Lay Missionaries

Fr. Brian Newman (left) and Lay Missionary Bill McQuillan (center) with decorated warriors in Erave.

The 1960s witnessed a greater involvement of the laity in all aspects of the life of the Church. Nowhere was this more evident than in the number of men and women, mostly in their early twenties, who volunteered to do mission work. The diocese of Mendi was richly blessed by this outpouring of zeal for the Church.

Some volunteers were sponsored by organizations like PALMS in Sydney, Australia and Lay Missionary Helpers in Los Angeles,

California. Many came independently, but always with the recommendation of their bishop or pastor. Others were influenced by Religious Sisters communities. Twenty-five volunteers followed the Sisters from Baldegg in coming to the Mendi diocese. The largest group, eighty-eight strong, came from Australia. Twenty-eight came from the United States, New Zealand supplied ten, Ireland three, England three, Canada three, Liechtenstein two, and one each from Scotland, Germany, France, Trinidad and Malaysia.

They came as teachers, nurses, carpenters, mechanics, farmers, and pilots - all ready to serve in any capacity. In time, more and more local people were trained in these professions. As this effort progressed, the local government became reluctant to issue permits to outsiders; it wanted these positions to be filled by their own people.

One cannot exaggerate the impact that these young men and women had on the work of the mission. They brought a sense of dedication and hard work, as well as the zeal and joy of youth that touched the friars, the sisters, and the people of the Southern Highlands. All were enriched by the presence of these spirit-filled volunteers who gave three or more years of their young lives in the service of the Church and to Papua New Guinea. The work of the mission could not have advanced without them.