Poland in Australia

The first of the projects was coordinated by Fr. Marek Sobotta, who serves in the parishes of Dagua and But, in the Diocese of Wewak, in the East Sepik Province, on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The Bishop of Wewak is also a Polish missionary, Fr. Bishop Józef Roszyński SVD, who supported Fr. Sobotta in the implementation of the project. Thanks to co-financing under the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, a generator and solar panels have been installed in the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Lawrence in Dagua. They will provide access to a stable power supply for the local community, including for a soon-to-be-launched Music Centre and education facility. Last year we successfully cooperated with Fr. Marek on the electrification project for the parish of But which did not have power supply for many years.

The second of this year’s projects consists in providing access to ultrasound training system for medical students at the University of Divine Word in Madang. Our local partner in this project and the director of the Faculty of Medicine at the Madang university is the Polish missionary Prof. Br. Jerzy Kuźma SVD, orthopaedic surgeon and academic lecturer, for many years supporting the development of education and medicine in Papua New Guinea. The project will contribute to improving the quality of teaching medicine and educating future doctors in Papua New Guinea. The founder and first rector of the University of the Divine Word is the Polish Honorary Consul in Papua New Guinea, Fr. Jan Czuba, who has been actively involved in higher education in this country for many years.

The third project, carried out in the Southern Highlands Province in central Papua New Guinea, was coordinated by Fr. Robert Ablewicz, Missionary of the Holy Family. Thanks to the support of “Polish Aid”, a sports centre for youth was built in the St. Clare Parish in Ialibu. Children and youth from the parish, as well as children attending the nearby primary school, can now use the infrastructure of the “Holy Family Sports Centre”, including fenced basketball, volleyball and soccer fields.

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Canberra would like to express its gratitude to the Polish missionaries serving in Papua New Guinea for very fruitful cooperation in the implementation of the projects. We also thank the Honorary Consul of Poland in Papua Nw Guinea Fr. Jan Czuba for his assistance in coordinating these activities.

According to the Polish Episcopal Commission for Missions, 65 Polish missionaries currently serve in Papua New Guinea, including diocesan priests, missionaries, nuns and one lay person. The presence of Polish missionaries in Papua New Guinea is instrumental for the implementation of development projects, co-financed by the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

The remarkable work of Polish missionaries, who have devoted their lives to caring for people in Papua New Guinea is subject of the documentary “Polish missionaries”, directed by Simon Target.

Photos: Robert Ablewicz, Jan Czuba, Jeannie Haugie, Monika Cholewa