Missions Rearranged
p. 54 · Read in the full issue
North N. Guinea Catholic Missions Rearranged
THERE has been some reorganisa tion of the Roman Catholic Mis sions in northwestern New Guinea (mainland). About 10,000 square miles, comprising mostly Sepik dis tricts, have been taken from the Vicariate Apostolic of Central New Guinea and called the Prefecture Apostolic of Aitape, and placed in the care of Monsignor Ignatius Doggett, of the Australian Franciscan Fathers.
Monsignor Doggett in an Australian, aged 44, a distinguished scholar, and in 1946 he led the first band of Aus tralian Franciscan missionaries tc New Guinea. There are 10 mission stations in his Prefecture, and the 150,000 natives there speak hundreds of different dialects—a difficult area.
The two Vicariates Apostolic ol Central New Guinea and Eastern New Guinea will in future be known as Wewak and Alexishafen respec tively, both under the Society of the Divine Word. Where before there were two Bishoprics (Central and Eastern New Guinea) there now will be two Bishoprics (Wewak and Alex ishafen) and one Prefecture (Aitape), The Rev. S. K. Lo, of the Methodist Mission to the Chinese of Rabaul, has been transferred tc Darwin.