessed nothing.

The local natives and those of neighbouring tribes were swept away by these promises. They utterly deserted their Religion, Revelation, and common sense. All their property, pigs and gardens were destroyed so that all would be ready to receive the cargo. They built large store houses for the cargo: bully beef, rice, cigarettes, matches, clothes, sawn timber and iron.

But the ship did not arrive. Their 'prophet' was goaled.

In 1939 a certain European, Zyganek, visited these islands in specially built canoe and excited the imagination of many natives. According to a statement made by a native (Batari) during his trial, Zyganek said to him: 'I have been travelling the Pacific now for many months looking for the MAN. Now I have found him: You are the MAN I am looking for. You have the qualities of a leader" He told him to return to his tribe; form and drill the natives and to expect ships with arms and ammunition.

Batari enthusiastically followed the plan. The Nakanai followed him. Soon "The Ships' became in their minds the ships of their ancestors. When the Japanese invasion began, here was the dream come true. Batari placed his troops at their disposal. The cargo began to arrive, but it bore a Japanese address! The Japanese were not their ancestors after all. They even imprisoned and flogged Batari.

After the war many places were infected with the madness. Natives saw fleets of ships and great masses of planes. Unable to grasp that these things have to be made, their simple minds fixes on the easy solution that all these things were the property of their ancestors.

Even today amongst the Tolai, there are some (it could well be that they are many more than one would suspect) who are convinced that the ships that come to Rabaul are sent to them by their ancestors, but the ever greedy white man watches for them from the observatory, goes out to meet them, changes the name of the ship. carefully erases the natives' names from the cases and replaces them with his own name. The white man never pays for these things but merely writes on a piece of paper. Hence in all Cargo Madness there is the desire to be rid of the white man who steals the native cargo, and to be rid of the Government that allows the white man to do it.

In 1947 even the hard headed Manus people fell for the madness. Seeing the American supplies, they concluded that here at last were their ancestors......but again the cargo had the wrong address. 3,000 people became followers of PALIAU. He taught the usual essentials of the madness, mingled into it some doctrines of the Church, advocated Public Confession to those who desired it, rejected the Sacrament as we know it, denied Hell, insisted That the Blessed Virgin was German, built jetties and storerooms....they are still waiting for their cargo.

At present in Manus we have:-

Papitalai - Fr. Zimmer - 1565 Catholics.
Bundralis - Fr. Kelly - 2781 Catholics
Bipi - Fr. Hawkins - 943 Catholics
Patu - Fr. Beermann - 1458 Catholics

Chapter IX.

BISHOP VESTERS

Bishop Vesters was born at VEIGHT in Holland. He completed his major studies at Rome and was ordained priest in 1914. He became secretary to the Bishop of Lippa in the Phillippines. He worked as a missionary in Brazil. In 1915 he was made Prefect Apostolic of the Celebes and in 1923 Vicar Apostolic of Rabaul. He was consecrated Bishop by Bishop Coupe in August of that same year.

He Aims to Extend

He had served in extensive missions and found that the mission in Rabaul was centred in Gazelle peninsula, but was not established well enough in other places. So he determined to extend. In this he was seriously hampered by the lack of priests some had to leave because of ill-health, the German province was hindered from sending priests till 1927. Only 5 priests arrived in that period. These had allied passports (amongst them was the present Bishop).

He Sets up Catechist School.

The only solution to the difficulty was to set up a catechist school in which to train Native Lay Apostles to teach and instruct their fellow natives. He called for volunteers from every station. By 1927 he had set up a large school at Taliligap with 308 pupiles under the direction of two priests and two Brothers.

In 1924 he sent priests to Nakanai and set up stations at Valoka and Bitokara. The first stations on North coast were Kilenge and Poi. New openings on New Ireland at this time were:-

Tabar, Tanga, Lihir where there were large populations of children.

The Seminary

The seminary to train native priests was set up in 1934 under Fr. Hövekamp, with one student, who is to-day a priest Fr. Herman Paivu. In 1936 there were 5 students. A new building was erected at Kininigunan in 1937. Some Papuans arrived that year, one of whom is to-day Fr. Effie. The next year Fr. Kleintitschen was director. Fr. Hoehne was Rector assisted by Fr. Reichl. These two continued till 1946, keeping up the work all through the prison camp. The fact that there were five ordinations in 1954 is due in no small measure to the dogged determination of these two men. Various priests assisted them during the years: Fr. Hertzog, Lyons, Harris, McCullagh and Laufer.

When the Major Seminary opened there were two students Paivu and Morea (Papua).

The first representatives of the the Bukas arrived in 1940. They were Peter Tatamas and Aloysius Tamuku, both of whom are priests to-day. In 1944 all was bombed out. In 1954 Father Bata and Paivu were ordained priests.

(NOTE: In 1955 St. Peter Chanel Regional Seminary was set up at Ulapia. The first Rector was Fr. English, M.S.C., formerly prefect of studies at Douglas Park. He had another priest Fr. Church to assist him. The first year the number of students was 30, from 5 Vicariates (Rabaul, North Solomons, South Solomons, Madang, and Port Moresby.)

At present there are three priest teachers (Fr. Cunningham arriving in 1956,) 50 students, from 9 Vicariates. The Vicariates with students in the Seminary to-day are the five mentioned above and also Gilbert Islands, East Papua, Wewak and Kavieng. This year at the Bishops' meeting in Lae it was decided that the Philosophical Seminary would be in the charge of the Marist Fathers in Buka. The first group of student will be ready to begin their major studies in 1960.)

A Great Missionary

Bishop Vesters used to make frequent visits to the out-stations and kept minute records He knew the needs of each station in detail. He built a large novitiate for the Native sisters (Natu i Ia Maria Immaculata) which prospered before the war. He established the Oblates of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the girls of Mixed blood. There are and have been only two members. It seems that it would be better to receive young girls from this community (who have a vocation) into a European order rather than to confine them to an order of their own.

Native Welfare.

In the matter of Native welfare, he set up in Vunapope a Native men's hospital, the maternity home (which to-day averages more than three births a day) - both of these hospitals were entrusted to the M.S.C. Sisters. Naturally every outstation carried on the very necessary work of education and medical work.

Special mention must be made of the leper hospital at Anelaua. It was set up in 1929. There were 300 patients under the care of Bro. Teutenberg and the M.S.C. Sisters. A doctor came from Kavieng to attend them. Many were cured. Bro. Teutenberg said that of all the work of attending the leper there was none that was so difficult as when it was necessary to tell a patient that he had to go to BRUMIN on the other side of the island...the place for incurables. During the war they were not molested by the Japanese who feared the disease. In 1944 they were taken by U-boat to Brisbane. The Brother died on Christmas Eve.

The End.

Bishop Vesters was ailing and being unable to travel, asked to resign. In 1938 he was made Administrator of the Vicariate. He waited to consecrate his successor, Most Reverend Leo Scharmach on 3rd October 1939. War had already begun in Europe. Bishop Vesters went to MARY'S MOUNT in Melbourne.

At the Golden Jubilee of his priesthood he ordained Father Bata at Vuvu. He died in 1954.

THE RUMBLE OF VOLCANOES.

As we all know, Rabaul today is built on a sloping shore of a deep harbour. Originally there was no harbour but in its place was a very tall mountain probably 8 thousand feet high. One can imagine the bulk of this mountain if one looks from North Daughter at the circle of mountains around the harbour. It is clear that these ridges are only the worn down stumps of one mighty mountain. Some titanic volcano tore the heart out of this mountain and left only a big crater. The south wall of this crater was worn down by either another eruption or the weather and the sea broke in to form a harbour. The other, craters around the rim are only parasitic - much like pimples forming on a face. They are well named Daughters......but they are not daughters to the Mother mountain for the oldest was the North Daughter, next South Daughter, then Mother mountain, then Cambiu, Tavurvur, and (youngest) Vulcan. It is interesting to note that the two last major recent eruptions began under the harbour.

History

There are two reasons for the frequent gurias in the Gazelle peninsula. There is a fault (or crack) in the earth's surface here, and when part of the land slips it sets up vibrations. These usually begin quietly and build up in intensity. The other type of guria that begins violently is of Volcanic origin. Rabaul is at the juncture of two volcanic lines, the one running parallel with the north coast and the other comes north from New Zealand and these two meet somewhere in the vicinity of Rabaul. Another volcanic line runs along the Warangoi River. Constant watch is made in Rabaul on the earth movements. A series of frequent, violent gurias that were felt only locally would indicate that the crater was building up pressure. Instruments sunk into the rock warn if the surface rock is beginning to buckle as is usual before an eruption. The thermal heat of the crater is constantly tested to see if it is increasing.

As long as Rabaul has been known, there have been eruptions. Its history, as well as its geography is pock-marked with eruptions. When Carteret sailed between New Ireland and New Britain in 1767 he noticed Volcanic activity around Rabaul. Matupit Island rose out of the sea about 1840.

The Eruption of 1878.

The first eruption of which we have a detailed description was that of 1878. It was watched by Doctor Brown, the first Methodist missionary here and a naturalist of no mean quality. The eruption began on 30th Jan. and continued for more than two weeks. During the previous week there had been typical volcanic earthquakes, that is, violent, frequent but only local... so much so that they were hardly noticeable on the Duke of York Group.

Previous to this time there had been deep water where Vulcan stands today. At this spot there was sub-marine eruption and an island three miles around, one mile wide and 70 foot high) rose out of the sea. Its appearance was accompanied by tidal waves. During the following years it was weathered down in size. Beehive rocks sank deeper into the harbour.

A few hours later Tavurvur on the other side of the harbour erupted in a series of convulsive explosions throwing out rocks (but no lava) and smoke and flames 4,000 feet into the air. The harbour, ever though it was deeper than 30 fathoms in places and is of such large expanse, grew scalding hot so that even deep inside the harbour at Malagunan the dead turtles were found to have their shells melted off their backs. At Escape Bay about 150 yards was added to the coast line. It is interesting to note that before this eruption Tavurvur was as quiet and as smokeless as it is today.

The Last Major Eruption.

Before 1937 Vunapope Mission had a slip for boats on Vulcan Island. On May 30th Brother Schaller was working on the slip and left to go back to Vunapope at 2 o'clock. When he was leaving the reef beside the island was rising and sinking into the sea. At three o'clock the entire Island blew up in a major eruption. It was just 16 days after the Coronation of George VI and in Rabaul some of the bunting was still flying. Many of the town folk were watching a baseball match on that Saturday afternoon when the eruption occurred.

The town was used to frequent gurias and earth movements as it is today. But during the weeks previous, they had been so frequent that it was obvious that something big was going to happen.....but what? and where? Dead fish were being washed up on the shore and natives persisted in gathering them. 350 natives were trapped on the sea shore and killed either by falling debris or in the tidal wave.

At that time the Kokopo- Rabaul road was further inland running along the bottom of the steeply rising mountain on the one side and the sea on the other. The road reminded one very much of the road at Malaguna today. There was continual coconut groves and Native Villages. There was sea where the road climbs the hill near Vulcan to-day.

The people escape.

People lined the shore at Rabaul to watch the eruption. They became fearful as gigantic clouds of rolling white steam rose into the air and was then blackened by ash and pumice. Ash began to fall over the town. Some People escaped to the North-coast, some to the European Hospital at Namanula, others to Nodup.

Saturday night was one of explosion, tidal waves, and falling volcanic debris. All the while the flat Island was building itself up into a mountain. Shortly before midnight the entire mountain was on fire. The old crater on the other side of the harbour, Tavurvur, erupted spewing out volcanic mud over the town. It was Tavurvur that did all the damage to Rabaul.

At Vunapope.

Most of the people went to Vunapope. They took ships at Nondup and came across the harbour. Some who tried to escape on the Vunavavar road found that it had turned into a fast running stream of water that blocked their way. Those that took refuge at the mission were housed under canvas.

The Natives who were killed were mostly Methodists. The stations at Tavuiliu and Taliligap that looked into the crater as it rose beneath them, suffered comparatively little damage, except for the weight of Volcanic debris that fell on the tops of the buildings, which broke in places under the strain. Had the wind been in a different direction many Catholic station would have suffered - even Vunapope. For 40 miles inland volcanic dust blotted out all green growth. Anyone caught in the dust cloud found it blacker than the blackest night. It produced lightning for 3 days. The eruption of fine ash Tavurvur continued for years. It ceased shortly after the Japanese invasion. Despite daily vigilance by vulcanologists and assurances that a similar eruption would not happen again without warning, it was decided that the capital of New Guinea should again be moved, this time to Lae.

Some months afterwards a European on an out station cut off from news, sent in a report to the Government that late in May he had heard the eruption-light sounds and asked if they had heard them also in Rabaul...... they had!

When the Government ordered everyone to leave Rabaul, most sought refuge at Vunapope Mission. The European women were housed in the two convents, the men in the priests' and Brothers' houses.

On the Sunday evening, Fr. Murche found 250 of the Chinese community and 60 of their work-boys huddled on the beach below the mission. These he took to his half-cast school and sheltered there. He housed 357 in the school. Amongst the seven European men who stayed there were: Mr. W.H. Carpenters (Carpenters Co.); Mr. Wynne (Vacuum Oil); Mr. Combie (solicitor); Mr. Green (Medical Assistance).

The Government provided food for the refugees. No words could express the sympathy and generosity of the officer in charge of the Government store, Mr. Smith. The people found refuge in Vunapope for three weeks The Bishop was awarded the O.B.E.; Fr. Murche and Doctor Brehm (Mission doctor who did prodigious work amongst those who had been injured in escaping, were awarded the M.B.E.

The Governor-General made a personal visit and thanked the Missionaries for their work during the eruption.

Chapter X.

BISHOP SCHARMACH AND WAR.

The Most Reverend Leo Scharmach was born in Stargard, Poland. He attended the Apostolic Schools at Hiltrup, and completed his Major studies at Oeventrop. He did medical work in the first world war and was awarded the Iron Cross. He came to New Britain in 1925 and was stationed at Mope with the Sulka tribe. He later worked at Guma and Pililo. He was consecrated Bishop October 3rd 1939. There was war in Europe and Military Law in Rabaul.

The news of Pearl Harbour broke on the world on the 8th December 1941. Up to this time people in Rabaul hoped that New Britain was too unimportant to attract an enemy's attention. But, after Pearl Harbour they knew they would be in the fighting zone. Events began to move swiftly in the Pacific. The Japanese swarmed South and soon Rabaul felt war's hot breath on its necks. On January 4th 1942, 2 p.m. twenty Japanese planes in an attempt to destroy the Matupit airstrip) bombed the native hospital. It needed no prophet now to foretell the future. The Japanese had designs on Rabaul and when they came they could not be resisted because Australia had obeyed the League of Nations' injunction that this Mandated Territory was not to be armed. On January 20th, eighteen Dive Bombers strafed a mission boat on the North Coast killing the Captain and wounding a priest and a nun. By the 22nd the enemy had silenced the few guns and anti-aircraft batteries in Rabaul. The way was now wide open!

It was Night.

At night on the 23rd January, forty ships of the Japanese Imperial Fleet slipped into Rabaul Harbour. As the coastal mission stations began to wake up at 5 o'clock the missionaries were puzzled by the many lights in the harbour. As morning drew closer, dark, bulky shapes stood out for what they were - ships of the line! Some thought they were Americans. The priests and nuns at Tavuiliu found the Japanese already streaming through the stations having scaled the cliff on their way to the aerodrome. At Vunapope it was not long before they received the news, "Japanese landing at Pilapila and Karavia". That morning Vunapope was occupied by the Japanese. The story of the Mission from that day (Jan.23rd 1942) up to August 15th 1945 is one of anguish. Since it has already been told in the book "Red Grew the Harvest" by the O.L.S.H. Sisters and since it is being written by His Lordship in detail we will content ourselves here only with the main events.

From the very beginning the Bishop resisted the Japanese and fought them every step of the way. The Japanese took over all the buildings along the sea front from the Bishop's house to the Cathedral and all the workshops. From now on Vunapope was to be a Japanese Hospital. The mission- aries were confined to the area in the back ground. In April Fr. McCullagh and Brother Brennan were removed from Vunapope and after the war it was reported that they were among the victims of the "Montevidio Maru", supposed to have been torpedoed off the Philippine Islands. This report was proved to be false. These two Missionaries, along with other Australian prisoners were never put on the the "Montevideo Maru". Death came to them from Japanese machine guns in a trench dug at Kerevat which also served as a common grave. These facts will be found in the "Memoirs" of His Lordship, Bishop Scharmach. Many Australian soldiers at- tempting to escape by the South Coast were caught and were massacred at Tol. A good number of soldiers owed their lives to Fr Harris who gave them everything; even his own ship so that they could escape. Father Harris's fate is unknown.

Coral Sea Battle.

Full of confidence the Japanese Armada steamed out of Rabaul Harbour early in May - destination - Australia. A week later after the Coral Sea battle a few transports limped back into Rabaul. The Japanese now dug themselves in, in New Britain.

Meanwhile the Missionaries spent their days in work, study: and endless searching, searching by the Japanese. Food was not plentiful, but with supplies from the garden in Takubar and that stolen back from the Japanese they were not nearly as badly off as they were to be later.

After July many Japanese left for the New Guinea Campaign. Those who returned from Kokoda and Buna were broken, dispirited and disgruntled. By September Rabaul was being bombed by the Allies. In October the Japanese took all Vunapope's buildings and and mission personnel were enclosed behind barbed wire. Fortunately the Bishop had taken the precaution to have air-raid shelters built. They tunnelled into the hills and fortified the entrances with coconut logs. Mass was said at the entrance of the tunnel, and the Blessed Sacrament preserved in a Tabernacle scooped out from the earthen walls underground. Before October 1943 there was a lull in the air raids. Then on October 13th hundreds of allied planes raided Rapopo aerodrome and Ulapia. (Ulapia was a large food-dump.) This was the beginning of the mammoth raids. After it the Japanese housed soldiers and stored war materials in the "hospital" at Vunapope. The allied intelligence soon found this out and it spelt doom for Vunapope.

On the 11th February Vunapope was raided for the first time. The missionaries were using an old kapok shed as an hospital. Among the inmates on that day were Father Mertens and a Marist Brother (Redmond). Hearing the planes overhead Father Mertens made for shelter. As he went he heard Brother Redmond say "Vunapope will never be bombed". He was killed by the first bomb that fell. Twenty brothers and priests were to die as a result of wounds and shock from that raid. The Japanese suffered heavy casualties and immediately after the raid it was necessary to perform the gruesome task of collecting human remains that have been blasted over the compound. It was obvious that the allies intended to bomb Vunapope out of existence. It was blasted from the air and the sea. The air raids came to a climax on the 27th February. After that there was no Vunapope to bomb. The Americans began saturating bombing from Raluana to beyond Ulapia. The whole coast burned for two days. Not a Jap was seen for two days. During which time the missionaries "stole" back some of their stores.

The Japanese now issued orders that the Missionaries must go to a "safer place" (where they would no longer witness the humiliation of the Japanese navy and the destruction of her Air-force) All the Missionaries were to go to Ramale Valley - two hours walk from Vunapope a noisome, damp, unhealthy gully, five hundred feet down a gorge covered with virgin jungle, where the sunlight never penetrated and everything was dank and moss-grown - in short a place of eternal twilight. (Fr. Hoehne said he feared the falling bombs far less than the eternal shadows of Ramale).

They went there on the 6th July 1944. They felled the trees, levelled the floor of the valley and tunnelled into the hill sides of this shadowish hell. All were sick from malnutrition and malaria. Houses of bush material were erected. It rained for three solid months and from the brow of the hill the ever watchful police were always on guard. They received from the Japanese their last supply - 10 bags of rice for 300 people. They still had some wine and some flour left from which they made the requisites for Mass. One tin of flour, as was natural, turned black and stale in the moisture - laden air, but the other tin remained white and pure till the end and so Mass was always possible.

They had to make gardens which when flourishing were some times plundered by the Japanese. Their regular food be - potato leaves, tapiok and beans. They longed for meat - their greatest craving was for salt. The native Sisters continued to defy the police guard and brought in native food. Ramale spelt starvation - slow but sure!

The Missionaries were wise enough to realise that survival depended on their minds. And so every community had their retreats, the Priests had frequent "disputa", the Gunantunan Catechism was translated. Fr. Hoehne and Fr. Reischl continued training the Seminarists. They kept together as one community, they had three classes in the morning and four in the afternoon.

Of their captives this can be said: some were cruel, some were kind, most were indifferent.

"It was Mary, Queen of Heaven, who spoke the glorious" peace giving, "It is finished. For on the 15th August peace came to the Pacific. Three weeks later coo-ees came from the top of the Ramale gorge. We were rescued. The Australians had come!" ("Red Grew The Harvest") That was 15th August - six days before the date set for the massacre of Ramale!

The Australian army were surprised to be given a concert by these prisoners of war. The Marching song, "The Aussies In Green" composed by Fr. Reischl in the camp became from that day a popular song with the occupation forces It was several months before the general received the order to evacuate the prisoners. However the Australian army gave them all they needed. Some Missionaries were sent to Lae and Australia. In 1945 the Brother built bush houses at Vunapope. Some Australian Priests arrived to assist: Fr. Hyland, Fr. Copas, Fr. Ormonde, Fr. O'Loughlin (at present Bishop of Darwin) Fr. Quirk, Er. Askew, Fr. Dempsy. Vunapope began to rise again even though it was tents and bush buildings. The army bulldozed the whole area and installed electric lights in the huts.

Peter To Rot.

Peter To Rot was born at Rakunai in 1916. He went to the Mission school and later trained as a Teacher-Catechist. In 1934 he returned to his own village of Rakunai as a village teacher. For eight years he carried out his work under the care of a priest.

In 1942 the Japanese came to New Britain. The missionaries were all sent to Vunapope. To Rot took charge in Rakunai and he kept the Catholic people united. He took the children for school and taught them the Catechism as he had always done. He also assembled all the people, men, women and children for lessons in catechism. He led the people at prayers on Sundays. He baptised the babies. He witnessed marriages, and visited the sick. He kept a register of all these things just as the missionaries had done.

Often he secretly visited the missionaries in the camp at Vunapope. Later, Vunapope was destroyed, and the Missionaries were sent to Ramale Valley. To Rot collected blankets, clothing and food. He asked a Japanese driver to take these to Ramale, but they never reached the missionaries.

About Christmas 1944, To Rot and the Chief Tata, were called to Rabaul. The Japanese Police asked To Rot many questions about his work in the village. He answered them well. The Japanese then told him that the Catholic religion was not yet forbidden so he and his people could still pray. They allowed To Rot to return to his village. To Rot and his family went to live at Palnalama.

Some time later, the Japanese police in Navunaram called the Chiefs of the district together. They told the chiefs that all religious ceremonies must stop. There must be no more prayers, no meeting together, no baptisms, no marriages. To Rot replied to the police: "You have taken away our priests, but you cannot forbid us to be Catholics and to live as Catholics."

These words did not please the Japanese police and they made trouble for To Rot. Native spies were ordered to watch him and report if he disregarded Japanese orders. To Rot took no heed of the threats and continued with his catechetical work. He reprimanded his own brother, who had left his wife and wanted to take another woman. Thus in defending the sanctity of marriage, To Rot won his eternal crown. The faithless native reported to the Police that the catechist had again witnessed a marriage, and was continuing his work as, a Catechist.

To Rot was then imprisoned by the Japanese. One day the Doctor came in and told him that on the morrow they would give him an injection. To Rot knew he was not sick and suspected that the Japanese intended to kill him. His wife visited him that day, and he asked for his good clothes and his Catechist's cross. He said that he thought it was to be the end for him. It was. The next morning the Japanese came in with a syringe and gave To Rot the said injection.

So passed a faithful Catechist loyal to the end and having fulfilled the promise he made each day after his instructions:

"I am a Catechist, and I will do my duty even if it costs me my life…..."

War Casualties

Killed by the Japanese:

R. F. C. Martin (1942)
M. Murphy (1942)
E. Harris (21.12. 1942)
W. Culhane (19. 1. 1942)
C. Schluter (1942 or 1943)
R. Fr. D. McCullagh and R. Br. A. Brennan (July 1942) at Kerevat.

Killed in air-raids:

R. F. B. Bley (14. 2. 1944)
R. Brs. J. Wieschen 26. 1. 1944)
W. Deen (27. 2. 1944)
J. Langkamp (1. 4. 1944)
J. Wochner (17. 11. 1944)
R. Srs. N.M.I. (Native Sisters) Sophia and Anna.

Deceased during Japanese occupation:

R. Frs. W. Barrow
A. Kleintitschen
J. Oberreiter
J. Halt
F. Gründl
A. Mayrhofer
11 Brothers, 6 European Sisters, 7 Native Sisters. Most of those who died immediately after the war did so because of war time wounds or malnutrition.

Missing (probably killed) at Manus:

R. Frs. G. Borchardt
F. Utsch
B. Van Klaarwater.
Srs. O.L.S.H: M. Cunera, M. Ancilla and M. Elisabeth.

At New Ireland:

R. Frs. J. Lakaff
C. Neuhaus
P. Kutscher
J. Krutzenbichler
H. Kohlstette
J. Hemig
H. Zumkley
Fr. Utsch (junior)

Rescued and liberated by Australian Military Forces:

The Bishop
Priests 36
Brothers 36
O.L.S.H. Sisters 33
M.S.C. Sisters 43
Native Sisters 30

Towards the end of 1945 some of the fathers made periodic visits to the nearer stations Rakunai, Tapo etc. The Bishop went to Port Moresby and bought the Waimana and military equipment. At Manus he procured machinery and quonset huts to re-build the Mission.

In 1946 the Waimana went around New Britain and set down priests at the stations. At Vunamarita, Fr. Stapleman; At Valoka, Fr. Sweiger; At Talasea Fr. Franke: At Unca Er. Jürgens (This was one station that was not destroyed); Fr. Askew went to Marunga.

A similar trip was made around New Ireland in 1947. Most of the mission buildings on islands were undamaged and on the whole the natives were glad that the missionaries were back. Fr. Hochne went to Namatanai. Despite the frigid reception given to the missionaries at Tanga, Fr. Reischl remained there. Tabar was found in perfect order. There were fresh flowers on the altar and in the tabernacle were found two ciboriums, the hosts in one decomposed, but those in the other were in a perfect state of preservation. They were consumed next day by the Bishop at Mass.

The results of war.

The Mission buildings in New Britain were almost completely destroyed - off New Ireland, on the Islands, most buildings still stood, but all were damaged. The Natives on the whole, remained faithful to their religion. After the war Cargo Cult began in Manus which drew away 3,000. Today there are good signs that they will return to the faith. Today there are 81,293 Catholics, 70 priests, 50 Brothers, 154 Sisters, 65 Churches with the Blessed Sacrament and 507 other churches.

New Vicariate

On August 8th 1957 the Holy Father placed the Vicariate of Kavieng under the charge of the American Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. The new Bishop is the Most Rev. A. Stemper, M.S.C. D.D. There are about 23,000 Catholics in his Vicariate which comprises New Ireland, Manus and Duke of York Group.

AND SO WE COME TO THE END of our story. But the story itself is not ended. In 25 years time another will complete it for the hundred years. You, who ever you may be, will be looking back over those years to which we look forward. May they, too, be glorious years...years, please God, untouched by war, and free from the scourge of volcanoes and eruptions. May they be years in which,

Christ will Live Christ will conquer! Christ will reign!!

Chapter XI.

RANDOM HARVEST

It will be a pity if somebody does not soon gather together the memories of the many colourful personalities who have lived in these islands in the last 75 years. Queen Emma is likely to become a legend, but legend can never take the place of history...and such people as the Sun worshippers (Europeans who lived on Kabakon island who lived on fruit and dressed in sunshine) are likely to be forgotten. It is no place to recall them here. However we would like to gather together in this final chapter a random harvest of names and facts which have not been mentioned in this booklet and which we consider would be a pity to neglect.

Mrs. Tabuchi.

Mrs. Tabuchi was born on Thursday Island of Portugese parentage (Lanzerotte) The whole family came here in 1892. She was living in the Bainings and hers was the first marriage celebrated in St. Paul and it was arranged to be on the 13th of August to coincide with the anniversary of the Baining Martyrs.

Mrs. Tabuchi recalls very vividly the day in 1920 when the tragedy of 1904 was very nearly repeated. She and her husband went to Mass one Sunday morning and found Fr. Lakafi extremely worried. He told them that he feared something was brewing amongst the natives. However he suddenly pulled himself together and suggested that they begin Mass. He was so preoccupied that he did not ring the bell as was the usual custom. Mass completed, Mrs. Tabuchi and her husband, Louis, went home immediately. Very soon afterwards a messenger arrived at their house requesting them to return to the mission quickly and to come armed. The Suwit tribesmen were in the bush surrounding the mission and had been waiting to hear the Mass bell ring. Knowing that all would be in the church then, they had intended to attack and wipe out the Missionaries.

It appears that two years before Fr. Lakaff had opened a sub-station and put it in the charge of a catechist To Varporoi. This native and his mission trained wife Sautan worked diligently. They gathered the children for school, but the SUWIT tribesmen became extremely hostile. Led by a Baining SUCHA, they attacked his house one rainy night. To Varporai realizing what was up, called out to them, "The work I do is the work of God and for that I will die". He made the sign of the cross just before they cut his skull open. In the same way they killed his wife. The murderers said that they killed him because he "resisted the spirits" (Later his body was re-buried at St. Paul's beside the 'Baining Martyrs')

After these murders the tribesmen intended as we mentioned above to attack the church at St. Paul's on the Sunday morning. To Fr. Lakafl's utter relief and surprise an Australian Government patrol arrived at St. Paul's that morning. (SUCHA, the native who helped the SUWIT had friends amongst the coast people and rumours of what was afoot had been whispered amongst the coast people. The local priest had sent word to the Administration who immediately sent a patrol.) The patrol discovered the bodies of the murdered catechist and his wife. They found native cooking holes and uncovered the roasted body of a coastal native. (Mrs. Tabuchi was present and had snapshots of the scene till the war). During Mass the next Sunday Fr. Lakaff noticed at Mass a native who had assisted the SUWIT. He had him trapped before he left for the bush. He confessed that he had been sent to make sure the patrol had gone. He led the patrol back to where the tribesmen were in hiding and they were captured.

Mrs. Tabuchi recalls the converts and Catholics amongst the various races that settled in Rabaul. The only Catholics amongst the pure Malays were De Silva. From Guam: Julius Elluel, Titu and John Conboy.

From the Philippines Santiago Milan and Vestus Aldan. During Fr. Madigan's time some Japanese were converted: Tabuchi, Assanuma, Izumi, Nakamura.

Julius Elluel came to the Territory in 1912 as interpreter for the German Administration buying land from the natives in the South Seas. He worked for the Australian Exproprition Board and the former "Rabaul Times". He remembers the location of all the main buildings in Rabaul since 1912. A point of interest is that originally the Church owned the property opposite to where it is now. There was a hot thermal spring near the Cosmo Hotel. The water flowed through the Mission property. In 1919 the Australian Government made an exchange and the Mission obtained the present property, while a native hospital was erected on the other side of the present road. The patients used to bathe in the hot spring. In an earthquake 1919 the spring cooled and after the 1937 eruption it dried up.

American Fathers in this Mission:

The first American Missionaries arrived in 1946:

Fr. Bernard Hawkins: Siar, now Bipi-Manus.
Fr. Alfred Stemper: Vuna- pope, Ulamona, Pililo, now elected bishop.
Fr. Anthony Gendusa: Uvol, now in U.S.A.
Fr. Philip Kelly: Papitalai, Bundralis.
Fr. Carl Zimmer: Lamasong, now Papitalai.
Fr. Vincent Kopunek: Tu- ruk, now in U.S.A.
Fr. Charles Patrick arrived in 1948 - Papitalai, now in U.S.A.
Fr. Charles Dillon arrived in 1950: Ulamona, now in U.S.A.

For the new Mission Kavieng:

Fr. Charles Reed
Fr. Martin Kopunek
Bro Paul Becker Preitas
Bro. Anthony
Bro. Robert Figurel

Irish priests in the Rabaul-Mission.

Fr. William Culhane.
Bishop Vesters, on his visit to Europe in 1926, asked the Irish Provincial for priests, since at that time German priests were not yet allowed into the territory. Fr. Culhane arrived in 1926. He was sent to Taliligap, where he taught the catechists, especially English. 1932 he founded the station Malmal where he stayed till he went home on holidays in 1939. After his holidays he founded the station Uvol where he was killed by the Japanese. He was taken to the reef near his station where he was shot. The natives were not allowed to bury him. His corpse was left on the reef till it was washed away by the sea.
Fr. William Barrow.
He arrived in the Mission in 1933. His first station was Kilenge. Shortly before the war he was transferred to Rabaul as parish priest. Here he was captured by the Japanese and put into prison with the soldiers and civilians. During his prison time he contracted a disease, probably dysentery, from which he never recovered. After 6 months of prison in Rabaul he was taken to Vunapope where in the beginning he seemed to recover, but then he was confined to bed and died.
Fr. William O'Connell.
Arrived in this Mission in 1939. When Rev. Leo Scharmach became bishop, Fr. O'Connell took over his old station Pililo, where he was caught by the Japanese when on sea. He was taken to the prison at Rabaul, handcuffed for three months, finally taken to Vunapope to stay with the Missionaries at Vunapope, and later in Ramale.

After the war he was sent to Manus to buy material from the American Navy and Air Force. He rebuilt again Papitalai, founded a new station on the South coast of Manus: Drasusum, has in the meantime been transferred to Patu. In 1947 he went home for holidays. when he returned he was sent to Poi, finally to Bitokara. When Fr. Culhane returned from his holidays in 1940 or 41 he brought with him 3 Irish priests: - Fr. Cadogan, Fr. Durkin and Fr. Murphy.

Fr. Cadogan took over Kilenge from Fr. Barrow, after a few years the Japanese took him to Vunapope, later to Ramale. After the war he returned to Kilenge. In 1947 he went home on holidays to Ireland. Then he was sent to Transvaal.
Fr. John Durkin was sent to Turuk, was captured by the Japanese with Fr. William Cadogan and taken to Vunapope. After the war he took over Valanguo. Then he went on holidays with Fr. Cadogan, and then to Transvaal.
Fr. Michael Murphy took over the station Tabar, where he was captured by the Japanese, and killed on an island near Kavieng.
Fr. Timothy O'Neill - Mal- mal.
Fr. Michael Kelleher - Drasusum (Manus), then Guma.
Fr. Patrick Walsh - Lugagon, died Nov. 1948.
Fr. Edmund MeSweeney - Bariai, then Kilenge.
Fr. Stephen White - Poi - Rabaul - Vunadidir - Poi.
Fr. Kevin John Fleming Karu - Lugagon - Vuvu (1950).

In 1950 4 more Irish Priests arrived:

Fr. Alan Browne - Lemakot.
Daniel Desmond - Malagu- nan, left the Mission after a year.
Fr. John O'Hanlon - Pililo - Vuvu
Fr. Theodericus Savage - Malagunan - Namatanai.

These last 4 Missionaries had been a few months in Papua before they came to our Mission.

At the end of 1950 Fr. James Hayes arrived and was sent to Kaliai.
At the end of 1952 Fr. Humphrey Courtney joined this Mission. He was first on Poi Island, then Vunamarita.

The Marist Brothers.

In 1949 negotiations were made with Rev. Brother Ange, acting Provincial of the Marist Brothers in China to send a Community of Chinese Brothers to teach in the Sacred Heart School at Rabaul.

The first Community with Rev., Brother Jean - Marie, Director, Rev. Brothers Claudius, Anthony and Mary Joseph arrived on Wednesday the 7th. April 1950.

Many parents and pupils gave the Brothers a very warm welcome at the airport and then proceeded to St. Francis Xavier's Church where the Marist Brothers' traditional hymns to Our Lady, the Salve Regina and the Magnificat were sung.

Brother Jean Marie spoke to the assembled community in Mandarin and Brother Claudius translated his speech into Cantonese.

On the 24th August 1950 Rev. Brother Jean-Marie became seriously ill and was obliged to relinquish his position as Director and go to Sydney for medical treatment. During the war Brother spent eighteen months in a prison camp under the sentence of death. Academically Brother was a brilliant man but the hardships he had to endure during the war took a great toll on his health.

In April 1951 Rev. Brother Ervan from Australia was appointed Director. During the same month Brother Jude an Australian from the Mission School at Kieta came to teach for three months.

In July Brother Philip another Australian, replaced Brother Jude who returned to Kieta.

In May 1951 Brother Mary Joseph went to Australia to continue his studies.

In December 1953 Brother Claudius and Anthony travelled to Australia. Brother Claudius later returned to Rabaul but Brother Anthony remained in Sydney to teach and to continue his studies.

In June 1954 Brother Dominic, from China, joined the staff and remained here until December 1956 when he was transferred to Kuantan, Malaya.

In December 1956 Brother Claudius was transferred to St. Francis Xavier's College, Hong Kong.

In 1954 The very Rev. Brother Superior General and his Coun cil gave to the Rev. Brother Provincial of the Sydney Province the responsibility of conducting and staffing the Sacred Heart Boys' School.

In May 1955 Brother Gervase (Australia) joined the staff.

In January 1957 Brother Ervan who had spent six years in charge of the school, returned to Sydney.

Brother Vincent accompanied by Brother Berchamans arrived from Sydney to take up his position as Director of the school.

The Christian Brothers.

In March, 1950, four Christian Brs. McGrath, Howard, Lambert and Parker arrived from Australia to educate native boys at St. Mary's, Vuvu. Boys were selected from most mission stations and sent to Vuvu. Thus Vuvu became the education centre of the Diocese. A second foundation was made by the Brothers in March, 1952, at Bundralis, Manus, and Brs. Howard and Lambert went there. Their places at Vuvu were taken by Brs. Calopedis and Luison who arrived from Australia. Two more Brothers arrived in 1955 and were able to help with the Teacher Training that the Government began that year. The mission was in a sound position as regards educated natives, and so Teacher Training at Vuvu has been successful. Students at Vuvu have also been successful in winning Government Scholarships to Australia. In 1956 Secondary Education began at Vuvu. In October of that year two Brothers took over the old-established mission school at Kininigunan.

Now the Christian Brothers Intermediate School at Vuvu, Bundralis and Kininigunan are Leaders for their Teacher Training and Secondary Schools at St. "Paul's, Vuvu.

OUR GRATITUTE must be expressed to those WHO PRINTED:-

Bro. Epping and his Staff: Harry Wong Typist, Bill Koch, Printer, Bernard Chang Mau, Bookbinder and all the boys.

WHO TYPED:- O.L.S.H. and M.S.C. Sisters; Misses Olga Cheung Beck Wan, Elizabeth Yee Kim Sui, Flo- rence Seeto Fung Kin, Mary Rose Chow Kan Dak, Doreen Lee Yuk Kin.

MOST OF ALL to those many who supplied information, especially His Lordship, to the Superior, Very Rev. Fr. Dahmen, and to Fr. Mertens of saintly memory.

Cum approbatione Ecclesiastica. Printed at the Catholic Mission Vunapope, P.O. Kokopo. T.N.G.