The
Diocese of Bathurst in rural New South Wales, Australia has been financially
supporting the Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru for many years now- since the Most
Rev. Patrick Doughty become bishop of Bathurst. The diocese runs an annual
collection at Christmas to support the work of our twinned diocese, under the
leadership of Bishop Paul Mea. That work includes among other things the running
of a Catholic pre-school, 5 secondary schools (most include boarding
facilities), many parish communities on isolated islands and medical centres to
supplement the struggling health system. This annual collection is a way for us
to share in the life and mission of the church and show our solidarity with
other Catholic communities throughout the world.
In addition to this financial support, the Bishop Paul Mea and a number of his priests have been brought out to Australia to make connections with our diocese. Greg Bellamy, a secondary teacher from Bathurst taught at Sacred Heart High School in the village of Bikenibeu on the island of Tarawa in 2000 and 2001 in the capacity of a lay missionary. Currently Leanne Pritchard, also a teacher from Bathurst is teaching in Sacred Heart High School for a term of two years: 2003-2004. Through these connections our communities continue to grow closer together and build lasting links and relationships.
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| Greg Bellamy | Leanne Pritchard |
Interested in learning more... find out about lay missionary work or support the work taking place in the Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru: Go to the Palms (Australian Lay Missionary Society) website here, or email us at comeandsee@surf.to or write directly to the Catholic Education Director, Box 79 Bairiki, Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati, Central Pacific.
This site was last updated 16/09/03
