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An
early Aitape community:
Michael
Vella, Anthony Donnelly,
Paul
O'Keeffe,
Charles
Barry & Gerard
Bulfin
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St
Francis High School,
Nuku
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Brother
Norbert Yeku in native ceremonial garb for his Final
Profession.
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In 1968
the Australian Province moved into another stage of its history with
the
Brothers becoming involved with education in Papua New Guinea. As in
the
Australian story, this branch began in Papua New Guinea through the
invitation
of a Bishop: Ignatius Doggett. He was the bishop of the Diocese
of
Aitape in the West Sepik Province and had been a student of the
Patricians
at Holy Cross College at Ryde. (Aitape is located on the northern coast
of PNG near the Irian Jayan boarder.)
Click
on the map if you would like more details
on
Patrician ministry: where and when and what.
He invited the brothers to
take over the
administration of a secondary school in his diocese. Two Brothers were
sent with one of these Brothers, Brother Charles Barry, becoming the
principal
of St Ignatius High School in Aitape. In 1978 Brother Charles was asked
to carve a school out of the jungles of the Nuku distrist on the other
side of the mountain range from Aitape. The transformation was
miraculous
as he and Brother Michael Vella worked with the local people to create
a very fine school and campus.
Brother Charles then became
something of
a trouble-shooter as he was asked to be principal of Aitape High School
(the government high school) and then Lumi High (also a government
school)
so that he might be able to lift them out of the difficulties they were
experiencing. He did.
Since 1968 the twenty-five
Australian,
Irish, and Indian Patrician Brothers who spent time in Papua New
Guinea
made a significant contribution to education in Papua New Guinea, with
roles in teaching, school administration, school and National
curriculum.
In 1987 the Brothers were
able to accept
the first group of Papua New Guineans for training and formation as
Patrician
Brothers. Brothers Michael Vella and Philip Turner took on the daunting
task of religious formation in a foreign culture. The formation centres
were at first at the Nuku school and then expanded to Laingim. But
eventually
through the great dedication of these Brothers, especially Philip
Turner,
Aitape became the Patrician formation centre.
For several years the
corridors of the
formation house were quiet. In 2001 plans again were drawn up for a new
formation strategy. This included Brother Norbert Yeku doing formation
training in India. Also in 2001 a 'Come and See' group was
introduced
to the way of life of a Patrician. In 2002 these men returned for
further
training as postulants
and in August 2003 began their novitiate
programme.
Over the years so far the
Brothers have
been involved the several ministries: teaching at Aitape, Nuku, Lumi,
and
Wewak; health workers in Aitape; mission maintenance; brick and tank
manufacturing;
and with
Callan Services
for
the disabled in Wewak.
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The 2002 Aitape community
Peter R, Tonny, Felix, Peter E, James,
Tom, Peter S, Norbert |
Aitape
and Wewak communities
together for professions - 1996: John, Philip A,
Ben,
Norbert, Stephen, Philip
T,
Primus,
Simon.
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Brothers from overseas service in Papua New Guinea
Brother Charles Barry 1968 -1994 (Saints, Walamu, Lumi,
Aitape)
Brother Gabriel McCluskie 1968 (Saints)
Brother Bartholomew Gaffney 1969-70 (Saints)
Brother Raymond Eves 1969-73 (Saints)
Brother Lawrence Cassar 1970-75 (Saints)
Brother Gregory Kerr 1971-75 (Saints, Aitape)
Brother Paul Leonarder 1973-74 (Saints)
Brother Blaise Madden 1973-75 (Saints)
Brother Anthony Donnelly 1975-76 RIP
(Ireland)
(Saints)
Brother Gerard Bulfin 1976-80 (Saints)
Brother Paul O’Keeffe 1976-81 (Saints)
Brother Michael Vella 1976- March 92 (Saints, Walamu)
Brother Anthony O’Connor 1978-87 RIP (Saints)
Brother Stephen Sweetman 1982-85, 1996 & 2001-continuing (Saints,
Wewak)
Brother David Sullivan 1984-1992 (Walamu, Saints, Lumi)
Brother Cronan O’Meara 1992-96 & 2000-01 (Walamu, Bishop’s Hill)
Brother Michael Luff 1986-93 (Saints, Aitape, Mt Hagen)
Brother Philip Turner 1987-99 (Walamu, Laingim, Bishop’s Hill)
Brother Stephen Mutthatil 1988-92
(India) (Aitape,
Mt Hagen)
Brother Christopher Dawes 1988-93
(India) (Walamu)
Brother Christopher Finucane 1987, 89-91 (Saints, Walamu)
Brother Peter Ryan 1991, 1999-continuing (Bishop’s Hill)
Brother Len Blahut 1994 & 95 (Walamu, Wewak)
Brother Philip Mulhall regularly relieved the above Brothers throughout
the years 1994 to 96 when he was Vicar General of the Congregation.
(Walamu,
Bishop’s Hill)
Brother Thomas Rice 2004- (Bishop's Hill)
Brother Marcellus Broderick
2004- (Ireland/Kenya)
(Bishop's Hill)
Brother Christie Roshan
Irudayanathan 2005 - (India) (Aitape)
1968 to 2005:
Twenty-seven
Brothers from overseas
(Australia, Ireland, & India)
169 years of
ministry.
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