Some MSC mission ministry, NT, Daly River, Nauiyu, parish
The MSC ministry in the Northern Territory is diminishing but Daly River is part of our MSC heritage.
Here is some background.
Daly River is approximately 250 km. from Darwin. St. Francis Xavier Parish covers a large area, mainly bush, that has three main rivers; The Daly, the Moil and Adelaide. The Parish Church – St. Francis Xavier – is on the eastern bank of the Daly River in the town of Nauiyu. The traditional owners of the land are the Malak Malak people who live both in Nauiyu and downstream at Wooliana. The main language spoken is Ngungi Kurunggurr.
Contact with the non-aboriginal world came late to this region. It was not until the 1880’s when attempts were made in agriculture, pastoralism and mining. The aboriginal people of the Daly were strong defenders of their country. In the mid 1880’s they suffered a vicious massacre in reprisal for an attack on five copper miners who were thought to have abused the local women.
One hundred and twenty years ago the Jesuits started a Mission among the Aborigines on the other side of the river. At that time the people were living their traditional lifestyle of hunting and gathering across the whole area of the parish. The Jesuits tried to introduce the people to Christianity and a farming life style. After a few years the Mission was moved further downstream to Hermit Hill next to a large Billabong now called “Mission Hole” on Elizabeth Downs Cattle station.
They set up the mission on the other side of the river to be away from the evil influence that the white people had on the local people. There were white people at the copper mine on the eastern side of the river. After a couple of years at Hermit Hill the Mission was moved to Wooliana. They built a church, school, sheds, farm etc. A big flood washed everything away and the Jesuits were then withdrawn by their Superior from the Mission in 1899.
In 1954 some of the local elders approached Bishop O’Loughlin (Bishop of Darwin) asking for help to set up a school and health clinic. The following year the church purchased 4,000 acres of land and re-established the mission among the Aborigines in the Daly. This work was carried out by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and lay Missionaries.
Peter Huan, MSC working among indigenous people in Northern Territory for many decades since his ordination 1989. At the present time, he is the parish priest of Daly River mission station which is about 200km from Darwin. Besides that, he also looks after the church in Adelaide River, Vietnamese community at St Paul’s parish and Vietnamese asylum seekers who live in the farms outside of Darwin.
Photos by Trieu Nguyen MSC when he and Daniel Magadia MSC went to the NT for pastoral experience.
