In the previous episode of his ongoing missionary journey, he found himself drawn deeper into the life of Marudi, learning the rhythms of the school, the river town and its people with a mixture of wonder, humour and quiet purpose. From the classrooms and cultural festivals to football matches, basketball nights and the odd travelling […]
Previously, on his journey as a missionary, he found himself pulled between the classroom and the jungle path, trying to serve both the children of St Mark’s and the scattered communities beyond the river. Week by week, he settled into school life, travelled with Father Ferd to longhouses and little chapels, and began to see […]
He had been happy in Seria, busy with school and parish life, but his heart was already pulling him towards the deeper interior, where the real missionary journey seemed to be waiting. After speaking plainly to the bishop, he was sent to Marudi, an old mission station up the Baram River, full of history, fading […]
Previously, the missionary had found himself swept up in the strange calm after the Brunei Rebellion, watching soldiers come and go through Seria as if war and parish life had somehow been folded into the same ordinary day. He had seen bravery, confusion, humour and faith all mixed together, from stern matrons turning rebels away […]
In the previous episode of his long missionary journey, he had barely caught his breath after the trouble of the rebellion before Brunei was hit by the worst floods anyone could remember. Still, he did what he had always done: pulled on his boots, went out among the parishioners, and tried to bring a bit […]
Previously, the missionary moved quietly through the uneasy stillness of the town, where fear and strange kindness often met without warning. Only the day before, he had been stopped by a former pupil now wearing the uniform of a rebel, who spoke to him with warmth before disappearing into the shifting tide of conflict. Back […]
Who was to know that I would ever put my foot firmly on Africa’s soil? Isay firmly because in 1964, I fleetingly touched Arica when going through the Suez Canal from Suez to Aden with a freighter on my way to Sarawak. It happened like this: Fr Philip and Fr Mathews, who had been serving […]
Last time, he found himself dropped into the uneasy politics of North Borneo, where talk of a new Malaysia swirled round mission houses, government men and village chiefs alike. Though he’d only meant to serve quietly, he was pulled close enough to see how power moved behind polite smiles, while still learning the rough, isolated […]
Mill Hill Missionaries in Malaysia are currently serving in just one out of the fourteen states within the country. This is partly because only the state of Sarawak has kept its borders opened to welcome missionaries from across the globe, though each missionary is expected to serve within the state/country for a period not longer […]
The Mill Hill Missionaries’ presence and contribution to mission in Asia is still active and growing through gaining our strength from the spirit of the Risen Lord who is always with us in all circumstances. We must admit and appreciate that Asia is a continent of diversity in terms of culture, religion and tradition of […]
Previously, the missionary found himself spoiled by a run of little mercies: a beach picnic with sharp-eyed altar boys, hopeful chats about vocations that fizzled under family duty, and then a sunburnt dash by Dakota up to North Borneo. He stayed with quick-witted priests, heard old wartime shadows, and pushed into the cool high country […]
Previously, the missionary had been swept up in the rush of school and parish life, only to be summoned by the bishop for a journey upriver to the Baram, where they traded the neat order of timetables for the thrum of a longboat under a papal flag, an uneasy night in a longhouse full of […]
