Background of St. Mary's Church, Sandakan, Sabah |
HISTORY
It is assumed that as early as the 14th century, Sabah then called Borneo was visited by the Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries. It was only until the 19th century that a Prefecture was established with its headquarters based in Labuan, an island on the north-west coast of Borneo. During this time many mission stations were set up. One of them was the St. Mary¡¦s Mission at Sandakan, a small town situated on the North East Coast of Borneo. St. Mary's was eventually taken care of by the Mill Hill Fathers and Sisters. Please refer to the table below for the Priests who had helped shape the present St. Mary's .From a humble attap ( a wooden hut) this mission station was later transformed into one of the most beautiful landmarks. In 1952 after the post war years, Rev. Fr. A. Mulders arrived in Sandakan and wasted no time in getting down to business with a bulldozer. He changed the entire mission compound beyond recognition and made it one of the finest sites in Sandakan. In 1961, initiated by Fr. Mulders, Sandakan got the "Most Beautiful Church". Over 700 parishioners from all walks of life witnessed the consecration in a long but beautiful ceremony solemnized by his Lordship Bishop Buis, CBE, the Vicar Apostolic of Jesselton. After the opening ceremony Rev. Fr. Mulders celebrated the first Mass on the newly consecrated High Altar. St. Mary's Church continues to stand today as a place of worship for the community of Sandakan. Since then, many outstation missions have been established both in the urban and rural areas of Sandakan.
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For the many good works he had done in the fields of education and the development of the |
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church. He personally drove the bulldozer and carved out the ground from the hill which the church |
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now stands.
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SANDAKAN
Sandakan the former capital of Borneo is situated on the North East Coast of North Borneo, a former colony now known as the State of Sabah, a part of the Federation of Malaysia continues to be a popular tourist destination.
Botanists have described about 350,000 species of living plants growing in the wild. There is no doubt that the virgin tropical forest of Sabah abounds in a multitude of trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers and fungi all competing for growing space. Our jungles are a great reservoir of wild exotic species of fruit trees such as durians, citrus, rambutan, mangosteen and langsat..
Our main tourist attraction is the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre at Sepilok twenty (20) kilometers (twelve [12] miles) away from the town centre. The Orang Utan (Mias), the largest monkey of Borneo live in its natural habitat and one has to trek into the heart of a tropical rain forest to watch them at feeding time.
Another feature of great interest are the turtles. Sabah is the only exemplary state to have been given total protection to its turtles with the purchase of three islands known as Turtles Island. Rooms are available for rental making it possible to watch the turtles coming in at night from the ocean to hatch their eggs.
Sandakan is also famous for its fresh and delicious sea food - crabs, clams, many species of fish, lobsters, tiger prawns, all cooked to delight one's palate.
