In 1881,
Pope Leo XIII turned to another congregation, the Missionaries of the Sacred
Heart (MSC) to undertake the difficult task of the evangelization of New Guinea. The Missionaries of the
Sacred Heart, a French congregation, founded in 1854 was growing through new
members joining with keen interest in foreign mission.
None of the colonial powers had officially shown any interest in New Guinea. However on location
were already European traders and planters and some Protestant Missionaries
already fairly established in the islands.
The new mission was to be established in conjunction with an agricultural
settlement scheme, sponsored by a French noblemen; the Marquis de Ray. The
plan, which ultimately proved disastrous at the end, was to establish a colony at
Port Breton, located on the southern end of the islands of New Ireland. By the time the new
wave of Missionaries arrived the colony had failed.
The three Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Frs. Andre Navarra, Theophile
Crammaille and Br. Mesmin Fromm sailed from Barcelona on the 1st September 1881, on board the Barcelona on transit in the Manila in the Philippines. They landed at Matupit Island near Rabaul on the September 29th 1882. This date marks both
the beginning and the continual presence of the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea up till the present day.
A French diocesan priest, the Abbe Lannuzel who had been the Chaplain to the
failed Marquis De Ray settlement, prepared the arrival of the Missionaries of
the Sacred Heart. He had already baptized a number of children in the local
village. The new missionaries received good welcome from the local Tolai people
and also by the big man "Tolitur" of Nodup village. The missionaries
needed a suitable central mission site so eventually settled down at Vlavolo.
By 1884, the colonial powers; Germany and Great Britain; were already talking
about the annexation of the whole eastern New Guinea. Cardinal Moran of Sydney was aware this political
arrangement was soon to take place, He urged Fr. Navarra to quickly establish a
mission in what was to become British New Guinea or Papua.
A second mission was established on the 4th July1885 on Yule Island under the leadership of
Fr. Henry Verius another Missionary of the Sacred Heart.
Rabaul and Yule Island strategically located
establishments became the nerve centres for the evangelization of the entire
Northern and Southern coastal regions of New Guinea.
The division of New Guinea between the new colonial
administrations (Germany and Great Britain) demanded a restructuring
of missionary activity to cater for the political boundaries.
Fr. Andre Navarra was appointed Vicar Apostolic for British New Guinea with his headquarters at
Yule Island while Fr.Henri Verius
was appointed Vicar Apostolic for German New Guinea but at Navarra's request
he remained in Papua as the Assistance bishop. In 1889, Fr. Louis Couppe was
appointed Vicar Apostolic for the German colonial area with its centre at
Kokopo.
At present the congregation numbers around 3,000 members (divided into administrative
areas called Provinces)working in over thirty countries, including many in the
third World, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Texas, Venezuela, England and Russia performing a wide
variety of ministries. Members are involved in Parishes, Retreat Work,
Chaplaincies, Schools, Universities and Counselling.