News of the MSC-SVD transition in the Tiwi Islands
Malcolm Fyfe MSC< Vicar General of Darwin Diocese, writes:
FATHER VINCE CARROLL msc finishes up today at Wurrumiyanga and will return to Downlands College, Toowoomba tomorrow. The diocese is very grateful to Father Vince who at short notice agreed to go to Bathurst Island about 6 months ago to provide ongoing ministry to the people there, in all aspects of Church life, with an outreach to the Schools, CatholicCare and the Aged Care Facility. Father Vince was on Bathurst Island when the MSC Provincial, Father Chris McPhee, broke the sad news that Missionaries of the Sacred Heart could no longer hope to provide further MSC priests to the diocese. Although Father Vince was already familiar with the Darwin diocese, having been Parish Priest of St Paul’s Nightcliff from 2007 to 2013, it was a new experience. Father Vince handled it admirably. Thank you Father Vince. We wish you well in the months and years ahead.
FATHER JOSEPH PULLANAPPILIL cmi has returned from his holiday in India and has kindly agreed to care for our two remote parishes on Melville Island, Milikapiti and Pirlangimpi. It is important to have a resident priest on the Island, which also hosts a significant educational establishment – Tiwi College. Eventually the Divine Word Missionaries will be sending priests to care for the Tiwi Islands parishes - on both Melville and Bathurst Islands but a number of factors have delayed their arrival. We are very grateful that Father Joseph has agreed to minister on Melville Island pending the arrival of the SVD priests.
FAYHER PAULO VATUNITU svd is the first of the SVD priests that Provincial Father Asaeli Raass is making available to the diocese to work in the Top End, in addition to the several SVD priests working in the Centre. Father Paulo, who hails from Fiji, is already an experienced missionary priest but is currently preparing himself more specifically for the Daly River Mission. Given the urgent need for a resident priest on Bathurst Island, Bishop Charles has asked Father Paulo to help out there, pending the arrival of a more permanently based SVD priest. Meantime priests will provide Sunday Masses at Daly River by car from Darwin on a roster basis. Father Paulo was able to attend a couple of recent priests’ gatherings up here, so he is already a familiar face in our diocese. Father will head over to Wurrumiyanga this coming Saturday.
